Icy Moons Subgroup

Department of Earth Sciences/Institute of Geological Sciences/

Planetary Sciences and Remote Sensing

The Planetary Sciences and Remote Sensing group at the Institute of Geological Sciences of Freie Universität Berlin is involved in several ESA and NASA space missions to explore the solar system and our neighbouring planets. The Icy Moons subgroup exlores the icy moons in the outer solar system which harbor a liquid ocean beneath their icy crust. These moons are an interesting subject to study when it comes to the big questions of astrobiology. The group especially researches Saturn's moon Enceladus. Enceladus is special because its so-called "cryovolcanoes" at the southpol provide almost direct access to its water: gases and particles from deep below are expelled through cracks in the ice shell directly into space – likely for thousands of years.