LOS ANGELES — An international spacecraft that dove through geysers erupting from the surface of a Saturn moon found organic matter, one of many ingredients that make an environment hospitable to extraterrestrial life, scientists said Wednesday.
The discovery excited mission team members, who say it’s a marker for further research into whether the icy satellite Enceladus has such an environment. The chemical analysis by the unmanned Cassini spacecraft revealed that Enceladus’ interior was similar to that of a comet.
While the jet plumes were mostly water vapor, the probe found traces of methane and simple organic compounds, said Hunter Waite of the Southwest Research Institute.
Parts of Cassini were designed and built in Colorado by Lockheed Martin. Cassini’s imaging team is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder. The Associated Press
