Saturn Space Probe Dives Through Moon's Geysers

Three years after gigantic geysers were spied on an icy Saturn moon, the international Cassini spacecraft plunged through the fringes of the mysterious plumes to learn how they formed. Cassini was taken within 30 miles of the surface, its closest approach. That's pretty cool. They found geyser-like eruptions of ice particles and water vapor spewing from the south pole. That's not good. That could actually be a potential danger. If anyone were to go near that in a shuttle, it could kill them. It all just depends on whether or not the ice is big or small.
The unmanned probe was about 120 miles above the moon as it swept through the edge of the geysers and measures their chemical makeup. Scientists long believed that Enceladus, the shiniest star in the solar system, was cold and still because it resides hundreds of millions of miles from the sun. Scientists generally agree the presence of water, organic compounds, and a stable heat source are needed to support primitive life. The source of the geysers is a mystery, but some theorize reservoirs of liquid water below the surface are likely supplying the ice and vapor seen in the plumes. The Cassini mission is a collaboration between NASA and the European and Italian space agencies.