Cassini to again inspect Enceladus

Washington -- The U.S. space agency says it's ready for another fly-by of Saturn's moon Enceladus by the Cassini spacecraft, which will come within 30 miles.

The Monday event is designed to allow Cassini to more carefully inspect fractures on the moon from which icy jets of liquid continuously erupt.

"Just after closest approach, all of the spacecraft's cameras -- covering infrared wavelength … as well as visible light and ultraviolet -- will focus on the fissures running along the moon's south pole," the National Aeronautics and Space Administration said in a statement. "That is where the jets of icy water vapor emanate and erupt hundreds of miles into space."

Cassini imaging discovered evidence for the geyser-like jets on Enceladus in 2005, finding the eruptions create a gigantic halo of ice and gas around the moon, helping supply material to Saturn's E-ring.

Two more Enceladus passes are scheduled in October, and they might bring the spacecraft even closer to the moon, NASA said.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International.