Imagine a robot that could soar through the icy plumes of Enceladus, a moon of Saturn. That’s no longer a dream, thanks to a new design by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The robot, which weighs just two pounds, would use a series of springs to launch itself over the geysers. This would allow the robot to explore the moon’s subsurface ocean, which is thought to be one of the most promising places in the solar system to search for extraterrestrial life. The team is hopeful that the robot could be ready for a mission to Enceladus within the next decade.
