Salt Discovered in Saturn's Outermost Ring

For the first time, scientists working on NASA’s Cassini mission have detected sodium salts in ice grains of Saturn’s outermost ring. Detecting salty ice indicates that Saturn’s moon Enceladus, which primarily replenishes the ring with material from discharging jets, could harbor a reservoir of liquid water — perhaps an ocean — beneath its surface.

Cassini discovered the water-ice jets in 2005 on Enceladus. These jets expel tiny ice grains and vapor, some of which escape the moon’s gravity and form Saturn’s outermost ring. Cassini’s cosmic dust analyzer has examined the composition of those grains and found salt within...

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Source: [NASA Press Release]

June 24, 2009 / Posted by: Daniella Scalice

Ocean on Enceladus May Be Short-Lived

Three years ago, surprising evidence came out for an ocean underneath the surface of Saturn’s moon Enceladus. But a new report indicates just how hard it may be to keep water from freezing on this tiny moon.

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Source: [Astrobiology Magazine]

June 19, 2008 / Written by: Michel Schirber

Signs of Ocean Beneath Titan's Crust?

NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has discovered evidence that points to the existence of an underground ocean of water and ammonia on Saturn’s moon Titan. The Cassini science team detail their findings in this week’s Science, explaining that radar mapping of Titan revealed a shift in landmarks on the moon’s surface of up to 30 kilometers between October 2004 and May 2007. The best explanation, they say, is an underground ocean that disconnects Titan’s icy crust from its rocky interior.

March 25, 2008 / Posted by: Daniella Scalice