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Published byRosa Mayer Modified over 9 years ago
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How does life begin? The general idea for chemical evolution is: Organic matter + Liquid water + Energy = Life…Maybe
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This is Europa Sixth moon of Jupiter 3,100 km in diameter (slightly smaller than our moon)
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Why Europa? Possible ocean below the icy surface Possibility of hydrothermal vents (energy) Organics Conditions on Europa could have fostered life at one time
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Galileo Spacecraft Launched in 1989 Ended in 2003 Jupiter Mission Magnetic data provided evidence that Europa may have a salt water ocean.
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Europa Surface
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This is Titan Largest moon of Saturn About 80% more massive than our moon
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Why Titan? Possibility of liquid water Dense atmosphere Organics Methane or Ethane Lakes
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How will we find out? Europa Hyrdrobot/Cryobot NASA-JIMO (Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter) Titan Cassini-Huygens Mission
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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
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Hydrobot/Cryobot
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What will we look for? Cassini-Huygens : Cassini: Saturn Orbiter Huygens: Titan Probe Observe the surface Volcanoes, lakes, seas Water Organic profiles
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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
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Titan Sand Dunes Earth Sand Dunes
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Methane and/or Ethane Lakes
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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
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Ontario Lacus Contains Ethane Determined by Spectroscopy
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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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