Planetary scientists from the US Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) used computer
The Cassini space probe since 2004Saturn and its moons have been explored for 13 years. In particular, he discovered the subsurface liquid water of Enceladus. The spacecraft analyzed the samples as plumes of ice grains and water vapor burst into space from cracks in the moon's icy surface.
Based on the collected data, the researchers conductedthermodynamic and kinetic modeling that simulated the behavior of phosphorus under Enceladus ocean conditions. As a result of the work, scientists have created the most detailed geochemical model to date of how seafloor minerals dissolve in the ocean of Enceladus. The study showed that the ocean should be saturated with dissolved phosphorus.
The Enceladus ocean model shows that the ocean must be rich in orthophosphates. Image: Christopher Glein, SwRI
Basic geochemistry has an elegant simplicity,which makes the presence of dissolved phosphorus inevitable, reaching levels close to or even higher than those found in modern Earth's seawater. For astrobiology, this means we can be more confident than before that Enceladus's ocean is habitable.
Christopher Glein, head of work at the Southwestern Research Institute
Planetologists note that phosphorus in the form of phosphatesvital for all life on Earth. It is essential for the creation of DNA and RNA, energy carrier molecules (ATP), cell membranes, bones and teeth in humans and animals, and even the marine plankton microbiome. Confirmation of the existence of phosphorus makes the likelihood of life developing on Enceladus much higher.
The researchers believe that it is necessary to send a new mission to the satellite, which will collect more data in order to test the hypothesis of the presence of life.
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