News Archive / Tagged: Enceladus

• Saturn’s moon Enceladus has conditions that could support microbial life

  Laurel KornfeldJuly 4th, 2018

  Complex organic molecules have been discovered in the plumes of Saturn's moon Enceladus. The data transmitted back to Earth by the Cassini Saturn orbiter, which ended its service above the ringed world on Sept. 16, 2017.

• Cassini data proposes new explanation for Enceladus’ active ocean

  Laurel KornfeldNovember 7th, 2017

  A new study that incorporates various findings by NASA's Cassini mission regarding Saturn's moon Enceladus proposes that the moon has a porous core in which rocks flex and rub together, producing sufficient heat via friction to power its global subsurface ocean.

• Cassini images Enceladus’ south polar jets

  Laurel KornfeldJuly 20th, 2017

  NASA's Cassini orbiter has captured a distant view of the mysterious jets emanating from the south pole of Saturn's moon Enceladus, a world that likely harbors a subsurface ocean. The jets are believed to be liquid water being vented from the ocean underneath the moon's icy crust.

• Could a dedicated mission to Enceladus detect microbial life there?

  Tomasz NowakowskiJune 27th, 2017

  Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus is best known for its numerous geysers ejecting plumes of water and ice. These eruptive fountains are perplexing researchers searching for signs of microbial life beyond Earth. A dedicated spacecraft designated to study the plume-like features sprouting from Enceladus could definitely tell us whether they contain alien microorganisms.

• Ocean worlds Enceladus and Europa could be habitable for microbial life

  Laurel KornfeldApril 14th, 2017

  New data obtained by NASA's Cassini mission and by the Hubble Space Telescope indicate Saturn's moon Enceladus and Jupiter's moon Europa, both referred to as ocean worlds because they harbor subsurface oceans, could be habitable for microbial life.

• NASA Video: Saturn moon Enceladus has ingredients for life

  Derek RichardsonApril 13th, 2017

  Using data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft orbiting Saturn and the Hubble Space Telescope around Earth, scientists have determined that the ringed planet's moon Enceladus, which has a global ocean under its icy surface, has a source of chemical energy – an ingredient for life.

• Cassini’s first close flyby of Enceladus led to discovery of its subsurface ocean

  Laurel KornfeldFebruary 21st, 2017

  An unexpected finding during Cassini's first close flyby of Saturn's moon Enceladus led to the discovery of its subsurface ocean, which could, possibly, host microbial life.

• Cassini prepares to graze Saturn’s rings

  Paul KnightlyNovember 26th, 2016

  NASA's robotic Cassini spacecraft will begin a grand tour of Saturn’s ring system starting this week as the mission enters into its final stages.

• Cassini to make final close pass of Enceladus

  Jim SharkeyDecember 18th, 2015

  NASA's Cassini spacecraft will soon make its final close approach of Saturn's ocean-bearing moon Enceladus. Cassini will fly past Enceladus at a distance of 3,106 miles on Saturday, Dec. 19, at 12:49 p.m. EST (17:49 GMT).

• Cassini makes closest dive into Enceladus’ plumes

  Laurel KornfeldOctober 30th, 2015

  NASA's Cassini spacecraft conducted a daring plunge into the moon's icy plumes on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2015. The spacecraft flew within 30 miles (50 km) of the moon's surface, taking pictures and collecting samples that the Cassini scientists hope will answer questions about Enceladus' habitability for primitive life.

• Cassini prepped to conduct ‘screaming’ pass through Enceladus’ plume

  Jason RhianOctober 27th, 2015

  Scientists and engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory are preparing the Cassini spacecraft to conduct a daring run through a plume ejected from the surface of Saturn's moon Enceladus. That pass, which will see the spacecraft reach speeds of 19,000 mph (30,578 km/h), will help to better understand the dynamics involved with the ocean on this distant, icy world.

• Cassini studies activity on Enceladus in three separate flybys

  Laurel KornfeldOctober 16th, 2015

  NASA's Cassini orbiter is conducting three separate flybys of Saturn's icy moon Enceladus to further study the surprising levels of activity occurring on and below its surface and to obtain images and data that could help scientists determine whether the Saturnian moon could be habitable for microbial life.

• Cassini discovers global ocean beneath surface of Saturn’s moon Enceladus

  Jim SharkeySeptember 18th, 2015

  NASA announced on Tuesday (Sept. 15) that researchers using data from the space agency's Cassini mission have discovered a global ocean beneath the icy crust of Saturn's moon Enceladus. The researchers found that the magnitude of the moon's slight wobble can only be explained by the presence of liquid beneath its outer ice shell.

• Cassini spacecraft data suggests hydrothermal activity beneath Enceladus’ surface

  Jim SharkeyMarch 15th, 2015

  Scientists working with data from NASA’s Cassini-Solstice mission have discovered evidence of present-day hydrothermal activity beneath the icy surface of Saturn’s moon Enceladus. Hydrothermal activity occurs when seawater penetrates and reacts with a rocky crust and emerges as a heated, mineral-laden solution. While this in a natural occurrence in Earth’s oceans, the new findings are the first […]

• Cassini and DSN evidence suggest ocean inside Saturn’s moon Enceladus

  David DarlingApril 5th, 2014

  Water, water, everywhere it seems – including the sub-surface of Enceladus, one of Saturn’s moons. Compelling evidence for an underground ocean on this remote, ice-coated world has come from NASA's Cassini spacecraft and Deep Space Network.