- The probe skimmed 30 miles (49 kilometers) above the moon's southern polar region, sampling and collecting data on the spray that is believed to emanate from a subterranean ocean.
- While the spacecraft is not equipped to detect life, scientists hope that the pass will give them a better understanding of what is contained in the icy spray, how much there is, and if conditions might be hospitable to life.
- The first images are expected in the next 24-48 hours, NASA said.
- "Mission controllers established two-way communication with the spacecraft this afternoon and expect it to begin transmitting data from the encounter this evening," NASA said in a statement late Wednesday.
- The tiny moon orbiting the sixth planet from the sun stunned scientists when they discovered it had an icy plume in 2005.
- After years of observations, NASA announced earlier this year that Enceladus definitely has a subterranean ocean, widening the search for alien life in our solar system.
- The $3.26 billion mission is a joint project by the US space agency, European space agency and Italian space agency.
- Cassini is the first spacecraft to orbit Saturn, and it has been circling the planet since 2004.
Keywords-The probe skimmed 30 miles, Two-way communication,
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