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In the next decade, space agencies will expand the search for extraterrestrial life beyond Mars, where all of our astrobiology efforts are currently focused. This includes the ESA\u2019s JUpiter ICy moon\u2019s Explorer<\/em> (JUICE) and NASA\u2019s Europa Clipper<\/em>, which will fly past Europa and Ganymede repeatedly to study their surfaces and interiors. There\u2019s also NASA\u2019s proposed Dragonfly <\/em>mission that will fly to Titan and study its atmosphere, methane lakes, and the rich organic chemistry happening on its surface. But perhaps the most compelling destination is Enceladus and the lovely plumes emanating from its southern polar region.<\/p>\n Since the Cassini <\/em>mission got a close-up look at these plumes, scientists have been aching to send a robotic mission there to sample them \u2013 which appear to have all the ingredients for life in them. This is not as easy as it sounds, and there\u2019s no indication flying through plumes will yield intact samples. In a recent paper, researchers from the University of Kent examined how the velocity of a passing spacecraft (and the resulting shock of impact) could significantly affect its ability to sample water and ice within the plumes. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The research was conducted by Prof. Mark Burchell and Dr. Penny Wozniakiewicz (an Emeritus Professor and a Senior Lecturer in Space Science) from the Centre for Astrophysics and Planetary Science (CAPS), part of the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Kent, UK. Their work could have significant implications for missions to Icy Ocean Worlds (IOW), bodies in the outer Solar System composed predominantly of frozen water and volatiles with oceans in their interior. These bodies have become of increasing interest to scientists since it is possible some could support life.<\/p>\n \n