Is Saturn's Moon Iapetus an Artifact?

The Starchild Compact

    The Starchild Compact is an epic tale of beginnings, roots, what might have been, and what might be. It is an adventure of heroic proportions, commencing 500 light years away, arriving here just a few years from now, and ending in the distant expanses of the Universe.

    Jon Stock takes his international exploration team to Saturn’s moon Iapetus, that earth scientists have determined may be an artifact. Following launch, they discover Saeed Ismail, a Jihadist stowaway, who hopes to sabotage the mission, and thereby destroy the science that contravenes the tenets of his religion.

    They arrive at Iapetus, determine it is a derelict starship, and eventually meet with the Founders, descendants of the starship builders. Their revelations impact the entire Solar System with momentous implications going backward and forward in time, paving the way for a joint push to the distant reaches of the Galaxy.

    The Starchild Compact remains true to modern physics, projects reasonable scientific and social advances over several decades, and speculates on how a civilization might develop while traveling between the stars on a generational starship. It blends futuristic science with real human beings driven by all the foibles, fears, beliefs, and political intrigues that drive us in today’s world, but projected onto a near future canvas that is a result of what is happening in the world today.

The spacecraft Cassini II on extended tether during her voyage to Iapetus