Cassini’s Mission: A Spacecraft, a Tiny Moon, and the Search for Life Beyond Earth

Cassini, a real spacecraft, is built to investigate Saturn and its moons. Equipped with instruments to measure, photograph, and analyze chemicals, it takes seven years to reach Saturn’s orbit. Guided by scientists on Earth, Cassini tests the moon Enceladus and finds liquid water, chemicals, and energy. These findings suggest that the small moon may have the ingredients needed for life, though Cassini cannot answer every remaining question.