Saturn moon shows potential for water and life: NASA

0 Comments | AFP, March, 2008

WASHINGTON (AFP) — The Cassini spacecraft detected temperatures and organic materials indicating possible conditions for life on Saturn's moon Enceladus as it flew through giant plumes at the moon's south pole, NASA officials said Wednesday.

The spacecraft found a high density of water vapor and both simple and complex organic chemicals as it passed within 50 kilometers (30 miles) of Enceladus on March 12 to assess the geyser-like plumes shooting out from surface fractures, the space agency said.

Cassini's instruments detected temperatures on Enceladus's south pole hot-spot as high as minus 135 degrees F (minus 93 C), which suggested that sub-surface temperatures might be high enough for the existence of liquid water, one of the keys to possible life, John Spencer,...