New research suggests that scientists may be able to collect undisturbed traces of key lifebuilding ingredients from the surface of Saturn’s moon Enceladus. Previous studies have already confirmed the presence of organic molecules in the underwater oceans of Enceladus, making it an intriguing target in the search for extraterrestrial life. However, it was previously believed that the freshest material from Enceladus’ ocean could only be retrieved from solutions seeping through surface cracks.
Under the leadership of Amanda R. Hendrix from The Planetary Science Institute, a research team has discovered that a spacecraft could potentially land in specific locations on Enceladus’ surface to collect relatively undisturbed samples of organic compounds. The team analyzed data from the Hubble Space Telescope and the Cassini probe to determine how deeply ultraviolet (UV) light can penetrate the moon’s icy surface. They showed that damaging UV photons only reach the top 100 micrometers of the surface, while deeper grains remain protected from further transformation.
This new understanding is crucial because UV radiation can alter organic molecules, potentially destroying biosignatures that indicate the presence of biological life. By landing on the surface and collecting samples, scientists could gain access to organic material that is relatively untouched by UV radiation.
The abundance of organic compounds on Enceladus’ surface offers hope for future research missions. As Christopher House from Pennsylvania State University explains, “It’s amazing that with existing technology, we can easily obtain a significant amount of organic material from inhabited extraterrestrial water.” These discoveries open up exciting possibilities for further exploration of Enceladus and the search for life beyond Earth.
The research team’s findings were published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, shedding new light on the potential for finding undisturbed traces of key lifebuilding ingredients on Saturn’s fascinating moon.
The source of the article is from the blog trebujena.net