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outer solar system
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- 1Spacecraft hunting for life on icy moons swings past Earth●Why a spacecraft exploring moons where life may thrive is zipping by Earth
A spacecraft built to explore icy moons where life could exist is flying close by Earth, using the planet's gravity to adjust its course. The maneuver is part of a long journey toward the outer solar system, where scientists hope to study oceans beneath the moons' surfaces. The flyby has drawn attention as a milestone in the search for conditions suitable for life beyond our planet.
- 2Icy moons may keep underground oceans even after collisions▼Icy moons may hold on to their underground oceans even after being smashed apart
New research suggests icy moons in the outer solar system, such as those orbiting Jupiter and Saturn, could retain their subsurface liquid oceans even if their outer ice shells are shattered by giant impacts. If impacts like those that formed some of the moon's craters did not destroy interior oceans, this raises the chances that oceans on worlds like Europa and Enceladus are more resilient than thought, keeping interest high in future missions to icy bodies.