Get the latest Science News and Discoveries

Sampling Enceladus’ Subsurface Ocean with TIGRE Mission Concept

How can we explore Saturn’s moon, Enceladus, to include its surface and subsurface ocean, with the goal of potentially discovering life as we know it? This is what a recent study presented at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) 2024 Fall Meeting hopes to address as a team of students and researchers proposed the Thermal Investigation of Geothermal Regions of Enceladus (TIGRE) mission concept, which is designed to conduct in-depth exploration of Enceladus with an orbiter, lander, and drill, while laying the groundwork for future missions to icy moons throughout the solar system. Here, Universe Today discusses this incredible mission concept with Prabhleen Kour, who is a senior at River Valley High School in Yuba City, CA, and lead author of the study, regarding the motivation behind TIGRE, how TIGRE can improve upon findings from NASA’s now-retired Cassini mission, potential landing sites on Enceladus, how TIGRE can improve missions to other icy moons, the next steps in making TIGRE a reality, and whether she thinks Enceladus has life.

None

Get the Android app