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Europa and Titan Life in the Outer Solar System

Europa and Titan Life in the Outer Solar System. How does life begin?. The general idea for chemical evolution is: Organic matter + Liquid water + Energy = Life…Maybe. When looking for life…. Follow the Water. This is Europa. Sixth moon of Jupiter

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Europa and Titan Life in the Outer Solar System

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  1. Europa and TitanLife in the Outer Solar System

  2. How does life begin? • The general idea for chemical evolution is: • Organic matter + Liquid water + Energy = Life…Maybe

  3. When looking for life… Follow the Water

  4. This is Europa • Sixth moon of Jupiter • 3,100 km in diameter (slightly smaller than our moon)

  5. Why Europa? • Possible ocean below the icy surface • Possibility of hydrothermal vents (energy) • Organics • Conditions on Europa could have fostered life at one time

  6. Galileo Spacecraft • Launched in 1989 • Ended in 2003 • Jupiter Mission • Magnetic data provided evidence that Europa may have a salt water ocean.

  7. Europa Surface

  8. This is Titan • Largest moon of Saturn • About 80% more massive than our moon

  9. Why Titan? • Possibility of liquid water • Dense atmosphere • Organics • Methane or Ethane Lakes

  10. How will we find out? • Europa • Hyrdrobot/Cryobot • NASA-JIMO (Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter) • Titan • Cassini-Huygens Mission

  11. What will we look for? • Hydrobot/Cryobot (Proposed, not planned) • Drill through ice crust • Release “Hyrdobot” into hypothetical ocean • Search for hydrothermal vents and micro-organisms • NASA-JIMO (Canceled in 2005) • Orbit Europa and map the planet • Look for signatures of life • ESA’s Europa Jupiter System Mission? • We’ll know in 2013

  12. Hydrobot/Cryobot

  13. What will we look for? • Cassini-Huygens : • Cassini: Saturn Orbiter • Huygens: Titan Probe • Observe the surface • Volcanoes, lakes, seas • Water • Organic profiles

  14. Cassini-Huygens • Launched in 1997 • Cassini still functioning • Huygens probe landed on Titan in 2005 • Found: • Methane and/or Ethane Lakes • Hydrocarbon Sand Dunes • Possibility of internal liquid water-ammonia ocean

  15. Titan Sand Dunes Earth Sand Dunes

  16. Methane and/or Ethane Lakes

  17. Methane and/or Ethane Lakes • Theorized that dark areas were liquid • Cassini’s radar beams were reflected which usually indicates liquids • At 94K, liquids were mostly likely to be methane and/or ethane • Titan’s atmosphere contains methane

  18. Ontario Lacus • Contains Ethane • Determined by Spectroscopy

  19. Issues • Oceans on Europa are still theoretical • Direct investigation of ocean’s could lead to contamination • Titan is very cold (94 K), and unlikely to support life

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