Search results for Cassini

Space Exploration Mar 26, 2024

Saturn's moon Enceladus top target for ESA

A fresh, icy crust hides a deep, enigmatic ocean. Plumes of water burst through cracks in the ice, shooting into space. An intrepid lander collects samples and analyzes them for hints of life.

Astrobiology Mar 22, 2024

Signs of life detectable in single ice grain emitted from extraterrestrial moons, experimental setup shows

The ice-encrusted oceans of some of the moons orbiting Saturn and Jupiter are leading candidates in the search for extraterrestrial life. A new lab-based study led by the University of Washington in Seattle and the Freie ...

Space Exploration Mar 18, 2024

As Voyager 1's mission draws to a close, one planetary scientist reflects on its legacy

For nearly 50 years, NASA's Voyager 1 mission has competed for the title of deep space's little engine that could. Launched in 1977 along with its twin, Voyager 2, the spacecraft is now soaring more than 15 billion miles ...

Planetary Sciences Mar 14, 2024

What can we learn flying through the plumes at Enceladus?

In the next decade, space agencies will expand the search for extraterrestrial life beyond Mars, where all of our astrobiology efforts are currently focused. This includes the ESA's JUpiter ICy moon's Explorer (JUICE) and ...

Astrobiology Feb 7, 2024

Mimas' surprise: Tiny moon holds young ocean beneath icy shell

Hidden beneath the heavily cratered surface of Mimas, one of Saturn's smallest moons lies a secret: a global ocean of liquid water. This astonishing discovery, led by Dr. Valéry Lainey of the Observatoire de Paris-PSL and ...

Astrobiology Feb 1, 2024

How did life get started on Earth? Atmospheric haze might have been the key

A recent study accepted to The Planetary Science Journal and currently posted to the arXiv preprint server investigates how the organic hazes that existed on Earth between the planet's initial formation and 500 million years ...

Astrobiology Dec 18, 2023

Surface of Saturnian moon Enceladus shields buried organics

The Saturnian moon Enceladus presents a unique opportunity in our solar system to search for evidence of life, given its habitable ocean and plume that deposits organic-bearing ocean material onto the surface.

Other Dec 16, 2023

Saturday Citations: Dogs (woolly) and cats (athletic). Plus: Amino acid precursors on Enceladus, beer goggles on Earth

This week, scientists reported on drinking beer, Saturnian expulsions, an ancient North American dog breed, and cats playing dogs' favorite game, fetch.

Astrobiology Dec 14, 2023

NASA study finds life-sparking energy source and molecule at Enceladus

A study zooms in on data that NASA's Cassini gathered at Saturn's icy moon and finds evidence of a key ingredient for life and a supercharged source of energy to fuel it.

Planetary Sciences Nov 14, 2023

Using eclipses to calculate the transparency of Saturn's rings

A Lancaster University Ph.D. student has measured the optical depth of Saturn's rings using a new method based on how much sunlight reached the Cassini spacecraft while it was in the shadow of the rings.

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