The NASA-operated Cassini spacecraft is about to wrap up its exploration of Enceladus as it carries out the final flyby of Saturn's moon this weekend.
According to the American space agency, the space probe will move past the icy moon at a distance of about 3,106 miles (4,999 kilometers) on Saturday. This will provide scientists with additional information on Enceladus' surface.
While Saturday's flyby will be the final one for the Saturn mission, Cassini will still continue its observation of Enceladus at a greater distance. The space probe's mission to the planet system will carry on through September 2017.
Cassini will focus on monitoring heat levels passing through Enceladus' icy surface from its interior. Researchers believe that studying this phenomenon is crucial in finding out the source of the icy particles and gas plume emanating from the moon's subterranean ocean.
"Understanding how much warmth Enceladus has in its heart provides insight into its remarkable geologic activity, and that makes this last close flyby a fantastic scientific opportunity," NASA project scientist Linda Spilker said.
During its scheduled pass, Cassini will keep its distance from Enceladus to allow its Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) to measure the flow of heat across the moon's south polar region.
Mike Flasar, leader of NASA's CIRS team, said that Cassini's distance from the moon during the flyby is ideal to let them map the levels of heat coming from its interior at a good resolution.
NASA scientists, however, do not expect to collect as many stunning photographs of Enceladus as in previous flybys because the moon's south polar area is currently covered in darkness caused by Saturn's years-long winter.
Cassini is able to easily monitor the warmth coming from Saturn's moon because of the absence of heat from the sun.
In October, Cassini completed its dive through Enceladus' erupting gas plume, taking the spacecraft around 30 miles above the moon's surface.
Researchers are currently studying data on the plume collected during the flyby in order to understand the nature of the phenomenon and find out whether it involves the presence of hydrogen gas.
The Cassini space probe has been exploring the Saturn system since 2004. Operation of the mission is conducted by NASA in cooperation with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Italian Space Agency (ASI).
