Cassini finds Saturnian moon, Enceladus, probably has liquid water.

[NNadir]

With newly discovered signs of liquid water, a moon of Saturn joins the small, highly select group of places in the solar system that could plausibly support life.

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NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory/Space Science Institute
Enceladus, Saturn's fourth-largest moon, is only 300 miles wide.

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NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory/Space Science Institute
NASA's Cassini spacecraft has spotted plumes of icy crystals shooting off Enceladus near its south pole, seen in this enhanced image. That suggests pockets of liquid water exist near the surface, and makes the moon a new target in the search for life in the solar system.
The moon, Enceladus, is only 300 miles wide, and usually something that small is nothing more than a frozen chunk of ice and rock. Instead, NASA's Cassini spacecraft has spotted eruptions of icy crystals, which hint at pockets of liquid water near the surface.

"It's startling," said Carolyn C. Porco of the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo., leader of the imaging team for Cassini. Nine scientific papers about Enceladus (pronounced en-SELL-ah-dus), appear in today's issue of Science. "I wouldn't be surprised to see the planetary community clamoring for a future exploratory expedition to land on the south polar terrain of Enceladus," said Dr. Porco, lead author of one of the papers. "We have found an environment that is potentially suitable for living organisms..."

...Planetary scientists pointed to the discovery as an argument for continuing NASA's space science efforts. The agency's proposed budget would cut $3 billion from space science over the next five years to help pay for the completion of the space station and plans to send astronauts back to Earth's Moon. NASA's astrobiology institute, which finances research on the possibility of life elsewhere in the solar system and universe, is to see its budget cut in half...

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/10/science/space/10saturn.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

[opihimoimoi]

1. Our Gov't has its head up its ASS when dealing with science and research.

Don't they know life is teeming in the Universe, that LIGHT is Life when mixed with basic elements and compounds in the right settings?

That stars which have planets similar to Earth MUST exist out there...that there are Trillions of stars....that we should continue these efforts called exploration/adventure in space.

The Pubs are SO Lame its Pathetic.

[acmavm]

2. You're right. It's sooooo arrogant to assume this is the only planet that

sustains 'life'.

Who knows what 'life' is out there? And in what forms?

[opihimoimoi]

3. If the ETs are encountered, what we could learn from each other?

Think of it...we could share what goodies WE have and vice versa.....

If not, then one of us will die/dominate

[SaveElmer]

4. I'm not sure I understand...

Are you saying since it should be so obvious that the Universe is teeming with life (which I agree with), that we should not bother looking for it?

Or is it the opposite...not quite sure.

[opihimoimoi]

6. I and many others feel we should not only continue but advance

research in Sciences and Space Explorations...

TOE...the Theory of Everything has now reached a point of serious consideration and acceptance. This means we should be looking for and even attracting ETs(of the good kind) to share with them.. They may have some really good info we could use and vice versa.

To stifle research/exploration is so Lame and pathetically sad.

[SaveElmer]

7. Excellent...

I was hoping that's what you meant....I am definitely on board with that. NASA is woefully underfunded in my opinion...but I'm glad to see people like Burt Rutan are stepping up as well.

[htuttle]

5. What keeps the water liquid in that cold?

Do gravitational forces from Saturn create heat in the moon's core? Or is it radiation from Saturn that heats things up somehow? Both?

[SaveElmer]

8. My guess...

And I am not a scientist, would be a combination of a possibly molten core, and the gravitational pull of Saturn. I recall there are methane (?) geysers on Triton (Neptunes moon), and I think the effect of Neptunes gravity is theory as to why in that case. (not water obviously, so liquid at a colder temperature)

[NNadir]

9. Of course the mere presence of liquid water doesn't presuppose life.

To be perfectly honest, I'm sort of conflicted about all of this.

I'm a much bigger fan of robotic space missions than I am of human space missions, the latter in my view being rather wasteful and dilatory.

Cassini and the other robotic planetary missions thrill me. On the other hand, our earthly resources to discover the answer to every question and every appearance of extraterrestrial liquid water are limited. The Saturnian system is a long way away, and it is very, very expensive to go there at all, never mind to land equipment that can detect the organic signature of life. It does seem to me that the probability of there actually being life is very, very, very low. Life depends on many things, I'd guess, most of them being on some level in need of radiation, not just heat, especially gravitational heat.

Cassini has much more time to run. Let's see what the magnificent mission brings in the future, and by all means, let's not waste our money and time on planting a human held flag on the surface of Mars, or for that matter, the moon. It's rather pointless under the circumstances.