Enceladus and Titan

Enceladus and Titan are one of the biggest moons of Saturn. Both are the biggest planets and both have moons that I think may potentially habitat life.

I read an article recently on the NASA website where they give more insight about the Enceladus. Through that article I found out that scientists observed a rocking motion as it orbited the ringed planet. They also observed that the moon’s movement sped up or slowed down according to the area it was moving through at that particular time. We know that Enceladus has a very thick layer of ice on its surface, but now we know that under it, there is an equally deep layer of water. It is only logical, as if the whole thing was ice, right up till the core, then the moon wouldn't rock as much as it does. Due to the presence of water, the total mass of the moon is lighter and therefore it rocks more.

There was another article I read that quoted an astrobiologist named Chris McKay who said “if you were in the outer solar system and had to make an emergency landing, go to Titan.” Titan is the only other celestial body that has a dense atmosphere and a thick cloud covering. It has an atmospheric pressure of 1.5 times that of the earth. It's just a little but harder to walk on, not much.When Titan’s atmospheric composition was analysed, it was discovered that 95% of it was nitrogen and the remains 5% of it was methane. This means no oxygen. There is another problem, the temperature on Titan is -179o C. Chris McKay also said “if you lived on Titan, you wouldn't need a pressurised suit to survive ; all you'd really need is an oxygen mask and very warm clothing.”

In conclusion, and I'm quoting from the article, “and whether you lived on Titan or Enceladus, life could get lonely --- a message sent home would take at least 1 hour and 20 minutes.”