NASA is taking a unique approach to exploring the icy moon of Saturn, Enceladus, by swapping out the traditional rover design for a new "snake-like" robot. The new robot, called the Buoyant Rover for Under-Ice Exploration (BRUIE), will be able to navigate the icy terrain and explore the subsurface ocean of the moon, which scientists believe may harbor signs of extraterrestrial life.

The traditional rover design, with wheels or treads, is not well-suited for exploring the icy terrain of Enceladus. The moon's surface is covered with thick layers of ice, and its subsurface ocean is believed to be at least 10 kilometers deep. The BRUIE robot, however, is designed to be buoyant and flexible, allowing it to move through the water and under the ice, using its snake-like body to maneuver around obstacles.

The BRUIE robot was tested in the icy waters of Alaska and proved successful in navigating through the ice and collecting data. NASA hopes that this new design will allow them to explore the subsurface ocean of Enceladus and potentially discover signs of life.

The mission is part of NASA's larger effort to explore the outer planets and their moons for signs of habitability. Enceladus is of particular interest due to the presence of a subsurface ocean and the discovery of plumes containing water vapor and organic molecules. The BRUIE robot will be launched on a future mission to the Saturnian system.