I have been fascinated by the latest exploration of the outer reaches of our Solar System. There are several moons around what they call the “gas giant” planets. These are big planets, mostly atmosphere, way larger than Earth, with lots of moons and rings around them. Recently I posted an article about the small group of moons at which scientist hope to find primitive alien life. If they find it on any of these moons, it will prove we are not alone in the Universe. It will mean that there is life on other planets/ moons and other heavenly bodies. It is also likely that somewhere in the Milky Way Galaxy there is intelligent life. So here is an article on a proposed plan to study Titan, a moon around the planet Saturn. – SJ Otto
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From Scientific American:
Orange skies, icy dunes and methane clouds—no, it’s not some post-apocalyptic picture of Earth. It’s what Saturn’s moon Titan might look like to explorers. While it doesn’t sound like paradise, scientists, including my colleagues in chemistry at the University of Colorado Boulder, think Titan has enough in common with Earth that it’s worth studying. But is there life on Titan? Right now, we can’t say for sure.
Cassini-Huygens, the mission that discovered most of what’s known about Titan, ended in 2017. Data from Cassini, which orbited Saturn, and Huygens, Cassini’s surface lander on Titan, confirmed that Titan has water as well as numerous reserves of carbon-containing chemicals. Life on Earth is based on complex carbon-based chemicals, like DNA. Based on what’s known about Earth’s history, finding water and carbon-containing chemicals mixed up in a primordial soup could be the right recipe for life. Enter Dragonfly, a proposed mission to explore Titan’s surface using a lander equipped with helicopter-like propellers. Dragonfly’s mission could help us understand our own primordial evolution—or even discover extraterrestrial life.
Titan has some features reminiscent of Earth. There are clouds, lakes (albeit filled with oil, not water) and even tides. Storms form on Titan’s surface, just like on Earth. But Titan’s storms are made of methane, not water vapor. And although Titan’s temperature is well above absolute zero, it’s still absolutely freezing, with an average surface temperature of minus 290 degrees Fahrenheit, it has a dense atmosphere, so you wouldn’t need a pressurized space suit to walk around—just oxygen and many, many layers of very warm clothes.
While scientists don’t know yet if life could exist on Titan, Cassini-Huygens’ discovery of a buried saltwater ocean on Titan was a promising sign for primordial soup. Cassini-Huygens managed to find the ocean without ever getting its feet wet. Electromagnetic waves, like the ones that let your car stereo pick up your favorite country music, can tell scientists a lot about the materials they pass through.
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