Tanvir Chowdhury
Grade: 12
School: Dhaka Residential Model College
City: Dhaka
Topic: Oberon
"I believe Oberon, the second-largest moon of Uranus, should be explored because this particular moon contains a lot of interesting information that could lead us to some extraterrestrial life. Oberon's most intriguing feature is that it has almost equal quantities of ice and rock, and is likely divided into a rocky core and an icy mantle. There is a possibility of finding liquid water at the boundary between the mantle and the core because spectroscopic observations supported the presence of water ice on the surface of Oberon. So, there is a slight chance of seeing a different kind of life in Oberon.
We know that life requires energy, liquid water, and nutrients. Oberon's internal structure is strongly affected by its thermal background. If the subsurface ocean does exist then the temperature will be around 180K and We all know that hydrothermal activities increase the likelihood of the existence of life.
Even if only small quantities of ammonia, an essential chemical for life, are available, subsurface oceans will exist. Oberon's density is greater than Saturn's satellites, suggesting that it is made up of nearly equal amounts of water ice and dense non-ice material. The latter may be made of rock and carbonaceous material, as well as heavy organic compounds that could be a source of life-sustaining nutrients.
NASA should send a probe with a deep drilling advantage so that we can observe the inner side of Oberon. If we can find life there, it will be the key to knowing life in other moons and planets. However, there is much more information about Oberon that tells us to explore more about this moon."
