A new study suggests that a spacecraft must proceed carefully through the plumes, keeping its speed below 4.2 km/second (2,236 miles per hour). Using a specialized, custom-built aerosol impact spectrometer at these speeds will allow fragile amino acids to be captured by the spacecraft’s sample collector

A study suggests that a spacecraft should fly slowly through the plumes of Saturn’s moon Enceladus to detect life. The spacecraft should travel at speeds of less than 4.2 km/second (2,236 miles per hour). It should also use a custom-built aerosol impact spectrometer to capture fragile amino acids

The study suggests that detecting life on Enceladus would require 100 flybys through its geyser plume. The giant water plumes of Enceladus offer a unique opportunity to seek life without landing. 

If the spacecraft orbited the moon, it would be even slower – 200 meters per second – making sample capture even more efficient. 

Methane on Enceladus could be a possible sign of life. Microorganisms called methanogens are capable of generating methane as a metabolic byproduct. They do not require oxygen to live and are widely distributed in nature.

Enceladus’ atmosphere is made up of: 

• Water vapor: 91% 
• Nitrogen: 4% 
• Carbon dioxide: 3.2% 
• Methane: 1.7% 

The atmosphere is thought to come from gases that escape from within Enceladus. 

Enceladus’ plume is made up of: 

• Water: 98% 
• Hydrogen: 1% 
• Other molecules: Carbon dioxide, methane, and ammonia 

The plume comes from a salty ocean beneath the surface.

Enceladus is one of the coldest places in the Saturn system. Its surface temperature is about minus 330 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 201 degrees Celsius). Enceladus is so cold because its surface reflects 80 percent of the sunlight that hits it. 

Enceladus’ seasons change about every seven years because of its distance from the sun. 

Enceladus is geologically active. Tidal forces cause the sides of fault lines in the moon’s icy shell to rub together, producing enough heat to turn some of the ice into plumes of water vapor and ice crystals. Enceladus also has active hydrothermal vents that can warm up a hidden sea enough to sustain life

Enceladus sprays water because of the following reasons: 

• Cooling cycles Enceladus’ icy shell expands and contracts during cooling cycles that last for thousands of years. This expansion can cause the shell to crack, allowing the ocean to boil to the surface. 
• Tiger stripes Enceladus’ south pole is warmest, which causes heat to escape through large cracks in the surface ice. These cracks are called “tiger stripes”. 
• Liquid water reservoirs Small reservoirs of liquid water can collect a few dozen feet below the moon’s surface. When the outermost layer cracks, the reservoir is exposed to space. The drop in pressure causes the liquid to evaporate, creating plumes. 

The plumes contain silica particles that may have come from the sea floor. Scientists believe that Enceladus’ subsurface ocean has the ingredients for life, including liquid water, heat, and methane.

The leading model for the cause of plumes on Enceladus is that the moon’s tides cause its crust to rub back and forth in a set of faults near the south pole. This action generates enough heat to vaporize the ice that makes the plumes

Other causes of plumes on Enceladus include: 

• Cooling cycles Enceladus’ icy shell expands and contracts during cooling cycles that last for thousands of years. This expansion can cause the shell to crack, allowing the ocean to boil to the surface. 
• Liquid water reservoirs Small reservoirs of liquid water can collect a few dozen feet below the moon’s surface. When the outermost layer cracks, the reservoir is exposed to space. The drop in pressure causes the liquid to evaporate, creating plumes. 
• Cryovolcanoes Enceladus has cryovolcanoes — ice volcanoes that eject a plume of water, ice, and dust. 

The plumes contain roughly 200 kg of water vapor every second, with smaller amounts of ice grains(full article source google)

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