Cassinni Mission

• Molecules including methanol, ethane, and oxygen are present in gaseous plumes emitted from Saturn’s moon Enceladus, a re-analysis of data from the Cassini mission suggests.
• Scientists have identified presence of hydrogen cyanide (HCN), acetylene (C2H2), propylene (C3H6), and ethane (C2H6), and traces of an alcohol (methanol) and molecular oxygen.
• The Cassini spacecraft first discovered large plumes of material escaping into space from Enceladus’s southern hemisphere in 2005.

ABOUT CASSINI MISSION

• Launched in
• NASA’s Cassini spacecraft was the first to orbit Saturn, during its 13-year landmark exploration of the gaseous giant planet, its rings and its moons from 2004 to 2017.
• It was designed to explore the Saturn system, including its rings and moons, with a special focus on Titan, Saturn’s largest moon.
• It carried Huygens lander, which landed on Titan in 2005.
• It was a joint endeavor of NASA, ESA (European Space Agency), and Italian space agency (ASI).