Scientists simulate cosmic crashes to test whether icy moons gain or lose their ability to sustain life

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Add as preferred source Diagram depicting how collisions may destroy moons and impact their reformation. Credit: Marc Neveu, University of Maryland. Many of the moons orbiting Saturn, Uranus and Neptune likely conceal oceans of liquid water beneath miles of icy shell. Because life as we know it needs water, these buried oceans rank among the most promising places to search for life beyond Earth.

But the outer solar system is akin to a celestial demolition derby. Scientists suspect some of today's moons are reassembled remnants of earlier generations of moons, shattering and reforming from space debris. One question arises: Do these collisions also destroy a moon's ocean and, with it, any chance for life?