Written by Nancy Atkinson

Saturn’s tiny moon Enceladus is of big interest to planetary scientists trying to understand the dynamics of the moon’s geysers and fissures. On August 11, the Cassini spacecraft will swoop by Enceladus for a close flyby, just 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the surface, with the fractures, or “tiger stripes” near the moon’s south pole, where icy jets erupt as the target of study for the Cassini instruments.

“Our main goal is to get the most detailed images and remote sensing data ever of the geologically active features on Enceladus,” said Paul Helfenstein, a Cassini imaging team associate at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. “From this data we may learn more about how eruptions, tectonics, and seismic activity alter the moon’s surface. We will get an unprecedented high-resolution view of the active area immediately following the closest approach.”

Cassini will actually try to see inside one of the fissures in high resolution, which may provide more information on the terrain and depth of the fissures, as well as the size and composition of the ice grains inside. Refined temperature data could help scientists determine if water, in vapor or liquid form, lies close to the surface and better refine their theories on what powers the jets.

Full article here:

http://www.universetoday.com/2008/08/07/cassini-prepares-for-close-flyby-of-saturns-geyser-spewing-moon/

Worlds of possibilities for life

Chris McKay

NASA Ames Research Center

cmckay@mail.arc.nasa.gov

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/products/pdfs/20080325_CHARM_McKay.pdf