Enceladus Life Finder
The south polar jets loft water, salts and organic molecules dozens of miles over the moon's surface from an underground regional ocean.[1][8] On 14 December 2023, astronomers reported the first time discovery, in the plumes of Enceladus, of hydrogen cyanide, a possible chemical essential for life as we know it, as well as other organic molecules, some of which are yet to be better identified and understood.According to the researchers, "these [newly discovered] compounds could potentially support extant microbial communities or drive complex organic synthesis leading to the origin of life.[2] The geysers could provide easy access for sampling the moon's subsurface ocean, and if there is microbial life in it, ice particles from the sea could contain the evidence astrobiologists need to identify them.The payload consists of the MASPEX and the ENIJA, optimized to analyze respectively the gas and grains:[1][8] The Cassini spacecraft has measured small silica particles, normally formed at 90 °C or higher, streaming from Enceladus.
Samarkand SulciAli BabaAladdinastrobiologyhabitabilityEnceladusSaturnsixth-largest mooncometsgeyser-likeplumessolar panels on the spacecraft'tiger stripes'Discovery Mission 13New Frontiers programbiosignaturebiomoleculesorganic moleculesamino acidsproteinsfatty acidsmethaneorganismsmass spectrometercarbon monoxidecarbon dioxidenitrogenorganic compoundshydrogen cyanidemicrobial communitiesorganic synthesisorigin of lifeCassinimicrobial lifeastrobiologistsJonathan LunineCornell Universityorganicshabitatsoxidation statehydrothermal activitymass spectrometersMass Spectrometer for Planetary ExplorationEnceladus Icy Jet AnalyzerCassini spacecraftsilicacarbonisoprenoidshydrogenisotopic ratiosAbiogenesisEnceladus OrbilanderEnceladus ExplorerEnceladus Life Signatures and HabitabilityExplorer of Enceladus and TitanEuropa ClipperJourney to Enceladus and TitanLife Investigation For EnceladusNew ScientistBibcodeThe New York TimesNature AstronomyScienceAstrochemistryAstrophysicsAtmospheric sciencesBiochemistryEvolutionary biologyExoplanetologyGeomicrobiologyMicrobiologyPaleontologyPlanetary oceanographyPlanetary scienceAllan Hills 84001BiomoleculeDrake equationEarliest known life formsEarth analogExtraterrestrial lifeExtraterrestrial sample curationExtremophilesHypothetical types of biochemistryList of microorganisms tested in outer spaceOcean planetPanspermiaPlanetary protectionSearch for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI)Yamato meteoritePlanetaryhabitabilityCircumstellar habitable zoneExtraterrestrial liquid waterGalactic habitable zoneHabitability of binary star systemsHabitability of natural satellitesHabitability of neutron star systemsHabitability of red dwarf systemsHabitability of K-type main-sequence star systemsHabitability of yellow dwarf systemsHabitability of F-type main-sequence star systemsHabitable zone for complex lifeList of potentially habitable exoplanetsTholinSuperhabitable planetBiolabBIOPANBiosatellite programE-MISTEu:CROPISEXPOSEO/OREOSOREOcubeTanpopoVEGGIEBeagle 2Fobos-GruntMars Science LaboratoryCuriosity roverMars 2020Perseverance roverPhoenixTianwen-1Zhurong roverTrace Gas OrbiterVikingHayabusa2