Enceladus Ice Grains and the Search for Life: New Research Breakthrough

SPACE — When NASA’s Cassini spacecraft aimed its instruments at Saturn’s moon Enceladus, it saw ice clumps shooting up from its surface at 1,448 kilometers per hour. The geysers look like tendrils of a vast subsurface ocean.

Since then, scientists have been curious whether the liquid carries signs of life, namely organic molecules. Some time ago, a study of Cassini data stated that Enceladus has all the basic ingredients for life like on Earth.

But if scientists want to study these organic molecules, they have to find a safe way to collect them. Now, there is good news about this method.

One laboratory experiment has shown fluid from the geyser can survive contact with a spacecraft. The researchers published their results in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on December 4, 2023.

Also read: Research: Enceladus has all the raw materials for life

The researchers used physical tools designed to examine collisions. Initially, they created ice particles by forcing water through a high-voltage needle. The charge breaks the water into tiny droplets, each of which crystallizes into ice grains when they enter a vacuum.

Then, the researchers photographed the hardened grains through a spectrometer and imaged each grain and recorded the time of impact. They found that the amino acids in the ice grains could survive at speeds of up to 15,128 kilometers per hour. That was more than enough to survive when faced with spaceships.

To determine whether ice is in
Enceladus contains signs of life, scientists want to get intact, undamaged ice grains. That way, they can clearly find out the compounds contained in it.

“Our work suggests this (ice taking) may be happening in the Enceladus ice floes,” said Robert Continetti, a chemist at the University of California San Diego and one of the research team members.

Also read: Webb Telescope investigates water gushing from Enceladus, Saturn’s moon

Although the experiment used data from Enceladus, it could also apply to other moons of Saturn. Jupiter’s moon Europa also contains water, so future missions like the Europa Clipper could analyze ice grains there. Source: Space.com

2023-12-10 19:53:00
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