Word: hope
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...collecting particles from the plumes of gas and water vapor bursting out of Enceladus at approximately 800 miles per hour, scientists hope to better understand the composition of the moon's surface in contrast to its interior - scientists believe that some of the plumes' water-ice particles emerge from within the moon and some bounce off its surface. Scientists also want to know whether there is any liquid water - an essential component to supporting life - below the moon's iced surface. "The thing that makes Enceladus so exciting is that all of the ingredients you would need to support life...
...moon's plumes emit particles that are 90% water, in vaporized form, and contribute to the large rings around Saturn. "It's like the steam coming out of your kettle," Hansen-Koharcheck says. By analyzing the molecular structure of these particles, scientists hope to determine whether the vapor originates as ice or liquid, and whether that means there could be life in Enceladus's interior, beneath the surface...
Additionally, they hope to get a better grasp on the remaining 10% of the particles. During the July 2005 flyby they were able to collect samples of particles that showed the presence of organic materials including carbon dioxide and methane, which, along with water and energy, are essential to sustain life. For larger carbon compounds, however, the results were less clear. As Hansen-Koharcheck puts it, "The data gets really noisy...
Scientists hope that clearer data will reveal information about why the geysers formed. The leading theory is that Saturn's gravitational pull puts stresses on the moon, causing the fissures from which the plumes erupt. "Enceladus' orbit around Saturn is eccentric," Mitchell says. It's just enough off of circular that the effect of gravity on the moon is different from one point to another, and different from the planet's other moons. "That difference in the tug would be enough to cause the body to distort differently as it goes around Saturn." The friction created when sides...
...What’s changed in politics in general since you left office 30 years ago? Mike Gravel (MG): We’re coming off an area of conservatism, of selfishness, of individualism, and maybe we’re moving towards a more cooperative approach in society. I hope that’s the case, because certainly when you look at the environmental problem we face, it’s very serious. In fact unless we make some fundamental changes we’re going to cook ourselves off the planet in the next hundred years. And that problem...