THEO Concept Mission: Testing the Habitability of Enceladus s Ocean
- Authors
- Type
- Published Article
- Journal
- arXiv preprint arXiv:1605.00579
- Publication Date
- May 01, 2016
- Source
- SETI Institute
- License
- Unknown
Abstract
Saturn s moon Enceladus offers a unique opportunity in the search for life and habitable environments beyond Earth, a key theme of the National Research Council s 2013- 2022 Decadal Survey. A plume of water vapor and ice spews from Enceladus s south polar region. Cassini data suggest that this plume, sourced by a liquid reservoir beneath the moon s icy crust, contain organics, salts, and water-rock interaction derivatives. Thus, the ingredients for life as we know it—liquid water, chemistry, and energy sources—are ...
