The detection of water plumes spewing from cracks on Saturn's moon Enceladus has sparked a debate among scientists on whether or not the satellite's plumes emanate from an ocean. A recent study presented evidence that this may not be the case, but the affirmative side isn't convinced.

According to Dr. Rick Schneider, an astronomer from the University of Colorado, it doesn't look like the plumes of water gushing out from Enceladus are coming from an ancient ocean. He says that the element sodium was not detected in a recent study, negating the possibility of such a body of water's existence in the moon.

"If you have a long-lived ocean, it's going to have salt in it," said Dr Schneider, at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) meeting, "but that ocean, if it exists on Enceladus, isn't leaking out into space."

Those who believe that there's an ocean out in Enceladus, however, say that there's a chance that the sodium in the water from Enceladus could just be hidden. They argue that the Keck Telescope can't detect sodium when it's in a salt crystal that becomes the nucleus of a water particle. This is similar to hiding salt inside a saltshaker.

Both sides acknowledge that the facts established at the moment are not conclusive enough to allow the scientific community to draw solid conclusions. What everyone agrees on is that a closer look will yield better answers.

It's likely that they'll get their wish in the next decade or so. Enceladus is one of the few outer solar system destinations which are high up in NASA's exploration list. If all goes well, a probe aboard powerful Delta rockets could swing by the place in 2018. By then, the debate should produce a winning side.