European experts are preparing to investigate the conditions of survival in different regions of the solar system under the “Voyager 2050” project, which will focus primarily on Saturn’s moon Enceladus. space.com report.
The 309 mile wide moon is covered in ice. Astronomers using the Cassini mission discovered that Saturn’s natural moons emit columns of water from their surfaces primarily due to gravitational stretching and compression.
The European Space Agency has evaluated the possibility of searching for signs of life on Saturn’s moons, keeping in mind resources and proximity.
“The search for habitable conditions and signs of life in the solar system is challenging from a scientific and technological point of view, but very interesting,” Zita Martins, an astrobiologist at Portugal’s Institute of Advanced Technology, said in a statement. Ta.
Enceladus has all the components necessary to support life, including water and organic molecules.
The mission will consist of a lander and an orbiter, which will be launched separately on Ariane 6 rockets, the report said.
Titan, Saturn’s other largest moon, is attracting a lot of attention.
If experts choose Enceladus, the space mission will collect samples by landing or passing through a plume.
However, the mission to Titan will focus on landing and collecting samples.
NASA is already developing a quadcopter to Titan called Dragonfly, which will be launched to collect information about the sky and the surface.
ESA’s director of science, Carol Mandel, said: “The investigation of signs of past and present life around Saturn has never before been achieved.”
“It will ensure ESA’s leadership in planetary science for decades to come.”
