Although there is currently no evidence of life on Enceladus, the moon of Saturn that propels immense geysers of water vapor into space, NASA considers it a prime candidate for further exploration.
In a recent study published in Nature Astronomy, planetary scientists analyzed data from NASA’s Cassini mission, which traversed through the watery and carbon-rich plumes emanating from Enceladus.
The researchers determined that not only do these plumes exist, but they also contain the crucial molecule hydrogen cyanide—a molecule deemed vital to the origin of life, as explained by NASA.
“Our work provides further evidence that Enceladus is host to some of the most important molecules for both creating the building blocks of life and for sustaining that life through metabolic reactions,” said study author Jonah Peter, a doctoral student at Harvard University who worked on this Enceladus research at NASA.
“The discovery of hydrogen cyanide was particularly exciting, because it’s the starting point for most theories on the origin of life,” Peter said, Mashable reported.
Despite concluding in 2017 when the Cassini mission ended with the spacecraft burning up in Saturn’s atmosphere, scientists continue to analyze the extensive data transmitted to Earth.
While prior knowledge confirmed the presence of water, carbon dioxide, and methane in the plumes, a more thorough examination has revealed the additional existence of hydrogen cyanide.
This discovery adds another layer to our understanding of the composition of Enceladus’ plumes.
Written by B.C. Begley
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B.C. Begley 