When an American spacecraft first flew past Enceladus, one of Saturn's many moons, it founds something thoroughly unexpected. Enceladus is already unusual: It is a white globe covered almost in fresh clean ice that reflects all the sunlight hitting, making the moon one of the brightest objects in our solar system.

But the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Cassini spacecraft found something more when it flew past the moon in 2005. At the southern pole, there are dozens of plumes of icy spray – effectively geysers – which suggest the possible existence of a huge ocean under its icy surface. Earlier flybys have established salts and even possibly organic matter in the plumes. Scientists have speculated that organic matter plus an ocean might be sufficient conditions for the existence of life, not unlike the microorganisms that survive under the ice in Antarctica.

On Wednesday NASA's spacecraft Cassini made a daring flyby of Saturn's moon Enceladus around 9 pm Indian time. As NASA scientists explain in the above video, the flyby is not intended to detect life, but it will provide powerful new insights about how habitable the ocean environment is within Enceladus.

Specifically the attempt is to detect molecular hydrogen during Wednesday's encounter. The NASA website reported the mission's successful completion on its website saying, "NASA's Cassini spacecraft successfully completed its close flyby of Saturn's moon Enceladus today, passing 30 miles (49 kilometers) above the moon's south polar region at approximately 8:22 am PDT (11:22 am EDT). Mission controllers established two-way communication with the spacecraft this afternoon and expect it to begin transmitting data from the encounter this evening. Images are anticipated in the next 24 to 48 hours."

Enceladus though the most likely, is not the only Saturnine moon to have scientists excited. Titan, the largest moon may also be potentially habitable, it has been speculated.

Maybe Christopher Nolan's Space fantasy Interstellar was right about the answer to life beyond earth being near Saturn. If not a wormhole into another galaxy, moons may just be the answer.