Scientists plan to send a robot snake to hunt for aliens.
Robot snakes are going to hunt aliens in space
The Exobiology Extant Life Surveyor (EELS) System is being developed at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.
The elongated robot will slither along terrains in space using spinning wheels on its body and its target is the vent systems on Saturn's small icy moon Enceladus.
NASA data indicates that Enceladus has a liquid ocean under its icy crust and the plumes erupting from its surface are conduits directly to liquid water. It is potentially the easiest path to a habitable liquid ocean on a different planet.
Boffins at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory said: "We are working with Earth scientists to identify terrestrial scientific investigations that demonstrate the capabilities of EELS in a planetary analogue environment."
EELS could also be deployed on Earth to navigate hazardous environments.