Nasa's Cassini Probe Plunges Through Icy Spray of Saturn's Moon

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By Agence France-Presse | Updated: 30 October 2015 10:16 IST
On the hunt for alien worlds that might support life, Nasa's unmanned Cassini spacecraft has survived its closest-ever dive through the icy spray coming from Saturn's moon Enceladus.

The flyby took place Wednesday at 11:22am (3:22pm GMT or 8:52pm IST), Nasa said.

The probe skimmed 30 miles (49 kilometres) above the moon's southern polar region, sampling and collecting data on the spray that is believed to emanate from a subterranean ocean.

While the spacecraft is not equipped to detect life, scientists hope that the pass will give them a better understanding of what is contained in the icy spray, how much there is, and if conditions might be hospitable to life.

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The first images are expected in the next 24-48 hours, Nasa said.

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"Mission controllers established two-way communication with the spacecraft this afternoon and expect it to begin transmitting data from the encounter this evening," Nasa said in a statement late Wednesday.

The tiny moon orbiting the sixth planet from the sun stunned scientists when they discovered it had an icy plume in 2005.

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After years of observations, Nasa announced earlier this year that Enceladus definitely has a subterranean ocean, widening the search for alien life in our solar system.

The $3.26 billion (roughly Rs. 21,269 crores) mission is a joint project by the US space agency, European space agency and Italian space agency.

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Cassini is the first spacecraft to orbit Saturn, and it has been circling the planet since 2004.

 

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Further reading: Cassini, Enceladus, Nasa, Saturn, Science, Space
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