First Titan Flyby

[tecoyah]

This could be the first step in something truly fascinating... time for the real fun to start.

 

 

http://www.rednova.com/news/display/?id=96361

[ed84c]

would a Europa mission not have been a more worthy project?

[Gilded]

Europa is a chemist's daydream, sulfuric acid all over the place.

[Sayonara]

would a Europa mission not have been a more worthy project?

Not if you are interested specifically in Titan, no.

 

RTFA.

[ed84c]

Rtfa?

[Sayonara]

Read the flerking article.

[ed84c]

read it still no clues to RTFA

[tecoyah]

Plans are in place for a Europa mission as well, but more study of the technology needed to get below the surface is in progress. The I dea behind the Titan mission is to use the moon as a template of early earth atmospheric conditions. Much of the interest is the possible liquid state of the surface, and the chemical reactions possible because of it. Carl Sagan ran a series of experiments with a simulated Titan atmosphere, charged by electicity (simulated lightning) and the results were a complex organic compound (tholins) that had major simularities to RNA.

It is possible, though not extermely likely, that the surface has the basic components of life. I am hopeful, but not overly enthusiastic that we will find something of great interest there. I do agree that the underlying oceans of Europa may have at least as much chance of creating life, due primarily to the heat created by tidal fluctuations created by Jupiter, but far more Data is required before a mission would have an acceptable chance of success.

 

Edit- RTFA= Read the Freakin Article

[ed84c]

lol ok, well this has happened before when I asked people what lol stood for and then asked them to stop laughing at me............... anyway i had allready read it sayanora but i wa just makin a point that Europa would also seem important, and thanks tecoyah for clearing that one up.

[Sayonara]

Titan is more accessible than Europa because the interesting bits are not covered with a vast crust of ice.

[Gilded]

It would also be interesting to see what Io's insides are made of.

[tecoyah]

Agreed....Io is the only body that has shown dramatic surface change in human timeframes. It is unlikely we could build a craft capable of withstanding the radiation and particle hits in the orbit of Io at this time.....perhaps within a couple decades.