Encore For Enceladus! Saturn Moon Ripe For Astrobiology Exploration

BOULDER, Colorado—The discovery of apparent liquid water reservoirs erupting in Yellowstone-like geysers on Saturn’s moon Enceladus has produced a gusher of questions.

One leading unknown to solve: Could liquid water residing within a body so small and so cold provide comfort-level conditions suitable for living organisms?

NASA announced last month that high-resolution Cassini images of Enceladus show icy jets and lofty plumes that expel large quantities of particles at high speed. Scientists think the jets spout from near-surface pockets of liquid water, super-cold versions of the Old Faithful geyser in Yellowstone.

In the spring of 2008, Cassini is slated for another chance to look at Enceladus, flying within some 220 miles (350 kilometers) of the perplexing moon. The end of Cassini’s "Prime Mission" is June 30, 2008, four years after arrival at Saturn.

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