Oxygen found on Saturn's moon Rhea

 I think this is awesome, finally proof of oxygen on other worlds.

A spacecraft has tasted oxygen in the atmosphere of another world for the first time while flying low over Saturn's icy moon, Rhea.

Nasa's Cassini probe scooped oxygen from the thin atmosphere of the planet's moon while passing overhead at an altitude of 97km in March this year.

Until now, wisps of oxygen have only been detected on planets and their moons indirectly, using the Hubble space telescope and other major facilities.

Instruments aboard Cassini revealed an extremely thin oxygen and carbon dioxide atmosphere that is sustained by high-energy particles slamming into the moon's surface and kicking up atoms, molecules and ions.

Astronomers have counted 62 moons orbiting Saturn. At 1500km wide, Rhea is the second largest and is thought to be made almost entirely of ice.

Read More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/nov/25/oxygen-saturn-moon-rhea

So what does this actually mean?

" @CookieMonster:  Water and potentially life. "

I want to go to space, but I probably never will.  This joyous news has made me sad.

Don't you need plants to have oxygen? Or can it be formed a different way? Either way, this is really interesting.

Wasn't it just weeks back they discovered the first extragalactic planet? Thought I read it.

" Don't you need plants to have oxygen? Or can it be formed a different way? Either way, this is really interesting. "

Give the ice planet some dirt and we got plants. Boy, if our species colonizes on that thing, we're going to have an incredible view of Saturn as our "moon". :-)

" Don't you need plants to have oxygen? Or can it be formed a different way? Either way, this is really interesting. "

Why does there have to be water and oxygen to be life?
 
If it's an alien life form it would have to adapt to it's own surroundings. Which may not have water or oxygen, but something else.

science post woo! 
 
I fully believe there is life out there, somewhere. In the universe we believe there are 10^21 stars. thats 1 000  000  000  000  000  000  000 stars. Each one potentially could contain a system that could support life, so i dont see why we are so special. 
 
@Diamond said:

" @CookieMonster:  Water and potentially life. "

" Don't you need plants to have oxygen? Or can it be formed a different way? Either way, this is really interesting. "

" Why does there have to be water and oxygen to be life?  If it's an alien life form it would have to adapt to it's own surroundings. Which may not have water or oxygen, but something else. "

" Why does there have to be water and oxygen to be life?  If it's an alien life form it would have to adapt to it's own surroundings. Which may not have water or oxygen, but something else. "

God I can't wait until beer companies can tap space icebergs.

" Why does there have to be water and oxygen to be life?  If it's an alien life form it would have to adapt to it's own surroundings. Which may not have water or oxygen, but something else. "

That's pretty cool
I believe there's alot of life out there in space, just not nearby.

Very, very interesting. I love reading about space and planets, even though most of it is over my head.  
 
When I was in Junior High I read literally every single planet book they had in the library :P

As explained in the initial article, they have found oxygen on three of Saturn's moons.
It was the carbon dioxide that made it interesting.

cool! although, the temperature is still an issue.

We should do the Total Recall thing.  We need to suck all the air out until that moon is willing to obey us and follow our rules!

I don't give a shit about extra-terrestrial bacteria and other dumb stuff. I'll regain interest once we encounter another conscious species.

this is a better article 
 
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/whycassini/cassini20101126.html