NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has sniffed out
something pretty exciting coming from Saturn’s
moon Enceladus.
Turns out hydrogen molecules are spewing out
from this icy snowball.
And while that might not seem super interesting,
it’s a huge indicator that Enceladus could
be home to alien life.
Enceladus is already a big favorite in the
search for life elsewhere in our Solar System,
since the moon is thought to harbor a vast
liquid ocean underneath its surface.
This ocean water periodically erupts from
Enceladus in the form of geysers or plumes.
n October of 2015, Cassini did a deep dive
into one of the these plumes, coming within
30 miles of the moon’s surface.
And when it did, it got a whiff of hydrogen
molecules.
The presence of hydrogen in the water is big,
since it clinches this idea that there are
underwater hot springs on Enceladus.
It’s known as hydrothermal activity, and
it happens when the chilly ocean mingles with
piping hot rock on the sea floor.
The same thing happens on Earth, too.
They’re called hydrothermal vents, and they
form underwater along ridges or cracks in
the crust.
The heated mix of water and rock causes chemical
reactions that produce all kinds of hot material
that jet upward.
These reactions can create a breeding ground
for microbes, and many think that some of
the first forms of life popped up around these
kinds of vents.
Hydrogen is particularly enticing too, since
this molecule is like candy for some deep-sea
microbes.
On earth, some organisms around hydrothermal
vents munch on hydrogen, converting it to
energy needed to live.
So if hydrogen molecules are present on Enceladus,
maybe similar kinds of microbes are also munching
it.
Which could mean….
Well before we get ahead of ourselves, this
finding does NOT mean we’ve actually found
life on Enceladus.
So sorry, no aliens just yet.
Plus, there are a few signs that indicate
maybe life isn’t there.
Cassini detected quite a bit of hydrogen,
more than what would be expected if microbes
were eating it to survive.
So it’s possible that there’s no one around
to eat this stuff.
Or maybe the microbes are there but something
is keeping the population from getting too
big.
It’s possible there’s an element missing
that these microbes need to really thrive.
Either way, this is a huge finding from Cassini,
and it ironically comes at a time when the
spacecraft is about to meet its end.
In a couple weeks, Cassini is about to put
itself into its final few orbits around Saturn.
These will take the spacecraft closer to the
planet than ever before -- but once those
orbits are done, Cassini will then plunge
into Saturn and break apart.
But these latest findings just mean that we
need to send something else to Enceladus.
Cassini wasn’t really designed to make the
kind of measurements it has regarding the
moon.
Now that we know all this info, perhaps it’s
time to send a probe to Enceladus that’s
designed to sniff out life.
I don't know what to say.
From background: I can say it.
Loren: What do you want to say?
From background: ET!
Loren: No ET, we don't know.
