Extraterrestrial icy spray

[dlundblad]

I dont know too much about astronomy or astrobiology, but I find it all very interesting. Figured a few folks here would enjoy the article too.

This is very interesting stuff, although I didn't realize Saturn had a frozen ocean moon too. With this thing flying through spray and assuming its salty, would any sort of corrosion happen in the vacuum of space? Perhaps a buildup of crystals at least?

Here

 

[HerrStig]

They sent it to Rusty Jones first.

 

[buster]

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Cujet]

Corrosion requires oxygen. So there won't be any corrosion. However, man made (and I'm sure some natural) materials do degrade in space. The materials on the ISS must be able to withstand wild temperature swings, for example.

 

[Shannow]

Originally Posted By: Cujet
Corrosion requires oxygen. So there won't be any corrosion.


Really ?

I don't think that's correct.

 

[dlundblad]

I didnt realize materials degrade in space.

Interesting stuff.

 

[Rick in PA]

I seem to remember reading about how they have to be careful of materials that out-gas near optics. The out-gassed material can settle on the optics degrading their performance.

I imagine there's some concern that the materials from Enceladus ice plumes will settle on Cassini's optics, degrading them.

Sort of like when your glasses get a film on them, but there's nobody up there to clean them.

There's an animation of the flyby here: http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/flybys/enceladus20151028/

Cassini's been orbiting Saturn for 10 years? Wow. Maybe they've been saving the relatively risky science for later in it's mission.

So that lead me to the Wikipedia page on Giovanni Domenico Cassini. Sometime I wonder how these scientists would react if told that a few hundreds of years in the future, scientific probes, named in their honor, would be circling these far off worlds.

Neat stuff, thought provoking, thanks for posting.

 

[Al]

Originally Posted By: Cujet
Corrosion requires oxygen. So there won't be any corrosion.

Stars make all the elements up to an including iron. All planets have oxygen

 

[ironman_gq]

It's just often bound up in other elements such as iron oxide and carbon dioxide and even water.

 

[sleddriver]

Very cool! I've seen a few of Saturn's moons in my telescope. Thanks for posting!