Long before, it has been noted that Enceladus, one of Saturn's moons, has the presence of watery jets, a global ocean, and hydrothermal activity. In line with this, a significant number of experts have long been perplexed whether Enceladus might be holding the right conditions for life and be a possible host for life forms. Additionally, since Enceladus appears to be a cold, icy, and inhospitable just like Saturn's other moon, scientists believe that it could also be a promising candidate in the search for alien life.
Enceladus And Its Features
According to reports revealed by NASA, over the course of the Cassini mission, observations have shown that at a distance of 313 miles or 504 kilometers across, Enceladus has not only manifested that has watery jets by sending icy grains into space. It was found that under its icy crust, it also has a global ocean, and may have hydrothermal activity as well. Since the time that scientists have been convinced that liquid water is a key ingredient for life, the implications for future missions searching for life elsewhere in our solar system could be significant.
NASA's Mission To Enceladus
Meanwhile, as per Daily Mail, earlier this year, authorities from NASA has revealed some of the closest views of Saturn's icy rings that they have captured so far, by the Cassini spacecraft as it moves through its penultimate mission. Because of these images, experts say that it will be able to provide an unprecedented look at the details of the outer parts of the main rings, which will the reveal a number of interesting features, from 'straw' to millions of moonlets.
As of the press time, it was found that the Cassini spacecraft is heading toward the end of its mission, with the first of its finale plunges into the gap between the rings and Saturn, which is bound to take place in late April. Ultimately, Carolyn Porco from the Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colorado who also happens to be Cassini's Imaging Team Lead said that as the person who planned these initial orbit-insertion ring images, she was personally taken aback by how vastly improved are the details in the new collection.
