A space mission to a planet
A space mission to a planet where scientists have found the presence of substances that support life on Earth will help explain if Enceladus can sustain life and, if present, is it different from other planets. One of the primary reasons why exploring Enceladus is crucial is because of the critical elements of amino acids, nitrogen, and oxygen. This is a clear indication that Enceladus has ingredients that support life just like on Earth. Up to now, we can only assume that there are amino acids, oxygen, and water present on the surface of Enceladus. However, do these elements support life the same way they do on Earth? This space mission will attempt to unravel how these life-sustaining compounds do sustain life on Enceladus if actually life is present.
Furthermore, this will be an exploratory and purely research-based mission that will require a soft lander. Still, the inside of the soft lender will require a rover with high-definition video cameras and sensors for real-time snapshots and video feed of the Enceladus’s surface. One crucial bit of this mission will be testing the icy surface and probably collecting a sample that would be analyzed back on Earth. Also, this mission would be branded successful if a life-sustaining experiment is done on the surface and record the results. This can be done by first sending a plant to such as cactus to Enceladus to assess if it can survive harsh weather conditions. It would not be advisable to use live animals at this point in the mission until there is strong evidence that says otherwise. This is because this is a step by step mission which at this point, doing experiments and collecting data is the main objective. The result from the first mission will be significant in the planning of the next step.
There is no doubt that this mission will require a lot of resources, but it is worthy of it. This is because the mission might lead to a situation where we find another planet where we can start life as humans. I am overly optimistic here, but only optimism will push us to take bold steps towards new life-changing discoveries.