NASA: Saturn's moon, Enceladus, could support life

[CGI_Ram]

NASA: Saturn's moon, Enceladus, could support life

http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2017/04/13/nasa-saturns-moon-enceladus-could-support-life.html

In a major press announcement, NASA announced Enceladus, Saturn's moon, could support life thanks to the presence of hydrogen discovered.

Known as an "ocean-world," Enceladus has been spewing off hydrogen from a plume, said Linda Spilker Cassini project scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California during the press event.

The findings are the results of 12 years of investigation by the Cassini spacecraft and were released in a paper from researchers with the Cassini mission, published in the journal "Science."

"It could be a potential source for energy from any microbes," Spilker noted. "We now know that Enceladus has almost all of the ingredients you would need for life here on Earth."

So far, Enceladus has shown to have the existence of nearly all of the elements of habitability (primarily carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulfur), except for phosphorus and sulfur. Scientists expect they are present due to Enceladus' rocky core, which is thought to be chemically similar to meteorites, which contain both phosphorus and sulfur.

“This is the closest we've come, so far, to identifying a place with some of the ingredients needed for a habitable environment,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate at Headquarters in Washington in a statement. ”These results demonstrate the interconnected nature of NASA's science missions that are getting us closer to answering whether we are indeed alone or not.”

Chris Glein, Cassini INMS team associate at SwRI, noted that the team thinks hydrothermic fluids are circulating on the floor od Enceladus' ocean. The warm fluids, mixed with the ocean water, would cause mineral precipitates to form on the sea floor.

"When Cassini was first built, you never thought you'd see an active ocean floor," Glein said. Spilker added that they don't currently have the instruments to look for life on the moon and that Cassini has gone as far as it can go.

In addition, the Hubble Telescope observed that there was a probably plume of hydrogen released from Europa, the smallest of the four Gallilean moons orbiting Jupiter.

Observations were made in 2016, as well as 2014, which "bolster evidence that the Europa plumes could be a real phenomenon, flaring up intermittently in the same region on the moon's surface."

 

[Ramrasta]

As exciting as this type of findings may be, I still don't think there is any potential for life on either Enceladus or Europa. Both these moons have almost no atmosphere so they rely almost entirely on geothermal exhaust for their heat. However, the surface layer of the oceans on these moons are frozen so no atmospheric diffusion can occur. This means for life to exist, all the eccential life nutrients would have to be readily available and thoroughly mixed enough around the ocean floor exhaust to randomly form a microbe capable of both surviving the extreme conditions as well as having the ability to procreate before endogenous decay. The moons are also tiny in comparison to the Earth so the potential volume around these geothermal vents is a fraction of a fraction of the available life spawning volumes for Earth. Incorporate the fact that phosphorus is an incredibly rare element (even the most common limiting nutrient for life on Earth) and the potential that these moons have it at all is bleak.

The other argument for life through seeding from another planet is also ridiculously unlikely. Taken into account that Earth is the nearest life-bearing planet to either moon, a microbe somehow able to escape Earth's gravitational pull after a meteor collision on a piece of debris would then have to travel millions of miles of thousands of years in the cold, dark vacuum of space without much in the way of substrate to sustain itself. After the travel, it would then need to survive impact with the moon, penetrate the ice shell, and adapt to a radically new environment within the span of its reproduction window.

In all, you could probably dismiss the possibility of other life in our solar system to be close to 1 in 1,000,000,000,000,000,000. If there is any "alien" life in our solar system, it is likely from microbes carried to Mars by the rovers.

 

[Riverumbbq]

NASA: Saturn's moon, Enceladus, could support life

http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2017/04/13/nasa-saturns-moon-enceladus-could-support-life.html

In a major press announcement, NASA announced Enceladus, Saturn's moon, could support life thanks to the presence of hydrogen discovered.

Known as an "ocean-world," Enceladus has been spewing off hydrogen from a plume, said Linda Spilker Cassini project scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California during the press event.

The findings are the results of 12 years of investigation by the Cassini spacecraft and were released in a paper from researchers with the Cassini mission, published in the journal "Science."

"It could be a potential source for energy from any microbes," Spilker noted. "We now know that Enceladus has almost all of the ingredients you would need for life here on Earth."

So far, Enceladus has shown to have the existence of nearly all of the elements of habitability (primarily carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulfur), except for phosphorus and sulfur. Scientists expect they are present due to Enceladus' rocky core, which is thought to be chemically similar to meteorites, which contain both phosphorus and sulfur.

“This is the closest we've come, so far, to identifying a place with some of the ingredients needed for a habitable environment,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate at Headquarters in Washington in a statement. ”These results demonstrate the interconnected nature of NASA's science missions that are getting us closer to answering whether we are indeed alone or not.”

Chris Glein, Cassini INMS team associate at SwRI, noted that the team thinks hydrothermic fluids are circulating on the floor od Enceladus' ocean. The warm fluids, mixed with the ocean water, would cause mineral precipitates to form on the sea floor.

"When Cassini was first built, you never thought you'd see an active ocean floor," Glein said. Spilker added that they don't currently have the instruments to look for life on the moon and that Cassini has gone as far as it can go.

In addition, the Hubble Telescope observed that there was a probably plume of hydrogen released from Europa, the smallest of the four Gallilean moons orbiting Jupiter.

Observations were made in 2016, as well as 2014, which "bolster evidence that the Europa plumes could be a real phenomenon, flaring up intermittently in the same region on the moon's surface."

If this is an advertisement, i'll go ... under a few conditions. The following must be included :

1) Jennifer Lawrence
2) Lifetime supply of food/alcohol/weed of our choice. Oh yeah, don't forget the papers & lighters.
3) Large Air tight pre-fab home with built-in swimming pool, jacuzzi, green house.
4) Man cave with billiard & air hockey table, large screen TV & signal for all Rams games with a lifetime guarantee.
5) Solar panels, wind turbine & batteries for above.
6) 2 electric powered ATV's along with 2 spacesuits.
7) A second house with all the makings of the first so that after she throws me out due to my abundance of 'needs', I can put in another request.

By the way, how long does it take for a TV signal to reach this place. Will I be watching a Sunday morning football game on a Friday night ? Doesn't matter, but I do need to schedule my week. opcorn:

 

[CGI_Ram]

As exciting as this type of findings may be, I still don't think there is any potential for life on either Enceladus or Europa. Both these moons have almost no atmosphere so they rely almost entirely on geothermal exhaust for their heat. However, the surface layer of the oceans on these moons are frozen so no atmospheric diffusion can occur. This means for life to exist, all the eccential life nutrients would have to be readily available and thoroughly mixed enough around the ocean floor exhaust to randomly form a microbe capable of both surviving the extreme conditions as well as having the ability to procreate before endogenous decay. The moons are also tiny in comparison to the Earth so the potential volume around these geothermal vents is a fraction of a fraction of the available life spawning volumes for Earth. Incorporate the fact that phosphorus is an incredibly rare element (even the most common limiting nutrient for life on Earth) and the potential that these moons have it at all is bleak.

The other argument for life through seeding from another planet is also ridiculously unlikely. Taken into account that Earth is the nearest life-bearing planet to either moon, a microbe somehow able to escape Earth's gravitational pull after a meteor collision on a piece of debris would then have to travel millions of miles of thousands of years in the cold, dark vacuum of space without much in the way of substrate to sustain itself. After the travel, it would then need to survive impact with the moon, penetrate the ice shell, and adapt to a radically new environment within the span of its reproduction window.

In all, you could probably dismiss the possibility of other life in our solar system to be close to 1 in 1,000,000,000,000,000,000. If there is any "alien" life in our solar system, it is likely from microbes carried to Mars by the rovers.

That was a nice encapsulation of the challenge to life inside our solar system, present day.

I mean, there might be something living on an ocean floor at the microbe level, but all we can do (at this point) is theorize how it might be possible.

I personally think the possibility is greater outside our solar system. It's just too vast out there to be alone. But, that too is pure theory.

 

[Ramrasta]

That was a nice encapsulation of the challenge to life inside our solar system, present day.

I mean, there might be something living on an ocean floor at the microbe level, but all we can do (at this point) is theorize how it might be possible.

I personally think the possibility is greater outside our solar system. It's just too vast out there to be alone. But, that too is pure theory.

I completely agree. Once you move outside the solar system and you think about the countless planets which can support life, it really seems to evens the odds. If we are even able to find other life of any form, intelligent or otherwise, it would probably make the most influential accomplishment of mankind.

 

[DaveFan'51]

I completely agree. Once you move outside the solar system and you think about the countless planets which can support life, it really seems to evens the odds. If we are even able to find other life of any form, intelligent or otherwise, it would probably make the most influential accomplishment of mankind.

I sure wish I could see it in my Life time! But I doubt it, But I've seen a lot of "1st's"!
* My Father was a Senior Research Scientist and work on the Surveyor Project, which made the 1st Soft landing on the Moon! So I was raised on Flight and Flight exploration! It's always amazed me!!

 

[bluecoconuts]

There's estimations up to 50 sextillion habitable planets in our universe, chances are there's something out there. If we'll ever find them? That's a different story...

We'll probably find evidence of life in our lifetime, but like others said, microbial.

 

[Ramhusker]

It'd be cool if we could find all the life forms living here on Earth first. We don't know the answer to that yet. I think we can rest assured there is no other life in our solar system. Gotta get out of the neighborhood I think.

 

[12intheBox]

It'd be cool if we could find all the life forms living here on Earth first. We don't know the answer to that yet. I think we can rest assured there is no other life in our solar system. Gotta get out of the neighborhood I think.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if simple life forms were found on other planets or moons in our own solar system.

 

[Corbin]

If this is an advertisement, i'll go ... under a few conditions. The following must be included :

1) Jennifer Lawrence
2) Lifetime supply of food/alcohol/weed of our choice. Oh yeah, don't forget the papers & lighters.
3) Large Air tight pre-fab home with built-in swimming pool, jacuzzi, green house.
4) Man cave with billiard & air hockey table, large screen TV & signal for all Rams games with a lifetime guarantee.
5) Solar panels, wind turbine & batteries for above.
6) 2 electric powered ATV's along with 2 spacesuits.
7) A second house with all the makings of the first so that after she throws me out due to my abundance of 'needs', I can put in another request.

By the way, how long does it take for a TV signal to reach this place. Will I be watching a Sunday morning football game on a Friday night ? Doesn't matter, but I do need to schedule my week. opcorn:

My demands would be the same but I would demand a third house and

In it
And

In the second so when Jennifer Lawerence kicks me out I have options!