The Nasa craft swept just 50km above the moon's surface in a final attempt to "taste" the chemistry of water jets spewing from its south pole.
Enceladus has produced a series of major discoveries that mean it is now considered one of the most promising places to find life beyond Earth.
Scientists say it has an ocean beneath its icy crust.
What is more, the conditions in this global body of liquid water could be benign enough to support microbial organisms.
"Enceladus is not just an ocean world - it's a world that might provide a habitable environment for life as we know it," said Cassini program scientist Curt Niebur, in a media briefing on Monday.
"On Wednesday we'll plunge deeper into that magnificent plume coming from the South Pole than ever before. And we will collect the best sample ever from an ocean beyond earth."
No comments:
Post a Comment