Africa-Press – Eritrea. Life on Enceladus, Saturn’s sixth-largest satellite, is a topic of scientific debate, with many researchers saying that despite its small size and the fact that it is covered in a thick shell of ice, it could be a habitable world.
A team of researchers from the University of Arizona believes that an orbiting space probe could help to find out whether there is microbial life on Saturn’s moon Enceladus.
In their paper, the researchers, who simulated such a mission, described how an orbiting spacecraft probe could solve the mystery of whether microbes inhabit Enceladus’ subsurface ocean. The scientists designed missions that would use upgraded instruments to sample plumes or even land on the surface of Saturn’s moon.
The research team modeled its calculations based on the hypothesis that Enceladus has methanogens, microbes that can live in oceanic hydrothermal vents similar to those on Earth. The researchers calculated what the total mass of methanogens on Enceladus would be, as well as the probability that their cells and other organic molecules could be ejected through the plumes.
The paper includes recommendations on the minimum amount of material to be collected from the plumes to search for both microbial cells and certain organic molecules.
Enceladus was first surveyed in 1980 by NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft. Later, between 2005 and 2017, NASA’s Cassini probe flew around the Saturn system and studied its complex rings and satellites. Scientists were stunned when Cassini discovered that beneath Enceladus’ thick layer of ice lurks a warm, salty ocean of methane-emitting water.
The discovery of complex organic macromolecules in samples collected by Cassini from Enceladus’ jet plume on June 27, 2018 fueled discussions about the possibility of life there.
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