Saturn moon Enceladus has ingredients for life

Enceladus—a Saturn moon—is not the only ocean world in our solar system, but it is a top candidate for hosting life. NASA’s Cassini spacecraft team have not found microbes, but they have found their food, according to the article “Food for microbes abundant on Enceladus,” in the journal Science.

Beneath Enceladus’s icy surface is a salty ocean, as evidenced by jets of water ice and vapor erupting from its fissures. Cassini’s first pass found organic molecules like formaldehyde and methane. But it was not until the final pass in October 2015 that abundant hydrogen gas was found, likely from hydrothermal activity on the ocean floor. The activity is similar to the seafloor vents on Earth.

In the 2020s, NASA will launch the Europa Clipper mission to conduct a detailed reconnaissance of Jupiter’s moon Europa to investigate whether the icy moon harbors conditions for life.

This graphic illustrates how Cassini scientists think water interacts with rock at the bottom of the ocean of Saturn's icy moon Enceladus, producing hydrogen gas. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Huge ocean underneath icy Europa

Scenario for getting water to Europa’s surface. Artist's conception of ridges and fractures on Europa  Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA’s Hubble space telescope has imaged what may be plumes of water vapor on Jupiter’s icy moon, Europa. Underneath its ice, there could be a global ocean of water. Future missions to Europa may be able to sample its ocean without having to drill through miles of ice.

Europa’s ocean is believed to be one of the most promising places in our solar system that could potentially harbor life. The ocean contains twice as much water as Earth’s oceans but lies beneath hard ice of unknown thickness.

Read the full article NASA’s Hubble Spots Possible Water Plumes Erupting on Jupiter's Moon Europa.

Hubble Directly Images Possible Plumes on Europa