Evidence from Cassini, a robot spacecraft, suggests that there are oceans of hot water on Saturn’s icy moon, Enceladus. Might the oceans be home to alien life? In this activity students use their knowledge of the behaviour of water in its liquid and solid states to weigh up the evidence for and against the presence of liquid water on Enceladus. They then decide if it is worth sending a second spacecraft to look for alien life on this icy moon.
Science objective
Particle model: Explain the properties of solids, liquids and gases based on the arrangement and movement of their particles (KS3 Science Syllabus)
Enquiry objective
Draw conclusions: Judge whether the conclusion is supported by the data (KS3 Science Syllabus)