[NormsRevenge]

On the Net:

Cassini mission:
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm

[Texas Eagle]

Bush's fault?

[RightWingNilla]

Could be interesting...

[NormsRevenge]

Lakes on Titan
July 24, 2006

The Cassini spacecraft, using its radar system, has discovered very strong evidence for hydrocarbon lakes on Titan. Dark patches, which resemble terrestrial lakes, seem to be sprinkled all over the high latitudes surrounding Titan's north pole.

Scientists have speculated that liquid methane or ethane might form lakes on Titan, particularly near the somewhat colder polar regions. In the images, a variety of dark patches, some with channels leading in or out of them, appear. The channels have a shape that strongly implies they were carved by liquid. Some of the dark patches and connecting channels are completely black, that is, they reflect back essentially no radar signal, and hence must be extremely smooth. In some cases rims can be seen around the dark patches, suggesting deposits that might form as liquid evaporates.

The abundant methane in Titan's atmosphere is stable as a liquid under Titan conditions, as is its abundant chemical product, ethane, but liquid water is not. For all these reasons, scientists interpret the dark areas as lakes of liquid methane or ethane, making Titan the only body in the solar system besides Earth known to possess lakes. Because such lakes may wax and wane over time, and winds may alter the roughness of their surfaces. Repeat coverage of these areas should test whether indeed these are bodies of liquid.

These two radar images were acquired by the Cassini radar instrument in synthetic aperture mode on July 21, 2006. The top image centered near 80 degrees north, 92 degrees west measures about 420 kilometers by 150 kilometers (260 miles by 93 miles). The lower image centered near 78 degrees north, 18 degrees west measures about 475 kilometers by 150 kilometers (295 miles by 93 miles). Smallest details in this image are about 500 meters (1,640 feet) across.

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries.

[FMBass]

I wonder what kinda screwy religion they have on Titan that’ll keep us from getting their oil.

[DannyTN]

Does this mean there is no lightening on Titan, or no Oxygen to sustain a fire?

[6SJ7]

Scientists believe methane gas breaks up in Titan's atmosphere and forms smog clouds that then rain methane down to the surface.

Please extinguish all smoking materials before disembarking onto the surface of Titan.

[GSlob]

OK. Award Halliburton the prospecting rights.

[clyde asbury]

bttt

[Dallas59]

[kAcknor]

Huh huh. Going to get just a little more difficult to continue the claim of "Fossil Fuels". Next thing you know they will discover the remains of the crater from the 'big one' that killed off the dinosaurs of Titan. ;)

[Doctor Stochastic]

So should the hydrocarbons be shipped raw or should a refinery be build on Titan?

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

One of these lakes can handle all of our energy needs for hundreds of years, IMO. There's gotta be a way to harness the energy.

[MaDeuce]

...All these worlds are your except "Titan". Atempt no landings there ...

[driftdiver]

OK so we've been taught that hydrocarbons are the results of plant matter in the pre-historic swamps. hence the term fossil fuels. If thats the case then I wanna know how the plants got there?

Or is this proof of life on other planets?

[spanalot]

Fill Er UP!

[norwaypinesavage]

"But the source of methane inside the moon, which is releasing the gas into the atmosphere is still unknown."

Obviously, its from decaying dinosaurs and ferns. Thats the only place it can possible come from here on earth.

[SunkenCiv]

Ping?

[JCEccles]

Seems to me there was an intrepid original-thinking scientist by the name of Goldschmidt about 20 years ago who theorized that much of the earth's hydrocarbons are of non-organic origin, cosmic flotsam and jetsam left over from the early accretion of the solar system.

The self-appointed high priests and keepers of the pure faith of science laughed him to scorn, ridiculed him, and essentially excommunicated him for thinking such an unacceptable thing.

And so it continues today.

[bpjam]

Oh no, not hydrocarbons!!!!! Global warming has even started to ruin the weather on Saturn & Mars!!!