NASA Mission and a Toxic Gas Could Help Birth Life on Saturn
The question of life beyond Earth has fascinated scientists for years. Recent discoveries regarding Enceladus, one of Saturn’s moons, suggests that just maybe this fascination will become reality.
Key compounds that could support alien life have been detected on Enceladus. This moon of Saturn is known for the vents on its surface that erupt enormous plumes of water. Water’s presence on Enceladus was discovered in 2005 and served as the first clue that life may exist on this moon. Now, scientists are reporting compounds like hydrogen cyanide have been found on the moon. Hydrogen cyanide is toxic for humans, but it is also a key building block for synthesizing more complex compounds like amino acids, sugars, and nucleobases. These complex compounds are the building blocks for protein, carbohydrates, RNA, and DNA, the biomolecules of life.
An image of Enceladus, one of Saturn’s moons.
Recent findings have encouraged NASA to move forward with the development of the Exobiology Extant Life Surveyor, or EELS. EELS is a snakelike robot that is being developed with the hopes that it could one day crawl into Enceladus’s crust to find more signs of life.
The robot's most recent test run took place in September in the glaciers of northern Canada. Scientists are using the glacier’s rugged terrain as a way to test the mobility and durability of the robot. EELS succeeded in its initial stages of testing and was able to descend almost 1.5 meters below the surface of the glaciers. NASA believes that the next step for EELS is Earth’s moon.
If successful, the robot could be a game changer for navigating terrain in space since it can move in ways that other robots and rovers cannot. More specifically, the robot is made up of ringed segments that allow EELS to slither and move laterally. In this way, EELS can enter crevices and small spots that have not been discovered yet.
Specifically, scientists hope EELS will help directly observe the oceans and water plumes on Enceladus. Researchers have previously reported that the plumes contain phosphate and paired with hydrogen cyanide, we now know that Enceladus’ oceans and water sources have all the essential elements of life. Now this moon is being considered as a prime candidate for hosting extraterrestrial life.
Scientists are also hopeful that even if life doesn’t already exist on Enceladus, the environment and its chemical makeup is capable of giving rise to life. Such life would likely consist of bacteria and other prokaryotes. Regardless of its form, if life is found on Enceladus it will be a big step not only for space exploration but also for our own understanding of the universe.
