Cassini Spacecraft Finds Ocean May Exist Beneath Titan

saturndaily.com ^ | 21 Mar 2008 | staff

[RightWhale]

Pasadena CA (SPX) Mar 20, 2008 NASA's Cassini spacecraft has discovered evidence that points to the existence of an underground ocean of water and ammonia on Saturn's moon Titan. The findings made using radar measurements of Titan's rotation will appear in the March 21 issue of the journal Science. "With its organic dunes, lakes, channels and mountains, Titan has one of the most varied, active and Earth-like surfaces in the solar system," said Ralph Lorenz, lead author of the paper and Cassini radar scientist at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., "Now we see changes in the way Titan rotates, giving us a window into Titan's interior beneath the surface."

Members of the mission's science team used Cassini's Synthetic Aperture Radar to collect imaging data during 19 separate passes over Titan between October 2005 and May 2007. The radar can see through Titan's dense, methane-rich atmospheric haze, detailing never-before-seen surface features and establishing their locations on the moon's surface.

Using data from the radar's early observations, the scientists and radar engineers established the locations of 50 unique landmarks on Titan's surface. They then searched for these same lakes, canyons and mountains in the reams of data returned by Cassini in its later flybys of Titan.

They found prominent surface features had shifted from their expected positions by up to 19 miles. A systematic displacement of surface features would be difficult to explain unless the moon's icy crust was decoupled from its core by an internal ocean, making it easier for the crust to move.

"We believe that about 62 miles beneath the ice and organic-rich surface is an internal ocean of liquid water mixed with ammonia," said Bryan Stiles of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in, Pasadena, Calif. Stiles also is a contributing author to the paper.

The study of Titan is a major goal of the Cassini-Huygens mission because it may preserve, in deep-freeze, many of the chemical compounds that preceded life on Earth. Titan is the only moon in the solar system that possesses a dense atmosphere. The moon's atmosphere is 1.5 times denser than Earth's. Titan is the largest of Saturn's moons, bigger than the planet Mercury.

"The combination of an organic-rich environment and liquid water is very appealing to astrobiologists," Lorenz said. "Further study of Titan's rotation will let us understand the watery interior better, and because the spin of the crust and the winds in the atmosphere are linked, we might see seasonal variation in the spin in the next few years."

Cassini scientists will not have long to wait before another go at Titan. On March 25, just prior to its closest approach at an altitude of 620 miles, Cassini will employ its Ion and Neutral Mass Spectrometer to examine Titan's upper atmosphere. Immediately after closest approach, the spacecraft's Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer will capture high-resolution images of Titan's southeast quadrant.

Community

[Onerom99]

Because humans on earth is a blip in time. Earth is estimated to be 4.5 billion years old. The evidence of the first humans ia about 50,000 years ago. So there’s 4,499,950,000 years there wasn’t any human life (that we know about) on earth.

The odds of an advanced civilization being on Titan at the same exact time as ours is a Powerball-type longshot.

[Strategerist]

The NASA budget in 2007 was .5% of the total Federal budget. And only a fraction of that was for unmanned exploration.

[ElkGroveDan]

Ever notice that everything they find is always never seen?

Well that's silly. In fact part of this discovery came from "seeing" shifts in the surface topography of Titan in the short time that Cassini has been orbiting Saturn.

They found sulfur volcanoes on Jupiter's moon Io, through visual observations.

They found fractured ice all over the surface of Europa, that was seen.

They found active stream gullies on Mars and ancient riverbeds by seeing them.

They found an asteroid with it's own little moon by seeing it.

They even saw a comet crash into Jupiter which left us with a whole host of new science to chew on.

Science is about discovery both visual and inferred from observation and calculation.

[edcoil]

You have seen others - ever have a compound fracture?

[kjam22]

So your argument is that the water there is newer than it is here? Why is it a powerball longshot?

Certainly it wouldn't be life like we have here... because the environment is different. It should be more advanced life there, that is capable of handling extreme temperatures. Isn't that the premis of evolution. That through mutation, survival of the fittest, etc life developed according to the environment around it?

And really, your analogy of a powerball longshot isn't even close to the true odds of life developing on this planet by itself.

[Signalman]

So there’s water there..... why isn’t there an advanced civilization? Isn’t that all it takes for life to spring up and then mutate to advanced civilizations?

You also need a relatively temperate climate. It's much too cold on Titan, average just above absolute zero.

[edcoil]

Sorry but I still don’t see any water. It is only an assumption water is causing any shifting. Being a different planet, we have no idea what could cause it.

[kjam22]

Not according to evolution through mutation. Life should have developed from that water that was capable of withstanding its environment.

[Onerom99]

It takes more than just water present to form life.

Perhaps there is/was life on Titan, we’ll find out soon enough I’m sure. My guess is that there is some micro aquatic life there.

BTW.. Pull the oar out of your ass.

[nuke rocketeer]

Not trillions. Money spent on exploration and research is money well spent. NASA is not what it was back in the 60’s, but they are still way ahead of any other government organization on returns on the dollar spent.

[kjam22]

How can there have been life there that wasn’t able to survive the environment? That wan’t able to mutate and pull itself up by it’s bootstraps? That wasn’t able to better itself?

[Balding_Eagle]

It is only an assumption water is causing any shifting. Being a different planet, we have no idea what could cause it.

They do have an idea what might be causing it.........water.

[Onerom99]

You’re too dense to understand this.

[kjam22]

My guess is that there is some micro aquatic life there

It better get busy mutating if it ever wants to amount to anything.....

[nuke rocketeer]

We are probably not going to find life on Titan or any of the other outer moons except for Europa. It is just too cold. There might be liquid water, but not enough energy for life to make it.

If you detest evolution so much, then provide another scientific explanation that covers all the available evidence, including the age of the universe and Earth, dinosaur bones, meteor/comet impacts. When you have an explanation that also fits in with known physics, maybe I and others will listen seriously to you.

[ElkGroveDan]

Sorry but I still don’t see any water. It is only an assumption water is causing any shifting. Being a different planet, we have no idea what could cause it.

If you don't understand the complex science behind remote sensing, then you need to believe the people who do. The Earth has an iron core - no doubt whatsoever, but no one has ever seen it or observed it directly. No one with any scientific background disputes some things, because the evidence is rock solid through observations, direct and inferred. You could say that the Earth's core might be made of grape jelly since no one has been there, but if you want to take the time to learn the science you will see very quickly why the indirect evidence wins out for iron.

If your doctor tells you you have a brain tumor or are on the verge of an aneurysm because of indirect scientific evidence, are you going to doubt him until someone shows you first hand?

[kjam22]

I may be dense but I'm not stupid enough to buy what evolutionists are selling. I'd guess there is water all over the universe. But no advanced life forms. Oh no..... that just happened here on earth (by chance). It just mutated by itself here on earth only.

Everytime we find water on other planets without advanced life form we demonstrated that the evolutionists theories don't prove out.

[nuke rocketeer]

No, but this assumption is based upon the data indicating that the major surface component of Titan is water ice.

[kjam22]

But evolution through mutation teaches that life overcomes the environment. It adapts and configures itself to live and in fact advance regardless of the circumstances.

[Sudetenland]

Luddite.

"We don't need to explore nothin. I done lived in my town all my life 'n I don't need nothin' what ain't here."
Yes I see you are one of the enlightened people.