London: Scientists at NASA have claimed that Saturn's moon of Enceladus "may contain life", after they discovered new evidence suggesting presence of "liquid water" beneath its surface.
According to the scientists, the Cassini spacecraft
flew through icy plumes created by ice volcanoes on Saturn's
moon and detected negatively charged water molecules, in a
clear sign an underground sea exists.
On Earth, this short-lived type of ion is produced
where water is moving, such as in waterfalls or ocean waves.
If there is liquid water on Enceladus, the scientists
believe that the Saturn's sixth-largest moon could have the
conditions necessary to sustain life, British newspaper 'The
Daily Telegraph' reported.
In fact, high-resolution images already taken by the
Cassini spacecraft -- -- a project of NASA, the European Space
Agency and Italian Space Agency -- have shown the icy surface
of Enceladus has a spreading Earth-like crust that has changed
over time.
And, on Earth the spreading of the sea floor is driven
by molten rock and the NASA scientists speculated the liquid
beneath the south pole of Enceladus may be water.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, February 09, 2010, 12:12