University of Washington Researcher Says Life On THIS Moon Possible

Can human life exist in our universe anywhere other than Earth?  It's a question scientists have pondered almost as long as if other life exists anywhere other than Earth.  The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been leading that charge since its creation during the Eisenhower Administration in 1958.

Recently a researcher from the University of Washington, Fabian Klenner, who is currently part of a team disseminating data received from the Cassini Probe shared findings that may reshape what we think about life existing on a moon orbiting the planet Saturn.

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The Cassini Probe crashed into Saturn in 2017, but it continues to transmit information about what it has discovered about the Saturn system including it's moon Enceladus.  Enceladus is one of six moons orbiting the ringed planet.  It is covered in roughly 19 feet of ice, but under that ice is a saltwater ocean.  The new data reveals fissures in the ice surface that shoot icy jets of water into Saturn's atmosphere.

What's The Big Deal About Icy Water near Saturn?

The water in those jets contains organic compounds believed to have originated in Enceladus' ocean.  That new revelation, along with previously gathered data, is continuing to reinforce to researchers that life could be sustainable on Saturn's sixth moon.  Klenner said about the new findings:

Having clear evidence of a variety of organic compounds from inside an extraterrestrial water world is incredible and further strengthens Enceladus’ potential for habitability. It appears that Enceladus has all the ingredients for life as we know it.

What's even more interesting about the icy water shooting from Enceladus' surface is that ice water is also part of the composition of Saturn's rings.

While no one is ready to order manned spaceflights to Saturn or Enceladus, the new data from Cassini is proving more encouraging that life could be sustained outside of earth's orbit.  You can read more about the research from the UW perspective here, and the full paper published October 1st in Nature Astronomy here.