Sample records for ablation program titan

  1. Response Modeling of Lightweight Charring Ablators and Thermal Radiation Testing Results

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Congdon, William M.; Curry, Donald M.; Rarick, Douglas A.; Collins, Timothy J.

    2003-01-01

    Under NASA's In-Space Propulsion/Aerocapture Program, ARA conducted arc-jet and thermal-radiation ablation test series in 2003 for advanced development, characterization, and response modeling of SRAM-20, SRAM-17, SRAM-14, and PhenCarb-20 ablators. Testing was focused on the future Titan Explorer mission. Convective heating rates (CW) were as high as 153 W/sq cm in the IHF and radiation rates were 100 W/sq cm in the Solar Tower Facility. The ablators showed good performance in the radiation environment without spallation, which was initially a concern, but they also showed higher in-depth temperatures when compared to analytical predictions based on arc-jet thermal-ablation response models. More testing in 2003 is planned in both of these facility to generate a sufficient data base for Titan TPS engineering.

  2. Effect of Surface Nonequilibrium Thermochemistry in Simulation of Carbon Based Ablators

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chen, Yih-Kang; Gokcen, Tahir

    2012-01-01

    This study demonstrates that coupling of a material thermal response code and a flow solver using finite-rate gas/surface interaction model provides time-accurate solutions for multidimensional ablation of carbon based charring ablators. The material thermal response code used in this study is the Two-dimensional Implicit Thermal Response and Ablation Program (TITAN), which predicts charring material thermal response and shape change on hypersonic space vehicles. Its governing equations include total energy balance, pyrolysis gas momentum conservation, and a three-component decomposition model. The flow code solves the reacting Navier-Stokes equations using Data Parallel Line Relaxation (DPLR) method. Loose coupling between material response and flow codes is performed by solving the surface mass balance in DPLR and the surface energy balance in TITAN. Thus, the material surface recession is predicted by finite-rate gas/surface interaction boundary conditions implemented in DPLR, and the surface temperature and pyrolysis gas injection rate are computed in TITAN. Two sets of gas/surface interaction chemistry between air and carbon surface developed by Park and Zhluktov, respectively, are studied. Coupled fluid-material response analyses of stagnation tests conducted in NASA Ames Research Center arc-jet facilities are considered. The ablating material used in these arc-jet tests was a Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator (PICA). Computational predictions of in-depth material thermal response and surface recession are compared with the experimental measurements for stagnation cold wall heat flux ranging from 107 to 1100 Watts per square centimeter.

  3. Graphite Ablation and Thermal Response Simulation Under Arc-Jet Flow Conditions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chen, Y.-K.; Milos, F. S.; Reda, D. C.; Stewart, D. A.; Venkatapathy, Ethiraj (Technical Monitor)

    2002-01-01

    The Two-dimensional Implicit Thermal Response and Ablation program, TITAN, was developed and integrated with a Navier-Stokes solver, GIANTS, for multidimensional ablation and shape change simulation of thermal protection systems in hypersonic flow environments. The governing equations in both codes are demoralized using the same finite-volume approximation with a general body-fitted coordinate system. Time-dependent solutions are achieved by an implicit time marching technique using Gauess-Siedel line relaxation with alternating sweeps. As the first part of a code validation study, this paper compares TITAN-GIANTS predictions with thermal response and recession data obtained from arc-jet tests recently conducted in the Interaction Heating Facility (IHF) at NASA Ames Research Center. The test models are graphite sphere-cones. Graphite was selected as a test material to minimize the uncertainties from material properties. Recession and thermal response data were obtained from two separate arc-jet test series. The first series was at a heat flux where graphite ablation is mainly due to sublimation, and the second series was at a relatively low heat flux where recession is the result of diffusion-controlled oxidation. Ablation and thermal response solutions for both sets of conditions, as calculated by TITAN-GIANTS, are presented and discussed in detail. Predicted shape change and temperature histories generally agree well with the data obtained from the arc-jet tests.

  4. Effect of Non-Equilibrium Surface Thermochemistry in Simulation of Carbon Based Ablators

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chen, Yih-Kanq; Gokcen, Tahir

    2012-01-01

    This study demonstrates that coupling of a material thermal response code and a flow solver using non-equilibrium gas/surface interaction model provides time-accurate solutions for the multidimensional ablation of carbon based charring ablators. The material thermal response code used in this study is the Two-dimensional Implicit Thermal-response and AblatioN Program (TITAN), which predicts charring material thermal response and shape change on hypersonic space vehicles. Its governing equations include total energy balance, pyrolysis gas mass conservation, and a three-component decomposition model. The flow code solves the reacting Navier-Stokes equations using Data Parallel Line Relaxation (DPLR) method. Loose coupling between the material response and flow codes is performed by solving the surface mass balance in DPLR and the surface energy balance in TITAN. Thus, the material surface recession is predicted by finite-rate gas/surface interaction boundary conditions implemented in DPLR, and the surface temperature and pyrolysis gas injection rate are computed in TITAN. Two sets of nonequilibrium gas/surface interaction chemistry between air and the carbon surface developed by Park and Zhluktov, respectively, are studied. Coupled fluid-material response analyses of stagnation tests conducted in NASA Ames Research Center arc-jet facilities are considered. The ablating material used in these arc-jet tests was Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator (PICA). Computational predictions of in-depth material thermal response and surface recession are compared with the experimental measurements for stagnation cold wall heat flux ranging from 107 to 1100 Watts per square centimeter.

  5. Midterm Summary of Japan-US Fusion Cooperation Program TITAN

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Muroga, Takeo; Sze, Dai-Kai; Sokolov, Mikhail

    2011-01-01

    Japan-US cooperation program TITAN (Tritium, Irradiation and Thermofluid for America and Nippon) started in April 2007 as 6-year project. This is the summary report at the midterm of the project. Historical overview of the Japan-US cooperation programs and direction of the TITAN project in its second half are presented in addition to the technical highlights. Blankets are component systems whose principal functions are extraction of heat and tritium. Thus it is crucial to clarify the potentiality for controlling heat and tritium flow throughout the first wall, blanket and out-of-vessel recovery systems. The TITAN project continues the JUPITER-II activity but extendsmore » its scope including the first wall and the recovery systems with the title of 'Tritium and thermofluid control for magnetic and inertial confinement systems'. The objective of the program is to clarify the mechanisms of tritium and heat transfer throughout the first-wall, the blanket and the heat/tritium recovery systems under specific conditions to fusion such as irradiation, high heat flux, circulation and high magnetic fields. Based on integrated models, the breeding, transfer, inventory of tritium and heat extraction properties will be evaluated for some representative liquid breeder blankets and the necessary database will be obtained for focused research in the future.« less

  6. Titan as the Abode of Life

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mckay, Christopher P.

    2016-01-01

    Titan is the only world we know other than Earth that has a liquid on its surface. It has a thick atmosphere composed of nitrogen and methane with a thick organic haze. There are lakes, rain, and clouds of methane and ethane. Here, we address the question of carbon-based life living in Titan liquids. Photochemically produced organics, particularly acetylene, in Titan's atmosphere could be a source of biological energy when reacted with atmospheric hydrogen. Light levels on the surface of Titan are more than adequate for photosynthesis but the biochemical limitations due to the few elements available in the environment may lead only to simple ecosystems that only consume atmospheric nutrients. Life on Titan may make use of the trace metals and other inorganic elements produced by meteorites as they ablate in the atmosphere. It is conceivable that H2O molecules on Titan could be used in a biochemistry that is rooted in hydrogen bonds in a way that metals are used in enzymes by life on Earth. Previous theoretical work has shown possible membrane structures in Titan liquids, azotosomes, composed of small organic nitrogen compounds, such as acrylonitrile. The search for a plausible information molecule for life in Titan liquids remains an open research topic - polyethers have been considered and shown to be insoluble at Titan temperatures. Possible search strategies for life on Titan include looking for unusual concentrations of certain molecules reflecting biological selection. Homochirality is a special and powerful example of such biology selection. Environmentally, a depletion of hydrogen in the lower atmosphere may be a sign of metabolism. A discovery of life in liquid methane and ethane would be our first compelling indication that the Universe is full of diverse and wondrous life forms.

  7. Titan as the Abode of Life

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McKay, Christopher P.

    2016-02-01

    Titan is the only world we know, other than Earth, that has a liquid on its surface. It also has a thick atmosphere composed of nitrogen and methane with a thick organic haze. There are lakes, rain, and clouds of methane and ethane. Here, we address the question of carbon-based life living in Titan liquids. Photochemically produced organics, particularly acetylene, in Titan's atmosphere could be a source of biological energy when reacted with atmospheric hydrogen. Light levels on the surface of Titan are more than adequate for photosynthesis, but the biochemical limitations due to the few elements available in the environment may lead only to simple ecosystems that only consume atmospheric nutrients. Life on Titan may make use of the trace metals and other inorganic elements produced by meteorites as they ablate in its atmosphere. It is conceivable that H2O molecules on Titan could be used in a biochemistry that is rooted in hydrogen bonds in a way that metals are used in enzymes by life on Earth. Previous theoretical work has shown possible membrane structures, azotosomes, in Titan liquids, azotosomes, composed of small organic nitrogen compounds, such as acrylonitrile. The search for a plausible information molecule for life in Titan liquids remains an open research topic - polyethers have been considered and shown to be insoluble at Titan temperatures. Possible search strategies for life on Titan include looking for unusual concentrations of certain molecules reflecting biological selection. Homochirality is a special and powerful example of such biology selection. Environmentally, a depletion of hydrogen in the lower atmosphere may be a sign of metabolism. A discovery of life in liquid methane and ethane would be our first compelling indication that the universe is full of diverse and wondrous life forms.

  8. Titan as the Abode of Life.

    PubMed

    McKay, Christopher P

    2016-02-03

    Titan is the only world we know, other than Earth, that has a liquid on its surface. It also has a thick atmosphere composed of nitrogen and methane with a thick organic haze. There are lakes, rain, and clouds of methane and ethane. Here, we address the question of carbon-based life living in Titan liquids. Photochemically produced organics, particularly acetylene, in Titan's atmosphere could be a source of biological energy when reacted with atmospheric hydrogen. Light levels on the surface of Titan are more than adequate for photosynthesis, but the biochemical limitations due to the few elements available in the environment may lead only to simple ecosystems that only consume atmospheric nutrients. Life on Titan may make use of the trace metals and other inorganic elements produced by meteorites as they ablate in its atmosphere. It is conceivable that H₂O molecules on Titan could be used in a biochemistry that is rooted in hydrogen bonds in a way that metals are used in enzymes by life on Earth. Previous theoretical work has shown possible membrane structures, azotosomes, in Titan liquids, azotosomes, composed of small organic nitrogen compounds, such as acrylonitrile. The search for a plausible information molecule for life in Titan liquids remains an open research topic-polyethers have been considered and shown to be insoluble at Titan temperatures. Possible search strategies for life on Titan include looking for unusual concentrations of certain molecules reflecting biological selection. Homochirality is a special and powerful example of such biology selection. Environmentally, a depletion of hydrogen in the lower atmosphere may be a sign of metabolism. A discovery of life in liquid methane and ethane would be our first compelling indication that the universe is full of diverse and wondrous life forms.

  9. Cassini/CIRS Observations of Water Vapor in Titan's Stratosphere

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bjoraker, Gordon L.; Achterberg, R. K.; Anderson, C. M.; Samuelson, R. E.; Carlson, R. C.; Jennings, D. E.

    2008-01-01

    The Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) on the Cassini spacecraft has obtained spectra of Titan during most of the 44 flybys of the Cassini prime mission. Water vapor on Titan was first detected using whole-disk observations from the Infrared Space Observatory (Coustenis et al 1998, Astron. Astrophys. 336, L85-L89). CIRS data permlt the retrieval of the latitudinal variation of water on Titan and some limited information on its vertical profile. Emission lines of H2O on Titan are very weak in the CIRS data. Thus, large spectral averages as well as improvements in calibration are necessary to detect water vapor. Water abundances were retrieved in nadir spectra at 55 South, the Equator, and at 19 North. Limb spectra of the Equator were also modeled to constrain the vertical distribution of water. Stratospheric temperatures in the 0.5 - 4.0 mbar range were obtained by inverting spectra of CH4 in the v4 band centered at 1304/cm. The temperature in the lower stratosphere (4 - 20 mbar) was derived from fitting pure rotation lines of CH4 between 80 and 160/cm. The origin of H2O and CO2 is believed to be from the ablation of micrometeorites containing water ice, followed by photochemistry. This external source of water originates either within the Saturn system or from the interplanetary medium. Recently, Horst et al (J. Geophys. Res. 2008, in press) developed a photochemical model of Titan in which there are two external sources of oxygen. Oxygen ions (probably from Enceladus) precipitate into Titan's atmosphere to form CO at very high altitudes (1100 km). Water ice ablation at lower altitudes (700 km) forms H2O and subsequent chemistry produces CO2. CIRS measurements of CO, CO2, and now of H2O will provide valuable constraints to these photochemical models and - improve our understanding of oxygen chemistry on Titan.

  10. Titan as the Abode of Life

    PubMed Central

    McKay, Christopher P.

    2016-01-01

    Titan is the only world we know, other than Earth, that has a liquid on its surface. It also has a thick atmosphere composed of nitrogen and methane with a thick organic haze. There are lakes, rain, and clouds of methane and ethane. Here, we address the question of carbon-based life living in Titan liquids. Photochemically produced organics, particularly acetylene, in Titan’s atmosphere could be a source of biological energy when reacted with atmospheric hydrogen. Light levels on the surface of Titan are more than adequate for photosynthesis, but the biochemical limitations due to the few elements available in the environment may lead only to simple ecosystems that only consume atmospheric nutrients. Life on Titan may make use of the trace metals and other inorganic elements produced by meteorites as they ablate in its atmosphere. It is conceivable that H2O molecules on Titan could be used in a biochemistry that is rooted in hydrogen bonds in a way that metals are used in enzymes by life on Earth. Previous theoretical work has shown possible membrane structures, azotosomes, in Titan liquids, azotosomes, composed of small organic nitrogen compounds, such as acrylonitrile. The search for a plausible information molecule for life in Titan liquids remains an open research topic—polyethers have been considered and shown to be insoluble at Titan temperatures. Possible search strategies for life on Titan include looking for unusual concentrations of certain molecules reflecting biological selection. Homochirality is a special and powerful example of such biology selection. Environmentally, a depletion of hydrogen in the lower atmosphere may be a sign of metabolism. A discovery of life in liquid methane and ethane would be our first compelling indication that the universe is full of diverse and wondrous life forms. PMID:26848689

  11. The commercial evolution of the Titan program

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Isakowitz, Steven

    1988-07-01

    The present status evaluation of proprietary efforts to turn the once exclusively government-requirements-oriented Titan launch vehicle into a successful commercial competitor is divided into three phases. The first phase notes recent changes in U.S. space transportation policy and the Titan configurations evaluated for commercial feasibility. The second phase is a development history for the current vehicle's marketing organization and the right-to-use agreement for a launch site. Phase three projects the prospective marketing climate for a commercial Titan vehicle and its planned improvements.

  12. Orientation dependent ferroelectric properties in samarium doped bismuth titanate thin films grown by the pulsed-laser-ablation method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cheng, Zhenxiang; Kannan, Chinna Venkatasamy; Ozawa, Kiyoshi; Kimura, Hideo; Wang, Xiaolin

    2006-07-01

    Samarium doped bismuth titanate thin films with the composition of Bi3.25Sm0.75Ti3O12 and with strong preferred orientations along the c axis and the (117) direction were fabricated on Pt /TiO2/SiO2/Si substrate by pulsed laser ablation. Measurements on Pt /BSmT/Pt capacitors showed that the c-axis oriented film had a small remanent polarization (2Pr) of 5μC/cm2, while the highly (117) oriented film showed a 2Pr value of 54μC/cm2 at an electrical field of 268kV/cm and a coercive field Ec of 89kV/cm. This is different from the sol-gel derived c-axis oriented Bi3.15Sm0.85Ti3O12 film showing a 2Pr value of 49μC/cm2.

  13. Benzene formation in Titan's lower atmosphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Plane, J. M. C.; Douglas, K.; Blitz, M. A.; Heard, D. E.; Seakins, P. W.; Feng, W.; Willacy, K.

    2017-09-01

    The most distinctive feature of Saturn's moon Titan is that it is covered in a thick haze. The haze consists of organic particles called tholins, of which benzene is thought to be an important precursor. Here we examine two pathways to form benzene. The first involves reactions on cosmic dust particles, which mostly do not ablate when entering Titan's atmosphere and accumulate in the lower atmosphere. We have shown in the laboratory that acetylene molecules stick on synthetic cosmic dust at low temperatures, and react efficiently to make benzene. The second pathway is through gas phase reactions involving radical species formed through methane photochemistry. A new lab study shows that the rates of critical reactions involving these radicals vary unexpectedly at low temperatures, leading to significant changes in important benzene precursors.

  14. Ablation, Thermal Response, and Chemistry Program for Analysis of Thermal Protection Systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Milos, Frank S.; Chen, Yih-Kanq

    2010-01-01

    In previous work, the authors documented the Multicomponent Ablation Thermochemistry (MAT) and Fully Implicit Ablation and Thermal response (FIAT) programs. In this work, key features from MAT and FIAT were combined to create the new Fully Implicit Ablation, Thermal response, and Chemistry (FIATC) program. FIATC is fully compatible with FIAT (version 2.5) but has expanded capabilities to compute the multispecies surface chemistry and ablation rate as part of the surface energy balance. This new methodology eliminates B' tables, provides blown species fractions as a function of time, and enables calculations that would otherwise be impractical (e.g. 4+ dimensional tables) such as pyrolysis and ablation with kinetic rates or unequal diffusion coefficients. Equations and solution procedures are presented, then representative calculations of equilibrium and finite-rate ablation in flight and ground-test environments are discussed.

  15. Analysis on ultrashort-pulse laser ablation for nanoscale film of ceramics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ho, C. Y.; Tsai, Y. H.; Chiou, Y. J.

    2017-06-01

    This paper uses the dual-phase-lag model to study the ablation characteristics of femtosecond laser processing for nanometer-sized ceramic films. In ultrafast process and ultrasmall size where the two lags occur, a dual-phase-lag can be applied to analyse the ablation characteristics of femtosecond laser processing for materials. In this work, the ablation rates of nanometer-sized lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramics are investigated using a dual-phase-lag and the model is solved by Laplace transform method. The results obtained from this work are validated by the available experimental data. The effects of material thermal properties on the ablation characteristics of femtosecond laser processing for ceramics are also discussed.

  16. Space Art "Titan"

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2006-09-13

    Artist Daniel Zeller used the breathtaking imagery from the Cassini spacecraft as a departure point to interpret the intricate surface of Saturn’s moon Titan in this peice titled "Titan". Cassini entered Saturn's orbit in July of 2004 after a seven-year voyage. It then began a four-year mission that includes more than 70 orbits around the ringed planet and its moons. Ink on Paper, 17x21. 2006. Copyrighted: For more information contact Curator, NASA Art Program.

  17. Resin-Impregnated Carbon Ablator: A New Ablative Material for Hyperbolic Entry Speeds

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Esper, Jaime; Lengowski, Michael

    2012-01-01

    Ablative materials are required to protect a space vehicle from the extreme temperatures encountered during the most demanding (hyperbolic) atmospheric entry velocities, either for probes launched toward other celestial bodies, or coming back to Earth from deep space missions. To that effect, the resin-impregnated carbon ablator (RICA) is a high-temperature carbon/phenolic ablative thermal protection system (TPS) material designed to use modern and commercially viable components in its manufacture. Heritage carbon/phenolic ablators intended for this use rely on materials that are no longer in production (i.e., Galileo, Pioneer Venus); hence the development of alternatives such as RICA is necessary for future NASA planetary entry and Earth re-entry missions. RICA s capabilities were initially measured in air for Earth re-entry applications, where it was exposed to a heat flux of 14 MW/sq m for 22 seconds. Methane tests were also carried out for potential application in Saturn s moon Titan, with a nominal heat flux of 1.4 MW/sq m for up to 478 seconds. Three slightly different material formulations were manufactured and subsequently tested at the Plasma Wind Tunnel of the University of Stuttgart in Germany (PWK1) in the summer and fall of 2010. The TPS integrity was well preserved in most cases, and results show great promise.

  18. Weather on Titan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Griffith, C. A.; Hall, J. L.; Geballe, T. R.

    2000-10-01

    Titan's atmosphere potentially sports a cycle similar to the hydrologic one on Earth with clouds, rain and seas, but with methane playing the terrestrial role of water. Over the past ten years many independent efforts indicated no strong evidence for cloudiness until some unique spectra were analyzed in 1998 (Griffith et al.). These surprising observations displayed enhanced fluxes of 14-200% on two nights at precisely the wavelengths (windows) that sense Titan's lower altitude where clouds might reside. The morphology of these enhancements in all 4 windows observed indicate that clouds covered ~6-9% of Titan's surface and existed at ~15 km altitude. Here I discuss new observations recorded in 1999 aimed to further characterize Titan's clouds. While we find no evidence for a massive cloud system similar to the one observed previously, 1%-4% fluctuations in flux occur daily. These modulations, similar in wavelength and morphology to the more pronounced ones observed earlier, suggest the presence of clouds covering <=1% of Titan's disk. The variations are too small to have been detected by most prior measurements. Repeated observations, spaced 30 minutes apart, indicate a temporal variability observable in the time scale of a couple of hours. The cloud heights hint that convection governs their evolutions. Their short lives point to the presence of rain. C. A. Griffith and J. L. Hall are supported by the NASA Planetary Astronomy Program NAG5-6790.

  19. Aerocapture Systems Analysis for a Titan Mission

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lockwood, Mary K.; Queen, Eric M.; Way, David W.; Powell, Richard W.; Edquist, Karl; Starr, Brett W.; Hollis, Brian R.; Zoby, E. Vincent; Hrinda, Glenn A.; Bailey, Robert W.

    2006-01-01

    Performance projections for aerocapture show a vehicle mass savings of between 40 and 80%, dependent on destination, for an aerocapture vehicle compared to an all-propulsive chemical vehicle. In addition aerocapture is applicable to multiple planetary exploration destinations of interest to NASA. The 2001 NASA In-Space Propulsion Program (ISP) technology prioritization effort identified aerocapture as one of the top three propulsion technologies for solar system exploration missions. An additional finding was that aerocapture needed a better system definition and that supporting technology gaps needed to be identified. Consequently, the ISP program sponsored an aerocapture systems analysis effort that was completed in 2002. The focus of the effort was on aerocapture at Titan with a rigid aeroshell system. Titan was selected as the initial destination for the study due to potential interest in a follow-on mission to Cassini/Huygens. Aerocapture is feasible, and the performance is adequate, for the Titan mission and it can deliver 2.4 times more mass to Titan than an all-propulsive system for the same launch vehicle.

  20. Heavy Ion Formation in Titan's Ionosphere: Magnetospheric Introduction of Free Oxygen and a Source of Titan's Aerosols?

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sittler, E. C., Jr.; Ali, A.; Cooper, J. F.; Hartle, R. E.; Johnson, R. E.; Coates, A. J.; Young, D. T.

    2009-01-01

    Discovery by Cassini's plasma instrument of heavy positive and negative ions within Titan's upper atmosphere and ionosphere has advanced our understanding of ion neutral chemistry within Titan's upper atmosphere, primarily composed of molecular nitrogen, with approx.2.5% methane. The external energy flux transforms Titan's upper atmosphere and ionosphere into a medium rich in complex hydrocarbons, nitriles and haze particles extending from the surface to 1200 km altitudes. The energy sources are solar UV, solar X-rays, Saturn's magnetospheric ions and electrons, solar wind and shocked magnetosheath ions and electrons, galactic cosmic rays (CCR) and the ablation of incident meteoritic dust from Enceladus' E-ring and interplanetary medium. Here it is proposed that the heavy atmospheric ions detected in situ by Cassini for heights >950 km, are the likely seed particles for aerosols detected by the Huygens probe for altitudes <100km. These seed particles may be in the form of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) containing both carbon and hydrogen atoms CnHx. There could also be hollow shells of carbon atoms, such as C60, called fullerenes which contain no hydrogen. The fullerenes may compose a significant fraction of the seed particles with PAHs contributing the rest. As shown by Cassini, the upper atmosphere is bombarded by magnetospheric plasma composed of protons, H(2+) and water group ions. The latter provide keV oxygen, hydroxyl and water ions to Titan's upper atmosphere and can become trapped within the fullerene molecules and ions. Pickup keV N(2+), N(+) and CH(4+) can also be implanted inside of fullerenes. Attachment of oxygen ions to PAH molecules is uncertain, but following thermalization O(+) can interact with abundant CH4 contributing to the CO and CO2 observed in Titan's atmosphere. If an exogenic keV O(+) ion is implanted into the haze particles, it could become free oxygen within those aerosols that eventually fall onto Titan's surface. The process

  1. Titan Casts Revealing Shadow

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    2004-05-01

    A rare celestial event was captured by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory as Titan -- Saturn's largest moon and the only moon in the Solar System with a thick atmosphere -- crossed in front of the X-ray bright Crab Nebula. The X-ray shadow cast by Titan allowed astronomers to make the first X-ray measurement of the extent of its atmosphere. On January 5, 2003, Titan transited the Crab Nebula, the remnant of a supernova explosion that was observed to occur in the year 1054. Although Saturn and Titan pass within a few degrees of the Crab Nebula every 30 years, they rarely pass directly in front of it. "This may have been the first transit of the Crab Nebula by Titan since the birth of the Crab Nebula," said Koji Mori of Pennsylvania State University in University Park, and lead author on an Astrophysical Journal paper describing these results. "The next similar conjunction will take place in the year 2267, so this was truly a once in a lifetime event." Animation of Titan's Shadow on Crab Nebula Animation of Titan's Shadow on Crab Nebula Chandra's observation revealed that the diameter of the X-ray shadow cast by Titan was larger than the diameter of its solid surface. The difference in diameters gives a measurement of about 550 miles (880 kilometers) for the height of the X-ray absorbing region of Titan's atmosphere. The extent of the upper atmosphere is consistent with, or slightly (10-15%) larger, than that implied by Voyager I observations made at radio, infrared, and ultraviolet wavelengths in 1980. "Saturn was about 5% closer to the Sun in 2003, so increased solar heating of Titan may account for some of this atmospheric expansion," said Hiroshi Tsunemi of Osaka University in Japan, one of the coauthors on the paper. The X-ray brightness and extent of the Crab Nebula made it possible to study the tiny X-ray shadow cast by Titan during its transit. By using Chandra to precisely track Titan's position, astronomers were able to measure a shadow one arcsecond in

  2. Dragonfly: Investigating the Surface Composition of Titan

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Brinckerhoff, W. B.; Lawrence, D. J.; Barnes, J. W.; Lorenz, R. D.; Horst, S. M.; Zacny, K.; Freissinet, C.; Parsons, A. M.; Turtle, E. P.; Trainer, M. G.; hide

    2018-01-01

    Dragonfly is a rotorcraft lander mission, selected as a finalist in NASA's New Frontiers Program, that is designed to sample materials and determine the surface composition in different geologic settings on Titan. This revolutionary mission concept would explore diverse locations to characterize the habitability of Titan's environment, to investigate how far prebiotic chemistry has progressed, and to search for chemical signatures that could be indicative of water-based and/or hydrocarbon-based life. Here we describe Dragonfly's capabilities to determine the composition of a variety of surface units on Titan, from elemental components to complex organic molecules. The compositional investigation ncludes characterization of local surface environments and finely sampled materials. The Dragonfly flexible sampling approach can robustly accommodate materials from Titan's most intriguing surface environments.

  3. Examination of the Mass Transfer of Additive Elements in Barium Titanate Ceramics during Sintering Process by Laser Ablation ICP-MS.

    PubMed

    Sakate, Daisuke; Iwazaki, Yoshiki; Kon, Yoshiaki; Yokoyama, Takaomi; Ohata, Masaki

    2018-01-01

    The mass transfer of additive elements during the sintering of barium titanate (BaTiO 3 ) ceramic was examined by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) in the present study. An analytical sample consisting of two pellets of BaTiO 3 with different concentrations of additive elements of manganese (Mn) and holmium (Ho) as well as silicon (Si) as a sintering reagent was prepared and measured by LA-ICP-MS with small laser irradiated diameter of 10 μm to evaluate the distributions and concentrations of additive elements in order to examine their mass transfers. As results, enrichments of Mn and Si as an additive element and a sintering reagent, respectively, were observed on the adhesive surface between two BaTiO 3 pellets, even though Ho did not show a similar phenomenon. The mass transfers of additive elements of Mn and Ho were also examined, and Mn seemed to show a larger mass transfer than that of Ho during the sintering process for BaTiO 3 ceramics. The results obtained in this study shows the effectives of LA-ICP-MS for the future improvement of MLCCs.

  4. Titan!

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Matson, Dennis L.

    2010-05-01

    Cassini-Huygens achieved Saturnian orbit on July 1, 2004. The first order of business was the safe delivery of the Huygens atmospheric probe to Titan that took place on January 14, 2005. Huygens descended under parachute obtaining observations all the way down to a safe landing. It revealed Titan for the first time. Stunning are the similarities between Titan and the Earth. Viewing the lakes and seas, the fluvial terrain, the sand dunes and other features through the hazy, nitrogen atmosphere, brings to mind the geological processes that created analogous features on the Earth. On Titan frozen water plays the geological role of rock; liquid methane takes the role of terrestrial water. The atmospheres of both Earth and Titan are predominately nitrogen gas. Titan's atmosphere contains 1.5% methane and no oxygen. The surface pressure on Titan is 1.5 times the Earth's. There are aerosol layers and clouds that come and go. Now, as Saturn proceeds along its solar orbit, the seasons are changing. The effects upon the transport of methane are starting to be seen. A large lake in the South Polar Region seems to be filling more as winter onsets. Will the size and number of the lakes in the South grow during winter? Will the northern lakes and seas diminish or dry up as northern summer progresses? How will the atmospheric circulation change? Much work remains not only for Cassini but also for future missions. Titan has many different environments to explore. These require more capable instruments and in situ probes. This work was conducted at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology under contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

  5. Accelerated Application Development: The ORNL Titan Experience

    DOE PAGES

    Joubert, Wayne; Archibald, Richard K.; Berrill, Mark A.; ...

    2015-05-09

    The use of computational accelerators such as NVIDIA GPUs and Intel Xeon Phi processors is now widespread in the high performance computing community, with many applications delivering impressive performance gains. However, programming these systems for high performance, performance portability and software maintainability has been a challenge. In this paper we discuss experiences porting applications to the Titan system. Titan, which began planning in 2009 and was deployed for general use in 2013, was the first multi-petaflop system based on accelerator hardware. To ready applications for accelerated computing, a preparedness effort was undertaken prior to delivery of Titan. In this papermore » we report experiences and lessons learned from this process and describe how users are currently making use of computational accelerators on Titan.« less

  6. Accelerated application development: The ORNL Titan experience

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Joubert, Wayne; Archibald, Rick; Berrill, Mark

    2015-08-01

    The use of computational accelerators such as NVIDIA GPUs and Intel Xeon Phi processors is now widespread in the high performance computing community, with many applications delivering impressive performance gains. However, programming these systems for high performance, performance portability and software maintainability has been a challenge. In this paper we discuss experiences porting applications to the Titan system. Titan, which began planning in 2009 and was deployed for general use in 2013, was the first multi-petaflop system based on accelerator hardware. To ready applications for accelerated computing, a preparedness effort was undertaken prior to delivery of Titan. In this papermore » we report experiences and lessons learned from this process and describe how users are currently making use of computational accelerators on Titan.« less

  7. The Titan Sky Simulator ™ - Testing Prototype Balloons in Conditions Approximating those in Titan's Atmosphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nott, Julian

    models will be very valuable: once validated, a wide range of Titan aerobot designs can be analyzed rapidly. It is currently expected that Montgolfiere balloons ["hot air balloons"] will prove most suitable for Titan. However, the fundamental data obtained will be equally valuable for designing of any type of Titan Aerobot. This work is supported by the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory with Jeffrey Hall as program manager.

  8. AVIATR—Aerial Vehicle for In-situ and Airborne Titan Reconnaissance. A Titan airplane mission concept

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barnes, Jason W.; Lemke, Lawrence; Foch, Rick; McKay, Christopher P.; Beyer, Ross A.; Radebaugh, Jani; Atkinson, David H.; Lorenz, Ralph D.; Le Mouélic, Stéphane; Rodriguez, Sebastien; Gundlach, Jay; Giannini, Francesco; Bain, Sean; Flasar, F. Michael; Hurford, Terry; Anderson, Carrie M.; Merrison, Jon; Ádámkovics, Máté; Kattenhorn, Simon A.; Mitchell, Jonathan; Burr, Devon M.; Colaprete, Anthony; Schaller, Emily; Friedson, A. James; Edgett, Kenneth S.; Coradini, Angioletta; Adriani, Alberto; Sayanagi, Kunio M.; Malaska, Michael J.; Morabito, David; Reh, Kim

    2012-03-01

    We describe a mission concept for a stand-alone Titan airplane mission: Aerial Vehicle for In-situ and Airborne Titan Reconnaissance (AVIATR). With independent delivery and direct-to-Earth communications, AVIATR could contribute to Titan science either alone or as part of a sustained Titan Exploration Program. As a focused mission, AVIATR as we have envisioned it would concentrate on the science that an airplane can do best: exploration of Titan's global diversity. We focus on surface geology/hydrology and lower-atmospheric structure and dynamics. With a carefully chosen set of seven instruments—2 near-IR cameras, 1 near-IR spectrometer, a RADAR altimeter, an atmospheric structure suite, a haze sensor, and a raindrop detector—AVIATR could accomplish a significant subset of the scientific objectives of the aerial element of flagship studies. The AVIATR spacecraft stack is composed of a Space Vehicle (SV) for cruise, an Entry Vehicle (EV) for entry and descent, and the Air Vehicle (AV) to fly in Titan's atmosphere. Using an Earth-Jupiter gravity assist trajectory delivers the spacecraft to Titan in 7.5 years, after which the AVIATR AV would operate for a 1-Earth-year nominal mission. We propose a novel `gravity battery' climb-then-glide strategy to store energy for optimal use during telecommunications sessions. We would optimize our science by using the flexibility of the airplane platform, generating context data and stereo pairs by flying and banking the AV instead of using gimbaled cameras. AVIATR would climb up to 14 km altitude and descend down to 3.5 km altitude once per Earth day, allowing for repeated atmospheric structure and wind measurements all over the globe. An initial Team-X run at JPL priced the AVIATR mission at FY10 715M based on the rules stipulated in the recent Discovery announcement of opportunity. Hence we find that a standalone Titan airplane mission can achieve important science building on Cassini's discoveries and can likely do so

  9. AVIATR - Aerial Vehicle for In-situ and Airborne Titan Reconnaissance A Titan Airplane Mission Concept

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Barnes, Jason W.; Lemke, Lawrence; Foch, Rick; McKay, Christopher P.; Beyer, Ross A.; Radebaugh, Jani; Atkinson, David H.; Lorenz, Ralph D.; LeMouelic, Stephane; Rodriguez, Sebastien; hide

    2011-01-01

    We describe a mission concept for a stand-alone Titan airplane mission: Aerial Vehicle for In-situ and Airborne Titan Reconnaissance (AVIATR). With independent delivery and direct-to-Earth communications, AVIATR could contribute to Titan science either alone or as part of a sustained Titan Exploration Program. As a focused mission, AVIATR as we have envisioned it would concentrate on the science that an airplane can do best: exploration of Titan's global diversity. We focus on surface geology/hydrology and lower-atmospheric structure and dynamics. With a carefully chosen set of seven instruments-2 near-IR cameras, 1 near-IR spectrometer, a RADAR altimeter, an atmospheric structure suite, a haze sensor, and a raindrop detector-AVIATR could accomplish a significant subset of the scientific objectives of the aerial element of flagship studies. The AVIATR spacecraft stack is composed of a Space Vehicle (SV) for cruise, an Entry Vehicle (EV) for entry and descent, and the Air Vehicle (AV) to fly in Titan's atmosphere. Using an Earth-Jupiter gravity assist trajectory delivers the spacecraft to Titan in 7.5 years, after which the AVIATR AV would operate for a 1-Earth-year nominal mission. We propose a novel 'gravity battery' climb-then-glide strategy to store energy for optimal use during telecommunications sessions. We would optimize our science by using the flexibility of the airplane platform, generating context data and stereo pairs by flying and banking the AV instead of using gimbaled cameras. AVIATR would climb up to 14 km altitude and descend down to 3.5 km altitude once per Earth day, allowing for repeated atmospheric structure and wind measurements all over the globe. An initial Team-X run at JPL priced the AVIATR mission at FY10 $715M based on the rules stipulated in the recent Discovery announcement of opportunity. Hence we find that a standalone Titan airplane mission can achieve important science building on Cassini's discoveries and can likely do so within

  10. Titan Explorer Entry, Descent and Landing Trajectory Design

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fisher, Jody L.; Lindberg, Robert E.; Lockwood, Mary Kae

    2006-01-01

    The Titan Explorer mission concept includes an orbiter, entry probe and inflatable airship designed to take remote and in-situ measurements of Titan's atmosphere. A modified entry, descent and landing trajectory at Titan that incorporates mid-air airship inflation (under a parachute) and separation is developed and examined for Titan Explorer. The feasibility of mid-air inflation and deployment of an airship under a parachute is determined by implementing and validating an airship buoyancy and inflation model in the trajectory simulation program, Program to Optimize Simulated Trajectories II (POST2). A nominal POST2 trajectory simulation case study is generated which examines different descent scenarios by varying airship inflation duration, orientation, and separation. The buoyancy model incorporation into POST2 is new to the software and may be used in future trajectory simulations. Each case from the nominal POST2 trajectory case study simulates a successful separation between the parachute and airship systems with sufficient velocity change as to alter their paths to avoid collision throughout their descent. The airship and heatshield also separate acceptably with a minimum distance of separation from the parachute system of 1.5 km. This analysis shows the feasibility of airship inflation on a parachute for different orientations, airship separation at various inflation times, and preparation for level-flight at Titan.

  11. Recent Origin of Titan's Orbital Eccentricity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cuk, Matija

    2014-05-01

    Saturn's regular satellite system contains several dynamical mysteries, including the high tidal heating of Enceladus and undamped eccentricity of Titan. Lainey et al.(2012) proposed that the tidal evolution of the system is much faster than previously thought, which would explain heating of Enceladus and implies that some of the current satellites are less than 1 Gyr old. Cuk et al.(2014) pointed out that this fast tidal evolution could also explain the Titan-Hyperion resonance. If the inner, mid-sized Saturnian moons were re-accreted within the last Gyr, then the same event could have generated the observed eccentricity of Titan. Titan-Hyperion resonance puts strong constraints on this event, as many scenarios lead to the loss of Hyperion (usually through collision with Titan). Here I report on the ongoing study of the history of the Saturnian system, using symplectic integrators SIMPL (for stable configurations) and COMPLEX (for situations when the moons' orbits crossed). I find that the past system of icy satellites could have naturally evolved into instability, by having Dione and Rhea-like moons enter the mutual 4:3 resonance. This resonance is chaotic due to overlap with the solar evection resonance (i.e. the moons' precession rates in the mean-motion resonance overlap with Saturn's mean motion). The outcome of such resonance is a collision between the mid-sized moons, likely followed by re-accretion, with Titan being largely unaffected. I also find that close encounters between a mid-sized moon and Titan could with significant probability both excite Titan and preserve its resonance with Hyperion (cf. Hamilton 2013). I will present possible scenarios in which the previous system had an additional moon exterior to Rhea. This additional moon would have been destabilized by resonances with the inner moons and eventually absorbed by Titan, which acquired its eccentricity in the process. This research is supported by NASA's Outer Planet Research Program.

  12. From Titan's chemistry and exobiology to Titan's astrobiology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Raulin, François

    2015-04-01

    When the IDS proposal « Titan's chemistry and exobiology » was submitted to ESA 25 years ago, in the frame of what will become the Cassini-Huygens mission, Titan was already seen as a quite interesting planetary object in the solar system for Exobiology. Several organic compounds of prebiotic interest were identified in its atmosphere, which was thus was expected to be chemically very active, especially in term of organic processes. Atmospheric aerosols seemed to play a key role in this chemistry. Moreover, the presence of an internal aqueous ocean, compatible with life was suspected. A few years later, when astrobiology was (re)invented, Titan became one of the most interesting planetary target for this new (but very similar to exobiology) field. With the Cassini-Huygens mission, the exo/astrobiological interest of Titan has become more and more important. However, the mission has been providing a vision of Titan quite different from what it was supposed. Its atmospheric organic chemistry is very complex and starts in much higher zones than it was believed before, involving high molecular weight species in the ionosphere. Titan's surface appears to be far from homogeneous: instead of been covered by a global methane-ethane ocean, it is very diversified, with dunes, lakes, bright and dark areas, impact and volcanic craters with potential cryovolcanic activity. These various geological areas are continuously feeded by atmospheric aerosols, which represent an important step in the complexity of Titan's organic chemistry, but probably not the final one. Indeed, after being deposited on the surface, in the potential cryovolvanic zones, these particles may react with water ice and form compounds of exo/astrobiological interest, such as amino acids, purine and pyrimidine bases. Moreover, The Cassini-Huygens data strongly support the potential presence of an internal water ocean, which becomes less and less hypothetical and of great interest for exobiology. These

  13. Titan Accent Mark

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2015-10-05

    A coincidence of viewing angle makes Pandora appear to be hovering over Titan, almost like an accent mark. Little Pandora is much closer to Cassini than hazy Titan in this view. (Titan is nearly three times farther away.) Even so, Titan (3,200 miles or 5,150 kilometers across) dwarfs Pandora (50 miles or 81 kilometers across). This gives us some sense of the diversity in sizes, and shapes, of Saturn's many moons. North on Titan is up and rotated 19 degrees to the right. The image was taken in visible green light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on July 4, 2015. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 1.2 million miles (1.9 million kilometers) from Titan. Image scale is 7 miles (12 kilometers) per pixel on Titan. Pandora is at a distance of 436,000 miles (698,000 kilometers) away from the spacecraft. The scale on Pandora is about 3 miles (4 kilometers) per pixel. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA18338

  14. Future Exploration of Titan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lorenz, R. D.; Titan Decadal Panel Collaboration

    2001-11-01

    Titan promises to be the Mars of the Outer Solar System - the focus of not only the broadest range of investigations in planetary science but also the focus of public attention. The reasons for exploring Titan are threefold: 1. Titan and Astrobiology : Titan ranks with Mars and Europa as a prime body for astrobiological study due to its abundant organics. Like Europa, it may well have a liquid water interior. 2. Titan - A world in its own right. Titan deserves study even only to put other satellites (its remarkably smaller Saturnian siblings, and its same-sized but volatile-poor Jovian counterparts) in context. The added dimension of an atmosphere makes Titan's origin and evolution particularly interesting. 3. Titan - an environmental laboratory for Earth. Titan will be an unrivalled place to investigate meteorological, oceanographical and other processes. Many of these (e.g. wave generation by wind) are only empirically parameterized - the very different physical parameters of the Titan environment will bring new insights to these phenomena. While Cassini-Huygens will dramatically boost our knowledge of Titan, it will likely only whet our appetite for more. The potential for prebiotic materials at various locations (in particular where liquid water has interacted with photochemical deposits) and the need to monitor Titan's meteorology favor future missions that may exploit Titan's unique thick-atmosphere, low-gravity environment - a mobile platform like an airship or helicopter, able to explore on global scales, but access the surface for in-situ chemical analysis and probe the interior by electromagnetic and seismic means. Such missions have dramatic potential to capture the public's imagination, on both sides of the Atlantic.

  15. Titan Submarine

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2015-06-15

    What would a submarine to explore the liquid methane seas of Saturn's Moon Titan look like? This video shows one submarine concept that would explore both the shoreline and the depths of this strange world that has methane rain, rivers and seas! The design was developed for the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Program, by NASA Glenn's COMPASS Team, and technologists and scientists from the Applied Physics Lab and submarine designers from the Applied Research Lab.

  16. Titan's Exotic Weather

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Griffith, Caitlin A.

    2006-09-01

    Images of Titan, taken during the joint NASA and European Space Agency Cassini-Huygens mission, invoke a feeling of familiarity: washes wind downhill to damp lakebeds; massive cumuli form and quickly dissipate, suggestive of rain; and dark oval regions resemble lakes. These features arise from Titan's unique similarity with Earth: both cycle liquid between their surfaces and atmospheres, but in Titan's cool atmosphere it is methane that exists as a gas, liquid, and ice. While Titan enticingly resembles Earth, its atmosphere is 10 times thicker, so that its radiative time constant near the surface exceeds a Titan year, and prohibits large thermal gradients and seasonal surface temperature variations exceeding 3K. Titan also lacks oceans - central to Earth's climate - and instead stores much of its condensible in its atmosphere. As a result, Titan's weather differs remarkably from Earth's. Evidence for this difference appears in the location of Titan's large clouds, which frequent a narrow band at 40S latitude and a region within 30 latitude of the S. Pole. Ground-based and Cassini observations, combined with thermodynamic considerations, indicate that we are seeing large convective cloud systems. Detailed cloud models and general circulation models further suggest that these are severe rain storms, which will migrate with the change in season. Outside these migrating "gypsy" cloud bands, the atmosphere appears to be calm, humid and thus frequented by thin stratiform clouds. An intriguingly alien environment is predicted. Yet, the combined effects of Titan's patchy wet surface, atmospheric tides, possible ice volcanoes, and detailed seasonal variations remain unclear as we have witnessed only one season so far. This talk will review observations of Titan's lower atmosphere and modeling efforts to explain the observations, and explore the questions that still elude us.

  17. Experimental Results for Titan Aerobot Thermo-Mechanical Subsystem Development

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hall, Jeffrey L.; Jones, J. A.; Kerzhanovich, V. V.; Lachenmeier, T.; Mahr, P.; Pauken, M.; Plett, G. A.; Smith, L.; VanLuvender, M. L.; Yavrouian, A. H.

    2006-01-01

    This paper describes experimental results from a development program focused in maturing Titan aerobot technology in the areas of mechanical and thermal subsystems. Results from four key activities are described: first, a cryogenic balloon materials development program involving coupon and cylinder tests and culminating in the fabrication and testing of an inflated 4.6 m long prototype blimp at 93 K; second, a combined lab experiment and numerical simulation effort to assess potential problems resulting from radioisotope thermal generator waste heat generation near an inflated blimp; third, an aerial deployment and inflation development program consisting of laboratory and helicopter drop tests on a near full scale (11 m long) prototype blimp; and fourth, a proof of concept experiment demonstrating the viability of using a mechanically steerable high gain antenna on a floating blimp to perform direct to Earth telecommunications from Titan. The paper provides details on all of these successful activities and discusses their impact on the overall effort to produce mature systems technology for future Titan aerobot missions.

  18. Titan Submarines!

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Oleson, S. R.; Lorenz, R. D.; Paul, M. V.; Hartwig, J. W.; Walsh, J. M.

    2017-02-01

    A NIAC Phase II submarine concept, dubbed 'Titan Turtle' for Saturn's moon Titan's northern sea, Ligea Mare. A design concept including science and operations is described for this -180°C liquid methane sea.

  19. Not So Titanic

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2015-07-13

    Titan may be a "large" moon -- its name even implies it! -- but it is still dwarfed by its parent planet, Saturn. As it turns out, this is perfectly normal. Although Titan (3200 miles or 5150 kilometers across) is the second-largest moon in the solar system, Saturn is still much bigger, with a diameter almost 23 times larger than Titan's. This disparity between planet and moon is the norm in the solar system. Earth's diameter is "only" 3.7 times our moon's diameter, making our natural satellite something of an oddity. (Another exception to the rule: dwarf planet Pluto's diameter is just under two times that of its moon.) So the question isn't why is Titan so small (relatively speaking), but why is Earth's moon so big? This view looks toward the anti-Saturn hemisphere of Titan. North on Titan is up. The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on April 18, 2015 using a near-infrared spectral filter with a passband centered at 752 nanometers. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 930,000 miles (1.5 million kilometers) from Titan. Image scale is 56 miles (90 kilometers) per pixel. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA18326

  20. Rivers on Titan - numerical modelling of sedimentary structures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Misiura, Katarzyna; Czechowski, Leszek

    2016-07-01

    flow and of the sedimentation on Titan and on the Earth. Our preliminary results indicate that suspended load is the main way of transport in simulated Titan's conditions. We also indicate that braided rivers appears for larger range of slope on Titan (e.g. S=0.01-0.04) than on Earth (e.g. S=0.004-0.009). Also, for the same type of river, the grain size on Titan is at least 10 times larger than on Earth (1 cm for Titan versus 1 mm for the Earth). It is very interesting that on Titan braided rivers appear even for very little discharge (e.g. Q=30m3/s) and for very large grain size (e.g. 10 cm). In the future we plan the experimental modelling in sediment basin to confirm results from computer modelling. Acknowledgements We are very grateful to Yaoxin Zhang and Yafei Jia from National Center for Computational Hydroscience and Engineering for providing their program - CCHE2D. References [1] Misiura, K., Czechowski, L., 2015. Numerical modelling of sedimentary structures in rivers on Earth and Titan. Geological Quarterly, 59(3): 565-580. [2] Witek, P., Czechowski, L., 2015. Dynamical modeling of river deltas on Titan and Earth. Planet. Space. Sci., 105: 65-79.

  1. Titan's Radioactive Haze : Production and Fate of Radiocarbon On Titan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lorenz, R. D.; Jull, A. J. T.; Swindle, T. D.; Lunine, J. I.

    Just as cosmic rays interact with nitrogen atoms in the atmosphere of Earth to gener- ate radiocarbon (14C), the same process should occur in Titan`s nitrogen-rich atmo- sphere. Titan`s atmosphere is thick enough that cosmic ray flux, rather than nitrogen column depth, limits the production of 14 C. Absence of a strong magnetic field and the increased distance from the sun suggest production rates of 9 atom/cm2/s, approx- imately 4 times higher than Earth. On Earth the carbon is rapidly oxidised into CO2. The fate and detectability of 14C on Titan depends on the chemical species into which it is incorporated in Titan's reducing atmosphere : as methane it would be hopelessly diluted even in only the atmosphere (ignoring the other, much more massive carbon reservoirs likely to be present on Titan, like hydrocarbon lakes.) However, in the more likely case that the 14C attaches to the haze that rains out onto the surface (as tholin, HCN or acetylene and their polymers - a much smaller carbon reservoir) , haze in the atmosphere or recently deposited on the surface would therefore be quite intrinsically radioactive. Such activity may modify the haze electrical charging and hence its coag- ulation. Measurements with compact instrumentation on future in-situ missions could place useful constraints on the mass deposition rates of photochemical material on the surface and identify locations where surface deposits of such material are `freshest`.

  2. Intensive Titan exploration begins.

    PubMed

    Mahaffy, Paul R

    2005-05-13

    The Cassini Orbiter spacecraft first skimmed through the tenuous upper atmosphere of Titan on 26 October 2004. This moon of Saturn is unique in our solar system, with a dense nitrogen atmosphere that is cold enough in places to rain methane, the feedstock for the atmospheric chemistry that produces hydrocarbons, nitrile compounds, and Titan's orange haze. The data returned from this flyby supply new information on the magnetic field and plasma environment around Titan, expose new facets of the dynamics and chemistry of Titan's atmosphere, and provide the first glimpses of what appears to be a complex, fluid-processed, geologically young Titan surface.

  3. Integrated Thermal Response Tool for Earth Entry Vehicles

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chen, Y.-K.; Milos, F. S.; Partridge, Harry (Technical Monitor)

    2001-01-01

    A system is presented for multi-dimensional, fully-coupled thermal response modeling of hypersonic entry vehicles. The system consists of a two-dimensional implicit thermal response, pyrolysis and ablation program (TITAN), a commercial finite-element thermal and mechanical analysis code (MARC), and a high fidelity Navier-Stokes equation solver (GIANTS). The simulations performed by this integrated system include hypersonic flow-field, fluid and solid interaction, ablation, shape change, pyrolysis gas generation and flow, and thermal response of heatshield and structure. The thermal response of the ablating and charring heatshield material is simulated using TITAN, and that of the underlying structural is simulated using MARC. The ablating heatshield is treated as an outer boundary condition of the structure, and continuity conditions of temperature and heat flux are imposed at the interface between TITAN and MARC. Aerothermal environments with fluid and solid interaction are predicted by coupling TITAN and GIANTS through surface energy balance equations. With this integrated system, the aerothermal environments for an entry vehicle and the thermal response of both the heatshield and the structure can be obtained simultaneously. Representative computations for a proposed blunt body earth entry vehicle are presented and discussed in detail.

  4. Titan's Variable Plasma Interaction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ledvina, S. A.; Brecht, S. H.

    2015-12-01

    Cassini observations have found that the plasma and magnetic field conditions upstream of Titan are far more complex than they were thought to be after the Voyager encounter. Rymer et al., (2009) used the Cassini Plasma Spectrometer (CAPS) electron observations to classify the plasma conditions along Titan's orbit into 5 types (Plasma Sheet, Lobe, Mixed, Magnetosheath and Misc.). Nemeth et al., (2011) found that the CAPS ion observations could also be separated into the same plasma regions as defined by Rymer et al. Additionally the T-96 encounter found Titan in the solar wind adding a sixth classification. Understanding the effects of the variable upstream plasma conditions on Titan's plasma interaction and the evolution of Titan's ionosphere/atmosphere is one of the main objectives of the Cassini mission. To compliment the mission we perform hybrid simulations of Titan's plasma interaction to examine the effects of the incident plasma distribution function and the flow velocity. We closely examine the results on Titan's induced magnetosphere and the resulting pickup ion properties.

  5. The astrobiology of Titan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Raulin, F.; Coll, P.; Cabane, M.; Hebrard, E.; Israel, G.; Nguyen, M.-J.; Szopa, C.; Gpcos Team

    Largest satellite of Saturn and the only satellite in the solar system having a dense atmosphere, Titan is one of the key planetary bodies for astrobiological studies, due to several aspects: Its analogies with planet Earth, in spite of much lower temperatures, The Cassini-Huygens data have largely confirmed the many analogies between Titan and our own planet. Both have similar vertical temperature profiles, (although much colder, of course, on Titan). Both have condensable and non condensable greenhouse gases in their atmosphere. Both are geologically very active. Furthermore, the data also suggest strongly the presence of a methane cycle on Titan analogous to the water cycle on Earth. The presence of an active organic chemistry, involving several of the key compounds of prebiotic chemistry. The recent data obtained from the Huygens instruments show that the organic matter in Titan low atmosphere (stratosphere and troposphere) is mainly concentrated in the aerosol particles. Because of the vertical temperature profile in this part of the atmosphere, most of the volatile organics are probably mainly condensed on the aerosol particles. The nucleus of these particles seems to be made of complex macromolecular organic matter, well mimicked in the laboratory by the "Titan's tholins". Now, laboratory tholins are known to release many organic compounds of biological interest, such as amino acids and purine and pyrimidine bases, when they are in contact with liquid water. Such hydrolysis may have occurred on the surface of Titan, in the bodies of liquid water which episodically may form on Titan's surface from meteoritic and cometary impacts. The formation of biologically interesting compounds may also occur in the deep water ocean, from the hydrolysis of complex organic material included in the chrondritic matter accreted during the formation of Titan. The possible emergence and persistence of Life on Titan 1 All ingredients which seems necessary for Life are present on

  6. Mapping of Titan: Results from the first Titan radar passes

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Stofan, E.R.; Lunine, J.I.; Lopes, R.; Paganelli, F.; Lorenz, R.D.; Wood, C.A.; Kirk, R.; Wall, S.; Elachi, C.; Soderblom, L.A.; Ostro, S.; Janssen, M.; Radebaugh, J.; Wye, L.; Zebker, H.; Anderson, Y.; Allison, M.; Boehmer, R.; Callahan, P.; Encrenaz, P.; Flamini, E.; Francescetti, G.; Gim, Y.; Hamilton, G.; Hensley, S.; Johnson, W.T.K.; Kelleher, K.; Muhleman, D.; Picardi, G.; Posa, F.; Roth, L.; Seu, R.; Shaffer, S.; Stiles, B.; Vetrella, S.; West, R.

    2006-01-01

    The first two swaths collected by Cassini's Titan Radar Mapper were obtained in October of 2004 (Ta) and February of 2005 (T3). The Ta swath provides evidence for cryovolcanic processes, the possible occurrence of fluvial channels and lakes, and some tectonic activity. The T3 swath has extensive areas of dunes and two large impact craters. We interpret the brightness variations in much of the swaths to result from roughness variations caused by fracturing and erosion of Titan's icy surface, with additional contributions from a combination of volume scattering and compositional variations. Despite the small amount of Titan mapped to date, the significant differences between the terrains of the two swaths suggest that Titan is geologically complex. The overall scarcity of impact craters provides evidence that the surface imaged to date is relatively young, with resurfacing by cryovolcanism, fluvial erosion, aeolian erosion, and likely atmospheric deposition of materials. Future radar swaths will help to further define the nature of and extent to which internal and external processes have shaped Titan's surface. ?? 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Hydrothermal synthesis of barium strontium titanate and bismuth titanate materials

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xu, Huiwen

    Hydrothermal processing facilitates the synthesis of crystalline ceramic materials of varying composition or complex crystal structure. The present work can be divided into two parts. First is to study the low temperature hydrothermal synthesis of bismuth titanate. Second is to study both thermodynamic and kinetic aspects of the hydrothermally synthesized barium strontium titanate. A chelating agent was used to form a Bi-Ti gel precursor. By hydrothermally treating the Bi-Ti gel, crystalline bismuth titanate has been synthesized at 160°C for the first time. Microstructural evolution during the low temperature synthesis of bismuth titanate can be divided into two stages, including condensation of Bi-Ti gel particles and crystallization of bismuth titanate. Crystallization of bismuth titanate occurred by an in situ transformation mechanism at an early stage followed by a dissolution-reprecipitation mechanism. Phase separation was observed in hydrothermally synthesized barium strontium titanate (BST). By hydrothermally treating BST powders between 250°C--300°C, an asymmetrical miscibility gap was found in the BaTiO3-SrTiO 3 system at low temperatures (T ≤ 320°C). A subregular solid solution model was applied to calculate the equilibrium compositions and the Gibbs free energy of formation of BST solid solution at low temperatures (T ≤ 320°C). The Gibbs free energy of formation of Sr-rich BST phase is larger than that of Ba-rich BST phase. Kinetic studies of single phase BST solid solution at 80°C show that, compared to the BaTiO3 or Ba-rich BST, SrTiO3 and Sr-rich BST powders form at lower reaction rates.

  8. Dunelands of Titan

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2015-11-02

    Saturn's frigid moon Titan has some characteristics that are oddly similar to Earth, but still slightly alien. It has clouds, rain and lakes (made of methane and ethane), a solid surface (made of water ice), and vast dune fields (filled with hydrocarbon sands). The dark, H-shaped area seen here contains two of the dune-filled regions, Fensal (in the north) and Aztlan (to the south). Cassini's cameras have frequently monitored the surface of Titan (3200 miles or 5150 kilometers across) to look for changes in its features over the course of the mission. Any changes would help scientists better understand different phenomena like winds and dune formation on this strangely earth-like moon. For a closer view of Fensal-Aztlan, see PIA07732 . This view looks toward the leading side of Titan. North on Titan is up. The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on July 25, 2015 using a spectral filter sensitive to wavelengths of near-infrared light centered at 938 nanometers. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 450,000 miles (730,000 kilometers) from Titan and at a Sun-Titan-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 32 degrees. Image scale is 3 miles (4 kilometers) per pixel. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA18341

  9. Two Titans

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-08-11

    These two views of Saturn's moon Titan exemplify how NASA's Cassini spacecraft has revealed the surface of this fascinating world. Cassini carried several instruments to pierce the veil of hydrocarbon haze that enshrouds Titan. The mission's imaging cameras also have several spectral filters sensitive to specific wavelengths of infrared light that are able to make it through the haze to the surface and back into space. These "spectral windows" have enable the imaging cameras to map nearly the entire surface of Titan. In addition to Titan's surface, images from both the imaging cameras and VIMS have provided windows into the moon's ever-changing atmosphere, chronicling the appearance and movement of hazes and clouds over the years. A large, bright and feathery band of summer clouds can be seen arcing across high northern latitudes in the view at right. These views were obtained with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on March 21, 2017. Images taken using red, green and blue spectral filters were combined to create the natural-color view at left. The false-color view at right was made by substituting an infrared image (centered at 938 nanometers) for the red color channel. The views were acquired at a distance of approximately 613,000 miles (986,000 kilometers) from Titan. Image scale is about 4 miles (6 kilometers) per pixel. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21624

  10. Hypsometry of Titan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lorenz, Ralph D.; Turtle, Elizabeth P.; Stiles, Bryan; Le Gall, Alice; Hayes, Alexander; Aharonson, Oded; Wood, Charles A.; Stofan, Ellen; Kirk, Randy

    2011-01-01

    Cassini RADAR topography data are used to evaluate Titan's hypsometric profile, and to make comparisons with other planetary bodies. Titan's hypsogram is unimodal and strikingly narrow compared with the terrestrial planets. To investigate topographic extremes, a novel variant on the classic hypsogram is introduced, with a logarithmic abscissa to highlight mountainous terrain. In such a plot, the top of the terrestrial hypsogram is quite distinct from those of Mars and Venus due to the 'glacial buzz-saw' that clips terrestrial topography above the snowline. In contrast to the positive skew seen in other hypsograms, with a long tail of positive relief due to mountains, there is an indication (weak, given the limited data for Titan so far) that the Titan hypsogram appears slightly negatively skewed, suggesting a significant population of unfilled depressions. Limited data permit only a simplistic comparison of Titan topography with other icy satellites but we find that the standard deviation of terrain height (albeit at different scales) is similar to those of Ganymede and Europa.

  11. Titanic Weather Forecasting

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    2004-04-01

    New Detailed VLT Images of Saturn's Largest Moon Optimizing space missions Titan, the largest moon of Saturn was discovered by Dutch astronomer Christian Huygens in 1655 and certainly deserves its name. With a diameter of no less than 5,150 km, it is larger than Mercury and twice as large as Pluto. It is unique in having a hazy atmosphere of nitrogen, methane and oily hydrocarbons. Although it was explored in some detail by the NASA Voyager missions, many aspects of the atmosphere and surface still remain unknown. Thus, the existence of seasonal or diurnal phenomena, the presence of clouds, the surface composition and topography are still under debate. There have even been speculations that some kind of primitive life (now possibly extinct) may be found on Titan. Titan is the main target of the NASA/ESA Cassini/Huygens mission, launched in 1997 and scheduled to arrive at Saturn on July 1, 2004. The ESA Huygens probe is designed to enter the atmosphere of Titan, and to descend by parachute to the surface. Ground-based observations are essential to optimize the return of this space mission, because they will complement the information gained from space and add confidence to the interpretation of the data. Hence, the advent of the adaptive optics system NAOS-CONICA (NACO) [1] in combination with ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) at the Paranal Observatory in Chile now offers a unique opportunity to study the resolved disc of Titan with high sensitivity and increased spatial resolution. Adaptive Optics (AO) systems work by means of a computer-controlled deformable mirror that counteracts the image distortion induced by atmospheric turbulence. It is based on real-time optical corrections computed from image data obtained by a special camera at very high speed, many hundreds of times each second (see e.g. ESO Press Release 25/01 , ESO PR Photos 04a-c/02, ESO PR Photos 19a-c/02, ESO PR Photos 21a-c/02, ESO Press Release 17/02, and ESO Press Release 26/03 for earlier NACO

  12. Gemini Program Mission Report for Gemini-Titan 1 (GT-1)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1964-01-01

    The Gemini-Titan 1 (GT-1) space vehicle was comprised of the Gemini spacecraft and the Gemini launch vehicle. The Gemini launch vehicle is a two-stage modified Titan II ICBM. The major modifications are the addition of a malfunction detection system and a secondary flight controls system. The Gemini spacecraft, designed to carry a crew of two men on earth orbital and rendezvous missions, was unmanned for the flight reported herein (GT-1). There were no complete Gemini flight systems on board; however, the C-band transponder and telemetry transmitters were Gemini flight subsystems. Dummy equipment, having a mass and moment of inertia equal to flight system equipment, was installed in the spacecraft. The Spacecraft was instrumented to obtain data on spacecraft heating, structural loading, vibration, sound pressure levels, and temperature and pressure during the launch phase.

  13. Lakes on Titan

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2006-07-24

    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 north pole

  14. Cryovolcanic features on Titan's surface as revealed by the Cassini Titan Radar Mapper

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Lopes, R.M.C.; Mitchell, K.L.; Stofan, E.R.; Lunine, J.I.; Lorenz, R.; Paganelli, F.; Kirk, R.L.; Wood, C.A.; Wall, S.D.; Robshaw, L.E.; Fortes, A.D.; Neish, Catherine D.; Radebaugh, J.; Reffet, E.; Ostro, S.J.; Elachi, C.; Allison, M.D.; Anderson, Y.; Boehmer, R.; Boubin, G.; Callahan, P.; Encrenaz, P.; Flamini, E.; Francescetti, G.; Gim, Y.; Hamilton, G.; Hensley, S.; Janssen, M.A.; Johnson, W.T.K.; Kelleher, K.; Muhleman, D.O.; Ori, G.; Orosei, R.; Picardi, G.; Posa, F.; Roth, L.E.; Seu, R.; Shaffer, S.; Soderblom, L.A.; Stiles, B.; Vetrella, S.; West, R.D.; Wye, L.; Zebker, H.A.

    2007-01-01

    The Cassini Titan Radar Mapper obtained Synthetic Aperture Radar images of Titan's surface during four fly-bys during the mission's first year. These images show that Titan's surface is very complex geologically, showing evidence of major planetary geologic processes, including cryovolcanism. This paper discusses the variety of cryovolcanic features identified from SAR images, their possible origin, and their geologic context. The features which we identify as cryovolcanic in origin include a large (180 km diameter) volcanic construct (dome or shield), several extensive flows, and three calderas which appear to be the source of flows. The composition of the cryomagma on Titan is still unknown, but constraints on rheological properties can be estimated using flow thickness. Rheological properties of one flow were estimated and appear inconsistent with ammonia-water slurries, and possibly more consistent with ammonia-water-methanol slurries. The extent of cryovolcanism on Titan is still not known, as only a small fraction of the surface has been imaged at sufficient resolution. Energetic considerations suggest that cryovolcanism may have been a dominant process in the resurfacing of Titan. ?? 2006 Elsevier Inc.

  15. Thermal Ablation Modeling for Silicate Materials

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chen, Yih-Kanq

    2016-01-01

    A general thermal ablation model for silicates is proposed. The model includes the mass losses through the balance between evaporation and condensation, and through the moving molten layer driven by surface shear force and pressure gradient. This model can be applied in the ablation simulation of the meteoroid and the glassy ablator for spacecraft Thermal Protection Systems. Time-dependent axisymmetric computations are performed by coupling the fluid dynamics code, Data-Parallel Line Relaxation program, with the material response code, Two-dimensional Implicit Thermal Ablation simulation program, to predict the mass lost rates and shape change. The predicted mass loss rates will be compared with available data for model validation, and parametric studies will also be performed for meteoroid earth entry conditions.

  16. Titan's impact history

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zahnle, Kevin

    2010-04-01

    Impacts play a major role in the growth and evolution of planets, satellites, and other nameless things. Titan is no exception. This talk will address a subset of the following topics: (i) The modern impact rate is constrained by the population of Centaurs and the impact rate at Jupiter. (ii) Titan's thick atmosphere and volatile surface cause it to respond to major impacts in an Earth-like manner. The impact that made Menrva - the 440 km diameter impact basin sited near the current apex of Titan's motion - was big enough to raise the average global surface temperature above 273 K, which suggests that water rain was possible. This would have been followed by methane drizzles lasting for thousands of years. More modest impacts will generate crater lakes and will saturate the atmosphere with methane, the latter leading to hundreds of years of intermittent drizzle. (iii) Impact ejecta from Menrva will strike Hyperion and should saturate the latter with sesquinary craters. (iv) In any modern story of how Titan got its atmosphere, solar nebular condensates (comets) deliver the volatiles. A consequence of a cometogenic atmosphere is that the atmosphere is heavily processed by strong shocks. The high temperatures produce a wide range of chemical species that would not otherwise be abundant. Some of these will survive to mix into the atmosphere (e.g., CO) or freeze out to fall to the surface (e.g. CO2). (v) That Titan even has an atmosphere, when Callisto and Ganymede do not, is an excellent question. The leading explanation is that Titan alone was made from ammonia - and methane - rich stuff. But the competition between impact delivery and impact expulsion of volatiles can strongly favor Titan over Callisto. Stable isotopes as well as total volatile inventories provide constraints.

  17. Hubble Observes Surface of Titan

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1994-01-01

    thicker.

    Smith's group used the Hubble Space Telescope's WideField/Planetary Camera 2 at near-infrared wavelengths (between .85 and 1.05 microns). Titan's haze is transparent enough in this wavelength range to allow mapping of surface features according to their reflectivity. Only Titan's polar regions could not be mapped this way, due to the telescope's viewing angle of the poles and the thick haze near the edge of the disk. Their image-resolution (that is, the smallest distance seen in detail) with the WFPC2 at the near-infrared wavelength is 360 miles. The 14 images processed and compiled into the Titan surface map were as 'noise' free, or as free of signal interference, as the space telescope allows, Smith said.

    Titan makes one complete orbit around Saturn in 16 days, roughly the duration of the imaging project. Scientists have suspected that Titan's rotation also takes 16 days, so that the same hemisphere of Titan always faces Saturn, just as the same hemisphere of the Earth's moon always faces the Earth. Recent observations by Lemmon and colleagues at the University of Arizona confirm this true.

    It's too soon to conclude much about what the dark and bright areas in the Hubble Space Telescope images are -- continents, oceans, impact craters or other features, Smith said. Scientists have long suspected that Titan's surface was covered with a global ehtane-methane ocean. The new images show that there is at least some solid surface.

    Smith's team made a total 50 images of Titan last month in their program, a project to search for small scale features in Titan's lower atmosphere and surface. They have yet to analyze images for information about Titan's clouds and winds. That analysis could help explain if the bright areas are major impact craters in the frozen water ice-and-rock or higher-altitude features.

    The images are important information for the Cassini mission, which is to launch a robotic spacecraft on a 7-year journey to Saturn in October 1997

  18. The detached haze layer in Titan's mesosphere: The formation process

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lavvas, P.; Yelle, R. V.; Vuitton, V.

    2008-09-01

    Cassini observations made by the Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) [1] and by the UltraViolet Imaging Spectrometer (UVIS) [2,3] have revealed the presence of a detached haze layer in Titan's mesosphere at an altitude of 520 km. Analysis of the observed optical properties presented in the accompanying talk [5], suggests that the average size of particles in the detached layer is of ~40 nm, with an imaginary index k < 0.3 at 187.5 nm and a number density of ˜30 particles cm-3, while calculations of the sedimentation velocity of the haze particles coupled with the derived number density imply a mass flux of 1.9-3.2 × 10-14 g cm-2 s-1. This is approximately equal to the mass flux required to explain the main haze layer and suggests that the main haze layer in Titan's stratosphere is formed primarily by sedimentation and coagulation of particles in the detached layer [5,6]. The HASI data clearly show that the haze is coincident with a temperature maximum. This rules out condensation as the source of the detached haze. We have also considered a more complicated scenario in which the detached layer is caused by an increase in the density of condensation nuclei near 520 km. This is motivated by the fact that silicate micrometeorites ablate near 500 km [7,8]. Recondensation of the refractory vapor creates `smoke' particles that could serve as condensation nuclei. Combination of Pioneer measurements along with theoretical estimations for the particles velocity distribution, suggest a mass flux of ~10-17 g cm-2 s-1 at Saturn's region [9], while measurements from the Cassini Dust Analyser (CDA) suggest a similar magnitude at Titan's location [10]. These fluxes are ~3 orders of magnitude smaller than the lower limit of the estimated mass flux out of the detached haze layer, so meteorite ablation can not be the direct cause of the aerosol layer. However, if the ablated meteoritic material reforms 1 nm particles, the implied number flux would be 2.4 × 103 particles cm-2 s-1

  19. Advances in Architectural Elements For Future Missions to Titan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Reh, Kim; Coustenis, Athena; Lunine, Jonathan; Matson, Dennis; Lebreton, Jean-Pierre; Vargas, Andre; Beauchamp, Pat; Spilker, Tom; Strange, Nathan; Elliott, John

    2010-05-01

    The future exploration of Titan is of high priority for the solar system exploration community as recommended by the 2003 National Research Council (NRC) Decadal Survey [1] and ESA's Cosmic Vision Program themes. Recent Cassini-Huygens discoveries continue to emphasize that Titan is a complex world with very many Earth-like features. Titan has a dense, nitrogen atmosphere, an active climate and meteorological cycles where conditions are such that the working fluid, methane, plays the role that water does on Earth. Titan's surface, with lakes and seas, broad river valleys, sand dunes and mountains was formed by processes like those that have shaped the Earth. Supporting this panoply of Earth-like processes is an ice crust that floats atop what might be a liquid water ocean. Furthermore, Titan is rich in very many different organic compounds—more so than any place in the solar system, except Earth. The Titan Saturn System Mission (TSSM) concept that followed the 2007 TandEM ESA CV proposal [2] and the 2007 Titan Explorer NASA Flagship study [3], was examined [4,5] and prioritized by NASA and ESA in February 2009 as a mission to follow the Europa Jupiter System Mission. The TSSM study, like others before it, again concluded that an orbiter, a montgolfiere hot-air balloon and a surface package (e.g. lake lander, Geosaucer (instrumented heat shield), …) are very high priority elements for any future mission to Titan. Such missions could be conceived as Flagship/Cosmic Vision L-Class or as individual smaller missions that could possibly fit into NASA New Frontiers or ESA Cosmic Vision M-Class budgets. As a result of a multitude of Titan mission studies, a clear blueprint has been laid out for the work needed to reduce the risks inherent in such missions and the areas where advances would be beneficial for elements critical to future Titan missions have been identified. The purpose of this paper is to provide a brief overview of the flagship mission architecture and

  20. Differences between evolution of Titan's and Earth's rivers - further conclusions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Misiura, Katarzyna; Czechowski, Leszek

    2014-05-01

    . We also distinguish that suspended load is the main way of transport in simulated Titan's conditions. In future we will do the experimental modelling in sediment basin to confirm results from computer modelling. Acknowledgements We are very grateful to Yaoxin Zhang and Yafei Jia from National Center for Computational Hydroscience and Engineering for providing their program - CCHE2D. This work was partially supported by the National Science Centre (grant 2011/01/B/ST10/06653).

  1. Titan's highly variable plasma environment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wolf, D. A.; Neubauer, F. M.

    1982-02-01

    It is noted that Titan's plasma environment is variable for two reasons. The variability of the solar wind is such that Titan may be located in the outer magnetosphere, the magnetosheath, or the interplanetary medium around noon Saturnian local time. What is more, there are local time variations in Saturn's magnetosphere. The location of the stagnation point of Saturn's magnetosphere is calculated, assuming a terrestrial type magnetosphere. Characteristic plasma parameters along the orbit of Titan are shown for high solar wind pressure. During crossings of the Saturnian magnetopause or bow shock by Titan, abrupt changes in the flow direction and stagnation pressure are expected, as are rapid associated changes in Titan's uppermost atmosphere.

  2. Titan's organic chemistry

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sagan, C.; Thompson, W. R.; Khare, B. N.

    1985-01-01

    Voyager discovered nine simple organic molecules in the atmosphere of Titan. Complex organic solids, called tholins, produced by irradiation of the simulated Titanian atmosphere, are consistent with measured properties of Titan from ultraviolet to microwave frequencies and are the likely main constituents of the observed red aerosols. The tholins contain many of the organic building blocks central to life on earth. At least 100-m, and possibly kms thicknesses of complex organics have been produced on Titan during the age of the solar system, and may exist today as submarine deposits beneath an extensive ocean of simple hydrocarbons.

  3. Cassini/Huygens Investigations of Titan's Methane Cycle

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Griffith, C. A.; Penteado, P.

    2008-12-01

    In Titan's atmosphere, the second most abundant constituent, methane, exists as a gas, liquid and solid, and cycles between the atmosphere and surface. Similar to Earth's hydrological cycle, Titan sports clouds, rain, and lakes. Yet, Titan's cycle differs dramatically from its terrestrial counterpart, and reveals the workings of weather in an atmosphere that is ten times thicker than Earth's atmosphere, that is two orders of magnitude less illuminated, and that involves a different condensable. Measurements of Titan's troposphere, where the methane cycle plays out, are limited largely to spectral images of Titan's clouds, several temperature profiles by Voyager, Huygens and Cassini, recent Keck spectra of the surface methane humidity, and one vertical profile of Titan's methane abundance, measured on a summer afternoon in Titan's tropical atmosphere by the Huygens probe. The salient features of Titan's methane cycle are distinctly alien: clouds have predominated the northern and southern polar atmospheres; the one humidity profile precisely matches the profile (of cartoonish simplicity) used in pre-Cassini models, and surface features correlate with latitude. Data of Titan's troposphere are analyzed with thermodynamic and radiative transfer calculations, and synthesized with other studies of Titan's stratosphere and surface, to investigate the workings of Titan's methane cycle. At the end of Cassini's nominal mission, we find that Titan's weather, climate and surface-to-atmosphere exchange of volatiles vastly differs from the manifestation of these processes on Earth, largely as a result of different basic characteristics of these planetary bodies. The talk ends with a comparison between Titan and Earth's tropospheres, their fundamental properties, the energetics of their condensible cycles, their weather and climates. References: Griffith C.A. et al. Titan's Tropical Storms in an Evolving Atmosphere. Ap.J. In Press (2008). Griffith C.A. Storms, Polar Deposits, and

  4. Highlighting Titan's Hazes

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-08-11

    NASA's Cassini spacecraft looks toward the night side of Saturn's moon Titan in a view that highlights the extended, hazy nature of the moon's atmosphere. During its long mission at Saturn, Cassini has frequently observed Titan at viewing angles like this, where the atmosphere is backlit by the Sun, in order to make visible the structure of the hazes. Titan's high-altitude haze layer appears blue here, whereas the main atmospheric haze is orange. The difference in color could be due to particle sizes in the haze. The blue haze likely consists of smaller particles than the orange haze. Images taken using red, green and blue spectral filters were combined to create this natural-color view. The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on May 29, 2017. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 1.2 million miles (2 million kilometers) from Titan. Image scale is 5 miles (9 kilometers) per pixel. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21625

  5. Peering Through Titan Haze

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2015-12-04

    This composite image shows an infrared view of Saturn's moon Titan from NASA's Cassini spacecraft, acquired during the mission's "T-114" flyby on Nov. 13, 2015. The spacecraft's visual and infrared mapping spectrometer (VIMS) instrument made these observations, in which blue represents wavelengths centered at 1.3 microns, green represents 2.0 microns, and red represents 5.0 microns. A view at visible wavelengths (centered around 0.5 microns) would show only Titan's hazy atmosphere (as in PIA14909). The near-infrared wavelengths in this image allow Cassini's vision to penetrate the haze and reveal the moon's surface. During this Titan flyby, the spacecraft's closest-approach altitude was 6,200 miles (10,000 kilometers), which is considerably higher than those of typical flybys, which are around 750 miles (1,200 kilometers). The high flyby allowed VIMS to gather moderate-resolution views over wide areas (typically at a few kilometers per pixel). The view looks toward terrain that is mostly on the Saturn-facing hemisphere of Titan. The scene features the parallel, dark, dune-filled regions named Fensal (to the north) and Aztlan (to the south), which form the shape of a sideways letter "H." Several places on the image show the surface at higher resolution than elsewhere. These areas, called subframes, show more detail because they were acquired near closest approach. They have finer resolution, but cover smaller areas than data obtained when Cassini was farther away from Titan. Near the limb at left, above center, is the best VIMS view so far of Titan's largest confirmed impact crater, Menrva (first seen by the RADAR instrument in PIA07365). Similarly detailed subframes show eastern Xanadu, the basin Hotei Regio, and channels within bright terrains east of Xanadu. (For Titan maps with named features see http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Page/TITAN/target.) Due to the changing Saturnian seasons, in this late northern spring view, the illumination is significantly

  6. Titan's atmosphere and climate

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hörst, S. M.

    2017-03-01

    Titan is the only moon with a substantial atmosphere, the only other thick N2 atmosphere besides Earth's, the site of extraordinarily complex atmospheric chemistry that far surpasses any other solar system atmosphere, and the only other solar system body with stable liquid currently on its surface. The connection between Titan's surface and atmosphere is also unique in our solar system; atmospheric chemistry produces materials that are deposited on the surface and subsequently altered by surface-atmosphere interactions such as aeolian and fluvial processes resulting in the formation of extensive dune fields and expansive lakes and seas. Titan's atmosphere is favorable for organic haze formation, which combined with the presence of some oxygen-bearing molecules indicates that Titan's atmosphere may produce molecules of prebiotic interest. The combination of organics and liquid, in the form of water in a subsurface ocean and methane/ethane in the surface lakes and seas, means that Titan may be the ideal place in the solar system to test ideas about habitability, prebiotic chemistry, and the ubiquity and diversity of life in the universe. The Cassini-Huygens mission to the Saturn system has provided a wealth of new information allowing for study of Titan as a complex system. Here I review our current understanding of Titan's atmosphere and climate forged from the powerful combination of Earth-based observations, remote sensing and in situ spacecraft measurements, laboratory experiments, and models. I conclude with some of our remaining unanswered questions as the incredible era of exploration with Cassini-Huygens comes to an end.

  7. Thermal Response Modeling System for a Mars Sample Return Vehicle

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chen, Y.-K.; Miles, Frank S.; Arnold, Jim (Technical Monitor)

    2001-01-01

    A multi-dimensional, coupled thermal response modeling system for analysis of hypersonic entry vehicles is presented. The system consists of a high fidelity Navier-Stokes equation solver (GIANTS), a two-dimensional implicit thermal response, pyrolysis and ablation program (TITAN), and a commercial finite-element thermal and mechanical analysis code (MARC). The simulations performed by this integrated system include hypersonic flowfield, fluid and solid interaction, ablation, shape change, pyrolysis gas eneration and flow, and thermal response of heatshield and structure. The thermal response of the heatshield is simulated using TITAN, and that of the underlying structural is simulated using MARC. The ablating heatshield is treated as an outer boundary condition of the structure, and continuity conditions of temperature and heat flux are imposed at the interface between TITAN and MARC. Aerothermal environments with fluid and solid interaction are predicted by coupling TITAN and GIANTS through surface energy balance equations. With this integrated system, the aerothermal environments for an entry vehicle and the thermal response of the entire vehicle can be obtained simultaneously. Representative computations for a flat-faced arc-jet test model and a proposed Mars sample return capsule are presented and discussed.

  8. Thermal Response Modeling System for a Mars Sample Return Vehicle

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chen, Y.-K.; Milos, F. S.

    2002-01-01

    A multi-dimensional, coupled thermal response modeling system for analysis of hypersonic entry vehicles is presented. The system consists of a high fidelity Navier-Stokes equation solver (GIANTS), a two-dimensional implicit thermal response, pyrolysis and ablation program (TITAN), and a commercial finite element thermal and mechanical analysis code (MARC). The simulations performed by this integrated system include hypersonic flowfield, fluid and solid interaction, ablation, shape change, pyrolysis gas generation and flow, and thermal response of heatshield and structure. The thermal response of the heatshield is simulated using TITAN, and that of the underlying structural is simulated using MARC. The ablating heatshield is treated as an outer boundary condition of the structure, and continuity conditions of temperature and heat flux are imposed at the interface between TITAN and MARC. Aerothermal environments with fluid and solid interaction are predicted by coupling TITAN and GIANTS through surface energy balance equations. With this integrated system, the aerothermal environments for an entry vehicle and the thermal response of the entire vehicle can be obtained simultaneously. Representative computations for a flat-faced arc-jet test model and a proposed Mars sample return capsule are presented and discussed.

  9. Titan's Methane Cycle is Closed

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hofgartner, J. D.; Lunine, J. I.

    2013-12-01

    Doppler tracking of the Cassini spacecraft determined a polar moment of inertia for Titan of 0.34 (Iess et al., 2010, Science, 327, 1367). Assuming hydrostatic equilibrium, one interpretation is that Titan's silicate core is partially hydrated (Castillo-Rogez and Lunine, 2010, Geophys. Res. Lett., 37, L20205). These authors point out that for the core to have avoided complete thermal dehydration to the present day, at least 30% of the potassium content of Titan must have leached into an overlying water ocean by the end of the core overturn. We calculate that for probable ammonia compositions of Titan's ocean (compositions with greater than 1% ammonia by weight), that this amount of potassium leaching is achievable via the substitution of ammonium for potassium during the hydration epoch. Formation of a hydrous core early in Titan's history by serpentinization results in the loss of one hydrogen molecule for every hydrating water molecule. We calculate that complete serpentinization of Titan's core corresponds to the release of more than enough hydrogen to reconstitute all of the methane atoms photolyzed throughout Titan's history. Insertion of molecular hydrogen by double occupancy into crustal clathrates provides a storage medium and an opportunity for ethane to be converted back to methane slowly over time--potentially completing a cycle that extends the lifetime of methane in Titan's surface atmosphere system by factors of several to an order of magnitude over the photochemically-calculated lifetime.

  10. Titan Mystery Clouds

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-12-21

    This comparison of two views from NASA's Cassini spacecraft, taken fairly close together in time, illustrates a peculiar mystery: Why would clouds on Saturn's moon Titan be visible in some images, but not in others? In the top view, a near-infrared image from Cassini's imaging cameras, the skies above Saturn's moon Titan look relatively cloud free. But in the bottom view, at longer infrared wavelengths, Cassini sees a large field of bright clouds. Even though these views were taken at different wavelengths, researchers would expect at least a hint of the clouds to show up in the upper image. Thus they have been trying to understand what's behind the difference. As northern summer approaches on Titan, atmospheric models have predicted that clouds will become more common at high northern latitudes, similar to what was observed at high southern latitudes during Titan's late southern summer in 2004. Cassini's Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) and Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) teams have been observing Titan to document changes in weather patterns as the seasons change, and there is particular interest in following the onset of clouds in the north polar region where Titan's lakes and seas are concentrated. Cassini's "T120" and "T121" flybys of Titan, on June 7 and July 25, 2016, respectively, provided views of high northern latitudes over extended time periods -- more than 24 hours during both flybys. Intriguingly, the ISS and VIMS observations appear strikingly different from each other. In the ISS observations (monochrome image at top), surface features are easily identifiable and only a few small, isolated clouds were detected. In contrast, the VIMS observations (color image at bottom) suggest widespread cloud cover during both flybys. The observations were made over the same time period, so differences in illumination geometry or changes in the clouds themselves are unlikely to be the cause for the apparent discrepancy: VIMS shows persistent

  11. A green synthesis of a layered titanate, potassium lithium titanate; lower temperature solid-state reaction and improved materials performance

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ogawa, Makoto, E-mail: waseda.ogawa@gmail.com; Department of Earth Sciences, Waseda University, 1-6-1 Nishiwaseda, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-8050; Morita, Masashi, E-mail: m-masashi@y.akane.waseda.jp

    2013-10-15

    A layered titanate, potassium lithium titanate, with the size range from 0.1 to 30 µm was prepared to show the effects of the particle size on the materials performance. The potassium lithium titanate was prepared by solid-state reaction as reported previously, where the reaction temperature was varied. The reported temperature for the titanate preparation was higher than 800 °C, though 600 °C is good enough to obtain single-phase potassium lithium titanate. The lower temperature synthesis is cost effective and the product exhibit better performance as photocatalysts due to surface reactivity. - Graphical abstract: Finite particle of a layered titanate, potassiummore » lithium titanate, was prepared by solid-state reaction at lower temperature to show modified materials performance. Display Omitted - Highlights: • Potassium lithium titanate was prepared by solid-state reaction. • Lower temperature reaction resulted in smaller sized particles of titanate. • 600 °C was good enough to obtain single phased potassium lithium titanate. • The product exhibited better performance as photocatalyst.« less

  12. Numerical modelling of sedimentary structures in rivers on Titan and Earth

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Misiura, Katarzyna; Czechowski, Leszek

    2016-04-01

    preliminary results indicate that suspended load is the main way of transport in simulated Titan's conditions. We also indicate that braided rivers appears for larger range of slope on Titan (e.g. S=0.01-0.04) than on Earth (e.g. S=0.004-0.009). Also, for the same type of river, the grain size on Titan is at least 10 times larger than on Earth (1 cm for Titan versus 1 mm for the Earth). It is very interesting that on Titan braided rivers appear even for very little discharge (e.g. Q=30m3/s) and for very large grain size (e.g. 10 cm). In the future we plan the experimental modelling in sediment basin to confirm results from computer modelling. Acknowledgements We are very grateful to Yaoxin Zhang and Yafei Jia from National Center for Computational Hydroscience and Engineering for providing their program - CCHE2D. References [1] Misiura, K., Czechowski, L., 2015. Numerical modelling of sedimentary structures in rivers on Earth and Titan. Geological Quarterly, 59(3): 565-580.

  13. Chemistry and evolution of Titan's atmosphere

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Strobel, D. F.

    1982-01-01

    The chemistry and evolution of Titan's atmosphere are reviewed, in light of the scientific findings from the Voyager mission. It is argued that the present N2 atmosphere may be Titan's initial atmosphere, rather than one photochemically derived from an original NH3 atmosphere. The escape rate of hydrogen from Titan is controlled by photochemical production from hydrocarbons. CH4 is irreversibly converted to less hydrogen-rich hydrocarbons, which over geologic time accumulate on the surface to a layer thickness of about 0.5 km. Magnetospheric electrons interacting with Titan's exosphere may dissociate enough N2 into hot, escaping N atoms to remove about 0.2 of Titan's present atmosphere over geologic time. The energy dissipation of magnetospheric electrons exceeds solar EUV energy deposition in Titan's atmosphere by an order of magnitude, and is the principal driver of nitrogen photochemistry. The environmental conditions in Titan's upper atmosphere are favorable to building up complex molecules, particularly in the north polar cap region.

  14. Titan Polar Landscape Evolution

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Moore, Jeffrey M.

    2016-01-01

    With the ongoing Cassini-era observations and studies of Titan it is clear that the intensity and distribution of surface processes (particularly fluvial erosion by methane and Aeolian transport) has changed through time. Currently however, alternate hypotheses substantially differ among specific scenarios with respect to the effects of atmospheric evolution, seasonal changes, and endogenic processes. We have studied the evolution of Titan's polar region through a combination of analysis of imaging, elevation data, and geomorphic mapping, spatially explicit simulations of landform evolution, and quantitative comparison of the simulated landscapes with corresponding Titan morphology. We have quantitatively evaluated alternate scenarios for the landform evolution of Titan's polar terrain. The investigations have been guided by recent geomorphic mapping and topographic characterization of the polar regions that are used to frame hypotheses of process interactions, which have been evaluated using simulation modeling. Topographic information about Titan's polar region is be based on SAR-Topography and altimetry archived on PDS, SAR-based stereo radar-grammetry, radar-sounding lake depth measurements, and superposition relationships between geomorphologic map units, which we will use to create a generalized topographic map.

  15. Dark and Light Titan

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2010-09-08

    NASA Cassini spacecraft examines Titan dark and light seasonal hemispheric dichotomy as it images the moon with a filter sensitive to near-infrared light. This image also shows Titan north polar hood.

  16. Seasonal Change in Titan's Cloud Activity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schaller, E. L.; Brown, M. E.; Roe, H. G.

    2006-12-01

    We have acquired whole disk spectra of Titan on nineteen nights with IRTF/SpeX over a three-month period in the spring of 2006 and will acquire data on ~50 additional nights between September and December 2006. The data encompass the spectral range of 0.8 to 2.4 microns at a resolution of 375. These disk- integrated spectra allow us to determine Titan's total fractional cloud coverage and altitudes of clouds present. We find that Titan had less than 0.15% fractional cloud coverage on all but one of the nineteen nights. The near lack of cloud activity in these spectra is in sharp contrast to nearly every spectrum taken from 1995-1999 with UKIRT by Griffith et al. (1998 &2000) who found rapidly varying clouds covering ~0.5% of Titan's disk. The differences in these two similar datasets indicate a striking seasonal change in the behavior of Titan's clouds. Observations of the latitudes, magnitudes, altitudes, and frequencies of Titan's clouds as Titan moves toward southern autumnal equinox in 2009 will help elucidate when and how Titan's methane hydrological cycle changes with season.

  17. Progress at the TITAN-EBIT

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Klawitter, R.; Alanssari, M.; Frekers, D.

    2015-01-09

    Precision mass measurements of short-lived isotopes provide insight into a wide array of physics, including nuclear structure, nucleosynthesis, and tests of the Standard Model. The precision of Penning trap mass spectrometry (PTMS) measurements is limited by the lifetime of the isotopes of interest, but scales proportionally with their charge state q, making highly charged ions attractive for mass measurements of nuclides far from stability. TITAN, TRIUMF's Ion Trap(s) for Atomic and Nuclear science, is currently the only setup in the world coupling an EBIT to a rare isotope facility for the purpose of PTMS. Charge breeding ions for Penning trapmore » mass spectrometry, however, entails specific set of challenges. To make use of its potential, efficiencies have to be high, breeding times have to be short and the ion energy spread has to be small. An overview of the TITAN facility and charge-breeding program is given, current and future developments are highlighted and some selected results are presented.« less

  18. Mission Techniques for Exploring Saturn's icy moons Titan and Enceladus

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Reh, Kim; Coustenis, Athena; Lunine, Jonathan; Matson, Dennis; Lebreton, Jean-Pierre; Vargas, Andre; Beauchamp, Pat; Spilker, Tom; Strange, Nathan; Elliott, John

    2010-05-01

    The future exploration of Titan is of high priority for the solar system exploration community as recommended by the 2003 National Research Council (NRC) Decadal Survey [1] and ESA's Cosmic Vision Program themes. Cassini-Huygens discoveries continue to emphasize that Titan is a complex world with very many Earth-like features. Titan has a dense, nitrogen atmosphere, an active climate and meteorological cycles where conditions are such that the working fluid, methane, plays the role that water does on Earth. Titan's surface, with lakes and seas, broad river valleys, sand dunes and mountains was formed by processes like those that have shaped the Earth. Supporting this panoply of Earth-like processes is an ice crust that floats atop what might be a liquid water ocean. Furthermore, Titan is rich in very many different organic compounds—more so than any place in the solar system, except Earth. The Titan Saturn System Mission (TSSM) concept that followed the 2007 TandEM ESA CV proposal [2] and the 2007 Titan Explorer NASA Flagship study [3], was examined [4,5] and prioritized by NASA and ESA in February 2009 as a mission to follow the Europa Jupiter System Mission. The TSSM study, like others before it, again concluded that an orbiter, a montgolfiѐre hot-air balloon and a surface package (e.g. lake lander, Geosaucer (instrumented heat shield), …) are very high priority elements for any future mission to Titan. Such missions could be conceived as Flagship/Cosmic Vision L-Class or as individual smaller missions that could possibly fit within NASA's New Frontiers or ESA's Cosmic Vision M-Class budgets. As a result of a multitude of Titan mission studies, several mission concepts have been developed that potentially fit within various cost classes. Also, a clear blueprint has been laid out for early efforts critical toward reducing the risks inherent in such missions. The purpose of this paper is to provide a brief overview of potential Titan (and Enceladus) mission

  19. CHAP III- CHARRING ABLATOR PROGRAM FOR ADVANCED INVESTIGATION OF THERMAL PROTECTION SYSTEMS FOR ENTRY

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Stroud, C. W.

    1994-01-01

    The transient response of a thermal protection material to heat applied to the surface can be calculated using the CHAP III computer program. CHAP III can be used to analyze pyrolysis gas chemical kinetics in detail and examine pyrolysis reactions-indepth. The analysis includes the deposition of solid products produced by chemical reactions in the gas phase. CHAP III uses a modelling technique which can approximate a wide range of ablation problems. The energy equation used in CHAP III incorporates pyrolysis (both solid and gas reactions), convection, conduction, storage, work, kinetic energy, and viscous dissipation. The chemically reacting components of the solid are allowed to vary as a function of position and time. CHAP III employs a finite difference method to approximate the energy equations. Input values include specific heat, thermal conductivity, thermocouple locations, enthalpy, heating rates, and a description of the chemical reactions expected. The output tabulates the temperature at locations throughout the ablator, gas flow within the solid, density of the solid, weight of pyrolysis gases, and rate of carbon deposition. A sample case is included, which analyzes an ablator material containing several pyrolysis reactions subjected to an environment typical of entry at lunar return velocity. CHAP III is written in FORTRAN IV for batch execution and has been implemented on a CDC CYBER 170 series computer operating under NOS with a central memory requirement of approximately 102K (octal) of 60 bit words. This program was developed in 1985.

  20. Nitrogen Chemistry in Titan's Upper Atmosphere

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    McKay, Christopher P.; Cuzzi, Jeffrey (Technical Monitor)

    1996-01-01

    In Titan's upper atmosphere N2 is dissociated to N by solar UV and high energy electrons. This flux of N provides for interesting organic chemistry in the lower atmosphere of Titan. Previously the main pathway for the loss of this N was thought to be the formation of HCN, followed by diffusion of this HCN to lower altitudes leading ultimately to condensation. However, recent laboratory simulations of organic chemistry in Titan's atmosphere suggest that formation of the organic haze may be an important sink for atmospheric N. Because estimates of the eddy diffusion profile on Titan have been based on the HCN profile, inclusion of this additional sink for N will affect estimates for all transport processes in Titan's atmosphere. This and other implications of this sink for the N balance on Titan are considered.

  1. Conserving the Giant Titans

    Science.gov Websites

    Virtual Herbarium Conserving the Giant Titans The gigantic and pungent Titan Arum or Corpse Flower Milonic.com Copyright © 2007 Virtual Herbarium - All rights reserved 11935 Old Cutler Road, Coral Gables, FL

  2. Mimas...and Titan Beyond

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2006-01-03

    Titan, Saturn largest moon and Mimas in the foreground are seen together in this view from Cassini. Titan gravity is weaker than Earth, so the moon atmosphere is quite extended -- a quality hinted at in this view

  3. Inside Titan Author Concept

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2012-06-28

    This artist concept shows a possible scenario for the internal structure of Titan, as suggested by data from NASA Cassini spacecraft. Scientists have been trying to determine what is under Titan organic-rich atmosphere and icy crust.

  4. Squeezing and Stretching Titan Author Concept

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2012-06-28

    This artist concept shows tides on Titan raised by Saturn gravity, as detected by NASA Cassini spacecraft. Saturn gravitational pull on Titan, its largest moon, varies as Titan orbits along an elliptical path around the planet every 16 days.

  5. Titan's Primordial Soup: Formation of Amino Acids via Low Temperature Hydrolysis of Tholins

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Neish, Catherine; Somogyi, Á.; Smith, M. A.

    2009-09-01

    Titan, Saturn's largest moon, is a world rich in the "stuff of life". Reactions occurring in its dense nitrogen-methane atmosphere produce a wide variety of organic molecules, which subsequently rain down onto its surface. Water - thought to be another important ingredient for life - is likewise abundant on Titan. Theoretical models of Titan's formation predict that its interior consists of an ice I layer several tens of kilometers thick overlying a liquid ammonia-rich water layer several hundred kilometers thick (Tobie et al., 2005). Though its surface temperature of 94K dictates that Titan is on average too cold for liquid water to persist at its surface, melting caused by impacts and/or cryovolcanism may lead to its episodic availability. Impact melt pools on Titan would likely remain liquid for 102 - 104 years before freezing (O'Brien et al., 2005). The combination of complex organic molecules and transient locales of liquid water make Titan an interesting natural laboratory for studying prebiotic chemistry. In this work, we sought to determine what biomolecules might be formed under conditions analogous to those found in transient liquid water environments on Titan. We hydrolyzed Titan organic haze analogues, or "tholins", in 13 wt. % ammonia-water at 253K and 293K for a year. Using a combination of high resolution mass spectroscopy and tandem mass spectroscopy fragmentation techniques, four amino acids were identified in the hydrolyzed tholin sample. These four species have been assigned as the amino acids asparagine, aspartic acid, glutamine, and glutamic acid. This represents the first detection of biologically relevant molecules created under conditions similar to those found in impact melt pools and cryolavas on Titan. Future missions to Titan should therefore carry instrumentation capable of detecting amino acids and other prebiotically relevant molecules on its surface This work was supported by the NASA Exobiology Program.

  6. Enhanced airglow at Titan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Royer, Emilie; Esposito, Larry; Wahlund, Jan-Erik

    2016-06-01

    The Cassini Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) instrument made thousand of observations of Titan since its arrival in the Saturnian system in 2004, but only few of them have been analyzed yet. Using the imaging capability of UVIS combined to a big data analytics approach, we have been able to uncover an unexpected pattern in this observations: on several occasions the Titan airglow exhibits an enhanced brightness by approximately a factor of 2, generally combined with a lower altitude of the airglow emission peak. These events typically last from 10 to 30 minutes and are followed and preceded by an airglow of regular and expected level of brightness and altitude. Observations made by the Cassini Plasma Spectrometer (CAPS) instrument onboard Cassini allowed us to correlate the enhanced airglow observed on T-32 with an electron burst. The timing of the burst and the level of energetic electrons (1 keV) observed by CAPS correspond to a brighter and lower than typical airglow displayed on the UVIS data. Furthermore, during T-32 Titan was inside the Saturn's magnetosheath and thus more subject to bombardment by energetic particles. However, our analysis demonstrates that the presence of Titan inside the magnetosheath is not a necessary condition for the production of an enhanced airglow, as we detected other similar events while Titan was within Saturn's magnetosphere. The study presented here aims to a better understanding of the interactions of Titan's upper atmosphere with its direct environment.

  7. Titanic: A Statistical Exploration.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Takis, Sandra L.

    1999-01-01

    Uses the available data about the Titanic's passengers to interest students in exploring categorical data and the chi-square distribution. Describes activities incorporated into a statistics class and gives additional resources for collecting information about the Titanic. (ASK)

  8. Magnetospheric particle precipitation at Titan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Royer, Emilie; Esposito, Larry; Crary, Frank; Wahlund, Jan-Erik

    2017-04-01

    Although solar XUV radiation is known to be the main source of ionization in Titan's upper atmosphere around 1100 km of altitude, magnetospheric particle precipitation can also account for about 10% of the ionization process. Magnetospheric particle precipitation is expected to be the most intense on the nightside of the satelllite and when Titan's orbital position around Saturn is the closest to Noon Saturn Local Time (SLT). In addition, on several occasion throughout the Cassini mission, Titan has been observed while in the magnetosheath. We are reporting here Ultraviolet (UV) observations of Titan airglow enhancements correlated to these magnetospheric changing conditions occurring while the spacecraft, and thus Titan, are known to have crossed Saturn's magnetopause and have been exposed to the magnetosheath environnment. Using Cassini-Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) observations of Titan around 12PM SLT as our primary set of data, we present evidence of Titan's upper atmosphere response to a fluctuating magnetospheric environment. Pattern recognition software based on 2D UVIS detector images has been used to retrieve observations of interest, looking for airglow enhancement of a factor of 2. A 2D UVIS detector image, created for each UVIS observation of Titan, displays the spatial dimension of the UVIS slit on the x-axis and the time on the y-axis. In addition, data from the T32 flyby and from April 17, 2005 from in-situ Cassini instruments are used. Correlations with data from simultaneous observations of in-situ Cassini instruments (CAPS, RPWS and MIMI) has been possible on few occasions and events such as electron burst and reconnections can be associated with unusual behaviors of the Titan airglow. CAPS in-situ measurements acquired during the T32 flyby are consistent with an electron burst observed at the spacecraft as the cause of the UV emission. Moreover, on April 17, 2005 the UVIS observation displays feature similar to what could be aTitan

  9. Touchdown on Titan

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Morring, Frank, Jr.

    2004-01-01

    Europe's Huygens probe is on target for a Dec. 25 separation from the Cassini Saturn orbiter that has carried it like a baby for more than seven years. The probe will spend three weeks coasting to a plunge into Titan's thick atmosphere on the morning of Jan. 14. If all goes as planned, the 349-kg. Huygens will spend more than 2 hr. descending by parachute to the mysterious surface of the planet-sized moon, and hopefully devote yet more time to broadcasting data after it lands. Before the day is over, Huygens is programmed to beam about 30 megabytes of data - including some 1,100 images-back to Earth through Cassini, a trip that will take some 75 min. to complete over the 1- billion-km. distance that separates the two planets. Within that data should be answers to questions that date back to 1655, when Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens found the moon with a homemade telescope and named it for the family of giants the ancient Greeks believed once ruled the earth. In the Solar System, there is no other world like Titan, with a nitrogen and methane atmospheric and a cold, hidden surface darker than Earth under the full Moon.

  10. The atmospheric temperature structure of Titan

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mckay, Christopher P.; Pollack, J. B.; Courtin, Regis; Lunine, Jonathan I.

    1992-01-01

    The contribution of various factors to the thermal structure of Titan's past and present atmosphere are discussed. A one dimensional model of Titan's thermal structure is summarized. The greenhouse effect of Titan's atmosphere, caused primarily by pressure induced opacity of N2, CH4, and H2, is discussed together with the antigreenhouse effect dominated by the haze which absorbs incident sunlight. The implications for the atmosphere of the presence of an ocean on Titan are also discussed.

  11. Night Side of Titan

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1999-02-23

    NASA Voyager 2 obtained this wide-angle image of the night side of Titan on Aug. 25, 1979. This is a view of Titan extended atmosphere. the bright orangish ring being caused by the atmosphere scattering of the incident sunlight.

  12. Titan Haze is Falling

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2011-05-05

    The change in Titan haze layer is illustrated in this figure, derived from data obtained by NASA Cassini spacecraft. The picture of Titan in panel a was taken on May 3, 2006, panel b was taken on April 2, 2010.

  13. Titan Despeckled Montage

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2015-02-12

    This montage of Cassini Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images of the surface of Titan shows four examples of how a newly developed technique for handling noise results in clearer, easier to interpret views. The top row of images was produced in the manner used since the mission arrived in the Saturn system a decade ago; the row at bottom was produced using the new technique. The three leftmost image pairs show bays and spits of land in Ligea Mare, one of Titan's large hydrocarbon seas. The rightmost pair shows a valley network along Jingpo Lacus, one of Titan's larger northern lakes. North is toward the left in these images. Each thumbnail represents an area 70 miles (112 kilometers) wide. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19053

  14. Titan's Lakes in a Beaker

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hodyss, R. P.

    2017-12-01

    The surface of Titan presents a complex, varied surfaced, with mountains, plains, dunes, rivers, lakes and seas, composed of a layer of organics over a water ice bedrock. Over the past 10 years, our group at JPL has developed a variety of techniques to study the chemistry of Titan's organic surface under relevant temperature and pressure conditions (90-100 K, 1.5 bar). Dissolution, precipitation, and both covalent and non-covalent chemical processes are examined using Raman and infrared spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, optical microscopy, and synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction. Despite the low temperatures, our experiments are revealing that a rich and active organic chemistry is possible on Titan's surface. Laboratory experiments like these can provide crucial insights into the geological processes occurring Titan's surface, and help explain the wealth of observational data returned by the Cassini/Huygens mission. This type of data is also critical for the development of future missions to Titan.

  15. From Titan to the primitive Earth

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Raulin, F.; Gpcos Team

    Our knowledge of the conditions prevailing in the environment of the primitive Earth is still very limited, due to the lack of geological data. Fortunately, there are a few planetary objects in the solar system which present similarities with our planet, including during its early history. Titan is one of these. With a diameter of more than 5100 km, Titan, the largest moon of Saturn, is also the only one to have a dense atmosphere. This atmosphere, clearly evidenced by the presence of haze layers, extends to approximately 1500 km. Like the Earth, Titan's atmosphere is mainly composed of dinitrogen, N2 . The other main constituents are methane, CH4 , about 1.6% to 2.0% in the stratosphere, as measured by CIRS on Cassini and GC-MS on Huygens and dihydrogen (H2 , approximate 0.1%). With surface temperatures of approximately 94 K, and an average surface pressure of 1.5 bar, Titan's atmosphere is nearly five times denser than the Earth's. Despite of these differences between Titan and the Earth there are several analogies that can be drawn between the two planetary bodies. The first resemblances concern the vertical atmospheric structure. Although Titan is much colder, with a troposphere (˜94-˜70 K), a tropopause (70.4 K) and a stratosphere (˜70-175 K) its atmosphere presents a similar complex structure to that of the Earth. These analogies are linked to the presence in both atmospheres of greenhouse gases: CH4 and H2 on Titan, equivalent respectively to terrestrial condensable H2 O and non-condensable CO2 . In addition the haze particles and clouds in Titan's atmosphere play an antigreenhouse effect similar to that of the terrestrial atmospheric aerosols and clouds. Indeed, methane on Titan seems to play the role of water on the Earth, with a complex cycle, which still has to be understood. The possibility that Titan is covered with hydrocarbon oceans is now ruled out, but it is still possible that Titan's surface include lakes of methane and ethane. Moreover, the

  16. Titan - a New Laboratory for Oceanography

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lorenz, R. D.

    2001-12-01

    Saturn's giant moon Titan has a thick (1.5 bar) nitrogen atmosphere, and quite probably large expanses of liquid hydrocarbons on its surface. The physical processes in these lakes and seas will open new vistas on oceanography and limnology. Although the Voyager-era paradigm of a deep, global ocean is ruled out by radar and infrared data showing that at least part of Titan's surface is icy, the photochemical arguments that originally led to the proposal of hydrocarbon oceans still apply. Even if the methane in the atmosphere is being resupplied by delivery from the interior, the ethane produced by photolysis would still accumulate to form large deposits on the surface. The near-infrared maps of Titan's surface from the Hubble Space Telescope and groundbased adaptive optics consistently show a number of dark (in fact, pitch-black!) regions that are strong candidates for hydrocarbon seas. These could be up to some 500km in extent. Titan promises to be a new laboratory for oceanography. Like in meteorology, many ocean processes are better parameterized than they are understood, and thus the different physical circumstances on Titan may shed new light on them. Titan has a lower gravity and its ocean fluids are of lower density, perhaps of lower viscosity (depending on solutes and suspended material) and probably rather more likely to cavitate. The ratio of atmospheric density to ocean density is much larger on Titan than on Earth, suggesting that liquid motions will be well-coupled to surface winds (although the distance from the sun is such that the energy in such winds is likely to be low.) Titan is also subject to strong tidal forces (the equilibrium tide due to Saturn's gravity is some 400x larger than that of the moon on Earth.) Although the 100m tidal bulge stays almost fixed because Titan rotates synchronously, the eccentricity of Titan's orbit leads to significant libration and variation in the tidal strength. The 500km seas allowed by the IR data may yet have a

  17. The greenhouse of Titan.

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sagan, C.

    1973-01-01

    Analysis of non-gray radiative equilibrium and gray convective equilibrium on Titan suggests that a massive molecular-hydrogen greenhouse effect may be responsible for the disagreement between the observed IR temperatures and the equilibrium temperature of an atmosphereless Titan. Calculations of convection indicate a probable minimum optical depth of 14 which corresponds to a molecular hydrogen shell of substantial thickness with total pressures of about 0.1 bar. It is suggested that there is an equilibrium between outgassing and blow-off on the one hand and accretion from the protons trapped in a hypothetical Saturnian magnetic field on the other, in the present atmosphere of Titan. It is believed that an outgassing equivalent to the volatilization of a few kilometers of subsurface ice is required to maintain the present blow-off rate without compensation for all geological time. The presence of an extensive hydrogen corona around Titan is postulated, with surface temperatures up to 200 K.

  18. The Global Energy Balance of Titan

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Li, Liming; Nixon, Conor A.; Achterberg, Richard K.; Smith, Mark A.; Gorius, Nicolas J. P.; Jiang, Xun; Conrath, Barney J.; Gierasch, Peter J.; Simon-Miller, Amy A.; Flasar, F. Michael; hide

    2011-01-01

    We report the first measurement of the global emitted power of Titan. Longterm (2004-2010) observations conducted by the Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) onboard Cassini reveal that the total emitted power by Titan is (2.84 plus or minus 0.01) x 10(exp 8) watts. Together with previous measurements of the global absorbed solar power of Titan, the CIRS measurements indicate that the global energy budget of Titan is in equilibrium within measurement error. The uncertainty in the absorbed solar energy places an upper limit on the energy imbalance of 5.3%.

  19. Titan Temperature Lag Maps

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-02-18

    This sequence of maps shows varying surface temperatures on Saturn moon Titan at two-year intervals, from 2004 to 2016. The measurements were made by the Composite Infrared Spectrometer CIRS instrument on NASA Cassini spacecraft. The maps show thermal infrared radiation (heat) coming from Titan's surface at a wavelength of 19 microns, a spectral window at which the moon's otherwise opaque atmosphere is mostly transparent. Temperatures have been averaged around the globe from east to west (longitudinally) to emphasize the seasonal variation across latitudes (from north to south). Black regions in the maps are areas for which there was no data. Titan's surface temperature changes slowly over the course of the Saturn system's long seasons, which each last seven and a half years. As on Earth, the amount of sunlight received at each latitude varies as the sun's illumination moves northward or southward over the course of the 30-year-long Saturnian year. When Cassini arrived at Saturn in 2004, Titan's southern hemisphere was in late summer and was therefore the warmest region. Shortly after the 2009 equinox, in 2010, temperatures were symmetrical across the northern and southern hemispheres, mimicking the distribution observed by Voyager 1 in 1980 (one Titan year earlier). Temperatures subsequently cooled in the south and rose in the north, as southern winter approached. While the overall trend in the temperature shift is clearly evident in these maps, there is narrow banding in several places that is an artifact of making the observations through Titan's atmosphere. The moon's dense, hazy envelope adds noise to the difficult measurement. Although it moves in latitude, the maximum measured temperature on Titan remains around -292 degrees Fahrenheit (-179.6 degrees Celsius, 93.6 Kelvin), with a minimum temperature at the winter pole only 6 degrees Fahrenheit (3.5 degrees Celsius or Kelvin) colder. This is a much smaller contrast than exists between Earth's warmest and

  20. Titan AVIATR - Aerial Vehicle for In Situ and Airborne Titan Reconnaissance

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kattenhorn, Simon A.; Barnes, J. W.; McKay, C. P.; Lemke, L.; Beyer, R. A.; Radebaugh, J.; Adamkovics, M.; Atkinson, D. H.; Burr, D. M.; Colaprete, T.; Foch, R.; Le Mouélic, S.; Merrison, J.; Mitchell, J.; Rodriguez, S.; Schaller, E.

    2010-10-01

    Titan AVIATR - Aerial Vehicle for In Situ and Airborne Titan Reconnaissance - is a small (120 kg), nuclear-powered Titan airplane in the Discovery/New Frontiers class based on the concept of Lemke (2008 IPPW). The scientific goals of the mission are designed around the unique flexibility offered by an airborne platform: to explore Titan's diversity of surface landforms, processes, and compositions, as well as to study and measure the atmospheric circulation, aerosols, and humidity. AVIATR would address and surpass many of the science goals of hot-air balloons in Titan flagship studies. The strawman instrument payload is narrowly focused on the stated scientific objectives. The optical remote sensing suite comprises three instruments - an off-nadir high-resolution 2-micron camera, a horizon-looking 5-micron imager, and a 1-6 micron pushbroom near-infrared spectrometer. The in situ instruments include atmospheric structure, a methane humidity sensor, and a raindrop detector. An airplane has operational advantages over a balloon. Its piloted nature allows a go-to capability to image locations of interest in real time, thereby allowing for directed exploration of many features of primary geologic interest: Titan's sand dunes, mountains, craters, channels, and lakes. Subsequent imaging can capture changes in these features during the primary mission. AVIATR can fly predesigned routes, building up large context mosaics of areas of interest before swooping down to low altitude to acquire high-resolution images at 30-cm spatial sampling, similar to that of HiRISE at Mars. The elevation flexibility of the airplane allows us to acquire atmospheric profiles as a function of altitude at any desired location. Although limited by the direct-to-Earth downlink bandwidth, the total scientific data return from AVIATR will be >40 times that returned from Huygens. To maximize the science per bit, novel data storage and downlink techniques will be employed, including lossy compression

  1. Titan's greenhouse and antigreenhouse effects

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mckay, Christopher P.; Pollack, James B.; Courtin, Regis

    1992-01-01

    Thermal mechanisms active in Titan's atmosphere are discussed in a brief review of data obtained during the Voyager I flyby in 1980. Particular attention is given to the greenhouse effect (GHE) produced by atmospheric H2, N2, and CH4; this GHE is stronger than that on earth, with CH4 and H2 playing roles similar to those of H2O and CO2 on earth. Also active on Titan is an antigreenhouse effect, in which dark-brown and orange organic aerosols block incoming solar light while allowing IR radiation from the Titan surface to escape. The combination of GHE and anti-GHE leads to a surface temperature about 12 C higher than it would be if Titan had no atmosphere.

  2. Greenhouse models of the atmosphere of Titan.

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pollack, J. B.

    1973-01-01

    The greenhouse effect is calculated for a series of Titanian atmosphere models with different proportions of methane, hydrogen, helium, and ammonia. A computer program is used in temperature-structure calculations based on radiative-convective thermal transfer considerations. A brightness temperature spectrum is derived for Titan and is compared with available observational data. It is concluded that the greenhouse effect on Titan is generated by pressure-induced transitions of methane and hydrogen. The helium-to-hydrogen ratio is found to have a maximum of about 1.5. The surface pressure is estimated to be at least 0.4 atm, with a daytime temperature of about 155 K at the surface. The presence of methane clouds in the upper troposphere is indicated. The clouds have a significant optical depth in the visible, but not in the thermal, infrared.

  3. Identification of Acetylene on Titan's Surface

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Singh, S.; McCord, T. B.; Rodriguez, S.; Combe, J. P.; Cornet, T.; Le Mouelic, S.; Maltagliati, L.; Chevrier, V.; Clark, R. N.

    2015-12-01

    Titan's atmosphere is opaque in the near infrared due to gaseous absorptions, mainly by methane, and scattering by aerosols, except in a few "transparency windows" (e.g., Sotin et al., 2005). Thus, the composition of Titan surface remains difficult to access from space and is still poorly constrained, limited to ethane in the polar lakes (Brown et al., 2008) and a few possible organic molecules on the surface (Clark et al., 2010). Photochemical models suggest that most of the organic compounds formed in the atmosphere are heavy enough to condense and build up at the surface in liquid and solid states over geological timescale (Cordier et al., 2009, 2011). Acetylene (C2H2) is one of the most abundant organic molecules in the atmosphere and thus thought to present on the surface as well. Here we report direct evidence of solid C2H2 on Titan's surface using Cassini Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) data. By comparing VIMS observations and laboratory measurements of solid and liquid C2H2, we identify a specific absorption at 1.55 µm that is widespread over Titan but is particularly strong in the brightest terrains. This surface variability suggests that C2H2 is mobilized by surface processes, such as surface weathering, topography, and dissolution/evaporation. The detection of C2H2 on the surface of Titan opens new paths to understand and constrain Titan's surface activity. Since C2H2 is highly soluble in Titan liquids (Singh et al. 2015), it can easily dissolve in methane/ethane and may play an important role in carving of fluvial channels and existence of karstic lakes at higher latitudes on Titan. These processes imply the existence of a dynamic surface with a continued history of erosion and deposition of C2H2 on Titan.

  4. Handling Late Changes to Titan Science

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pitesky, Jo Eliza; Steadman, Kim; Ray, Trina; Burton, Marcia

    2014-01-01

    The Cassini mission has been in orbit for eight years, returning a wealth of scientific data from Titan and the Saturnian system. The mission, a cooperative undertaking between NASA, ESA and ASI, is currently in its second extension of the prime mission. The Cassini Solstice Mission (CSM) extends the mission's lifetime until Saturn's northern summer solstice in 2017. The Titan Orbital Science Team (TOST) has the task of integrating the science observations for all 56 targeted Titan flybys in the CSM. In order to balance Titan science across the entire set of flybys during the CSM, to optimize and influence the Titan flyby altitudes, and to decrease the future workload, TOST went through a "jumpstart" process before the start of the CSM. The "jumpstart" produced Master Timelines for each flyby, identifying prime science observations and allocating control of the spacecraft attitude to specific instrument teams. Three years after completing this long-range plan, TOST now faces a new challenge: incorporating changes into the Titan Science Plan without undoing the balance achieved during the jumpstart.

  5. Titan Orbiter with Aerorover Mission (TOAM)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sittler, Edward C.; Cooper, J. F.; Mahaffey, P.; Esper, J.; Fairbrother, D.; Farley, R.; Pitman, J.; Kojiro, D. R.; TOAM Team

    2006-12-01

    We propose to develop a new mission to Titan called Titan Orbiter with Aerorover Mission (TOAM). This mission is motivated by the recent discoveries of Titan, its atmosphere and its surface by the Huygens Probe, and a combination of in situ, remote sensing and radar mapping measurements of Titan by the Cassini orbiter. Titan is a body for which Astrobiology (i.e., prebiotic chemistry) will be the primary science goal of any future missions to it. TOAM is planned to use an orbiter and balloon technology (i.e., aerorover). Aerobraking will be used to put payload into orbit around Titan. The Aerorover will probably use a hot air balloon concept using the waste heat from the MMRTG 500 watts. Orbiter support for the Aerorover is unique to our approach for Titan. Our strategy to use an orbiter is contrary to some studies using just a single probe with balloon. Autonomous operation and navigation of the Aerorover around Titan will be required, which will include descent near to the surface to collect surface samples for analysis (i.e., touch and go technique). The orbiter can provide both relay station and GPS roles for the Aerorover. The Aerorover will have all the instruments needed to sample Titan’s atmosphere, surface, possible methane lakes-rivers, use multi-spectral imagers for surface reconnaissance; to take close up surface images; take core samples and deploy seismometers during landing phase. Both active and passive broadband remote sensing techniques will be used for surface topography, winds and composition measurements.

  6. The bulk composition of Titan's atmosphere.

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Trafton, L.

    1972-01-01

    Consideration of the physical constraints for Titan's atmosphere leads to a model which describes the bulk composition of the atmosphere in terms of observable parameters. Intermediate-resolution photometric scans of both Saturn and Titan, including scans of the Q branch of Titan's methane band, constrain these parameters in such a way that the model indicates the presence of another important atmospheric gas, namely, another bulk constituent or a significant thermal opacity. Further progress in determining the composition and state of Titan's atmosphere requires additional observations to eliminate present ambiguities. For this purpose, particular observational targets are suggested.

  7. Titan's Ammonia Feature

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Smythe, W.; Nelson, R.; Boryta, M.; Choukroun, M.

    2011-01-01

    NH3 has long been considered an important component in the formation and evolution of the outer planet satellites. NH3 is particularly important for Titan, since it may serve as the reservoir for atmospheric nitrogen. A brightening seen on Titan starting in 2004 may arise from a transient low-lying fog or surface coating of ammonia. The spectral shape suggests the ammonia is anhydrous, a molecule that hydrates quickly in the presence of water.

  8. The environment of Titan, 1975

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1976-01-01

    Information regarding the physical characteristics of Titan and atmospheric models necessary to support design and mission planning of spacecraft that are to orbit Titan, enter its atmosphere or land on its surface is given.

  9. Titan Extraterrestrial Land of Lakes

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2013-12-12

    A colorized flyover of Titan's hydrocarbon seas and lakes. Data was collected by the Cassini spacecraft radar instrument between 2004 and 2013 during several flybys of Titan. Heights of features are exaggerated 10 times.

  10. The Veils of Titan

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2004-05-06

    The veils of Saturn's most mysterious moon have begun to lift in Cassini's eagerly awaited first glimpse of the surface of Titan, a world where scientists believe organic matter rains from hazy skies and seas of liquid hydrocarbons dot a frigid surface. Surface features previously observed only from Earth-based telescopes are now visible in images of Titan taken in mid-April by Cassini through one of the narrow angle camera's spectral filters specifically designed to penetrate the thick atmosphere. The image scale is 230 kilometers (143 miles) per pixel, and it rivals the best Earth-based images. The two images displayed here show Titan from a vantage point 17 degrees below its equator, yielding a view from 50 degrees north latitude all the way to its south pole. The image on the left was taken four days after the image on the right. Titan rotated 90 degrees in that time. The two images combined cover a region extending halfway around the moon. The observed brightness variations suggest a diverse surface, with variations in average reflectivity on scales of a couple hundred kilometers. The images were taken through a narrow filter centered at 938 nanometers, a spectral region in which the only obstacle to light is the carbon-based, organic haze. Despite the rather long 38-second exposure times, there is no noticeable smear due to spacecraft motion. The images have been magnified 10 times and enhanced in contrast to bring out details. No further processing to remove the effects of the overlying atmosphere has been performed. The superimposed grid over the images illustrates the orientation of Titan -- north is up and rotated 25 degrees to the left -- as well as the geographical regions of the satellite that are illuminated and visible. The yellow curve marks the position of the boundary between day and night on Titan. The enhanced image contrast makes the region within 20 degrees of this day and night division darker than usual. The Sun illuminates Titan from the

  11. Titan II. Reliability and Aging Surveillance Program (RASP) Management Plan

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1974-12-02

    following organizations: SAC OGDEN ALC * LGBT *MMER XPQM *MMCO BM MMCP V DEFS MMCR DOKM MMCT DOTM MMEW ~- V -~ -DOXX S • ,. _ X PQ T * Indicates...age and service on the Titan II Weapon System. This responsibility includes publication and dissemina- tion of reports and information. CINCSAC/ LGBT ...semiannually by the scheduling subcommittee composed of CINCSAC/ LGBT and Ogden ALC/ MMCO and MMER. LGBT will have primary responsibility for scheduling

  12. Organic chemistry on Titan: Surface interactions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Thompson, W. Reid; Sagan, Carl

    1992-01-01

    The interaction of Titan's organic sediments with the surface (solubility in nonpolar fluids) is discussed. How Titan's sediments can be exposed to an aqueous medium for short, but perhaps significant, periods of time is also discussed. Interactions with hydrocarbons and with volcanic magmas are considered. The alteration of Titan's organic sediments over geologic time by the impacts of meteorites and comets is discussed.

  13. TSSM: The in situ exploration of Titan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Coustenis, A.; Lunine, J. I.; Lebreton, J. P.; Matson, D.; Reh, K.; Beauchamp, P.; Erd, C.

    2008-09-01

    The Titan Saturn System Mission (TSSM) mission was born when NASA and ESA decided to collaborate on two missions independently selected by each agency: the Titan and Enceladus mission (TandEM), and Titan Explorer, a 2007 Flagship study. TandEM, the Titan and Enceladus mission, was proposed as an L-class (large) mission in response to ESA's Cosmic Vision 2015-2025 Call. The mission concept is to perform remote and in situ investigations of Titan primarily, but also of Enceladus and Saturn's magentosphere. The two satellites are tied together by location and properties, whose remarkable natures have been partly revealed by the ongoing Cassini-Huygens mission. These bodies still hold mysteries requiring a complete exploration using a variety of vehicles and instruments. TSSM will study Titan as a system, including its upper atmosphere, the interactions with the magnetosphere, the neutral atmosphere, surface, interior, origin and evolution, as well as the astrobiological potential of Titan. It is an ambitious mission because its targets are two of the most exciting and challenging bodies in the Solar System. It is designed to build on but exceed the scientific and technological accomplishments of the Cassini- Huygens mission, exploring Titan and Enceladus in ways that are not currently possible (full close-up and in situ coverage over long periods of time for Titan, several close flybys of Enceladus). One overarching goal of the TSSM mission is to explore in situ the atmosphere and surface of Titan. In the current mission architecture, TSSM consists of an orbiter (under NASA's responsibility) with a large host of instruments which would perform several Enceladus and Titan flybys before stabilizing in an orbit around Titan alone, therein delivering in situ elements (a Montgolfière, or hot air balloon, and a probe/lander). The latter are being studied by ESA. The balloon will circumnavigate Titan above the equator at an altitude of about 10 km for several months. The

  14. Impact craters on Titan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wood, Charles A.; Lorenz, Ralph; Kirk, Randy; Lopes, Rosaly; Mitchell, Karl; Stofan, Ellen; ,

    2010-01-01

    Five certain impact craters and 44 additional nearly certain and probable ones have been identified on the 22% of Titan's surface imaged by Cassini's high-resolution radar through December 2007. The certain craters have morphologies similar to impact craters on rocky planets, as well as two with radar bright, jagged rims. The less certain craters often appear to be eroded versions of the certain ones. Titan's craters are modified by a variety of processes including fluvial erosion, mass wasting, burial by dunes and submergence in seas, but there is no compelling evidence of isostatic adjustments as on other icy moons, nor draping by thick atmospheric deposits. The paucity of craters implies that Titan's surface is quite young, but the modeled age depends on which published crater production rate is assumed. Using the model of Artemieva and Lunine (2005) suggests that craters with diameters smaller than about 35 km are younger than 200 million years old, and larger craters are older. Craters are not distributed uniformly; Xanadu has a crater density 2-9 times greater than the rest of Titan, and the density on equatorial dune areas is much lower than average. There is a small excess of craters on the leading hemisphere, and craters are deficient in the north polar region compared to the rest of the world. The youthful age of Titan overall, and the various erosional states of its likely impact craters, demonstrate that dynamic processes have destroyed most of the early history of the moon, and that multiple processes continue to strongly modify its surface. The existence of 24 possible impact craters with diameters less than 20 km appears consistent with the Ivanov, Basilevsky and Neukum (1997) model of the effectiveness of Titan's atmosphere in destroying most but not all small projectiles.

  15. Impact craters on Titan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wood, C.A.; Lorenz, R.; Kirk, R.; Lopes, R.; Mitchell, Ken; Stofan, E.

    2010-01-01

    Five certain impact craters and 44 additional nearly certain and probable ones have been identified on the 22% of Titan's surface imaged by Cassini's high-resolution radar through December 2007. The certain craters have morphologies similar to impact craters on rocky planets, as well as two with radar bright, jagged rims. The less certain craters often appear to be eroded versions of the certain ones. Titan's craters are modified by a variety of processes including fluvial erosion, mass wasting, burial by dunes and submergence in seas, but there is no compelling evidence of isostatic adjustments as on other icy moons, nor draping by thick atmospheric deposits. The paucity of craters implies that Titan's surface is quite young, but the modeled age depends on which published crater production rate is assumed. Using the model of Artemieva and Lunine (2005) suggests that craters with diameters smaller than about 35 km are younger than 200 million years old, and larger craters are older. Craters are not distributed uniformly; Xanadu has a crater density 2-9 times greater than the rest of Titan, and the density on equatorial dune areas is much lower than average. There is a small excess of craters on the leading hemisphere, and craters are deficient in the north polar region compared to the rest of the world. The youthful age of Titan overall, and the various erosional states of its likely impact craters, demonstrate that dynamic processes have destroyed most of the early history of the moon, and that multiple processes continue to strongly modify its surface. The existence of 24 possible impact craters with diameters less than 20 km appears consistent with the Ivanov, Basilevsky and Neukum (1997) model of the effectiveness of Titan's atmosphere in destroying most but not all small projectiles. ?? 2009 Elsevier Inc.

  16. Diurnal variations of Titan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cui, J.; Galand, M.; Yelle, R. V.; Vuitton, V.; Wahlund, J.-E.; Lavvas, P. P.; Mueller-Wodarg, I. C. F.; Kasprzak, W. T.; Waite, J. H.

    2009-04-01

    We present our analysis of the diurnal variations of Titan's ionosphere (between 1,000 and 1,400 km) based on a sample of Ion Neutral Mass Spectrometer (INMS) measurements in the Open Source Ion (OSI) mode obtained from 8 close encounters of the Cassini spacecraft with Titan. Though there is an overall ion depletion well beyond the terminator, the ion content on Titan's nightside is still appreciable, with a density plateau of ~700 cm-3 below ~1,300 km. Such a plateau is associated with the combination of distinct diurnal variations of light and heavy ions. Light ions (e.g. CH5+, HCNH+, C2H5+) show strong diurnal variation, with clear bite-outs in their nightside distributions. In contrast, heavy ions (e.g. c-C3H3+, C2H3CNH+, C6H7+) present modest diurnal variation, with significant densities observed on the nightside. We propose that the distinctions between light and heavy ions are associated with their different chemical loss pathways, with the former primarily through "fast" ion-neutral chemistry and the latter through "slow" electron dissociative recombination. The INMS data suggest day-to-night transport as an important source of ions on Titan's nightside, to be distinguished from the conventional scenario of auroral ionization by magnetospheric particles as the only ionizing source on the nightside. This is supported by the strong correlation between the observed night-to-day ion density ratios and the associated ion lifetimes. We construct a time-dependent ion chemistry model to investigate the effects of day-to-night transport on the ionospheric structures of Titan. The predicted diurnal variation has similar general characteristics to those observed, with some apparent discrepancies which could be reconciled by imposing fast horizontal thermal winds in Titan's upper atmosphere.

  17. Map of Titan - April 2011

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2011-10-26

    This global digital map of Saturn moon Titan was created using images taken by NASA Cassini spacecraft imaging science subsystem ISS. Because of the scattering of light by Titan dense atmosphere, no topographic shading is visible here.

  18. Titan Saturn System Mission Instrumentation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Coustenis, A.; Lunine, J.; Reh, K.; Lebreton, J.-P.; Erd, C.; Beauchamp, P.; Matson, D.

    2012-10-01

    The Titan Saturn System Mission (TSSM), another future mission proposed for Titan's exploration, includes an orbiter and two in situ elements: a hot-air balloon and a lake lander. The instrumentation of those two elements will be presented.

  19. Amino acidis derived from Titan tholins

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Khare, Bishun N.; Sagan, Carl; Ogino, Hiroshi; Nagy, Bartholomew; Er, Cevat

    1986-01-01

    The production of amino acids by acid treatment of Titan tholin is experimentally investigated. The synthesis of Titan tholin and the derivatization of amino acids to N-trifluoroacetyl isopropyl esters are described. The gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy analysis of the Titan tholins reveals the presence of glycine, alpha and beta alainine, and aspartic acid, and the total yield of amino acids is about 0.01.

  20. Titan's Methane Hydrological Cycle: Detection of Seasonal Change

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schaller, E. L.; Brown, M. E.; Roe, H. G.

    2007-08-01

    We have acquired whole disk spectra of Titan on over 100 nights with IRTF/SpeX during the 2006-2007 Titan season. The data encompass the spectral range of 0.8 to 2.4 microns at a resolution of 375. These disk- integrated spectra allow us to determine Titan's total fractional cloud coverage and altitudes of clouds present. The near lack of tropospheric cloud activity in these spectra is in sharp contrast to nearly every spectrum taken from 1995-1999 with UKIRT by Griffith et al. (1998 & 2000) who found rapidly varying clouds covering 0.5-9% of Titan's disk. The differences in these two similar datasets indicate a striking seasonal change in the behavior of Titan's clouds. Adaptive optics observations from Keck and Gemini also show markedly decreased cloud activity in the late southern summer era compared with the period surrounding southern summer solstice (October 2002). Observations of the latitudes, magnitudes, altitudes, and frequencies of Titan's clouds as Titan moves toward southern autumnal equinox in 2009 will help elucidate when and how Titan's methane hydrological cycle changes with season.

  1. Saturn's Titan: Searching for Surface Change

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nelson, R. M.; Kamp, L.; Matson, D. L.; Boryta, M. D.; Leader, F.; Baines, K. H.; Lopes, R.; Smythe, W. D.; Jauman, R.; Sotin, C.; Clark, R. N.; Cruikshank, D. P.; Drosart, P.; Hapke, B. W.; Buratti, B. J.; Brown, R. H.; Sicardy, B.; Lunine, J. I.; Combes, M.; Belucci, G.; Biebring, J.; Capaccioni, M.; Cerroni, P.; Corodini, A.; Formisano, V.; Filacchione, G.; Langevin, Y.; McCord, T.; Mennella, V.; Nicholson, P.

    2007-12-01

    The VIMS instrument on the Cassini spacecraft observes the surface of Titan through spectral 'windows' in its atmosphere where methane, the principal absorbing gas is transmitting. We previously have used VIMS to document changes in spectral reflectance and that have occurred on Titan's surface during Cassini's orbital tour at (latitude 26S, longitude 78W), (AGU spring meeting 2007). Having removed the possibility that the observed changes are either an atmospheric phenomenon or are the result of viewing angle (phase) effects, we conclude that physical changes in the chemistry or structure of the surface must be occurring. The size of the region suggests it may exceed the size of the largest active volcanic areas in the solar system. We now have explored additional sections of Titan's surface and have developed new techniques for locating surface changes over time. While some additional candidate areas for surface activity are suggested, confirmation is possible with the support of additional instruments on the Cassini Orbiter, particularly the radar instrument. The principal difficulty in implementing a coordinated program of observations with both instruments is due to the radar instrument's higher spatial resolution but small footprint on the surface relative to VIMS. In addition, the two instruments can not be used simultaneously on the same pass. Overlapping coverage will only be available after repeated flybys during Cassini's extended mission. This work done at JPL/CALTECH under contract with NASA

  2. Mapping products of Titan's surface

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Stephan, Katrin; Jaumann, Ralf; Karkoschka, Erich; Barnes, Jason W.; Tomasko, Martin G.; Turtle, Elizabeth P.; Le Corre, Lucille; Langhans, Mirjam; Le Mouelic, Stephane; Lorenz, Ralf D.; Perry, Jason; Brown, Robert H.; Lebreton, Jean-Pierre

    2009-01-01

    Remote sensing instruments aboard the Cassini spacecraft have been observed the surface of Titan globally in the infrared and radar wavelength ranges as well as locally by the Huygens instruments revealing a wealth of new morphological features indicating a geologically active surface. We present a summary of mapping products of Titan's surface derived from data of the remote sensing instruments onboard the Cassini spacecraft (ISS, VIMS, RADAR) as well as the Huygens probe (DISR) that were achieved during the nominal Cassini mission including an overview of Titan's recent nomenclature.

  3. Aerocapture Design Study for a Titan Polar Orbiter

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nixon, C. A.; Kirchman, F.; Esper, J.; Folta, D.; Mashiku, A.

    2016-03-01

    In 2014 a team at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) studied the feasibility of using active aerocapture to reduce the chemical ΔV requirements for inserting a small scientific satellite into Titan polar orbit. The scientific goals of the mission would be multi-spectral imaging and active radar mapping of Titan's surface and subsurface. The study objectives were to: (i) identify and select from launch window opportunities and refine the trajectory to Titan; (ii) study the aerocapture flight path and refine the entry corridor; (iii) design a carrier spacecraft and systems architecture; (iv) develop a scientific and engineering plan for the orbital portion of the mission. Study results include: (i) a launch in October 2021 on an Atlas V vehicle, using gravity assists from Earth and Venus to arrive at Titan in January 2031; (ii) initial aerocapture via an 8-km wide entry corridor to reach an initial 350-6000 km orbit, followed by aerobraking to reach a 350-1500 km orbit, and a periapse raise maneuver to reach a final 1500 km circular orbit; (iii) a three-part spacecraft system consisting of a cruise stage, radiator module, and orbiter inside a heat shield; (iv) a 22-month mission including station keeping to prevent orbital decay due to Saturn perturbations, with 240 Gb of compressed data returned. High-level issues identified include: (i) downlink capability - realistic downlink rates preclude the desired multi- spectral, global coverage of Titan's surface; (ii) power - demise of the NASA ASRG (Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator) program, and limited availability at present of MMRTGs (Multi-Mission Radioisotope Generators) needed for competed outer planet missions; (iii) thermal - external radiators must be carried to remove 4 kW of waste heat from MMRTGs inside the aeroshell, requiring heat pipes that pass through the aeroshell lid, compromising shielding ability; (iv) optical navigation to reach the entry corridor; (v) the NASA requirement of continuous

  4. Re-Engaging 'Youth at Risk' of Disengaging from Schooling through Rugby League Club Partnership: Unpacking the Pedagogic Practices of the Titans Learning Centre

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Whatman, Susan L.; Main, Katherine

    2018-01-01

    The youth learning re-engagement program known as the Titans Learning Centre (or TLC) is an approved alternative schooling program, developed in partnership with state education and a local National Rugby League (NRL) club, the 'Titans'. Students typically in Grade Three or Four complete a 10 week program, interacting with professional A grade NRL…

  5. The Lakes and Seas of Titan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hayes, Alexander G.

    2016-06-01

    Analogous to Earth's water cycle, Titan's methane-based hydrologic cycle supports standing bodies of liquid and drives processes that result in common morphologic features including dunes, channels, lakes, and seas. Like lakes on Earth and early Mars, Titan's lakes and seas preserve a record of its climate and surface evolution. Unlike on Earth, the volume of liquid exposed on Titan's surface is only a small fraction of the atmospheric reservoir. The volume and bulk composition of the seas can constrain the age and nature of atmospheric methane, as well as its interaction with surface reservoirs. Similarly, the morphology of lacustrine basins chronicles the history of the polar landscape over multiple temporal and spatial scales. The distribution of trace species, such as noble gases and higher-order hydrocarbons and nitriles, can address Titan's origin and the potential for both prebiotic and biotic processes. Accordingly, Titan's lakes and seas represent a compelling target for exploration.

  6. The rotation of Titan and Ganymede

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Van Hoolst, Tim; Coyette, Alexis; Baland, Rose-Marie; Trinh, Antony

    2016-10-01

    The rotation rates of Titan and Ganymede, the largest satellites of Saturn and Jupiter, are on average equal to their orbital mean motion. Here we discuss small deviations from the average rotation for both satellites and evaluate the polar motion of Titan induced by its surface fluid layers. We examine different causes at various time scales and assess possible consequences and the potential of using librations and polar motion as probes of the interior structure of the satellites.The rotation rate of Titan and Ganymede cannot be constant on the orbital time scale as a result of the gravitational torque of the central planet acting on the satellites. Titan is moreover expected to show significant polar motion and additional variations in the rotation rate due to angular momentum exchange with the atmosphere, mainly at seasonal periods. Observational evidence for deviations from the synchronous state has been reported several times for Titan but is unfortunately inconclusive. The measurements of the rotation variations are based on determinations of the shift in position of Cassini radar images taken during different flybys. The ESA JUICE (JUpiter ICy moons Explorer) mission will measure the rotation variations of Ganymede during its orbital phase around the satellite starting in 2032.We report on different theoretical aspects of the librations and polar motion. We consider the influence of the rheology of the ice shell and take into account Cassini measurements of the external gravitational field and of the topography of Titan and similar Galileo data about Ganymede. We also evaluate the librations and polar motion induced by Titan's hydrocarbon seas and use the most recent results of Titan's atmosphere dynamics. We finally evaluate the potential of rotation variations to constrain the satellite's interior structure, in particular its ice shell and ocean.

  7. Future Exploration of Titan and Enceladus

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Matson, D. L.; Coustenis, A.; Lunine, J.; Lebreton, J.; Reh, K.; Beauchamp, P.

    2009-05-01

    The future exploration of Titan and Enceladus has become very important for the planetary community. The study conducted last year of the Titan Saturn System Mission (TSSM) led to an announcement in which ESA and NASA prioritized future OPF missions, stating that TSSM is planned after EJSM (for details see http://www.lpi.usra.edu/opag/). TSSM consists of a TSSM Orbiter that would carry two in situ elements: the Titan Montgolfiere hot air balloon and the Titan Lake Lander. The mission could launch in the 2023-2025 timeframe on a trajectory to arrive ~9 years later for a 4-year mission in the Saturn system. Soon after arrival at Saturn, the montgolfiere would be delivered to Titan to begin its mission of airborne, scientific observations of Titan from an altitude of about 10 km. The montgolfiere would have a Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG) power system and would be designed to last at least 6-12 months in Titan's atmosphere. With the predicted winds and weather, that would be sufficient to circumnavigate the globe! On a subsequent fly-by, the TSSM orbiter would release the Lake Lander on a trajectory toward Titan for a targeted entry. It would descend through the atmosphere making scientific measurements, much like Huygens did, and then land and float on one of Titan's seas. This would be its oceanographic phase, making a physical and chemical assessment of the sea. The Lake Lander would operate 8-10 hours until its batteries become depleted. Following the delivery of the in situ elements, the TSSM orbiter would explore the Saturn system via a 2-year tour that includes in situ sampling of Enceladus' plumes as well as Titan flybys. After the Saturn system tour, the TSSM orbiter would enter orbit around Titan for a global survey phase. Synergistic and coordinated observations would be carried out between the TSSM orbiter and the in situ elements. The scientific requirements were developed by the international TSSM Joint Science Definition

  8. Integration of PanDA workload management system with Titan supercomputer at OLCF

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    De, K.; Klimentov, A.; Oleynik, D.; Panitkin, S.; Petrosyan, A.; Schovancova, J.; Vaniachine, A.; Wenaus, T.

    2015-12-01

    The PanDA (Production and Distributed Analysis) workload management system (WMS) was developed to meet the scale and complexity of LHC distributed computing for the ATLAS experiment. While PanDA currently distributes jobs to more than 100,000 cores at well over 100 Grid sites, the future LHC data taking runs will require more resources than Grid computing can possibly provide. To alleviate these challenges, ATLAS is engaged in an ambitious program to expand the current computing model to include additional resources such as the opportunistic use of supercomputers. We will describe a project aimed at integration of PanDA WMS with Titan supercomputer at Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF). The current approach utilizes a modified PanDA pilot framework for job submission to Titan's batch queues and local data management, with light-weight MPI wrappers to run single threaded workloads in parallel on Titan's multicore worker nodes. It also gives PanDA new capability to collect, in real time, information about unused worker nodes on Titan, which allows precise definition of the size and duration of jobs submitted to Titan according to available free resources. This capability significantly reduces PanDA job wait time while improving Titan's utilization efficiency. This implementation was tested with a variety of Monte-Carlo workloads on Titan and is being tested on several other supercomputing platforms. Notice: This manuscript has been authored, by employees of Brookhaven Science Associates, LLC under Contract No. DE-AC02-98CH10886 with the U.S. Department of Energy. The publisher by accepting the manuscript for publication acknowledges that the United States Government retains a non-exclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, world-wide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for United States Government purposes.

  9. Clash of the Titans

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Subramaniam, Karthigeyan

    2010-01-01

    WebQuests and the 5E learning cycle are titans of the science classroom. These popular inquiry-based strategies are most often used as separate entities, but the author has discovered that using a combined WebQuest and 5E learning cycle format taps into the inherent power and potential of both strategies. In the lesson, "Clash of the Titans,"…

  10. Synthesis of nanosized sodium titanates

    DOEpatents

    Hobbs, David T.; Taylor-Pashow, Kathryn M. L.; Elvington, Mark C.

    2015-09-29

    Methods directed to the synthesis and peroxide-modification of nanosized monosodium titanate are described. Methods include combination of reactants at a low concentration to a solution including a nonionic surfactant. The nanosized monosodium titanate can exhibit high selectivity for sorbing various metallic ions.

  11. Titan Topography: A Comparison Between Cassini Altimeter and SAR Imaging from Two Titan Flybys

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gim, Y.; Stiles, B.; Callahan, P. S.; Johnson, W. T.; Hensley, S.; Hamilton, G.; West, R.; Alberti, G.; Flamini, E.; Lorenz, R. D.; Zebker, H. A.; Cassini RADAR Team

    2007-12-01

    The Cassini RADAR has collected twelve altimeter data sets of Titan since the beginning of the Saturn Tour in 2004. Most of the altimeter measurements were made at high altitudes, from 4,000 km to 15,000 km, resulting in low spatial resolutions due to beam footprint sizes larger than 20 km, as well as short ground tracks less than 600 km. One flyby (T30) was dedicated to altimeter data collection from 15,000 km to the closest approach altitude of 950 km. This produced a beam footprint size of 6 km at the lowest altitude and an altimeter ground track of about 3,500 km covering Titan's surface from near the equator to high latitude areas near Titan's north pole. More importantly, the ground track is located inside the SAR swath viewed from an earlier Titan flyby (T28). This provides a rare opportunity to investigate Titan topography with a relatively high spatial resolution and compare nadir-looking altimeter data with side-looking SAR imaging. From altimeter data, we have measured the mean Titan radius of 2575.1 km +/- 0.1 km and observed rather complex topographical variations over a short distance. By comparing altimeter data and SAR images at altitudes below 2,000 km, we have found that there is a strong correlation between SAR brightness and altimeter waveform; SAR dark areas correspond to strong and sharp altimeter waveforms while SAR bright areas correspond to weak and diffused altimeter waveforms. The research described here was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

  12. Characterizing GEO Titan Transtage Fragmentations using Ground-based Measurements

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cowardin, H.; Anz-Meador, P.

    2016-01-01

    In a continued effort to better characterize the Geosynchronous Orbit (GEO) environment, NASA's Orbital Debris Program Office (ODPO) utilizes various ground-based optical assets to acquire photometric and spectral data of known debris associated with fragmentations in or near GEO. The Titan IIIC Transtage upper stage is known to have fragmented four times. Two of the four fragmentations were in GEO while a third Transtage fragmented in GEO transfer orbit. The forth fragmentation occurred in Low Earth Orbit. In order to better assess what may be causing these fragmentations, the NASA ODPO recently acquired a Titan Transtage test and display article that was previously in the custody of the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG) in Tucson, Arizona. After initial inspections at AMARG demonstrated that the test article was of sufficient fidelity to be of interest, the test article was brought to JSC to continue material analysis and historical documentation of the Titan Transtage. The Transtage will be a subject of forensic analysis using spectral measurements to compare with telescopic data; as well, a scale model will be created to use in the Optical Measurement Center for photometric analysis of an intact Transtage, including a BRDF. The following presentation will provide a review of the Titan Transtage, the current analysis that has been done to date, and the future work to be completed in support of characterizing the GEO and near GEO orbital debris environment.

  13. A FUSE Search for Argon on Titan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gladstone, G. R.; Link, R.; Stern, S. A.; Festou, M.; Waite, J. H.

    2002-09-01

    The origin of Titan's thick nitrogen and methane atmosphere is a compelling enigma. One key and still missing observable concerns the abundances of noble gases in general, and argon in particular. Detection of sufficient argon could indicate that the N2 and CO now found in the atmosphere came in with ice during Titan's accretion. Alternatively, if there is very little argon, then we have to turn to models starting with frozen ammonia, methane and water ice, indicating a more important role for the Saturn sub-nebula, and requiring subsequent modification by photochemistry. Current estimates on the fraction of argon in Titan's atmosphere are crude, and based only on indirect evidence, and range up to 25%. On Sept. 21, 2000, using the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) satellite, we performed an observation of Titan to search for argon and to make a survey of Titan's dayglow in the 90--115 nm FUSE bandpass. No emissions were found in the 18 ks exposure, although only 7.4 ks were obtained when FUSE was in Earth's shadow where terrestrial airglow contamination is minimal. While no Ar, N, or N2 emissions were detected, 2-σ upper limits of 4 R (for Ar 104.8 nm) and 20 R (for N 113.4 nm) are found using the best of the FUSE data. There is a bump on the terrestrial geocorona H Lyβ emission at 102.5 nm which may be due to Titan and a Titan Torus. The signal in the bump is about 400 R. Model estimates suggest that the Lyβ brightness of Titan should be about 20 R and the Titan Torus in the 30--700 R range. For an assumed argon abundance of 5% the 104.8 nm emission is predicted to be 7 R, so the argon estimate is constraining already. The nitrogen estimate is very close to the model expectation of 15 R. An accurate determination of the abundance of argon on Titan would be useful in preparing for the arrival of the Cassini orbiter and Huygens probe at the Saturn system, so further FUSE observations of Titan are planned. We gratefully acknowledge support from NASA

  14. The effects of upstream plasma properties on Titan's ionosphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ledvina, S. A.; Brecht, S. H.

    2016-12-01

    Cassini observations have found that the plasma and magnetic field conditions upstream of Titan are far more complex than they were thought to be after the Voyager encounter. Rymer et al., (2009) used the Cassini Plasma Spectrometer (CAPS) electron observations to classify the plasma conditions along Titan's orbit into 5 types (Plasma Sheet, Lobe, Mixed, Magnetosheath and Misc.). Nemeth et al., (2011) found that the CAPS ion observations could also be separated into the same plasma regions as defined by Rymer et al. Additionally the T-96 encounter found Titan in the solar wind adding a sixth classification. Understanding the effects of the variable upstream plasma conditions on Titan's plasma interaction and the evolution of Titan's ionosphere/atmosphere is one of the main objectives of the Cassini mission. To compliment the mission we perform hybrid simulations of Titan's plasma interaction to examine how the properties of the incident plasma (composition, density, temperature etc…) affect Titan's ionosphere. We examine how much ionospheric plasma is lost from Titan as well as the amount of mass and energy deposited into Titan's atmosphere.

  15. Flyover of Sotra Facula, Titan

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2010-12-14

    This frame from a movie is based on data from NASA Cassini spacecraft and shows a flyover of an area of Saturn moon Titan known as Sotra Facula. Scientists believe Sotra is the best case for an ice volcano, or cryovolcano, region on Titan.

  16. Thermal Ablation Modeling for Silicate Materials

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chen, Yih-Kanq

    2016-01-01

    A thermal ablation model for silicates is proposed. The model includes the mass losses through the balance between evaporation and condensation, and through the moving molten layer driven by surface shear force and pressure gradient. This model can be applied in ablation simulations of the meteoroid or glassy Thermal Protection Systems for spacecraft. Time-dependent axi-symmetric computations are performed by coupling the fluid dynamics code, Data-Parallel Line Relaxation program, with the material response code, Two-dimensional Implicit Thermal Ablation simulation program, to predict the mass lost rates and shape change. For model validation, the surface recession of fused amorphous quartz rod is computed, and the recession predictions reasonably agree with available data. The present parametric studies for two groups of meteoroid earth entry conditions indicate that the mass loss through moving molten layer is negligibly small for heat-flux conditions at around 1 MW/cm(exp. 2).

  17. Titan South Polar Cloud Burst

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2009-06-03

    This infrared image of Saturn's moon Titan shows a large burst of clouds in the moon's south polar region. These clouds form and move much like those on Earth, but in a much slower, more lingering fashion, new results from NASA's Cassini Spacecraft show. This image is a color composite, with red shown at a 5-micron wavelength, green at 2.7 microns, and blue at 2 microns. An infrared color mosaic is also used as a background image (red at 5 microns, green at 2 microns, blue at 1.3 microns). The images were taken by Cassini's visual and infrared mapping spectrometer during a flyby of Titan on March 26, 2007, known as T27. For a similar view see PIA12004. Titan's southern hemisphere still shows a very active meteorology (the cloud appears in white-reddish tones) even in 2007. According to climate models, these clouds should have faded out since 2005. Scientists have monitored Titan's atmosphere for three-and-a-half years, between July 2004 and December 2007, and observed more than 200 clouds. The way these clouds are distributed around Titan matches scientists' global circulation models. The only exception is timing—clouds are still noticeable in the southern hemisphere while fall is approaching. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA12005

  18. Chemical investigation of Titan and Triton tholins

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mcdonald, Gene D.; Thompson, W. R.; Heinrich, Michael; Khare, Bishun N.; Sagan, Carl

    1994-01-01

    We report chromatographic and spectroscopic analyses of both Titan and Triton tholins, organic solids made from the plasma irradiation of 0.9:0.1 and 0.999:0.001 N2/CH4 gas mixtures, respectively. The lower CH4 mixing ratio leads to a nitrogen-richer tholin (N/C greater than 1), probably including nitrogen heterocyclic compounds. Unlike Titan tholin, bulk Triton tholin is poor in nitriles. From high-pressure liquid chromatography, ultraviolet and infrared spectroscopy, and molecular weight estimation by gel filtration chromatography, we conclude that (1) several H2O-soluble fractions, each with distinct UV and IR spectral signatures, are present, (2) these fractions are not identical in the two tholins, (3) the H2O-soluble fractions of Titan tholins do not contain significant amounts of nitriles, despite the major role of nitriles in bulk Titan tholin, and (4) the H2O-soluble fractions of both tholins are mainly molcules containing about 10 to 50 (C + N) atoms. We report yields of amino acids upon hydrolysis of Titan and Triton tholins. Titan tholin is largely insoluble in the putative hydrocarbon lakes or oceans on Titan, but can yield the H2O-soluble species investigated here upon contact with transient (e.g., impact-generated) liquid water.

  19. Titan Global Map - June 2015

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2015-10-09

    This global digital map of Saturn's moon Titan was created using images taken by NASA's Cassini spacecraft's imaging science subsystem (ISS). The map was produced in June 2015 using data collected through Cassini's flyby on April 7, 2014, known as "T100." The images were taken using a filter centered at 938 nanometers, allowing researchers to examine variations in albedo (or inherent brightness) across the surface of Titan. Because of the scattering of light by Titan's dense atmosphere, no topographic shading is visible in these images. The map is an equidistant projection and has a scale of 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) per pixel. Actual resolution varies greatly across the map, with the best coverage (close to the map scale) along the equator near the center of the map at 180 degrees west longitude. The lowest resolution coverage can be seen in the northern mid-latitudes on the sub-Saturn hemisphere. Mapping coverage in the northern polar region has greatly improved since the previous version of this map in 2011 (see PIA14908). Large dark areas, now known to be liquid-hydrocarbon-filled lakes and seas, have since been documented at high latitudes. Titan's north pole was not well illuminated early in Cassini's mission, because it was winter in the northern hemisphere when the spacecraft arrived at Saturn. Cassini has been better able to observe northern latitudes in more recent years due to seasonal changes in solar illumination. This map is an update to the previous versions released in April 2011 and February 2009 (see PIA11149). Data from the past four years (the most recent data in the map is from April 2014) has completely filled in missing data in the north polar region and replaces the earlier imagery of the Xanadu region with higher quality data. A data gap of about 3 to 5 percent of Titan's surface still remains, located in the northern mid-latitudes on the sub-Saturn hemisphere of Titan. The uniform gray area in the northern hemisphere indicates a gap in the

  20. Heavy Ion Formation in Titan's Ionosphere: Magnetospheric Introduction of Free Oxygen and Source of Titan's Aerosols?

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sittler, E. C., Jr.; Hartle, R. E.; Cooper, J. F.; Johnson, R. E.; Coates, A.; dePater, imke; Strom, Daphne; Simoes, F.; Steele, A.; Robb, F.

    2007-01-01

    With the recent discovery of heavy ions, positive and negative, by the Cassini Plasma Spectrometer (CAPS) instrument in Titan's ionosphere, it reveals new possibilities for aerosol formation at Titan and the introduction of free oxygen to the aerosol chemistry from Saturn's magnetosphere with Enceladus as the primary oxygen source. One can estimate whether the heavy ions in the ionosphere are of sufficient number to account for all the aerosols, under what conditions are favorable for heavy ion formation and how they are introduced as seed particles deeper in Titan's atmosphere where the aerosols form and eventually find themselves on Titan's surface where unknown chemical processes can take place. Finally, what are the possibilities with regard to their chemistry on the surface with some free oxygen present in their seed particles?

  1. Size and shape of Saturn's moon Titan.

    PubMed

    Zebker, Howard A; Stiles, Bryan; Hensley, Scott; Lorenz, Ralph; Kirk, Randolph L; Lunine, Jonathan

    2009-05-15

    Cassini observations show that Saturn's moon Titan is slightly oblate. A fourth-order spherical harmonic expansion yields north polar, south polar, and mean equatorial radii of 2574.32 +/- 0.05 kilometers (km), 2574.36 +/- 0.03 km, and 2574.91 +/- 0.11 km, respectively; its mean radius is 2574.73 +/- 0.09 km. Titan's shape approximates a hydrostatic, synchronously rotating triaxial ellipsoid but is best fit by such a body orbiting closer to Saturn than Titan presently does. Titan's lack of high relief implies that most--but not all--of the surface features observed with the Cassini imaging subsystem and synthetic aperture radar are uncorrelated with topography and elevation. Titan's depressed polar radii suggest that a constant geopotential hydrocarbon table could explain the confinement of the hydrocarbon lakes to high latitudes.

  2. Size and shape of Saturn's moon Titan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Zebker, Howard A.; Stiles, Bryan; Hensley, Scott; Lorenz, Ralph; Kirk, Randolph L.; Lunine, Jonathan

    2009-01-01

    Cassini observations show that Saturn's moon Titan is slightly oblate. A fourth-order spherical harmonic expansion yields north polar, south polar, and mean equatorial radii of 2574.32 ± 0.05 kilometers (km), 2574.36 ± 0.03 km, and 2574.91 ± 0.11 km, respectively; its mean radius is 2574.73 ± 0.09 km. Titan's shape approximates a hydrostatic, synchronously rotating triaxial ellipsoid but is best fit by such a body orbiting closer to Saturn than Titan presently does. Titan's lack of high relief implies that most—but not all—of the surface features observed with the Cassini imaging subsystem and synthetic aperture radar are uncorrelated with topography and elevation. Titan's depressed polar radii suggest that a constant geopotential hydrocarbon table could explain the confinement of the hydrocarbon lakes to high latitudes.

  3. The Exploration of Titan and the Saturnian System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Coustenis, Athena

    The exploration of the outer solar system and in particular of the giant planets and their environments is an on-going process with the Cassini spacecraft currently around Saturn, the Juno mission to Jupiter preparing to depart and two large future space missions planned to launch in the 2020-2025 time frame for the Jupiter system and its satellites (Europa and Ganymede) on the one hand, and the Saturnian system and Titan on the other hand [1,2]. Titan, Saturn's largest satellite, is the only other object in our Solar system to possess an extensive nitrogen atmosphere, host to an active organic chemistry, based on the interaction of N2 with methane (CH4). Following the Voyager flyby in 1980, Titan has been intensely studied from the ground-based large telescopes (such as the Keck or the VLT) and by artificial satellites (such as the Infrared Space Observatory and the Hubble Space Telescope) for the past three decades. Prior to Cassini-Huygens, Titan's atmospheric composition was thus known to us from the Voyager missions and also through the explorations by the ISO. Our perception of Titan had thus greatly been enhanced accordingly, but many questions remained as to the nature of the haze surrounding the satellite and the composition of the surface. The recent revelations by the Cassini-Huygens mission have managed to surprise us with many discoveries [3-8] and have yet to reveal more of the interesting aspects of the satellite. The Cassini-Huygens mission to the Saturnian system has been an extraordinary success for the planetary community since the Saturn-Orbit-Insertion (SOI) in July 2004 and again the very successful probe descent and landing of Huygens on January 14, 2005. One of its main targets was Titan. Titan was revealed to be a complex world more like the Earth than any other: it has a dense mostly nitrogen atmosphere and active climate and meteorological cycles where the working fluid, methane, behaves under Titan conditions the way that water does on

  4. Titan Lingering Clouds

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2009-06-03

    Lots of clouds are visible in this infrared image of Saturn's moon Titan. These clouds form and move much like those on Earth, but in a much slower, more lingering fashion, new results from NASA's Cassini spacecraft show. Scientists have monitored Titan's atmosphere for three-and-a-half years, between July 2004 and December 2007, and observed more than 200 clouds. The way these clouds are distributed around Titan matches scientists' global circulation models. The only exception is timing—clouds are still noticeable in the southern hemisphere while fall is approaching. Three false-color images make up this mosaic and show the clouds at 40 to 50 degrees mid-latitude. The images were taken by Cassini's visual and infrared mapping spectrometer during a close flyby of Titan on Sept. 7, 2006, known as T17. For a similar view see PIA12005. Each image is a color composite, with red shown at the 2-micron wavelength, green at 1.6 microns, and blue at 2.8 microns. An infrared color mosaic is also used as a background (red at 5 microns, green at 2 microns and blue at 1.3 microns). The characteristic elongated mid-latitude clouds, which are easily visible in bright bluish tones are still active even late into 2006-2007. According to climate models, these clouds should have faded out since 2005. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA12004

  5. ISO observations of Titan with SWS/grating

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Coustenis, A.; Encrenaz, T.; Salama, A.; Lellouch, E.; Gautier, D.; Kessler, M. F.; deGraauw, T.; Samuelson, R. E.; Bjoraker, G.; Orton, G.

    1997-01-01

    The observations of Titan performed by the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) short wavelength spectrometer (SWS), in the 2 micrometer to 45 micrometer region using the grating mode, are reported on. Special attention is given to data from Titan concerning 7 micrometer to 45 micrometer spectral resolution. Future work for improving Titan's spectra investigation is suggested.

  6. Seasonal Changes in Titan's Meteorology

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Turtle, E. P.; DelGenio, A. D.; Barbara, J. M.; Perry, J. E.; Schaller, E. L.; McEwen, A. S.; West, R. A.; Ray, T. L.

    2011-01-01

    The Cassini Imaging Science Subsystem has observed Titan for 1/4 Titan year, and we report here the first evidence of seasonal shifts in preferred locations of tropospheric methane clouds. South \\polar convective cloud activity, common in late southern summer, has become rare. North \\polar and northern mid \\latitude clouds appeared during the approach to the northern spring equinox in August 2009. Recent observations have shown extensive cloud systems at low latitudes. In contrast, southern mid \\latitude and subtropical clouds have appeared sporadically throughout the mission, exhibiting little seasonality to date. These differences in behavior suggest that Titan s clouds, and thus its general circulation, are influenced by both the rapid temperature response of a low \\thermal \\inertia surface and the much longer radiative timescale of Titan s cold thick troposphere. North \\polar clouds are often seen near lakes and seas, suggesting that local increases in methane concentration and/or lifting generated by surface roughness gradients may promote cloud formation. Citation

  7. Prebiotic-like chemistry on Titan.

    PubMed

    Raulin, François; Brassé, Coralie; Poch, Olivier; Coll, Patrice

    2012-08-21

    Titan, the largest satellite of Saturn, is the only one in the solar system with a dense atmosphere. Mainly composed of dinitrogen with several % of methane, this atmosphere experiences complex organic processes, both in the gas and aerosol phases, which are of prebiotic interest and within an environment of astrobiological interest. This tutorial review presents the different approaches which can be followed to study such an exotic place and its chemistry: observation, theoretical modeling and experimental simulation. It describes the Cassini-Huygens mission, as an example of observational tools, and gives the new astrobiologically oriented vision of Titan which is now available by coupling the three approaches. This includes the many analogies between Titan and the Earth, in spite of the much lower temperature in the Saturn system, the complex organic chemistry in the atmosphere, from the gas to the aerosol phases, but also the potential organic chemistry on Titan's surface, and in its possible internal water ocean.

  8. Impact Craters on Titan? Cassini RADAR View

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wood, Charles A.; Lopes, Rosaly; Stofan, Ellen R.; Paganelli, Flora; Elachi, Charles

    2005-01-01

    Titan is a planet-size (diameter of 5,150 km) satellite of Saturn that is currently being investigated by the Cassini spacecraft. Thus far only one flyby (Oct. 26, 2004; Ta) has occurred when radar images were obtained. In February, 2005, and approximately 20 more times in the next four years, additional radar swaths will be acquired. Each full swath images about 1% of Titan s surface at 13.78 GHz (Ku-band) with a maximum resolution of 400 m. The Ta radar pass [1] demonstrated that Titan has a solid surface with multiple types of landforms. However, there is no compelling detection of impact craters in this first radar swath. Dione, Tethys and other satellites of Saturn are intensely cratered, there is no way that Titan could have escaped a similar impact cratering past; thus there must be ongoing dynamic surface processes that erase impact craters (and other landforms) on Titan. The surface of Titan must be very young and the resurfacing rate must be significantly higher than the impact cratering rate.

  9. The tides of Titan.

    PubMed

    Iess, Luciano; Jacobson, Robert A; Ducci, Marco; Stevenson, David J; Lunine, Jonathan I; Armstrong, John W; Asmar, Sami W; Racioppa, Paolo; Rappaport, Nicole J; Tortora, Paolo

    2012-07-27

    We have detected in Cassini spacecraft data the signature of the periodic tidal stresses within Titan, driven by the eccentricity (e = 0.028) of its 16-day orbit around Saturn. Precise measurements of the acceleration of Cassini during six close flybys between 2006 and 2011 have revealed that Titan responds to the variable tidal field exerted by Saturn with periodic changes of its quadrupole gravity, at about 4% of the static value. Two independent determinations of the corresponding degree-2 Love number yield k(2) = 0.589 ± 0.150 and k(2) = 0.637 ± 0.224 (2σ). Such a large response to the tidal field requires that Titan's interior be deformable over time scales of the orbital period, in a way that is consistent with a global ocean at depth.

  10. Titan through Time: Evolution of Titan's Atmosphere and its Hydrocarbon Cycle on the Surface

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gilliam, Ashley E.

    The Introduction and Appendix i-A outline briefly the history of Titan exploration since its discovery by Christiaan Huygens in 1675 through the recent International Mission of Cassini-Huygens.. Chapter 1: This chapter discusses two possible pathways of loss of the two main gases from Titan's post-accretional atmosphere, methane (CH 4) and ammonia (NH3), by the mechanisms of thermal escape and emission from the interior coupled with thermal escape. Chapter 2: In this chapter, a simple photolysis model is created, where the second most abundant component of the present-day Titan atmosphere, methane (CH4), can either escape the atmosphere or undergo photolytic conversion to ethane (C2H6). Chapter 3: This chapter examines different fluvial features on Titan, identified by the Cassini spacecraft, and evaluates the possibilities of channel formation by two mechanisms: dissolution of ice by a concentrated solution of ammonium sulfate, and by mechanical erosion by flow of liquid ammonia and liquid ethane. Chapter 4: This chapter presents: (1) new explicit mathematical solutions of mixed 1st and 2nd order chemical reactions, represented by ordinary differential first-degree and Riccati equations; (2) the computed present-day concentrations of the three gases in Titan's scale atmosphere, treated as at near-steady state; and (3) an analysis of the reported and computed atmospheric concentrations of CH4, CH 3, and C2H6 on Titan, based on the reaction rate parameters of the species, the rate parameters taken as constants representative of their mean values. Chapter 5: This chapter examines the possible reactions of methane formation in terms of the thermodynamic relationships of the reactions that include pure carbon as graphite, the gases H2, CO2, H2 O, and serpentinization and magnetite formation from olivine fayalite. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.).

  11. Titan LEAF: A Sky Rover Granting Targeted Access to Titan's Lakes and Plains

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ross, Floyd; Lee, Greg; Sokol, Daniel; Goldman, Benjamin; Bolisay, Linden

    2016-10-01

    Northrop Grumman, in collaboration with L'Garde Inc. and Global Aerospace Corporation (GAC), has been developing the Titan Lifting Entry Atmospheric Flight (T-LEAF) sky rover to roam the atmosphere and observe at close quarters the lakes and plains of Titan. T-LEAF also supports surface exploration and science by providing precision delivery of in situ instruments to the surface.T-LEAF is a maneuverable, buoyant air vehicle. Its aerodynamic shape provides its maneuverability, and its internal helium envelope reduces propulsion power requirements and also the risk of crashing. Because of these features, T-LEAF is not restricted to following prevailing wind patterns. This freedom of mobility allows it be commanded to follow the shorelines of Titan's methane lakes, for example, or to target very specific surface locations.T-LEAF utilizes a variable power propulsion system, from high power at ~200W to low power at ~50W. High power mode uses the propellers and control surfaces for additional mobility and maneuverability. It also allows the vehicle to hover over specific locations for long duration surface observations. Low power mode utilizes GAC's Titan Winged Aerobot (TWA) concept, currently being developed with NASA funding, which achieves guided flight without the use of propellers or control surfaces. Although slower than high powered flight, this mode grants increased power to science instruments while still maintaining control over direction of travel.Additionally, T-LEAF is its own entry vehicle, with its leading edges protected by flexible thermal protection system (f-TPS) materials already being tested by NASA's Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (HIAD) group. This f-TPS technology allows T-LEAF to inflate in space, like HIAD, and then enter the atmosphere fully deployed. This approach accommodates entry velocities from as low as ~1.8 km/s if entering from Titan orbit, up to ~6 km/s if entering directly from Saturn orbit, like the Huygens probe

  12. Diurnal variations of Titan's ionosphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cui, J.; Galand, M.; Yelle, R. V.; Vuitton, V.; Wahlund, J.-E.; Lavvas, P. P.; Müller-Wodarg, I. C. F.; Cravens, T. E.; Kasprzak, W. T.; Waite, J. H.

    2009-06-01

    We present our analysis of the diurnal variations of Titan's ionosphere (between 1000 and 1300 km) based on a sample of Ion Neutral Mass Spectrometer (INMS) measurements in the Open Source Ion (OSI) mode obtained from eight close encounters of the Cassini spacecraft with Titan. Although there is an overall ion depletion well beyond the terminator, the ion content on Titan's nightside is still appreciable, with a density plateau of ˜700 cm-3 below ˜1300 km. Such a plateau is a combined result of significant depletion of light ions and modest depletion of heavy ones on Titan's nightside. We propose that the distinctions between the diurnal variations of light and heavy ions are associated with their different chemical loss pathways, with the former primarily through “fast” ion-neutral chemistry and the latter through “slow” electron dissociative recombination. The strong correlation between the observed night-to-day ion density ratios and the associated ion lifetimes suggests a scenario in which the ions created on Titan's dayside may survive well to the nightside. The observed asymmetry between the dawn and dusk ion density profiles also supports such an interpretation. We construct a time-dependent ion chemistry model to investigate the effect of ion survival associated with solid body rotation alone as well as superrotating horizontal winds. For long-lived ions, the predicted diurnal variations have similar general characteristics to those observed. However, for short-lived ions, the model densities on the nightside are significantly lower than the observed values. This implies that electron precipitation from Saturn's magnetosphere may be an additional and important contributor to the densities of the short-lived ions observed on Titan's nightside.

  13. Titan's atmosphere and surface in 2026: the AVIATR Titan Airplane Mission

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McKay, Chris; Barnes, Jason W.; Lemke, Lawrence; Beyer, Ross A.; Radebaugh, Jani; Atkinson, David; Flasar, F. Michael

    2010-04-01

    This poster describes the scientific, engineering, and operations planning for a Discovery / New Frontiers class Titan airplane mission, AVIATR (Aerial Vehicle for In-situ and Airborne Titan Reconnaissance). The mission would focus on Titan's surface and atmospheric diversity, using high-resolution imaging, near-infrared spectroscopy, a haze spectrometer, and atmospheric structure measurements. Previous mission studies have elected to use hot-air balloons to achieve similar science goals. These hot-air balloon concepts require the waste heat from inefficient thermocouple-based Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs) for buoyancy. New Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generators (ASRGs) are much more efficient than RTGs both in terms of power produced per gram of plutonium-238 and the total watts-per-kilogram of the power unit itself. However, they are so efficient that they are much less effective for use in heating a hot-air balloon. Similarly, old-style RTGs produce insufficient specific power for heavier-than-air flight, but the use of 2 ASRGs can support a 120 kg airplane for a long-duration mission at Titan. The AVIATR airplane concept has several advantages in its science capabilities relative to a balloon, including the ability to target any site of interest, remaining on the dayside, stereo and repeat coverage, and easy altitude changes. It also possesses engineering advantages over a balloon like low total mass, a more straightforward deployment sequence, direct-to-Earth communications capability, and a more robust airframe.

  14. Titan and habitable planets around M-dwarfs.

    PubMed

    Lunine, Jonathan I

    2010-01-01

    The Cassini-Huygens mission discovered an active "hydrologic cycle" on Saturn's giant moon Titan, in which methane takes the place of water. Shrouded by a dense nitrogen-methane atmosphere, Titan's surface is blanketed in the equatorial regions by dunes composed of solid organics, sculpted by wind and fluvial erosion, and dotted at the poles with lakes and seas of liquid methane and ethane. The underlying crust is almost certainly water ice, possibly in the form of gas hydrates (clathrate hydrates) dominated by methane as the included species. The processes that work the surface of Titan resemble in their overall balance no other moon in the solar system; instead, they are most like that of the Earth. The presence of methane in place of water, however, means that in any particular planetary system, a body like Titan will always be outside the orbit of an Earth-type planet. Around M-dwarfs, planets with a Titan-like climate will sit at 1 AU--a far more stable environment than the approximately 0.1 AU where Earth-like planets sit. However, an observable Titan-like exoplanet might have to be much larger than Titan itself to be observable, increasing the ratio of heat contributed to the surface atmosphere system from internal (geologic) processes versus photons from the parent star.

  15. Dragonfly: In Situ Exploration of Titan's Organic Chemistry and Habitability

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Turtle, E. P.; Barnes, J. W.; Trainer, M. G.; Lorenz, R. D.

    2017-12-01

    Titan's abundant complex carbon-rich chemistry, interior ocean, and past presence of liquid water on the surface make it an ideal destination to study prebiotic chemical processes and document the habitability of an extraterrestrial environment. Titan exploration is a high science priority due to the level of organic synthesis that it supports. Moreover, opportunities for organics to have interacted with liquid water at the surface (e.g., in impact melt sheets) increase the potential for chemical processes to progress further, providing an unparalleled opportunity to investigate prebiotic chemistry, as well as to search for signatures of potential water-based or even hydrocarbon-based life. The diversity of Titan's surface materials and environments drives the scientific need to be able to sample a variety of locations, thus mobility is key for in situ measurements. Titan's atmosphere is 4 times denser than Earth's reducing the wing/rotor area required to generate a given amount of lift, and the low gravity reduces the required magnitude of lift, making heavier-than-air mobility highly efficient. Dragonfly is a rotorcraft lander mission proposed to NASA's New Frontiers Program to take advantage of Titan's unique natural laboratory to understand how far chemistry can progress in environments that provide key ingredients for life. Measuring the compositions of materials in different environments will reveal how far organic chemistry has progressed. Surface material can be sampled into a mass spectrometer to identify the chemical components available and processes at work to produce biologically relevant compounds. Bulk elemental surface composition can be determined by a neutron-activated gamma-ray spectrometer. Meteorology measurements can characterize Titan's atmosphere and diurnal and spatial variations therein. Geologic features can be characterized via remote-sensing observations, which also provide context for samples. Seismic sensing can probe subsurface

  16. Titan cells confer protection from phagocytosis in Cryptococcus neoformans infections.

    PubMed

    Okagaki, Laura H; Nielsen, Kirsten

    2012-06-01

    The human fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans produces an enlarged "titan" cell morphology when exposed to the host pulmonary environment. Titan cells exhibit traits that promote survival in the host. Previous studies showed that titan cells are not phagocytosed and that increased titan cell production in the lungs results in reduced phagocytosis of cryptococcal cells by host immune cells. Here, the effect of titan cell production on host-pathogen interactions during early stages of pulmonary cryptococcosis was explored. The relationship between titan cell production and phagocytosis was found to be nonlinear; moderate increases in titan cell production resulted in profound decreases in phagocytosis, with significant differences occurring within the first 24 h of the infection. Not only were titan cells themselves protected from phagocytosis, but titan cell formation also conferred protection from phagocytosis to normal-size cryptococcal cells. Large particles introduced into the lungs were not phagocytosed, suggesting the large size of titan cells protects against phagocytosis. The presence of large particles was unable to protect smaller particles from phagocytosis, revealing that titan cell size alone is not sufficient to provide the observed cross-protection of normal-size cryptococcal cells. These data suggest that titan cells play a critical role in establishment of the pulmonary infection by promoting the survival of the entire population of cryptococcal cells.

  17. Titan's geoid and hydrology: implications for Titan's geological evolution

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sotin, Christophe; Seignovert, Benoit; Lawrence, Kenneth; MacKenzie, Shannon; Barnes, Jason; Brown, Robert

    2014-05-01

    A 1x1 degree altitude map of Titan is constructed from the degree 4 gravity potential [1] and Titan's shape [2] determined by the Radio Science measurements and RADAR observations of the Cassini mission. The amplitude of the latitudinal altitude variations is equal to 300 m compared to 600 m for the amplitude of the latitudinal shape variations. The two polar caps form marked depressions with an abrupt change in topography at exactly 60 degrees at both caps. Three models are envisaged to explain the low altitude of the polar caps: (i) thinner ice crust due to higher heat flux at the poles, (ii) fossil shape acquired if Titan had higher spin rate in the past, and (iii) subsidence of the crust following the formation of a denser layer of clathrates as ethane rain reacts with the H2O ice crust [3]. The later model is favored because of the strong correlation between the location of the cloud system during the winter season and the latitude of the abrupt change in altitude. Low altitude polar caps would be the place where liquids would run to and eventually form large seas. Indeed, the large seas of Titan are found at the deepest locations at the North Pole. However, the lakes and terrains considered to be evaporite candidates due to their spectral characteristics in the infrared [4,5] seem to be perched. Lakes may have been filled during Titan's winter and then slowly evaporated leaving material on the surface. Interestingly, the largest evaporite deposits are located at the equator in a deep depression 150 m below the altitude of the northern seas. This observation seems to rule out the presence of a global subsurface hydrocarbon reservoir unless the evaporation rate at the equator is faster than the transport of fluids from the North Pole to the equator. This work has been performed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under contract to NASA. [1] Iess L. et al. (2012) Science, doi 10.1126/science.1219631. [2] Lorenz R.D. (2013

  18. Planetary science: Titan's lost seas found

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sotin, Christophe

    2007-01-01

    When the Cassini spacecraft found no methane ocean swathing Saturn's moon Titan, it was a blow to proponents of an Earth-like world. The discovery of northern lakes on Titan gives them reason for cheer.

  19. Titan

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Flasar, F. M.

    1999-01-01

    With a launch in December 2001, Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) can observe Titan in the interval after Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) but before the onset of observations by Cassini. By virtue of its broad spectral coverage in the thermal infrared, 10-180 micron, its moderately high spectral resolution, approaching lambda/delta lambda=600 over part of this wavelength range, and the very high sensitivity of its helium- cooled detectors, the Infrared Spectrometer (IRS) and MIPS on SIRTF can address several issues raised through earlier observations by the Voyager IRIS experiment and by ISO. These include, for example, a better characterization of the vertical distribution of water in Titan's middle and upper atmospheres and the discovery of new compounds, such as allene or proprionitrile. This talk will address the temperature- and composition-sounding capabilities of SIRTF, particularly in the context of how they will complement Cassini observations and aid in their planning.

  20. Aerocapture Design Study for a Titan Polar Orbiter

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nixon, Conor A.; Kirchman, Frank; Esper, Jaime; Folta, David; Mashiku, Alinda

    2016-01-01

    In 2014 a team at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) studied the feasibility of using active aerocapture to reduce the chemical Delta V requirements for inserting a small scientific satellite into Titan polar orbit. The scientific goals of the mission would be multi-spectral imaging and active radar mapping of Titan's surface and subsurface. The study objectives were to: (i) identify and select from launch window opportunities and refine the trajectory to Titan; (ii) study the aerocapture flight path and refine the entry corridor; (iii) design a carrier spacecraft and systems architecture; (iv) develop a scientific and engineering plan for the orbital portion of the mission. Study results include: (i) a launch in October 2021 on an Atlas V vehicle, using gravity assists from Earth and Venus to arrive at Titan in January 2031; (ii) initial aerocapture via an 8-km wide entry corridor to reach an initial 350X6000 km orbit, followed by aerobraking to reach a 350X1500 km orbit, and a periapse raise maneuver to reach a final 1500 km circular orbit; (iii) a three-part spacecraft system consisting of a cruise stage, radiator module, and orbiter inside a heat shield; (iv) a 22-month mission including station keeping to prevent orbital decay due to Saturn perturbations, with 240 Gb of compressed data returned. High-level issues identified include: (i) downlink capability - realistic downlink rates preclude the desired multi-spectral, global coverage of Titan's surface; (ii) power - demise of the NASA ASRG (Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator) program, and limited availability at present of MMRTGs (Multi-Mission Radioisotope Generators) needed for competed outer planet missions; (iii) thermal - external radiators must be carried to remove 4 kW of waste heat from MMRTGs inside the aeroshell, requiring heat pipes that pass through the aeroshell lid, compromising shielding ability; (iv) optical navigation to reach the entry corridor; (v) the NASA requirement of

  1. Interaction of Titan's ionosphere with Saturn's magnetosphere.

    PubMed

    Coates, Andrew J

    2009-02-28

    Titan is the only Moon in the Solar System with a significant permanent atmosphere. Within this nitrogen-methane atmosphere, an ionosphere forms. Titan has no significant magnetic dipole moment, and is usually located inside Saturn's magnetosphere. Atmospheric particles are ionized both by sunlight and by particles from Saturn's magnetosphere, mainly electrons, which reach the top of the atmosphere. So far, the Cassini spacecraft has made over 45 close flybys of Titan, allowing measurements in the ionosphere and the surrounding magnetosphere under different conditions. Here we review how Titan's ionosphere and Saturn's magnetosphere interact, using measurements from Cassini low-energy particle detectors. In particular, we discuss ionization processes and ionospheric photoelectrons, including their effect on ion escape from the ionosphere. We also discuss one of the unexpected discoveries in Titan's ionosphere, the existence of extremely heavy negative ions up to 10000amu at 950km altitude.

  2. PEROXOTITANATE- AND MONOSODIUM METAL-TITANATE COMPOUNDS AS INHIBITORS OF BACTERIAL GROWTH

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hobbs, D.

    2011-01-19

    Sodium titanates are ion-exchange materials that effectively bind a variety of metal ions over a wide pH range. Sodium titanates alone have no known adverse biological effects but metal-exchanged titanates (or metal titanates) can deliver metal ions to mammalian cells to alter cell processes in vitro. In this work, we test a hypothesis that metal-titanate compounds inhibit bacterial growth; demonstration of this principle is one prerequisite to developing metal-based, titanate-delivered antibacterial agents. Focusing initially on oral diseases, we exposed five species of oral bacteria to titanates for 24 h, with or without loading of Au(III), Pd(II), Pt(II), and Pt(IV), andmore » measuring bacterial growth in planktonic assays through increases in optical density. In each experiment, bacterial growth was compared with control cultures of titanates or bacteria alone. We observed no suppression of bacterial growth by the sodium titanates alone, but significant (p < 0.05, two-sided t-tests) suppression was observed with metal-titanate compounds, particularly Au(III)-titanates, but with other metal titanates as well. Growth inhibition ranged from 15 to 100% depending on the metal ion and bacterial species involved. Furthermore, in specific cases, the titanates inhibited bacterial growth 5- to 375-fold versus metal ions alone, suggesting that titanates enhanced metal-bacteria interactions. This work supports further development of metal titanates as a novel class of antibacterials.« less

  3. A whiff of nebular gas in Titan's atmosphere - Potential implications for the conditions and timing of Titan's formation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Glein, Christopher R.

    2017-09-01

    In situ data from the GCMS instrument on the Huygens probe indicate that Titan's atmosphere contains small amounts of the primordial noble gases 36Ar and 22Ne (tentative detection), but it is unknown how they were obtained by the satellite. Based on the apparent similarity in the 22Ne/36Ar (atom) ratio between Titan's atmosphere and the solar composition, a previously neglected hypothesis for the origin of primordial noble gases in Titan's atmosphere is suggested - these species may have been acquired near the end of Titan's formation, when the moon could have gravitationally captured some nebular gas that would have been present in its formation environment (the Saturnian subnebula). These noble gases may be remnants of a primary atmosphere. This could be considered the simplest hypothesis to explain the 22Ne/36Ar ratio observed at Titan. However, the 22Ne/36Ar ratio may not be exactly solar if these species can be fractionated by external photoevaporation in the solar nebula, atmospheric escape from Titan, or sequestration on the surface of Titan. While the GCMS data are consistent with a 22Ne/36Ar ratio of 0.05 to 2.5 times solar (1σ range), simple estimates that attempt to account for some of the effects of these evolutionary processes suggest a sub-solar ratio, which may be depleted by approximately one order of magnitude. Models based on capture of nebular gas can explain why the GCMS did not detect any other primordial noble gas isotopes, as their predicted abundances are below the detection limits (especially for 84Kr and 132Xe). It is also predicted that atmospheric Xe on Titan should be dominated by radiogenic 129Xe if the source of primordial Xe is nebular gas. Of order 10-2-10-1 bar of primordial H2 may have been captured along with the noble gases from a gas-starved disk, but this H2 would have quickly escaped from the initial atmosphere. To have the opportunity to capture nebular gas, Titan should have formed within ∼10 Myr of the formation of the

  4. Evaluating the cause(s) of Ti, Ta, and Nb (TITAN) enrichment in ocean island basalts using LA-ICP-MS

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lyakov, J.; Durkin, K.; Hirsch, L.; Peters, B.; Hattingh, R.; Day, J. M.

    2017-12-01

    Titanium, Ta, and Nb (TITAN) enrichments in some ocean island basalt (OIB) lavas have been attributed to mantle source, or to partial melting and fractional crystallization Iprocesses. TITAN anomalies in the mantle sources of OIB would imply these trace elements can be used to track mantle heterogeneity in a manner similar to some isotopic tracers (e.g., He, Os, W), whereas a petrogenetic process to account for TITAN anomalies would be more prosaic. To further evaluate this issue, we have performed laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) of phenocryst phases and matrix on petrographically well-characterized polished-sections of OIB samples. These samples come from five ocean island archipelagos (Canary Islands, the Azores, Samoa, Tubuai'i, Réunion), and are used to assess the citing of Ti, Ta, Nb and associated trace-elements within bulk-rocks. We find poorly-defined but broadly positive correlations between olivine and clinopyroxene modal abundance and Ta/Ta*, Nb/Nb*, but no correlation with Ti/Ti* (where, for example, Ti/Ti* is the primitive mantle normalized ratio, written as: Ti/√[Sm × Tb]). Abundances of olivine and clinopyroxene with samples spanned a wide-range, from 0-70 modal %. We determined trace-element abundances by LA-ICP-MS in a sub-set of samples for major (olivine, clinopyroxene) and minor (e.g., magnetite) phenocryst phases, and for the typically vitrophyric to partly crystallized matrices of samples. Modal reconstruction relative to the bulk rock are broadly similar, although the Ta/Ta*, Nb/Nb* and, especially Ti/Ti* anomalies cannot always be reproduced, especially if Fe-Ti oxide phases were not analyzed due to their limited presence within polished sections. LA-ICP-MS analyses reveal that, while TITAN anomalies are dominantly preserved in the matrix and oxide phases, the role of fractional crystallization of olivine and clinopyroxene is a controlling factor in the magnitude of TITAN anomaly generated. Our

  5. Coupled atmosphere-ocean models of Titan's past

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mckay, Christopher P.; Pollack, James B.; Lunine, Jonathan I.; Courtin, Regis

    1993-01-01

    The behavior and possible past evolution of fully coupled atmosphere and ocean model of Titan are investigated. It is found that Titan's surface temperature was about 20 K cooler at 4 Gyr ago and will be about 5 K warmer 0.5 Gyr in the future. The change in solar luminosity and the conversion of oceanic CH4 to C2H6 drive the evolution of the ocean and atmosphere over time. Titan appears to have experienced a frozen epoch about 3 Gyr ago independent of whether an ocean is present or not. This finding may have important implications for understanding the inventory of Titan's volatile compounds.

  6. Halving Titan

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2010-01-11

    Titan seasonal hemispheric dichotomy is chronicled in black and white, with the moon northern half appearing slightly lighter than the dark southern half in this image taken by NASA Cassini spacecraft.

  7. Thermochemical Ablation Analysis of the Orion Heatshield

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sixel, William

    2015-01-01

    enthalpy and B´c. A MATLAB program was developed to allow for faster, more accurate and automated computation of Arrhenius reaction parameters. These parameters are required for a material model to be used in the CHAR ablation analysis program. This MATLAB program, along with thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) data, was used to generate uncertainties on the Arrhenius parameters for Avcoat. In addition, the TGA fitting program was developed to provide Arrhenius parameters for the ablation model of the gap filler material, RTV silicone.

  8. Laboratory simulation of photochemistry on Titan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ferris, J.; Tran, B.; Force, M.; Briggs, R.; Vuitton, V.

    Solar UV radiation is the principal energy source driving the chemistry in Titan's atmosphere ....(Sagan and Thompson, 1984). We have investigated the photochemical reactions in Titan's atmosphere in a flow reactor using the 185 and 254 nm UV emissions from a low-pressure mercury lamp ....(Clarke, et al., 2000) .....(Tran, et al., 2003). A solid product is formed using this apparatus and its optical properties have been measured since it is an analog of the haze layer on Titan. The complex refractive index of the solid material was determined and compared with the corresponding refractive index derived from the optical data obtained from Voyager 1 .......(Tran, et al., 2003). The current research focuses on the volatile reaction products. The principal gaseous compounds that absorb 185 nm light in Titan's atmosphere (acetylene, ethylene, and cyanoacetylene) were irradiated individually and in the presence of other atmospheric constituents at their mixing ratios in the Titan atmosphere. The objectives of this study are to determine the reaction pathways and to construct a model that reproduces the experimental results. Quantum yields for the loss of reactants and the formation of products were determined from the rates measured by gas chromatographic analysis. Irradiation of a mixture of acetylene, ethylene, cyanoacetylene, methane, hydrogen and nitrogen generated over 120 compounds. The structures of about 100 of these compounds were determined by GC/MS. The structures of many of these compounds were confirmed by use of authentic samples. The similarities and difference in the products obtained photochemically and by plasma discharges will be discussed. Clarke D. W., J. C. Joseph and J. P. Ferris, 2000, The design and use of a photochemical flow reactor: A laboratory study of the atmospheric chemistry of cyanoacetylene on Titan, Icarus, 282-291. Sagan C. and W. R. Thompson, 1984, Production and condensation of organic gases in the atmosphere of Titan, Icarus, 59

  9. Pluto's Implications for a Snowball Titan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wong, M.; Yung, Y. L.; Gladstone, R.

    2013-12-01

    The recent Cassini-Huygens Mission to the Saturnian system provides compelling evidence that the present state of Titan's dense atmosphere is unsustainable over the age of the Solar System. Instead, for most of the time Titan's atmosphere must have existed in a collapsed snowball state, characterized by a cold surface and a thin atmosphere, much like those of present-day Pluto and Triton. We will briefly review how the present Titan atmosphere exists due to a sensitive coupling between photochemistry, radiation, and dynamics. This delicate 'house of cards' must have collapsed in the past when it ran out of CH4 or when the sun was dimmer. We will investigate how the rate of organic synthesis on Snowball Titan differs from that of contemporary Titan. The forthcoming New Horizons Mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt may allow us to gain insights into the fine balance and the evolutionary history of certain planetary atmospheres. In particular, the high SNR solar occultations planned for observation with the Alice UV spectrograph on New Horizons are expected to yield abundance profiles of important hydrocarbons and nitriles in Pluto's atmosphere, providing detailed constraints for photochemical models such as those considered here.

  10. Titan Cells Confer Protection from Phagocytosis in Cryptococcus neoformans Infections

    PubMed Central

    Okagaki, Laura H.

    2012-01-01

    The human fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans produces an enlarged “titan” cell morphology when exposed to the host pulmonary environment. Titan cells exhibit traits that promote survival in the host. Previous studies showed that titan cells are not phagocytosed and that increased titan cell production in the lungs results in reduced phagocytosis of cryptococcal cells by host immune cells. Here, the effect of titan cell production on host-pathogen interactions during early stages of pulmonary cryptococcosis was explored. The relationship between titan cell production and phagocytosis was found to be nonlinear; moderate increases in titan cell production resulted in profound decreases in phagocytosis, with significant differences occurring within the first 24 h of the infection. Not only were titan cells themselves protected from phagocytosis, but titan cell formation also conferred protection from phagocytosis to normal-size cryptococcal cells. Large particles introduced into the lungs were not phagocytosed, suggesting the large size of titan cells protects against phagocytosis. The presence of large particles was unable to protect smaller particles from phagocytosis, revealing that titan cell size alone is not sufficient to provide the observed cross-protection of normal-size cryptococcal cells. These data suggest that titan cells play a critical role in establishment of the pulmonary infection by promoting the survival of the entire population of cryptococcal cells. PMID:22544904

  11. Dark Spots on Titan

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2005-05-02

    This recent image of Titan reveals more complex patterns of bright and dark regions on the surface, including a small, dark, circular feature, completely surrounded by brighter material. During the two most recent flybys of Titan, on March 31 and April 16, 2005, Cassini captured a number of images of the hemisphere of Titan that faces Saturn. The image at the left is taken from a mosaic of images obtained in March 2005 (see PIA06222) and shows the location of the more recently acquired image at the right. The new image shows intriguing details in the bright and dark patterns near an 80-kilometer-wide (50-mile) crater seen first by Cassini's synthetic aperture radar experiment during a Titan flyby in February 2005 (see PIA07368) and subsequently seen by the imaging science subsystem cameras as a dark spot (center of the image at the left). Interestingly, a smaller, roughly 20-kilometer-wide (12-mile), dark and circular feature can be seen within an irregularly-shaped, brighter ring, and is similar to the larger dark spot associated with the radar crater. However, the imaging cameras see only brightness variations, and without topographic information, the identity of this feature as an impact crater cannot be conclusively determined from this image. The visual infrared mapping spectrometer, which is sensitive to longer wavelengths where Titan's atmospheric haze is less obscuring -- observed this area simultaneously with the imaging cameras, so those data, and perhaps future observations by Cassini's radar, may help to answer the question of this feature's origin. The new image at the right consists of five images that have been added together and enhanced to bring out surface detail and to reduce noise, although some camera artifacts remain. These images were taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera using a filter sensitive to wavelengths of infrared light centered at 938 nanometers -- considered to be the imaging science subsystem's best spectral filter

  12. Titan Polar Maps - 2015

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2015-10-09

    The northern and southern hemispheres of Titan are seen in these polar stereographic maps, assembled in 2015 using the best-available images of the giant Saturnian moon from NASA's Cassini mission. The images were taken by Cassini's imaging cameras using a spectral filter centered at 938 nanometers, allowing researchers to examine variations in albedo (or inherent brightness) across the surface of Titan. These maps utilize imaging data collected through Cassini's flyby on April 7, 2014, known as "T100." Titan's north pole was not well illuminated early in Cassini's mission, because it was winter in the northern hemisphere when the spacecraft arrived at Saturn. Cassini has been better able to observe northern latitudes in more recent years due to seasonal changes in solar illumination. Compared to the previous version of Cassini's north polar map (see PIA11146), this map provides much more detail and fills in a large area of missing data. The imaging data in these maps complement Cassini synthetic aperture radar (SAR) mapping of Titan's north pole (see PIA17655). The uniform gray area in the northern hemisphere indicates a gap in the imaging coverage of Titan's surface, to date. The missing data will be imaged by Cassini during flybys on December 15, 2016 and March 5, 2017. Lakes are also seen in the southern hemisphere map, but they are much less common than in the north polar region. Only a lakes have been confirmed in the south. The dark, footprint-shaped feature at 180 degrees west is Ontario Lacus; a smaller lake named Crveno Lacus can be seen as a very dark spot just above Ontario. The dark-albedo area seen at the top of the southern hemisphere map (at 0 degrees west) is an area called Mezzoramia. Each map is centered on one of the poles, and surface coverage extends southward to 60 degrees latitude. Grid lines indicate latitude in 10-degree increments and longitude in 30-degree increments. The scale in the full-size versions of these maps is 4,600 feet (1

  13. Experimental simulation of aerosols evolution in Titan's ionosphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chatain, A.; Carrasco, N.; Guaitella, O.

    2017-09-01

    Many recent studies on Titan are concerned with aerosols. In particular, questions are asked on how these complex organic molecules are formed and evolve in Titan's atmosphere. Here for the first time we experimentally study how harsh plasma environment simulating Titan ionosphere can affect these aerosols. Titan tholins are placed in a N2-H2 plasma reactor and sample signatures are measured by infrared transmission spectroscopy. First results show an evolution of the absorption bands. Therefore, plasma conditions seem to change tholin chemical structure.

  14. Probing Titan's atmosphere with a stellar occultation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hubbard, W. B.

    1991-01-01

    The 3 July, 1989 occultation of 28 Sgr by Titan is discussed. The star was readily detectable throughout the occultation, reaching a minimum normalized flux of about 0.05. The occultation probed Titan's atmosphere in a region not studied by the Voyager spacecraft. The region is important for the aerobraking of Titan entry probes, and direct information about its properties is important for the Cassini mission. Occultation data (normalized stellar flux vs universal time) is shown in chart form for NASA supported stations, along with data from a collaborating group at the Wise observatory in Israel. Strong scintillation data of the star is noticeable in the data records, and provides information on waves/turbulence in Titan's high atmosphere.

  15. A Numerical Study of Micrometeoroids Entering Titan's Atmosphere

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Templeton, M.; Kress, M. E.

    2011-01-01

    A study using numerical integration techniques has been performed to analyze the temperature profiles of micrometeors entering the atmosphere of Saturn s moon Titan. Due to Titan's low gravity and dense atmosphere, arriving meteoroids experience a significant cushioning effect compared to those entering the Earth's atmosphere. Temperature profiles are presented as a function of time and altitude for a number of different meteoroid sizes and entry velocities, at an entry angle of 45. Titan's micrometeoroids require several minutes to reach peak heating (ranging from 200 to 1200 K), which occurs at an altitude of about 600 km. Gentle heating may allow for gradual evaporation of volatile components over a wide range of altitudes. Computer simulations have been performed using the Cassini/Huygens atmospheric data for Titan. Keywords micrometeoroid Titan atmosphere 1 Introduction On Earth, incoming micrometeoroids (100 m diameter) are slowed by collisions with air molecules in a relatively compact atmosphere, resulting in extremely rapid deceleration and a short heating pulse, often accompanied by brilliant meteor displays. On Titan, lower gravity leads to an atmospheric scale height that is much larger than on Earth. Thus, deceleration of meteors is less rapid and these particles undergo more gradual heating. This study uses techniques similar to those used for Earth meteoroid studies [1], exchanging Earth s planetary characteristics (e.g., mass and atmospheric profile) for those of Titan. Cassini/Huygens atmospheric data for Titan were obtained from the NASA Planetary Atmospheres Data Node [4]. The objectives of this study were 1) to model atmospheric heating of meteoroids for a range of micrometeor entry velocities for Titan, 2) to determine peak heating temperatures and rates for micrometeoroids entering Titan s atmosphere, and 3) to create a general simulation environment that can be extended to incorporate additional parameters and variables, including different

  16. Titan's methane clock

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nixon, C. A.; Jennings, D. E.; Romani, P. N.; Teanby, N. A.; Irwin, P. G. J.; Flasar, F. M.

    2010-04-01

    Measurements of the 12C/13C and D/H isotopic ratios in Titan's methane show intriguing differences from the values recorded in the giant planets. This implies that either (1) the atmosphere was differently endowed with material at the time of formation, or (2) evolutionary processes are at work in the moon's atmosphere - or some combination of the two. The Huygens Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer Instrument (GCMS) found 12CH4/13CH4 = 82 +/- 1 (Niemann et al. 2005), some 7% lower than the giant planets' value of 88 +/- 7 (Sada et al. 1996), which closely matches the terrestrial inorganic standard of 89. The Cassini Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) has previously reported 12CH4/13CH4 of 77 +/-3 based on nadir sounding, which we now revise upwards to 80 +/- 4 based on more accurate limb sounding. The CIRS and GCMS results are therefore in agreement about an overall enrichment in 13CH4 of ~10%. The value of D/H in Titan's CH4 has long been controversial: historical measurements have ranged from about 8-15 x 10-5 (e.g. Coustenis et al. 1989, Coustenis et al. 2003). A recent measurement based on CIRS limb data by Bezard et al. (2007) puts the D/H in CH4 at (13 +/- 1) x 10-5, very much greater than in Jupiter and Saturn, ~2 x 10-5 (Mahaffy et al. 1998, Fletcher et al. 2009). To add complexity, the 12C/13C and D/H vary among molecules in Titan atmosphere, typically showing enhancement in D but depletion in 13C in the daughter species (H2, C2H2, C2H6), relative to the photochemical progenitor, methane. Jennings et al. (2009) have sought to interpret the variance in carbon isotopes as a Kinetic Isotope Effect (KIE), whilst an explanation for the D/H in all molecules remains elusive (Cordier et al. 2008). In this presentation we argue that evolution of isotopic ratios in Titan's methane over time forms a ticking 'clock', somewhat analogous to isotopic ratios in geochronology. Under plausible assumptions about the initial values and subsequent replenishment, various

  17. Comparison of remote magnetic navigation ablation and manual ablation of idiopathic ventricular arrhythmia after failed manual ablation.

    PubMed

    Kawamura, Mitsuharu; Scheinman, Melvin M; Tseng, Zian H; Lee, Byron K; Marcus, Gregory M; Badhwar, Nitish

    2017-01-01

    Catheter ablation for idiopathic ventricular arrhythmia (VA) is effective and safe, but efficacy is frequently limited due to an epicardial origin and difficult anatomy. The remote magnetic navigation (RMN) catheter has a flexible catheter design allowing access to difficult anatomy. We describe the efficacy of the RMN for ablation of idiopathic VA after failed manual ablation. Among 235 patients with idiopathic VA referred for catheter ablation, we identified 51 patients who were referred for repeat ablation after a failed manual ablation. We analyzed the clinical characteristics, including the successful ablation site and findings at electrophysiology study, in repeat procedures conducted using RMN as compared with manual ablation. Among these patients, 22 (43 %) underwent repeat ablation with the RMN and 29 (57 %) underwent repeat ablation with a manual ablation. Overall, successful ablation rate was significantly higher using RMN as compared with manual ablation (91 vs. 69 %, P = 0.02). Fluoroscopy time in the RMN was 17 ± 12 min as compared with 43 ± 18 min in the manual ablation (P = 0.009). Successful ablation rate in the posterior right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) plus posterior-tricuspid annulus was higher with RMN as compared with manual ablation (92 vs. 50 %, P = 0.03). Neither groups exhibited any major complications. The RMN is more effective in selected patients with recurrent idiopathic VA after failed manual ablation and is associated with less fluoroscopy time. The RMN catheters have a flexible design enabling them to access otherwise difficult anatomy including the posterior tricuspid annulus and posterior RVOT.

  18. Titan Orbiter Aerorover Mission with Enceladus Science (TOAMES)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sittler, Edward C.; Cooper, J.; Mahaffy, P.; Fairbrother D.; dePater, I.; Schultze-Makuch, D.; Pitman, J.

    2007-01-01

    Cassini and Huygens have made exciting discoveries at Titan and Enceladus, and at the same time made us aware of how little we understand about these bodies. For example, the source, and/or recycling mechanism, of methane in Titan's atmosphere is still puzzling. Indeed, river beds (mostly dry) and lakes have been spotted, and occasional clouds have been seen, but the physics to explain the observations is still mostly lacking, since our "image" of Titan is still sketchy and quite incomplete. Enceladus, only -500 km in extent, is even more puzzling, with its fiery plumes of vapor, dust and ice emanating from its south polar region, "feeding" Saturn's E ring. Long term variability of magnetospheric plasma, neutral gas, E-ring ice grain density, radio emissions, and corotation of Saturn's planetary magnetic field in response to Enceladus plume activity are of great interest for Saturn system science. Both Titan and Enceladus are bodies of considerable astrobiological interest in view of high organic abundances at Titan and potential subsurface liquid water at Enceladus. We propose to develop a new mission to Titan and Enceladus, the Titan Orbiter Aerorover Mission with Enceladus Science (TOAMES), to address these questions using novel new technologies. TOAMES is a multi-faceted mission that starts with orbit insertion around Saturn using aerobraking with Titan's extended atmosphere. We then have an orbital tour around Saturn (for 1-2 years) and close encounters with Enceladus, before it goes into orbit around Titan (via aerocapture). During the early reconnaissance phase around Titan, perhaps 6 months long, the orbiter will use altimetry, radio science and remote sensing instruments to measure Titan's global topography, subsurface structure and atmospheric winds. This information will be used to determine where and when to release the Aerorover, so that it can navigate safely around Titan and identify prime sites for surface sampling and analysis. In situ instruments

  19. Orographic Condensation at the South Pole of Titan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Corlies, Paul; Hayes, Alexander; Adamkovics, Mate

    2016-10-01

    Although many clouds have been observed on Titan over the past two decades (Griffith et al. 1998, Rodriquez et al 2009, Brown et al. 2010), only a handful of clouds have been analyzed in detail (Griffith et al 2005, Brown et al 2009, Adamkovics et al 2010). In light of new data and better radiative transfer (RT) modelling, we present here a reexamination of one of these cloud systems observed in March 2007, formerly identified as ground fog (Brown et al 2009), using the Cassini VIMS instrument. Combining our analysis with RADAR observations we attempt to understand the connection and correlation between this low altitude atmospheric phenomenon and the local topography, suggesting instead, a topographically driven (orographic) cloud formation mechanism. This analysis would present the first links between cloud formation and topography on Titan, and has valuable implications in understanding additional cloud formation mechanisms, allowing for a better understanding of Titan's atmospheric dynamics.We will also present an update on an ongoing ground based observation campaign looking for clouds on Titan. This campaign, begun back in April 2014, has been (nearly) continuously monitoring Titan for ongoing cloud activity. Although a variety of telescope and instruments have been used in an effort to best capture the onset of cloud activity expected at Titan's North Pole, no cloud outbursts have yet been observed from the ground (though frequent observations have been made with Cassini ISS/VIMS). This is interesting because it further suggests a developing dichotomy between Titan's seasons, since clouds were observable from the ground during southern summer. Thus, monitoring the onset of large scale cloud activity at Titan's North Pole will be crucial to understanding Titan's hydrologic cycle on seasonal timescales.

  20. Titan Orbiter Aerorover Mission with Enceladus Science (TOAMES)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sittler, E.; Cooper, J.; Mahaffy, P.; Fairbrother, D.; de Pater, I.; Schulze-Makuch, D.; Pitman, J.

    2007-08-01

    same time made us aware of how little we understand about these bodies. For example, the source, and/or recycling mechanism, of methane in Titan's atmosphere is still puzzling. Indeed, river beds (mostly dry) and lakes have been spotted, and occasional clouds have been seen, but the physics to explain the observations is still mostly lacking, since our "image" of Titan is still sketchy and quite incomplete. Enceladus, only 500 km in extent, is even more puzzling, with its fiery plumes of vapor, dust and ice emanating from its south polar region, "feeding" Saturn's E ring. Long term variability of magnetospheric plasma, neutral gas, E-ring ice grain density, radio emissions, and corotation of Saturn's planetary magnetic field in response to Enceladus plume activity are of great interest for Saturn system science. Both Titan and Enceladus are bodies of considerable astrobiological interest in view of high organic abundances at Titan and potential subsurface liquid water at Enceladus. We propose to develop a new mission to Titan and Enceladus, the Titan Orbiter Aerorover Mission with Enceladus Science (TOAMES), to address these questions using novel new technologies. TOAMES is a multi-faceted mission that starts with orbit insertion around Saturn using aerobraking with Titan's extended atmosphere. We then have an orbital tour around Saturn (for 1-2 years) and close encounters with Enceladus, before it goes into orbit around Titan (via aerocapture). During the early reconnaissance phase around Titan, perhaps 6 months long, the orbiter will use altimetry, radio science and remote sensing instruments to measure Titan's global topography, subsurface structure and atmospheric winds. This information will be used to determine where and when to release the Aerorover, so that it can navigate safely around Titan and identify prime sites for surface sampling and analysis. In situ instruments will sample the upper atmosphere which may provide the seed population for the complex

  1. Photochemical processes on Titan: Irradiation of mixtures of gases that simulate Titan's atmosphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tran, Buu N.; Joseph, Jeffrey C.; Force, Michael; Briggs, Robert G.; Vuitton, Veronique; Ferris, James P.

    2005-09-01

    Photochemical reaction pathways in Titan's atmosphere were investigated by irradiation of the individual components and the mixture containing nitrogen, methane, hydrogen, acetylene, ethylene, and cyanoacetylene. The quantum yields for the loss of the reactants and the formation of products were determined. Photolysis of ethylene yields mainly saturated compounds (ethane, propane, and butane) while photolysis of acetylene yields the same saturated compounds as well as ethylene and diacetylene. Irradiation of cyanoacetylene yields mainly hydrogen cyanide and small amounts of acetonitrile. When an amount of methane corresponding to its mixing ratio on Titan was added to these mixtures the quantum yields for the loss of reactants decreased and the quantum yields for hydrocarbon formation increased indicative of a hydrogen atom abstraction from methane by the photochemically generated radicals. GC/MS analysis of the products formed by irradiation of mixtures of all these gases generated over 120 compounds which were mainly aliphatic hydrocarbons containing double and triple bonds along with much smaller amounts of aromatic compounds like benzene, toluene and phenylacetylene. The reaction pathways were investigated by the use of 13C acetylene in these gas mixtures. No polycyclic aromatic compounds were detected. Vapor pressures of these compounds under conditions present in Titan's atmosphere were calculated. The low molecular weight compounds likely to be present in the atmosphere and aerosols of Titan as a result of photochemical processes are proposed.

  2. Spacecraft Exploration of Titan and Enceladus

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Matson, D.; Coustenis, A.; Lunine, J. I.; Lebreton, J.; Reh, K.; Beauchamp, P.; Erd, C.

    2009-12-01

    The future exploration of Titan and Enceladus is very important for planetary science. The study titled Titan Saturn System Mission (TSSM) led to an announcement in which ESA and NASA prioritized future OPF missions, stating that TSSM is planned after EJSM (for details see http://www.lpi.usra.edu/opag/). The TSSM concept consists of an Orbiter that would carry two in situ elements: the Titan Montgolfiere hot air balloon and the Titan Lake Lander. This mission could launch in the 2023-2025 timeframe on a trajectory to arrive ~9 years later and begin a 4-year mission in the Saturnian system. At an appropriate time after arrival at Saturn, the montgolfiere would be delivered to Titan to begin its mission of airborne, scientific observations of Titan from an altitude of about 10 km above the surface. The montgolfiere would have a Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG) power system whose waste heat would warm the gas in the balloon, providing buoyancy. It would be designed to survive at least 6-12 months in Titan’s atmosphere. With the predicted winds and weather, it should be possible to circumnavigate the globe! Later, on a subsequent fly-by, the TSSM orbiter would send the Lake Lander to Titan. It would descend through the atmosphere making scientific measurements, much like Huygens did, and then land and float on one of Titan’s seas. This would be its oceanographic phase of making a physical and chemical assessment of the sea. The Lake Lander would operate for 8-10 hours until its batteries become depleted. Following the delivery of the in situ elements, the TSSM orbiter would then explore the Saturn system for two years on a tour that includes in situ sampling of Enceladus’ plumes as well as flybys of Titan. After the Saturn tour, the TSSM orbiter would go into orbit around Titan and carry out a global survey phase. Synergistic observations would be carried out by the TSSM orbiter and the in situ elements. The scientific requirements for

  3. GCM Simulations of Titan's Paleoclimate

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lora, Juan M.; Lunine, Jonathan; Russell, Joellen; Hayes, Alexander

    2014-11-01

    The hemispheric asymmetry observed in the distribution of Titan's lakes and seas has been suggested to be the result of asymmetric seasonal forcing, where a relative moistening of the north occurs in the current epoch due to its longer and less intense summers. General circulation models (GCMs) of present-day Titan have also shown that the atmosphere transports methane away from the equator. In this work, we use a Titan GCM to investigate the effects that changes in Titan's effective orbital parameters have had on its climate in recent geologic history. The simulations show that the climate is relatively insensitive to changes in orbital parameters, with persistently dry low latitudes and wet polar regions. The amount of surface methane that builds up over either pole depends on the insolation distribution, confirming the influence of orbital forcing on the distribution of surface liquids. The evolution of the orbital forcing implies that the surface reservoir must be transported on timescales of ~30 kyr, in which case the asymmetry reverses with a period of ~125 kyr. Otherwise, the orbital forcing is insufficient for generating the observed dichotomy.

  4. A Last Look at Titan

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-09-15

    As it glanced around the Saturn system one final time, NASA's Cassini spacecraft captured this view of the planet's giant moon Titan. Interest in mysterious Titan was a major motivating factor to return to Saturn with Cassini-Huygens following the Voyager mission flybys of the early 1980s. Cassini and its Huygens probe, supplied by European Space Agency, revealed the moon to be every bit as fascinating as scientists had hoped. These views were obtained by Cassini's narrow-angle camera on Sept. 13, 2017. They are among the last images Cassini sent back to Earth. This natural color view, made from images taken using red, green and blue spectral filters, shows Titan much as Voyager saw it -- a mostly featureless golden orb, swathed in a dense atmospheric haze. An enhanced-color view (Figure 1) adds to this color a separate view taken using a spectral filter (centered at 938 nanometers) that can partially see through the haze. The views were acquired at a distance of 481,000 miles (774,000 kilometers) from Titan. The image scale is about 3 miles (5 kilometers) per pixel. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21890

  5. Saturn/Titan Rendezvous: A Solar-Sail Aerocapture Mission

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Matloff, Gregory L.; Taylor, Travis; Powell, Conley

    2004-01-01

    A low-mass Titan orbiter is proposed that uses conservative or optimistic solar sails for all post-Earth-escape propulsion. After accelerating the probe onto a trans-Saturn trajectory, the sail is used parachute style for Saturn capture during a pass through Saturn's outer atmosphere. If the apoapsis of the Saturn-capture orbit is appropriate, the aerocapture maneuver can later be repeated at Titan so that the spacecraft becomes a satellite of Titan. An isodensity-atmosphere model is applied to screen aerocapture trajectories. Huygens/Cassini should greatly reduce uncertainties regarding the upper atmospheres of Saturn and Titan.

  6. Energy Deposition Processes in Titan's Upper Atmosphere

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sittler, Edward C., Jr.; Bertucci, Cesar; Coates, Andrew; Cravens, Tom; Dandouras, Iannis; Shemansky, Don

    2008-01-01

    Most of Titan's atmospheric organic and nitrogen chemistry, aerosol formation, and atmospheric loss are driven from external energy sources such as Solar UV, Saturn's magnetosphere, solar wind and galactic cosmic rays. The Solar UV tends to dominate the energy input at lower altitudes of approximately 1100 km but which can extend down to approximately 400 km, while the plasma interaction from Saturn's magnetosphere, Saturn's magnetosheath or solar wind are more important at higher altitudes of approximately 1400 km, but the heavy ion plasma [O(+)] of approximately 2 keV and energetic ions [H(+)] of approximately 30 keV or higher from Saturn's magnetosphere can penetrate below 950km. Cosmic rays with energies of greater than 1 GeV can penetrate much deeper into Titan's atmosphere with most of its energy deposited at approximately 100 km altitude. The haze layer tends to dominate between 100 km and 300 km. The induced magnetic field from Titan's interaction with the external plasma can be very complex and will tend to channel the flow of energy into Titan's upper atmosphere. Cassini observations combined with advanced hybrid simulations of the plasma interaction with Titan's upper atmosphere show significant changes in the character of the interaction with Saturn local time at Titan's orbit where the magnetosphere displays large and systematic changes with local time. The external solar wind can also drive sub-storms within the magnetosphere which can then modify the magnetospheric interaction with Titan. Another important parameter is solar zenith angle (SZA) with respect to the co-rotation direction of the magnetospheric flow. Titan's interaction can contribute to atmospheric loss via pickup ion loss, scavenging of Titan's ionospheric plasma, loss of ionospheric plasma down its induced magnetotail via an ionospheric wind, and non-thermal loss of the atmosphere via heating and sputtering induced by the bombardment of magnetospheric keV ions and electrons. This

  7. Titan. [Voyager IRIS observation of satellite atmosphere

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lunine, Jonathan I.

    1990-01-01

    Saturn's satellite Titan is the second-largest in the solar system. Its dense atmosphere is mostly molecular nitrogen with an admixture of methane, a surface pressure of 1.5 bars and a surface temperature of 94K. The fundamental driving force in the long-term evolution of Titan's atmosphere is the photolysis of methane in the stratosphere to form higher hydrocarbons and aerosols. The current rate of photolysis and undersaturation of methane in the lower troposphere suggests the presence of a massive ethane-methane-nitrogen ocean. The ocean evolves to a more ethane-rich state over geologic time, driving changes in the atmospheric thermal structure. An outstanding issue concerning Titan's earliest history is the origin of atmospheric nitrogen: was it introduced into Titan as molecular nitrogen or ammonia? Measurement of the argon-to-nitrogen ratio in the present atmosphere provides a diagnostic test of these competing hypotheses. Many of the questions raised by the Voyager encounters about Titan and its atmosphere can be adequately addressed only by an entry probe, such as that planned for the Cassini mission.

  8. The Properties and Effects of Titan's Organic Haze

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    McKay, Christopher P.; Young, Richard E. (Technical Monitor)

    1997-01-01

    Titan's organic haze is the the dominant absorber of solar energy in Titan's atmosphere, creating an anti-greenhouse effect. Its variation over time may have had important implications for Titan's surface temperature. The haze is potentially an important sink of photochemically produced carbon and nitrogen compounds. Laboratory simulations and microphysical models suggest that the haze is a sink for C of 4 x 10(exp 8)/ sq cm s, and a sink for N of 1 x 10(exp 8)sq cm s. The C sink is small compared to condensation of hydrocarbons but the sink for N is comparable to the total production rate of HCN. Because estimates of the eddy diffusion profile on Titan have been based on the HCN profile, inclusion of this additional sink for N will affect estimates for all transport processes in Titan's atmosphere.

  9. Mapping the Methane and Aerosol Distributions within Titan's Troposphere: Complementing The Cassini/VIMS T90 Flyby of Titan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Young, Eliot

    2012-10-01

    Titan's atmosphere is mainly nitrogen gas with several trace constituents, including methane at the few percent level. The presence of methane has been a puzzle for decades, since the CH4 in Titan's atmosphere is expected to be destroyed by UV photolysis in ten million years or so. The source of Titan's atmospheric methane continues to be a major question. We propose a set of three STIS image cubes with the G750M grating at 0.62, 0.72 and 0.89 |*|m methane bands. These bands probe altitudes from the surface to 70 km; unlike CH4 bands at 1.6 or 2.3 |*|m, these cubes will provide a 3-D picture of Titan's troposphere {below 40 km}. The Cassini/VIMS visible channel has not been useful for this purpose for two reasons: its spectral resolution {about R=100} is coarse and its inconsistent background subtraction scheme that can lead to "stripes." HST/STIS resolves Titan's 1" disk into over 80 spatially resolved spectra, each with a spectral resolution greater than R=5000. STIS is a unique tool for mapping the 3-D distributions of CH4 and aerosols in Titan's troposphere.We request observations within a day of the Cassini flyby of Titan on April 5, 2013 around 21:40 UT in order to combine Cassini/VIMS and STIS mage cubes. Together, the visible {STIS} and IR {VIMS} image cubes will probe altitudes from the surface to the stratosphere {several hundred km}. The proposed STIS image cubes will provide the best tropospheric map of CH4 to date, relevant to surface/atmospheric coupling of CH4, latitudinal inhomogeneity of CH4 or aerosols, or the presence of condensates at low altitudes.

  10. Strategies for Detecting Biological Molecules on Titan.

    PubMed

    Neish, Catherine D; Lorenz, Ralph D; Turtle, Elizabeth P; Barnes, Jason W; Trainer, Melissa G; Stiles, Bryan; Kirk, Randolph; Hibbitts, Charles A; Malaska, Michael J

    2018-05-02

    Saturn's moon Titan has all the ingredients needed to produce "life as we know it." When exposed to liquid water, organic molecules analogous to those found on Titan produce a range of biomolecules such as amino acids. Titan thus provides a natural laboratory for studying the products of prebiotic chemistry. In this work, we examine the ideal locales to search for evidence of, or progression toward, life on Titan. We determine that the best sites to identify biological molecules are deposits of impact melt on the floors of large, fresh impact craters, specifically Sinlap, Selk, and Menrva craters. We find that it is not possible to identify biomolecules on Titan through remote sensing, but rather through in situ measurements capable of identifying a wide range of biological molecules. Given the nonuniformity of impact melt exposures on the floor of a weathered impact crater, the ideal lander would be capable of precision targeting. This would allow it to identify the locations of fresh impact melt deposits, and/or sites where the melt deposits have been exposed through erosion or mass wasting. Determining the extent of prebiotic chemistry within these melt deposits would help us to understand how life could originate on a world very different from Earth. Key Words: Titan-Prebiotic chemistry-Solar system exploration-Impact processes-Volcanism. Astrobiology xx, xxx-xxx.

  11. Titan's "Hot Cross Bun": A Titan Laccolith?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lopes, Rosaly M. C.; Stofan, E. R.; Wall, S. D.; Wood, C.; Kirk, R. L.; Lucas, A.; Mitchell, K. L.; Lunine, J. I.; Turtle, E. P.; Radebaugh, J.; Malaska, M.; Cassini RADAR Team

    2012-10-01

    Cassini’s RADAR instrument acquired Synthetic Aperture Radar data during the T83 flyby on May 22, 2012. The data showed a feature centered at 38.5N, 203W that resembles a “hot cross bun”. This type of feature has not been seen on Titan before, even though 52% of Titan’s surface has been imaged using SAR. The feature, approximately 100 km across, is mostly radar bright but the cross pattern, interpreted to be extensional fractures, located roughly at the center of the brighter area, appears darker at radar wavelengths (2.3 cm). Radar illumination of the image indicates that the fractures are lower in elevation than the surrounding bright region. The morphology of the region is markedly similar to that of a 30-km dome-shaped feature on Venus that lies at the summit of the Kunapipi volcano. The Venus feature is interpreted to be the result of intrusion of magma at the summit of the volcano [1]. A similar feature, interpreted as a laccolith, is seen on the Moon near the crater Ramsden [2]. The lunar feature, imaged by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, shows the cross-shaped depression over a 300 m high rise. No topographic data for the feature on Titan are available at this time, but the morphology seen by the SAR data suggests that the feature may have been formed by material pushing up from below. Laccoliths form when an igneous intrusion splits apart two strata, resulting in a domeline structure. This previously unknown type of structure on Titan may be yet another indication of cryovolcanism. [1] Stofan, E.R., et al, Icarus, 152, 75-95, 2001. [2] Wichman, R.W. and Schultz, P. H. (1996). Icarus, 122, Issue 1, July 1996, pages 193-199. doi:10.1006/icar.1996.0118

  12. The lakes of Titan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Stofan, E.R.; Elachi, C.; Lunine, J.I.; Lorenz, R.D.; Stiles, B.; Mitchell, K.L.; Ostro, S.; Soderblom, L.; Wood, C.; Zebker, H.; Wall, S.; Janssen, M.; Kirk, R.; Lopes, R.; Paganelli, F.; Radebaugh, J.; Wye, L.; Anderson, Y.; Allison, M.; Boehmer, R.; Callahan, P.; Encrenaz, P.; Flamini, E.; Francescetti, G.; Gim, Y.; Hamilton, G.; Hensley, S.; Johnson, W.T.K.; Kelleher, K.; Muhleman, D.; Paillou, P.; Picardi, G.; Posa, F.; Roth, L.; Seu, R.; Shaffer, S.; Vetrella, S.; West, R.

    2007-01-01

    The surface of Saturn's haze-shrouded moon Titan has long been proposed to have oceans or lakes, on the basis of the stability of liquid methane at the surface. Initial visible and radar imaging failed to find any evidence of an ocean, although abundant evidence was found that flowing liquids have existed on the surface. Here we provide definitive evidence for the presence of lakes on the surface of Titan, obtained during the Cassini Radar flyby of Titan on 22 July 2006 (T16). The radar imaging polewards of 70?? north shows more than 75 circular to irregular radar-dark patches, in a region where liquid methane and ethane are expected to be abundant and stable on the surface. The radar-dark patches are interpreted as lakes on the basis of their very low radar reflectivity and morphological similarities to lakes, including associated channels and location in topographic depressions. Some of the lakes do not completely fill the depressions in which they lie, and apparently dry depressions are present. We interpret this to indicate that lakes are present in a number of states, including partly dry and liquid-filled. These northern-hemisphere lakes constitute the strongest evidence yet that a condensable-liquid hydrological cycle is active in Titan's surface and atmosphere, in which the lakes are filled through rainfall and/or intersection with the subsurface 'liquid methane' table. ??2007 Nature Publishing Group.

  13. A Titanic Labyrinth

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-07-29

    This synthetic-aperture radar image was obtained by NASA's Cassini spacecraft during its T-120 pass over Titan's southern latitudes on June 7, 2016. The image is centered near 47 degrees south, 153 degrees west. It covers an area of 87 by 75 miles (140 by 120 kilometers) and has a resolution of about 1,300 feet (400 meters). Radar illuminates the scene from the left at a 35-degree incidence angle. The features seen here are an excellent example of "labyrinth terrain." Labyrinth terrains on Titan are thought to be higher areas that have been cut apart by rivers of methane, eroded or dissolved as they were either lifted up or left standing above as the region around them lowered. (Other examples of labyrinth terrain can be seen in PIA10219.) In this image, several obvious valley systems have developed, draining liquids from methane rainfall toward the southeast (at top). Several of these systems are near parallel (running from upper left to lower right), suggesting that either the geological structure of the surface or the local topographic gradient (the general slope across the area) may be influencing their direction. Also presented here is an annotated version of the image, along with an aerial photograph of a region in southern Java known as Gunung Kidul that resembles this Titan labyrinth. This region is limestone that has been dissolved and eroded by water, creating a system of canyons called polygonal karst. Like on Titan, the canyons show a trend from upper left to lower right, in this case controlled by faults or joints. (Java photo from Haryono and Day, Journal of Cave and Karst Studies 66 (2004) 62-69, courtesy of Eko Haryono.) http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20708

  14. Titan's ion exosphere observed from Voyager 1

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hartle, R. E.; Sittler, E. C., Jr.; Ogilvie, K. W.; Scudder, J. D.; Lazarus, A. J.; Atreya, S. K.

    1982-01-01

    The plasma wake surrounding Titan in Saturn's rotating magnetosphere is characterized by a plasma which is denser and cooler than the surrounding subsonic magnetospheric plasma, and which is produced by the deflection of magnetospheric plasma around Titan and the addition of exospheric ions picked up by the rotating magnetosphere. A resemblance to the interaction between the solar wind and Venus is shown for the case of ion pickup in the ion exosphere outside Titan's magnetic tail and ion flow within the boundaries of the tail as Saturn's rotating magnetosphere interacts with Titan. The boundary of the tail is indicated by a sharp reduction in the flux of high-energy electrons, which are removed by inelastic scattering with the atmosphere and centrifugal drift produced when the electrons traverse the magnetic field draped around Saturn.

  15. Cyanide Soap? Dissolved material in Titan's Seas

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lorenz, R. D.; Lunine, J. I.; Neish, C. D.

    2011-10-01

    Although it is evident that Titan's lakes and seas are dominated by ethane, methane, nitrogen, and (in some models) propane, there is divergence on the predicted relative abundance of minor constituents such as nitriles and C-4 alkanes. Nitriles such as hydrogen cyanide and acetonitrile, which have a significant dipole moment, may have a disproportionate influence on the dielectric properties of Titan seas and may act to solvate polar molecules such as water ice. The hypothesis is offered that such salvation may act to enhance the otherwise negligible solubility of water ice bedrock in liquid hydrocarbons. Such enhanced solubility may permit solution erosion as a formation mechanism for the widespread pits and apparently karstic lakes on Titan. Prospects for testing this hypothesis in the laboratory, and with measurements on Titan, will be discussed.

  16. Location and size of flux ropes in Titan's ionosphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Martin, C.; Arridge, C. S.; Badman, S. V.; Dieval, C.

    2017-12-01

    Cassini magnetometer data was surveyed during Titan flybys to find 73 instances of flux rope signatures. A force free flux rope model was utilised to obtain the radii, maximum magnetic field and flux content of flux ropes that adhere to the force-free assumptions. We find that flux ropes at Titan are similar in size in km and flux content to the giant flux ropes identified at Venus, with a median radii of 280 km and an inter-quartile range of 270 km, a median maximum magnetic field of 8 nT with an inter-quartile range of 7 nT and a median flux content of 76 Wb with a large inter-quartile range of 250 Wb. We additionally investigate the occurrence of flux ropes with respect to the Sun-lit facing hemisphere (zenith angle) and the ram-side of Titan within Saturn's corotating magnetosphere (angle of attack of the incoming plasma flow). We find that flux ropes are more commonly detected in Sun-lit areas of Titan's ionosphere, as well as the ram-side of Titan. We see a statistically-significant absence of flux ropes in all SLT sectors in the night side of Titan and the anti-ram side of Titan. We also comment on the physical mechanisms associated with the production of these flux ropes, with particular attention on the variability of Titan's environment in Saturn's magnetosphere.

  17. Dielectric function for doped graphene layer with barium titanate

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Martinez Ramos, Manuel; Garces Garcia, Eric; Magana, Fernado; Vazquez Fonseca, Gerardo Jorge

    2015-03-01

    The aim of our study is to calculate the dielectric function for a system formed with a graphene layer doped with barium titanate. Density functional theory, within the local density approximation, plane-waves and pseudopotentials scheme as implemented in Quantum Espresso suite of programs was used. We considered 128 carbon atoms with a barium titanate cluster of 11 molecules as unit cell with periodic conditions. The geometry optimization is achieved. Optimization of structural configuration is performed by relaxation of all atomic positions to minimize their total energies. Band structure, density of states and linear optical response (the imaginary part of dielectric tensor) were calculated. We thank Dirección General de Asuntos del Personal Académico de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, partial financial support by Grant IN-106514 and we also thank Miztli Super-Computing center the technical assistance.

  18. Experimental basis for a Titan probe organic analysis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mckay, C. P.; Scattergood, T. W.; Borucki, W. J.; Kasting, J. F.; Miller, S. L.

    1986-01-01

    The recent Voyager flyby of Titan produced evidence for at least nine organic compounds in that atmosphere that are heavier than methane. Several models of Titan's atmosphere, as well as laboratory simulations, suggest the presence of organics considerably more complex that those observed. To ensure that the in situ measurements are definitive with respect to Titan's atmosphere, experiment concepts, and the related instrumentation, must be carefully developed specifically for such a mission. To this end, the possible composition of the environment to be analyzed must be bracketed and model samples must be provided for instrumentation development studies. Laboratory studies to define the optimum flight experiment and sampling strategy for a Titan entry probe are currently being conducted. Titan mixtures are being subjected to a variety of energy sources including high voltage electron from a DC discharge, high current electric shock, and laser detonation. Gaseous and solid products are produced which are then analyzed. Samples from these experiements are also provided to candidate flight experiments as models for instrument development studies. Preliminary results show that existing theoretical models for chemistry in Titan's atmosphere cannot adequetely explain the presence and abundance of all trace gases observed in these experiments.

  19. Integration and High-Temperature Characterization of Ferroelectric Vanadium-Doped Bismuth Titanate Thin Films on Silicon Carbide

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ekström, Mattias; Khartsev, Sergiy; Östling, Mikael; Zetterling, Carl-Mikael

    2017-07-01

    4H-SiC electronics can operate at high temperature (HT), e.g., 300°C to 500°C, for extended times. Systems using sensors and amplifiers that operate at HT would benefit from microcontrollers which can also operate at HT. Microcontrollers require nonvolatile memory (NVM) for computer programs. In this work, we demonstrate the possibility of integrating ferroelectric vanadium-doped bismuth titanate (BiTV) thin films on 4H-SiC for HT memory applications, with BiTV ferroelectric capacitors providing memory functionality. Film deposition was achieved by laser ablation on Pt (111)/TiO2/4H-SiC substrates, with magnetron-sputtered Pt used as bottom electrode and thermally evaporated Au as upper contacts. Film characterization by x-ray diffraction analysis revealed predominately (117) orientation. P- E hysteresis loops measured at room temperature showed maximum 2 P r of 48 μC/cm2, large enough for wide read margins. P- E loops were measurable up to 450°C, with losses limiting measurements above 450°C. The phase-transition temperature was determined to be about 660°C from the discontinuity in dielectric permittivity, close to what is achieved for ceramics. These BiTV ferroelectric capacitors demonstrate potential for use in HT NVM applications for SiC digital electronics.

  20. Titan's organic chemistry: Results of simulation experiments

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sagan, Carl; Thompson, W. Reid; Khare, Bishun N.

    1992-01-01

    Recent low pressure continuous low plasma discharge simulations of the auroral electron driven organic chemistry in Titan's mesosphere are reviewed. These simulations yielded results in good accord with Voyager observations of gas phase organic species. Optical constants of the brownish solid tholins produced in similar experiments are in good accord with Voyager observations of the Titan haze. Titan tholins are rich in prebiotic organic constituents; the Huygens entry probe may shed light on some of the processes that led to the origin of life on Earth.

  1. Geomorphic Units on Titan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lopes, R. M. C.; Malaska, M. J.; Schoenfeld, A.; Birch, S. P.; Hayes, A. G., Jr.

    2014-12-01

    The Cassini-Huygens mission has revealed the surface of Titan in unprecedented detail. The Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) mode on the Cassini Titan Radar Mapper is able to penetrate clouds and haze to provide high resolution (~350 m spatial resolution at best) views of the surface geology. The instrument's other modes (altimetry, scatterometry, radiometry) also provide valuable data for interpreting the geology, as do other instruments on Cassini, in particular, the Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) and the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS). Continuing the initial work described in Lopes et al. (2010, Icarus, 212, 744-750), we have established the major geomorphologic unit classes on Titan using data from flybys Ta through T92 (October 2004-July 2013). We will present the global distribution of the major classes of units and, where there are direct morphological contacts, describe how these classes of units relate to each other in terms of setting and emplacement history. The classes of units are mountainous/hummocky terrains, plains, dunes, labyrinthic terrains and lakes. The oldest classes of units are the mountainous/hummocky and the labyrinthic terrains. The mountainous/hummocky terrains consist of mountain chains and isolated radar-bright terrains. The labyrinthic terrains consist of highly incised dissected plateaux with medium radar backscatter. The plains are younger than both mountainous/hummocky and labyrinthic unit classes. Dunes and lakes are the youngest unit classes on Titan; no contact is observed between the dunes and lakes but it is likely that both processes are still active. We have identified individual features such as craters, channels, and candidate cryovolcanic features. Characterization and comparison of the properties of the unit classes and the individual features with data from radiometry, ISS, and VIMS provides information on their composition and possible provenance. We can use these correlations to also infer global

  2. Geomorphic Units on Titan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lopes, Rosaly; Malaska, Michael; Schoenfeld, Ashley; Birch, Samuel; Hayes, Alexander; Solomonidou, Anezina; Radebaugh, Jani

    2015-04-01

    The Cassini-Huygens mission has revealed the surface of Titan in unprecedented detail. The Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) mode on the Cassini Titan Radar Mapper is able to penetrate clouds and haze to provide high resolution (~350 m spatial resolution at best) views of the surface geology. The instrument's other modes (altimetry, scatterometry, radiometry) also provide valuable data for interpreting the geology, as do other instruments on Cassini, in particular, the Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) and the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS). Continuing the initial work described in Lopes et al. (2010, Icarus, 212, 744-750), we have established the major geomorphologic unit classes on Titan using data from flybys Ta through T92 (October 2004-July 2013). We will present the global distribution of the major classes of units and, where there are direct morphological contacts, describe how these classes of units relate to each other in terms of setting and emplacement history. The classes of units are mountainous/hummocky terrains, plains, dunes, labyrinthic terrains and lakes. The oldest classes of units are the mountainous/hummocky and the labyrinthic terrains. The mountainous/hummocky terrains consist of mountain chains and isolated radar-bright terrains. The labyrinthic terrains consist of highly incised dissected plateaux with medium radar backscatter. The plains are younger than both mountainous/hummocky and labyrinthic unit classes. Dunes and lakes are the youngest unit classes on Titan; no contact is observed between the dunes and lakes but it is likely that both processes are still active. We have identified individual features such as craters, channels, and candidate cryovolcanic features. Characterization and comparison of the properties of the unit classes and the individual features with data from radiometry, ISS, and VIMS provides information on their composition and possible provenance. We can use these correlations to also infer global

  3. Human Missions to Europa and Titan - Why Not?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Finarelli, Margaret G.

    2004-04-01

    This report describes a long-term development plan to enable human exploration of the outer solar system, with a focus on Europa and Titan. These are two of the most interesting moons of Jupiter and Saturn, respectively, because they are the places in the solar system with the greatest potential for harboring extraterrestrial life. Since human expeditions to these worlds are considered impossible with current capabilities, the proposal of a well-organized sequence of steps towards making this a reality was formulated. The proposed Development Plan, entitled Theseus, is the outcome of a recent multinational study by a group of students in the framework of the Master of Space Studies (MSS) 2004 course at the International Space University (ISU). The Theseus Program includes the necessary development strategies in key scientific and technological areas that are essential for identifying the requirements for the exploration of the outer planetary moons. Some of the topics that are analysed throughout the plan include: scientific observations at Europa and Titan, advanced propulsion and nuclear power systems, in-situ resource utilization, radiation mitigation techniques, closed life support systems, habitation for long-term spaceflight, and artificial gravity. In addition to the scientific and technological aspects of the Theseus Program, it was recognized that before any research and development work may begin, some level of program management must be established. Within this chapter, legal issues, national and international policy, motivation, organization and management, economic considerations, outreach, education, ethics, and social implications are all considered with respect to four possible future scenarios which enable human missions to the outer solar system. The final chapter of the report builds upon the foundations set by Theseus through a case study. This study illustrates how such accomplishments could influence a mission to Europa to search for evidence

  4. Human Missions to Europa and Titan - Why Not?

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2004-01-01

    This report describes a long-term development plan to enable human exploration of the outer solar system, with a focus on Europa and Titan. These are two of the most interesting moons of Jupiter and Saturn, respectively, because they are the places in the solar system with the greatest potential for harboring extraterrestrial life. Since human expeditions to these worlds are considered impossible with current capabilities, the proposal of a well-organized sequence of steps towards making this a reality was formulated. The proposed Development Plan, entitled Theseus, is the outcome of a recent multinational study by a group of students in the framework of the Master of Space Studies (MSS) 2004 course at the International Space University (ISU). The Theseus Program includes the necessary development strategies in key scientific and technological areas that are essential for identifying the requirements for the exploration of the outer planetary moons. Some of the topics that are analysed throughout the plan include: scientific observations at Europa and Titan, advanced propulsion and nuclear power systems, in-situ resource utilization, radiation mitigation techniques, closed life support systems, habitation for long-term spaceflight, and artificial gravity. In addition to the scientific and technological aspects of the Theseus Program, it was recognized that before any research and development work may begin, some level of program management must be established. Within this chapter, legal issues, national and international policy, motivation, organization and management, economic considerations, outreach, education, ethics, and social implications are all considered with respect to four possible future scenarios which enable human missions to the outer solar system. The final chapter of the report builds upon the foundations set by Theseus through a case study. This study illustrates how such accomplishments could influence a mission to Europa to search for evidence

  5. Selections from 2017: Discoveries in Titan's Atmosphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kohler, Susanna

    2017-12-01

    Editors note:In these last two weeks of 2017, well be looking at a few selections that we havent yet discussed on AAS Nova from among the most-downloaded paperspublished in AAS journals this year. The usual posting schedule will resume in January.Carbon Chain Anions and the Growth of Complex Organic Molecules in Titans IonospherePublished July2017Main takeaway:Graphic depicting some of the chemical reactions taking place in Titans atmosphere, leading to the generation of organic haze particles. [ESA]In a recently published study led by Ravi Desai (University College London), scientists used data from the Cassini mission to identify negatively charged molecules known as carbon chain anions in the atmosphere of Saturns largest moon, Titan.Why its interesting:Carbon chain anions are the building blocks ofmore complex molecules, and Titans thick nitrogen and methane atmosphere mightmimic the atmosphere of earlyEarth. This first unambiguous detection of carbon chain anions in a planet-like atmosphere might therefore teach us about the conditions and chemical reactions that eventually led to the development of life on Earth. And ifwe can use Titan to learn about how complex molecules grow from these anion chains, we may be able to identify auniversal pathway towards the ingredients for life.What weve learned so far:Cassini measured fewer and fewer lower-mass anions the deeper in Titans ionosphere that it looked and at the same time,an increase in the number of precursors to larger aerosol molecules further down. This tradeoff strongly suggests that the anions are indeed involved in building up the more complex molecules, seeding their eventual growth into the complex organic haze of Titans lower atmosphere.CitationR. T. Desai et al 2017 ApJL 844 L18. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/aa7851

  6. Widespread morning drizzle on Titan.

    PubMed

    Adámkovics, Máté; Wong, Michael H; Laver, Conor; de Pater, Imke

    2007-11-09

    Precipitation is expected in Titan's atmosphere, yet it has not been directly observed, and the geographical regions where rain occurs are unknown. Here we present near-infrared spectra from the Very Large Telescope and W. M. Keck Observatories that reveal an enhancement of opacity in Titan's troposphere on the morning side of the leading hemisphere. Retrieved extinction profiles are consistent with condensed methane in clouds at an altitude near 30 kilometers and concomitant methane drizzle below. The moisture encompasses the equatorial region over Titan's brightest continent, Xanadu. Diurnal temperature gradients that cause variations in methane relative humidity, winds, and topography may each be a contributing factor to the condensation mechanism. The clouds and precipitation are optically thin at 2.0 micrometers, and models of "subvisible" clouds suggest that the droplets are 0.1 millimeter or larger.

  7. Charged particle tracking at Titan, and further applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bebesi, Zsofia; Erdos, Geza; Szego, Karoly

    2016-04-01

    We use the CAPS ion data of Cassini to investigate the dynamics and origin of Titan's atmospheric ions. We developed a 4th order Runge-Kutta method to calculate particle trajectories in a time reversed scenario. The test particle magnetic field environment imitates the curved magnetic environment in the vicinity of Titan. The minimum variance directions along the S/C trajectory have been calculated for all available Titan flybys, and we assumed a homogeneous field that is perpendicular to the minimum variance direction. Using this method the magnetic field lines have been calculated along the flyby orbits so we could select those observational intervals when Cassini and the upper atmosphere of Titan were magnetically connected. We have also taken the Kronian magnetodisc into consideration, and used different upstream magnetic field approximations depending on whether Titan was located inside of the magnetodisc current sheet, or in the lobe regions. We also discuss the code's applicability to comets.

  8. Specular reflection on Titan: Liquids in Kraken Mare

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Stephan, Katrin; Jaumann, Ralf; Brown, Robert H.; Soderblom, Jason M.; Soderblom, Laurence A.; Barnes, Jason W.; Sotin, Christophe; Griffith, Caitlin A.; Kirk, Randolph L.; Baines, Kevin H.; Buratti, Bonnie J.; Clark, Roger N.; Lytle, Dyer M.; Nelson, Robert M.; Nicholson, Phillip D.

    2010-01-01

    After more than 50 close flybys of Titan by the Cassini spacecraft, it has become evident that features similar in morphology to terrestrial lakes and seas exist in Titan's polar regions. As Titan progresses into northern spring, the much more numerous and larger lakes and seas in the north-polar region suggested by Cassini RADAR data, are becoming directly illuminated for the first time since the arrival of the Cassini spacecraft. This allows the Cassini optical instruments to search for specular reflections to provide further confirmation that liquids are present in these evident lakes. On July 8, 2009 Cassini VIMS detected a specular reflection in the north-polar region of Titan associated with Kraken Mare, one of Titan's large, presumed seas, indicating the lake's surface is smooth and free of scatterers with respect to the wavelength of 5 μm, where VIMS detected the specular signal, strongly suggesting it is liquid.

  9. Organic chemistry on Titan

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chang, S.; Scattergood, T.; Aronowitz, S.; Flores, J.

    1978-01-01

    Observations of nonequilibrium phenomena on the Saturn satellite Titan indicate the occurrence of organic chemical evolution. Greenhouse and thermal inversion models of Titan's atmosphere provide environmental constraints within which various pathways for organic chemical synthesis are assessed. Experimental results and theoretical modeling studies suggest that the organic chemistry of the satellite may be dominated by two atmospheric processes: energetic-particle bombardment and photochemistry. Reactions initiated in various levels of the atmosphere by cosmic ray, Saturn wind, and solar wind particle bombardment of a CH4 - N2 atmospheric mixture can account for the C2-hydrocarbons, the UV-visible-absorbing stratospheric haze, and the reddish color of the satellite. Photochemical reactions of CH4 can also account for the presence of C2-hydrocarbons. In the lower Titan atmosphere, photochemical processes will be important if surface temperatures are sufficiently high for gaseous NH3 to exist. Hot H-atom reactions initiated by photo-dissociation of NH3 can couple the chemical reactions of NH3 and CH4 and produce organic matter.

  10. Titan cells in Cryptococcus neoformans: Cells with a giant impact

    PubMed Central

    Zaragoza, Oscar; Nielsen, Kirsten

    2013-01-01

    Cryptococcus neoformans is a pathogenic yeast that commonly infects immunocompromised individuals, yet has developed multiple adaptation mechanisms to the host. Several virulence factors (capsule and melanin) have been known for many years. However, this yeast also possesses a morphogenetic program that is still not well characterized. Cryptococcus neoformans has the ability to dramatically enlarge its size during infection to form “titan cells” that can reach up to 100 microns in cell body diameter, in contrast to typical size cells of 5-7 microns. These titan cells pose a problem for the host because they contribute to fungal survival, dissemination to the central nervous system, and possibly even latency. In this review, we will provide an overview of these cells, covering current knowledge about their phenotypic features, mechanism of formation, and their significance during infection. PMID:23588027

  11. Mapping products of Titan's surface: Chapter 19

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Stephan, Katrin; Jaumann, Ralf; Karkoschka, Erich; Kirk, Randolph L.; Barnes, Jason W.; Tomasko, Martin G.; Turtle, Elizabeth P.; Le Corre, Lucille; Langhans, Mirjam; Le Mouélic, Stéphane; Lorenz, Ralph D.; Perry, Jason; Brown, Robert; Lebreton, Jean-Pierre; Waite, J. Hunter

    2010-01-01

    Remote sensing instruments aboard the Cassini spacecraft have been observed the surface of Titan globally in the infrared and radar wavelength ranges as well as locally by the Huygens instruments revealing a wealth of new morphological features indicating a geologically active surface. We present a summary of mapping products of Titan's surface derived from data of the remote sensing instruments onboard the Cassini spacecraft (ISS, VIMS, RADAR) as well as the Huygens probe (DISR) that were achieved during the nominal Cassini mission including an overview of Titan's recent nomenclature.

  12. Outline of an Ancient Sea on Titan

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2012-10-16

    This image from NASA Cassini spacecraft shows an ancient southern sea that used to sprawl out near the south pole of Saturn moon Titan. Within this basin is the largest present-day lake in Titan southern hemisphere, Ontario Lacus.

  13. Huygens Titan Probe Trajectory Reconstruction Using Traditional Methods and the Program to Optimize Simulated Trajectories II

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Striepe, Scott A.; Blanchard, Robert C.; Kirsch, Michael F.; Fowler, Wallace T.

    2007-01-01

    On January 14, 2005, ESA's Huygens probe separated from NASA's Cassini spacecraft, entered the Titan atmosphere and landed on its surface. As part of NASA Engineering Safety Center Independent Technical Assessment of the Huygens entry, descent, and landing, and an agreement with ESA, NASA provided results of all EDL analyses and associated findings to the Huygens project team prior to probe entry. In return, NASA was provided the flight data from the probe so that trajectory reconstruction could be done and simulation models assessed. Trajectory reconstruction of the Huygens entry probe at Titan was accomplished using two independent approaches: a traditional method and a POST2-based method. Results from both approaches are discussed in this paper.

  14. Cratering on Titan: A Pre-Cassini Perspective

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lorenz, R. D.

    1997-01-01

    The NASA-ESA Cassini mission, comprising a formidably instrumented orbiter and parachute-borne probe to be launched this October, promises to reveal a crater population on Titan that has been heretofore hidden by atmospheric haze. This population on the largest remaining unexplored surface in the solar system will be invaluable in comparative planetological studies, since it introduces evidence of the atmospheric effects of cratering on an icy satellite. Here, I highlight some impact features we may hope to find and could devote some modeling effort toward. Titan in a Nutshell: Radius= 2575 km. Density= 1880 kg/cubic m consistent with rock-ice composition. Surface pressure = 1.5 bar. Surface gravity = 1.35 m/square s Atmosphere -94% N2 6% CH, Surface temperature = 94K Tropopause temperature = 70K at 40 km alt. Probable liquid hydrocarbon deposits exist on or near the surface.Titan in a Nutshell: Radius= 2575 km. Density= 1880 kg/cubic m consistent with rock-ice composition. Surface pressure = 1.5 bar. Surface gravity = 1.35 m/square s; Atmosphere about 94% N2 6% CH, Surface temperature = 94K Tropopause temperature = 70K at 40 km alt. Probable liquid hydrocarbon deposits exist on or near the surface. Titan is comparable to Callisto and Ganymede for strength/gravity, Mars/Earth/Venus for atmospheric interaction, and Hyperion, Rhea, and Iapetus for impactor distribution. The leading/trailing asymmetry of crater density from heliocentric impactors is expected to be about 5-6, in the absence of resurfacing. Any Saturnocentric impactor population is likely to alter this. In particular the impact disruption of Hyperion is noted; because of the 3:4 orbital resonance with Titan, fragments from the proto-Hyperion breakup would have rapidly accreted onto Titan. Titan's resurfacing history is of course unknown. The disruption of impactors into fragments that individually create small craters is expected to occur. A crude estimate suggests a maximum separation of about 2 km

  15. Cratering on Titan: A Pre-Cassini Perspective

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lorenz, R. D.

    1997-01-01

    The NASA-ESA Cassini mission, comprising a formidably instrumented orbiter and parachute-borne probe to be launched this October, promises to reveal a crater population on Titan that has been heretofore hidden by atmospheric haze. This population on the largest remaining unexplored surface in the solar system will be invaluable in comparative planetological studies, since it introduces evidence of the atmospheric effects of cratering on an icy satellite. Here, I highlight some impact features we may hope to find and could devote some modeling effort toward. Titan in a Nutshell: Radius= 2575 km. Density= 1880 kg/cubic m consistent with rock-ice composition. Surface pressure = 1.5 bar. Surface gravity = 1.35 m/square s Atmosphere -94% N2 6% CH, Surface temperature = 94K Tropopause temperature = 70K at 40 km alt. Probable liquid hydrocarbon deposits exist on or near the surface.Titan in a Nutshell: Radius= 2575 km. Density= 1880 kg/cubic m consistent with rock-ice composition. Surface pressure = 1.5 bar. Surface gravity = 1.35 m/square s; Atmosphere about 94% N2 6% CH, Surface temperature = 94K Tropopause temperature = 70K at 40 km alt. Probable liquid hydrocarbon deposits exist on or near the surface. Titan is comparable to Callisto and Ganymede for strength/gravity, Mars/Earth/Venus for atmospheric interaction, and Hyperion, Rhea, and Iapetus for impactor distribution. The leading/trailing asymmetry of crater density from heliocentric impactors is expected to be about 5-6, in the absence of resurfacing. Any Saturnocentric impactor population is likely to alter this. In particular the impact disruption of Hyperion is noted; because of the 3:4 orbital resonance with Titan, fragments from the proto-Hyperion breakup would have rapidly accreted onto Titan. Titan's resurfacing history is of course unknown. The disruption of impactors into fragments that individually create small craters is expected to occur. A crude estimate suggests a maximum separation of about 2 km

  16. Titan Explorer: The Next Step in the Exploration of a Mysterious World

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Levine, Joel S.; Wright, Henry S.

    2005-01-01

    The Titan Explorer Mission outlined in this report is a proposed next step in the exploration of Titan, following the highly successful Huygens Titan probe of 2005. The proposed Titan Explorer Mission consists of an Orbiter and an Airship that traverses the atmosphere of Titan and can land on its surface. The Titan Explorer Mission is science driven and addresses some of the fundamental questions about the atmosphere, surface and evolution of Titan, which will add to our understanding of the origin and evolution of life on Earth and assess the likelihood of life elsewhere in the Solar System.

  17. Treatment Planning and Image Guidance for Radiofrequency Ablations of Large Tumors

    PubMed Central

    Ren, Hongliang; Campos-Nanez, Enrique; Yaniv, Ziv; Banovac, Filip; Abeledo, Hernan; Hata, Nobuhiko; Cleary, Kevin

    2014-01-01

    This article addresses the two key challenges in computer-assisted percutaneous tumor ablation: planning multiple overlapping ablations for large tumors while avoiding critical structures, and executing the prescribed plan. Towards semi-automatic treatment planning for image-guided surgical interventions, we develop a systematic approach to the needle-based ablation placement task, ranging from pre-operative planning algorithms to an intra-operative execution platform. The planning system incorporates clinical constraints on ablations and trajectories using a multiple objective optimization formulation, which consists of optimal path selection and ablation coverage optimization based on integer programming. The system implementation is presented and validated in phantom studies and on an animal model. The presented system can potentially be further extended for other ablation techniques such as cryotherapy. PMID:24235279

  18. Working Toward Seamless Infrared Maps of Titan

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-03-24

    Each of these two montages shows four synthetic views of Titan created using data acquired by NASA Cassini spacecraft between 2004 and 2015. With each flyby, a brief opportunity to add small pieces to the overall mapping coverage of Titan.

  19. Solar Electric and Chemical Propulsion for a Titan Mission

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cupples, Michael; Green, Shaun E.; Donahue, Benjamin B.; Coverstone, Victoria L.

    2005-01-01

    Systems analyses were performed for a Titan Explorer Mission characterized by Earth-Saturn transfer stages using solar electric power generation and propulsion systems for primary interplanetary propulsion, and chemical propulsion for capture at Titan. An examination of a range of system factors was performed to determine their effect on the payload delivery capability to Titan. The effect of varying launch vehicle type, solar array power level, ion thruster number, specific impulse, trip time, and Titan capture stage chemical propellant choice was investigated. The major purpose of the study was to demonstrate the efficacy of applying advanced ion propulsion system technologies like NASA's Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT), coupled with state-of-the-art (SOA) and advanced chemical technologies to a Flagship class mission. This study demonstrated that a NASA Design Reference Mission (DRM) payload of 406 kg could be successfully delivered to Titan using the baseline advanced ion propulsion system in conjunction with SOA chemical propulsion for Titan capture. In addition, the SEPS/Chemical system of this study is compared to an all- chemical NASA DRM mission. Results showed that the NEXT- based SEPS/Chemical system was able to deliver the required payload to Titan in 5 years less transfer time and on a smaller launch vehicle than the SOA chemical option.

  20. Titania bound sodium titanate ion exchanger

    DOEpatents

    DeFilippi, Irene C. G.; Yates, Stephen Frederic; Shen, Jian-Kun; Gaita, Romulus; Sedath, Robert Henry; Seminara, Gary Joseph; Straszewski, Michael Peter; Anderson, David Joseph

    1999-03-23

    This invention is method for preparing a titania bound ion exchange composition comprising admixing crystalline sodium titanate and a hydrolyzable titanium compound and, thereafter drying the titania bound crystalline sodium titanate and subjecting the dried titania bound ion exchange composition to optional compaction and calcination steps to improve the physical strength of the titania bound composition.

  1. The First Year of Cassini RADAR Observations of Titan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Elachi, C.; Lorenz, R. D.

    2005-12-01

    Titan`s atmosphere is essentially transparent to Radar, making it an ideal technique to study Titan`s surface. Cassini`s Titan Radar Mapper operates as a passive radiometer, scatterometer, altimeter, and synthetic aperture radar (SAR). Here we review data from four fly-bys in the first year of Cassini`s tour (Ta: October 2004, T3: February 2005, T7: September 2005, and T8: October 2005.) Early SAR images from Ta and T3 (showing < 3% of Titan`s surface) reveal that Titan is geologically young and complex (see Elachi et al., 2005, Science 13, 970-4). Significant variations were seen between the range of features seen in the Ta swath (centered at ~50N, 80W) and T3 (~ 30N, 70W) : the large-scale radiometric properties also differed, with T3 being radar-brighter. A variety of features have been identified in SAR, including two large impact craters, cryovolcanic flows and a probable volcanic dome. Dendritic and braided radar-bright sinuous channels, some 180km long, are evidence of fluvial activity. `Cat scratches`, arrays of linear dark features seem most likely to be Aeolian. Radar provides unique topographic information on Titan`s landscape e.g. the depth of the 80km crater observed in T3 can be geometrically determined to be around 1300m deep. Despite the shallow large-scale slopes indicated in altimetry to date, many small hills are seen in T3. Scatterometry and radiometry maps provide large-scale classification of surface types and polarization and incidence angle coverage being assembled will constrain dielectric and scattering properties of the surface. Judging from the TA/T3 diversity, we expect further variations in the types and distribution of surface materials and geologic features in T7, which spans a wide range of Southern latitudes. T8 SAR will cover a near-equatorial dark region, including the landing site of the Huygens probe.

  2. Ablation article and method

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Erickson, W. D.; Sullivan, E. M. (Inventor)

    1973-01-01

    An ablation article, such as a conical heat shield, having an ablating surface is provided with at least one discrete area of at least one seed material, such as aluminum. When subjected to ablation conditions, the seed material is ablated. Radiation emanating from the ablated seed material is detected to analyze ablation effects without disturbing the ablation surface. By providing different seed materials having different radiation characteristics, the ablating effects on various areas of the ablating surface can be analyzed under any prevailing ablation conditions. The ablating article can be provided with means for detecting the radiation characteristics of the ablated seed material to provide a self-contained analysis unit.

  3. A Rover Concept for Exploring the Surface of Titan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Balint, T. S.; Shirley, J. H.; Schriener, T. M.

    2005-12-01

    Titan is one of the premier targets for future in-situ exploration in the outer solar system, as unique "pre-biotic" organic chemical processes may be presently occurring at its surface. A mission to the surface of Titan is not as technically difficult as one to Europa; Titan's atmosphere allows for aerobraking descents, the radiation environment is not a mission-critical factor, and the organic materials we want to sample should be widely distributed (and easily accessible). The recent Titan landing by the Huygens Probe has focused considerable scientific interest on this remarkable body, and future missions to Titan are under consideration. We evaluated a Titan Rover mission concept that would have the capability to survive on Titan's surface for a period of 3 terrestrial years. This long mission lifetime is enabled by employing a radioisotope power system (RPS). To minimize costs and use as much flight heritage as possible, we began by assuming that system masses, dimensions, and instrumentation would be comparable to those of the Mars Surface Lander (MSL). We found that a rover configuration with a 110 W (electric) power system and four 1.5 m diameter inflatable wheels could potentially enable traverse distances up to ~500 km, depending on science and mission requirements, surface environments, and the capability of the autonomous navigation system employed. Direct to Earth communication would simplify the mission by removing the need for a relay orbiter. We will describe our strawman instrument payload and rover subsystems. Trades between the potentially available RPS systems (RTG, Advanced RTG, TPV, SRG, Advanced Stirling and Brayton RPSs) will be outlined. While many possible approaches exist for Titan in-situ exploration, the Titan rover concept presented here could provide a scientifically interesting and programmatically affordable solution.

  4. Superrotation on Venus, on Titan, and Elsewhere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Read, Peter L.; Lebonnois, Sebastien

    2018-05-01

    The superrotation of the atmospheres of Venus and Titan has puzzled dynamicists for many years and seems to put these planets in a very different dynamical regime from most other planets. In this review, we consider how to define superrotation objectively and explore the constraints that determine its occurrence. Atmospheric superrotation also occurs elsewhere in the Solar System and beyond, and we compare Venus and Titan with Earth and other planets for which wind estimates are available. The extreme superrotation on Venus and Titan poses some difficult challenges for numerical models of atmospheric circulation, much more difficult than for more rapidly rotating planets such as Earth or Mars. We consider mechanisms for generating and maintaining a superrotating state, all of which involve a global meridional overturning circulation. The role of nonaxisymmetric eddies is crucial, however, but the detailed mechanisms may differ between Venus, Titan, and other planets.

  5. Titan's Complex Chemistry: Insights from the Lab

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Horst, Sarah

    2018-06-01

    The Cassini-Huygens mission revealed Titan to be a complex world with physical processes reminiscent of other terrestrial planets, but chemistry that is unlike anywhere else in the Solar System. Titan's complex atmospheric chemistry converts N2 and CH4 into numerous, abundant organic molecules ranging from relatively simple hydrocarbons to ions with mass to charge ratios up to 10,000 amu/q. The molecules eventually settle to the surface where they can participate in and be modified by geological processes such as aeolian and fluvial erosion or undergo subsequent chemistry in Titan's lakes and seas or impact craters and potential cryovolcanic flows. From the processes leading to massive ion formation in the atmosphere to the behavior of saltating organic sands on the surface, laboratory experiments are playing a pivotal role in understanding Titan and expanding our understanding of planetary processes into new, exciting phase space.

  6. Temperate Lakes Discovered on Titan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vixie, Graham; Barnes, Jason W.; Jackson, Brian; Wilson, Paul

    2012-04-01

    We have discovered two temperate lakes on Titan using Cassini's Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS). Three key features help to identify these surface features as lakes: morphology, albedo, and specular reflection. The presence of lakes at the mid-latitudes mean liquid can accumulate and remain stable outside of the poles. We first identify a lake surface by looking for possible shorelines with a lacustrine morphology. Then, we apply a simple atmospheric correction that produces an approximate surface albedo. Next, we prepare cylindrical projection maps of the brightness of the sky as seen from any points on the surface to identify specular reflections. Our techniques can then be applied to other areas, such as Arrakis Planitia, to test for liquid. Currently, all the known lakes on Titan are concentrated at the poles. Lakes have been suggested in the tropic zone by Griffith et al. Our discovery of non-transient, temperate lakes has important implications for Titan's hydrologic cycle. Clouds have been recorded accumulating in the mid-latitudes and areas have been darkened by rainfall but later brightened after evaporation (Turtle et al. 2011). Stable temperate lakes would affect total rainfall, liquid accumulation, evaporation rates, and infiltration. Polaznik Macula (Figure 1) is a great candidate for lake filling, evaporation rates, and stability. References: Griffith, C., et al.: "Evidence for Lakes on Titan's Tropical Surface". AAS/Division for Planetary Sciences Meeting Abstracts #42, Vol. 42, pp. 1077, 2010. Turtle, E. P., et al.: "Rapid and Extensive Surface Changes Near Titan's Equator: Evidence of April Showers". Science, Vol. 331, pp. 1414-, 2011. Figure 1: Polaznik Macula is the large, dark area central to the figure. The encircled dark blue areas represent positively identified lake regions in the T66 flyby. The light blue areas represent lake candidates still under analysis. The green circle marks a non-lake surface feature enclosed by a

  7. Titan and Callisto

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2011-04-08

    These images compare surface features observed by NASA Cassini spacecraft at the Xanadu region on Saturn moon Titan left, and features observed by NASA Galileo spacecraft on Jupiter cratered moon Callisto right.

  8. Seasonal Change in Titan's Cloud Activity Observed with IRTF/SpeX

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schaller, Emily L.; Brown, M. E.; Roe, H. G.

    2006-09-01

    We have acquired whole disk spectra of Titan on nineteen nights with IRTF/SpeX over a three-month period in the spring of 2006. The data encompass the spectral range of 0.8 to 2.4 microns at a resolution of 375. These disk-integrated spectra allow us to determine Titan's total fractional cloud coverage and altitudes of clouds present. We find that Titan had less than 0.15% fractional cloud coverage on all but one of the nineteen nights. The near lack of cloud activity in these spectra is in sharp contrast to nearly every spectrum taken from 1995-1999 with UKIRT by Griffith et al. (1998 & 2000) who found rapidly varying clouds covering 0.5% of Titan's disk. The differences in these two similar datasets indicate a striking seasonal change in the behavior of Titan's clouds. Observations of the latitudes, magnitudes, altitudes, and frequencies of Titan's clouds as Titan moves toward southern autumnal equinox in 2009 will help elucidate when and how Titan's methane hydrological cycle changes with season.

  9. How Does Titan Retain a Finite Orbital Eccentricity?

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bills, Bruce G.; Nimmo, Francis

    2004-01-01

    There is appreciable evidence for a significant hydrocarbon ocean on the surface of Titan. However, it has long been appreciated that tidal dissipation within a putative hydrocarbon ocean on Titan easily yields an orbital eccentricity damping time e which is short compared to the age of the solar system. Unless Titan s present eccentricity (e = 0.0288) were acquired recently, it requires that either: the ocean has a configuration which limits dissipation, or some mechanism exists which effectively maintains the eccentricity against dissipative damping. We argue for the latter. Specifically, the proximity of Jupiter and Saturn to a 5:2 mean motion resonance may provide a sufficient excitation source, and thereby effectively remove dynamical constraints on the dissipation and configuration of the Titan ocean.

  10. Saturn's Magnetospheric Plasma Flow Encountered by Titan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sillanpää, I.

    2017-09-01

    Titan has been a major target of the ending Cassini mission to Saturn. 126 flybys have sampled, measured and observed a variety of Titan's features and processes from the surface features to atmospheric composition and upper atmospheric processes. Titan's interaction with the magnetospheric plasma flow it is mostly embedded in is highly dependent on the characteristics of the ambient plasma. The density, velocity and even the composition of the plasma flow can have great variance from flyby to flyby. Our purpose is the present the plasma flow conditions for all over 70 flybys of which we have Cassini Plasma Spectrometer (CAPS) measurements.

  11. Titanate-based adsorbents for radioactive ions entrapment from water.

    PubMed

    Yang, Dongjiang; Liu, Hongwei; Zheng, Zhanfeng; Sarina, Sarina; Zhu, Huaiyong

    2013-03-21

    This feature article reviews some titanate-based adsorbents for the removal of radioactive wastes (cations and anions) from water. At the beginning, we discuss the development of the conventional ion-exchangeable titanate powders for the entrapment of radioactive cations, such as crystalline silicotitanate (CST), monosodium titanate (MST), peroxotitanate (PT). Then, we specially emphasize the recent progress in the uptake of radioactive ions by one-dimensional (1D) sodium titanate nanofibers and nanotubes, which includes the synthesis and phase transformation of the 1D nanomaterials, adsorption ability (capacity, selectivity, kinetics, etc.) of radioactive cations and anions, and the structural evolution during the adsorption process.

  12. Cosmic-rays induced Titan tholins and their astrobiological significances

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kobayashi, Kensei; Taniuchi, Toshinori; Hosogai, Tomohiro; Kaneko, Takeo; Takano, Yoshinori; Khare, Bishun; McKay, Chris

    Titan is the largest satellite of Saturn. It is quite unique satellite since it has a dense atmosphere composed of nitrogen and methane, and has been sometimes considered as a model of primitive Earth. In Titan atmosphere, a wide variety of organic compounds and mists made of complex organics. Such solid complex organics are often referred to as tholins. A number of laboratory experiments simulating reactions in Titan atmosphere have been conducted. In most of them, ultraviolet light and discharges (simulating actions of electrons in Saturn magnetosphere) were used, which were simulation of the reactions in upper dilute atmosphere of Titan. We examined possible formation of organic compounds in the lower dense atmosphere of Titan, where cosmic rays are major energies. A Mixture of 35 Torr of methane and 665 Torr of nitrogen was irradiated with high-energy protons (3 MeV) from a van de Graaff accelerator (TIT, Japan) or from a Tandem accelerator (TIARA, QUBS, JAEA, Japan). In some experiments, 13 C-labelled methane was used. We also performed plasma discharges in a mixture of methane (10 %) and nitrogen (90 %) to simulate the reactions in the upper atmosphere of Titan. Solid products by proton irradiation and those by plasma discharges are hereafter referred to as PI-tholins and PD-tholins, respectively. The resulting PI-tholins were observed with SEM and AFM. They were characterized by pyrolysis-GC/MS, gel permeation chromatography, FT-IR, etc. Amino acids in PI-and PD-tholins were analyzed by HPLC, GC/MS and MALDI-TOF-MS after acid hydrolysis. 18 O-Labelled water was used in some cases during hydrolysis. Filamentary and/or globular-like structures were observed by SEM and AFM. By pyrolysis-GC/MS of PI-tholins, ammonia and hydrogen cyanide were detected, which was the same as the results obtained in Titan atmosphere during the Huygens mission. A wide variety of amino acids were detected after hydrolysis of both tholins. It was proved that oxygen atoms in the amino

  13. Titan's lower troposphere: thermal structure and dynamics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Charnay, B.; Lebonnois, S.

    2011-12-01

    A new climate model for Titan's atmosphere has been developed, using the physics of the IPSL Titan 2-dimensional climate model with the current version of the LMDZ General Circulation Model's dynamical core. The GCM covers altitudes from the surface to 500 km with the diurnal cycle and the gravitational tides included. 1. Boundary layer and thermal structure The HASI profile of potential temperature shows a layer at 300 m, an other at 800 m and a slope change at 2 km ([5],[2]). Dune spacing on Titan is consistent with a 2-3 km boundary layer ([3]). We have reproduced this profile (see figure) and interpreted the layer at 300 m as a convective boundary layer, the layer at 800 m is a residual layer corresponding to the maximum diurnal vertical extension of the PBL. We interpret the slope change at 2 km as produced by the seasonal displacement of the ITCZ. This layer traps the circulation in the first two km and is responsible of the dune spacing. Finally we interpret the fog discovered in summer polar region ([1]) has clouds produced by the diurnal cycle of the PBL (as fair weather cumulus on Earth). 2. Surface winds 2.1 Effect of gravitational and thermal tides We analysed tropospheric winds and the influence of both the thermal and the gravitational tides. The impact of gravitational tides on the circulation is extremely small. Thermal tides have a visible effect, though quite tenuous. 2.2 Effect of topography We produced topography maps derived from spherical harmonic interpolation ([6]) on the reference ellipsoid ([4]). Surface temperatures at high altitude appear higher that the ambient air. Vertical air movements produce anabatic winds developing on smooth and long slopes. This could be one of the main causes controlling the direction of surface winds and the direction of dunes. References [1] Brown et al.: Discovery of fog at the south pole of Titan, Astrophys. J. 706 (2009), pp. L110-L113 [2] Griffith et al.: Titan's Tropical Storms in an Evolving Atmosphere

  14. Titan Cell Production Enhances the Virulence of Cryptococcus neoformans

    PubMed Central

    Crabtree, Juliet N.; Okagaki, Laura H.; Wiesner, Darin L.; Strain, Anna K.; Nielsen, Judith N.

    2012-01-01

    Infection with Cryptococcus neoformans begins when desiccated yeast cells or spores are inhaled and lodge in the alveoli of the lungs. A subset of cryptococcal cells in the lungs differentiate into enlarged cells, referred to as titan cells. Titan cells can be as large as 50 to 100 μm in diameter and exhibit a number of features that may affect interactions with host immune defenses. To characterize the effect of titan cell formation on the host-pathogen interaction, we utilized a previously described C. neoformans mutant, the gpr4Δ gpr5Δ mutant, which has minimal titan cell production in vivo. The gpr4Δ gpr5Δ mutant strain had attenuated virulence, a lower CFU, and reduced dissemination compared to the wild-type strain. Titan cell production by the wild-type strain also resulted in increased eosinophil accumulation and decreased phagocytosis in the lungs compared to those with the gpr4Δ gpr5Δ mutant strain. Phagocytosed cryptococcal cells exhibited less viability than nonphagocytosed cells, which potentially explains the reduced cell survival and overall attenuation of virulence in the absence of titan cells. These data show that titan cell formation is a novel virulence factor in C. neoformans that promotes establishment of the initial pulmonary infection and plays a key role in disease progression. PMID:22890995

  15. Titan cell production enhances the virulence of Cryptococcus neoformans.

    PubMed

    Crabtree, Juliet N; Okagaki, Laura H; Wiesner, Darin L; Strain, Anna K; Nielsen, Judith N; Nielsen, Kirsten

    2012-11-01

    Infection with Cryptococcus neoformans begins when desiccated yeast cells or spores are inhaled and lodge in the alveoli of the lungs. A subset of cryptococcal cells in the lungs differentiate into enlarged cells, referred to as titan cells. Titan cells can be as large as 50 to 100 μm in diameter and exhibit a number of features that may affect interactions with host immune defenses. To characterize the effect of titan cell formation on the host-pathogen interaction, we utilized a previously described C. neoformans mutant, the gpr4Δ gpr5Δ mutant, which has minimal titan cell production in vivo. The gpr4Δ gpr5Δ mutant strain had attenuated virulence, a lower CFU, and reduced dissemination compared to the wild-type strain. Titan cell production by the wild-type strain also resulted in increased eosinophil accumulation and decreased phagocytosis in the lungs compared to those with the gpr4Δ gpr5Δ mutant strain. Phagocytosed cryptococcal cells exhibited less viability than nonphagocytosed cells, which potentially explains the reduced cell survival and overall attenuation of virulence in the absence of titan cells. These data show that titan cell formation is a novel virulence factor in C. neoformans that promotes establishment of the initial pulmonary infection and plays a key role in disease progression.

  16. ARPS Enabled Titan Rover Concept with Inflatable Wheels

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Balint, Tibor S.; Schriener, Timothy M.; Shirley, James H.

    2006-01-01

    The Decadal Survey identified Titan as one of the top priority science destinations in the large moons category, while NASA's proposed Design Reference Mission Set ranked a Titan in-situ explorer second, after a recommended Europa Geophysical Observer mission. This paper discusses a Titan rover concept, enabled by a single advanced Radioisotope Power System that could provide about 110We (BOL). The concept targets the smaller Flagship or potentially the New Frontiers mission class. This MSL class rover would traverse on four 1.5 m diameter inflatable wheels during its 3 years mission duration and would use as much design and flight heritage as possible to reduce mission cost. Direct to Earth communication would remove the need for a relay orbiter. Details on the strawman instrument payload, and rover subsystems are given for this science driven mission concept. In addition, power system trades between Advanced RTG, TPV, and Advanced Stirling and Brayton Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS) are outlined. While many possible approaches exist for Titan in-situ exploration, the Titan rover concept presented here could provide a scientifically interesting and programmatically affordable solution.

  17. Abundance and Temperature Variations in Titan's Atmosphere as Revealed by ALMA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Thelen, A. E.; Nixon, C. A.; Chanover, N.; Molter, E.; Cordiner, M. A.; Serigano, J., IV; Irwin, P. G.; Charnley, S. B.; Teanby, N. A.

    2016-12-01

    Photochemistry in Titan's atmosphere produces a wealth of organic molecular species through the dissociation of it's main constituents: N2 and CH4. Chemical species including hydrocarbons (CXHY) and nitriles (CXHY[CN]Z) exhibit latitudinal variations in abundance as observed by Cassini, attributed to atmospheric circulation and Titan's seasonal cycle. Flux calibration images of Titan taken by the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) with beam sizes smaller than Titan's angular diameter ( 0.7'') allow for measurements of rotational transition lines in spatially resolved regions of Titan's disk. We present nitrile abundance profiles and temperature measurements derived from CO lines obtained by ALMA in 2014, as Titan transitioned into northern summer. Vertical profiles in Titan's lower/middle atmosphere were retrieved by modeling high resolution ALMA spectra using the Non-linear Optimal Estimator for MultivariatE Spectral analySIS (NEMESIS) radiative transfer code. We present a comparison of the abundance variations of chemical species to measurements made using Cassini data. Temperature profiles derived from CO lines are compared to Cassini Composite Infrared Spectrometer temperature fields. The techniques presented here will allow us to determine temporal changes in Titan's atmospheric chemical composition after the end of the Cassini mission by utilizing high resolution ALMA data. Comparisons of chemical species with strong abundance enhancements over the poles will inform our knowledge of chemical lifetimes in Titan's atmosphere, and allow us to observe the important changes in production and circulation of numerous organic molecules which are attributed to Titan's seasons.

  18. 77 FR 59690 - Titan Resources International, Corp.; Order of Suspension of Trading

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-09-28

    ... SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION [File No. 500-1] Titan Resources International, Corp.; Order of... a lack of current and accurate information concerning the securities of Titan Resources International, Corp. (``Titan''). Titan is a Wyoming corporation purportedly based in Ontario, Canada. Questions...

  19. Titan's seasonal weather patterns, associated surface modification, and geological implications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Turtle, E. P.; Perry, J. E.; Barnes, J. W.; McEwen, A. S.; Barbara, J. M.; Del Genio, A. D.; Hayes, A. G.; West, R. A.; Lorenz, R. D.; Schaller, E. L.; Lunine, J. I.; Ray, T. L.; Lopes, R. M. C.; Stofan, E. R.

    2013-09-01

    Model predictions [e.g., 1-3] and observations [e.g., 4,5] illustrate changes in Titan's weather patterns related to the seasons (Fig. 1). In two cases, surface changes were documented following large cloud outbursts (Figs. 2, 3): the first in Arrakis Planitia at high southern latitudes in Fall 2004, during Titan's late southern summer [6]; and the second at lows southern latitudes in Concordia and Hetpet Regiones, Yalaing Terra (Fig. 3), and Adiri, in Fall 2010, just over a year after Titan's northern vernal equinox [4, 7, 8]. Not only do these storms demonstrate Titan's atmospheric conditions and processes, they also have important implications for Titan's surface process, its methane cycle, and its geologic history.

  20. Energetic neutral atom emissions from Titan interaction with Saturn's magnetosphere.

    PubMed

    Mitchell, D G; Brandt, P C; Roelof, E C; Dandouras, J; Krimigis, S M; Mauk, B H

    2005-05-13

    The Cassini Magnetospheric Imaging Instrument (MIMI) observed the interaction of Saturn's largest moon, Titan, with Saturn's magnetosphere during two close flybys of Titan on 26 October and 13 December 2004. The MIMI Ion and Neutral Camera (INCA) continuously imaged the energetic neutral atoms (ENAs) generated by charge exchange reactions between the energetic, singly ionized trapped magnetospheric ions and the outer atmosphere, or exosphere, of Titan. The images reveal a halo of variable ENA emission about Titan's nearly collisionless outer atmosphere that fades at larger distances as the exospheric density decays exponentially. The altitude of the emissions varies, and they are not symmetrical about the moon, reflecting the complexity of the interactions between Titan's upper atmosphere and Saturn's space environment.

  1. The vertical profile of winds on Titan.

    PubMed

    Bird, M K; Allison, M; Asmar, S W; Atkinson, D H; Avruch, I M; Dutta-Roy, R; Dzierma, Y; Edenhofer, P; Folkner, W M; Gurvits, L I; Johnston, D V; Plettemeier, D; Pogrebenko, S V; Preston, R A; Tyler, G L

    2005-12-08

    One of Titan's most intriguing attributes is its copious but featureless atmosphere. The Voyager 1 fly-by and occultation in 1980 provided the first radial survey of Titan's atmospheric pressure and temperature and evidence for the presence of strong zonal winds. It was realized that the motion of an atmospheric probe could be used to study the winds, which led to the inclusion of the Doppler Wind Experiment on the Huygens probe. Here we report a high resolution vertical profile of Titan's winds, with an estimated accuracy of better than 1 m s(-1). The zonal winds were prograde during most of the atmospheric descent, providing in situ confirmation of superrotation on Titan. A layer with surprisingly slow wind, where the velocity decreased to near zero, was detected at altitudes between 60 and 100 km. Generally weak winds (approximately 1 m s(-1)) were seen in the lowest 5 km of descent.

  2. Titan after Cassini Huygens

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Beauchamp, P. M.; Lunine, J.; Lebreton, J.; Coustenis, A.; Matson, D.; Reh, K.; Erd, C.

    2008-12-01

    In 2005, the Huygens Probe gave us a snapshot of a world tantalizingly like our own, yet frozen in its evolution on the threshold of life. The descent under parachute, like that of Huygens in 2005, is happening again, but this time in the Saturn-cast twilight of winter in Titan's northern reaches. With a pop, the parachute is released, and then a muffled splash signals the beginning of the first floating exploration of an extraterrestrial sea-this one not of water but of liquid hydrocarbons. Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, a hot air balloon, a "montgolfiere," cruises 6 miles above sunnier terrain, imaging vistas of dunes, river channels, mountains and valleys carved in water ice, and probing the subsurface for vast quantities of "missing" methane and ethane that might be hidden within a porous icy crust. Balloon and floater return their data to a Titan Orbiter equipped to strip away Titan's mysteries with imaging, radar profiling, and atmospheric sampling, much more powerful and more complete than Cassini was capable of. This spacecraft, preparing to enter a circular orbit around Saturn's cloud-shrouded giant moon, has just completed a series of flybys of Enceladus, a tiny but active world with plumes that blow water and organics from the interior into space. Specialized instruments on the orbiter were able to analyze these plumes directly during the flybys. Titan and Enceladus could hardly seem more different, and yet they are linked by their origin in the Saturn system, by a magnetosphere that sweeps up mass and delivers energy, and by the possibility that one or both worlds harbor life. It is the goal of the NASA/ESA Titan Saturn System Mission (TSSM) to explore and investigate these exotic and inviting worlds, to understand their natures and assess the possibilities of habitability in this system so distant from our home world. Orbiting, landing, and ballooning at Titan represent a new and exciting approach to planetary exploration. The TSSM mission

  3. Low-Latitude Ethane Rain on Titan

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dalba, Paul A.; Buratti, Bonnie J.; Brown, R. H.; Barnes, J. W.; Baines, K. H.; Sotin, C.; Clark, R. N.; Lawrence, K. J.; Nicholson, P. D.

    2012-01-01

    Cassini ISS observed multiple widespread changes in surface brightness in Titan's equatorial regions over the past three years. These brightness variations are attributed to rainfall from cloud systems that appear to form seasonally. Determining the composition of this rainfall is an important step in understanding the "methanological" cycle on Titan. I use data from Cassini VIMS to complete a spectroscopic investigation of multiple rain-wetted areas. I compute "before-and-after" spectral ratios of any areas that show either deposition or evaporation of rain. By comparing these spectral ratios to a model of liquid ethane, I find that the rain is most likely composed of liquid ethane. The spectrum of liquid ethane contains multiple absorption features that fall within the 2-micron and 5-micron spectral windows in Titan's atmosphere. I show that these features are visible in the spectra taken of Titan's surface and that they are characteristically different than those in the spectrum of liquid methane. Furthermore, just as ISS saw the surface brightness reverting to its original state after a period of time, I show that VIMS observations of later flybys show the surface composition in different stages of returning to its initial form.

  4. Methane on Titan: Photochemical-Meteorological-Hydrogeochemical Cycle

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Atreya, S. K.; Niemann, H. B.; Owen, T. C.; Adams, E. Y.; Demick, J. E.; GCMS Team

    2005-08-01

    Photochemically driven destruction of methane in Titan's stratosphere leads to irreversible conversion to heavier hydrocarbons (1). The latter would largely condense out of the atmosphere (2). In the absence of recycling, Titan's methane would thus be destroyed in 10-100 million years (1). However, methane is key to the maintenance of Titan's nitrogen atmosphere. Without warming provided by CH4-generated hydrocarbon hazes in the stratosphere and pressure induced opacity in the infrared, particularly by H2-N2 and CH4-N2 collisions in the troposphere, the atmosphere would gradually diminish to tens of millibar pressure (3). Thus, the source-sink cycle of methane is crucial to the evolutionary history of Titan and its atmosphere. The GCMS measurements show that a ``methalogical" cycle with surface evaporation, cloud formation, followed by precipitation (rain) of methane exists. However, this ``closed" cycle does not recycle methane lost to heavy hydrocarbons. A source is required. Unlike the deep, hot, H2-rich interiors of the giant planets, Titan's interior is ill suited for thermochemical conversion of hydrocarbons back to methane. Instead we propose that serpentinization is an effective process for producing methane in Titan's interior (4). Hydration of ultramafic silicates, followed by reaction between the released H2 gas and CO2 or carbon grains can produce large quantities of CH4 at relatively mild (40-90oC) temperatures. Such thermal conditions are believed to exist below the purported water-ammonia ocean (5). Storage of methane produced via serpentinization can occur in form of clathrates. Evidence of outgassing from Titan's interior is provided by GCMS (6) and VIMS (7) data. (1) Wilson, Atreya, JGR 109, E06002, doi:10.1029/2003JE002181, 2004. (2) Wilson, Atreya, PSS 51, 1017, 2003. (3) Lorenz etal. Science 275, 642, 1997. (4) Owen etal. Phys. Uspekhi, in press. (5) Grasset, Pargamin, PSS 53, 371, 2005. (6) Niemann etal., Submitted to Nature, 2005. (7) Sotin

  5. Photometric properties of Titan's surface from Cassini VIMS: Relevance to titan's hemispherical albedo dichotomy and surface stability

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Nelson, R.M.; Brown, R.H.; Hapke, B.W.; Smythe, W.D.; Kamp, L.; Boryta, M.D.; Leader, F.; Baines, K.H.; Bellucci, G.; Bibring, J.-P.; Buratti, B.J.; Capaccioni, F.; Cerroni, P.; Clark, R.N.; Combes, M.; Coradini, A.; Cruikshank, D.P.; Drossart, P.; Formisano, V.; Jaumann, R.; Langevin, Y.; Matson, D.L.; McCord, T.B.; Mennella, V.; Nicholson, P.D.; Sicardy, B.; Sotin, Christophe

    2006-01-01

    The Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) instrument on the Cassini Saturn Orbiter returned spectral imaging data as the spacecraft undertook six close encounters with Titan beginning 7 July, 2004. Three of these flybys each produced overlapping coverage of two distinct regions of Titan's surface. Twenty-four points were selected on approximately opposite hemispheres to serve as photometric controls. Six points were selected in each of four reflectance classes. On one hemisphere each control point was observed at three distinct phase angles. From the derived phase coefficients, preliminary normal reflectances were derived for each reflectance class. The normal reflectance of Titan's surface units at 2.0178 ??m ranged from 0.079 to 0.185 for the most absorbing to the most reflective units assuming no contribution from absorbing haze. When a modest haze contribution of ??=0.1 is considered these numbers increase to 0.089-0.215. We find that the lowest three reflectance classes have comparable normal reflectance on either hemisphere. However, for the highest brightness class the normal reflectance is higher on the hemisphere encompassing longitude 14-65?? compared to the same high brightness class for the hemisphere encompassing 122-156?? longitude. We conclude that an albedo dichotomy observed in continental sized units on Titan is due not only to one unit having more areal coverage of reflective material than the other but the material on the brighter unit is intrinsically more reflective than the most reflective material on the other unit. This suggests that surface renewal processes are more widespread on Titan's more reflective units than on its less reflective units. We note that one of our photometric control points has increased in reflectance by 12% relative to the surrounding terrain from July of 2004 to April and May of 2005. Possible causes of this effect include atmospheric processes such as ground fog or orographic clouds; the suggestion of

  6. Chemistry of Titan's Aerosols : Correlation of The C/n &C/h Ratios To Pressure and Temperature

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bernard, J.-M.; Coll, P.; Raulin, F.

    The gas present in Titan's atmosphere are forming organics aerosols under action of the solar radiations and of electrons from Saturn's magnetosphere. Many experimental simulations are been realised by irradiating N2/CH4 gas mixtures with different en- ergy sources in order to reproduce the chemistry of gas and particulate phases (Thomp- son et al, 1991; Mc Donald et al, 1994; de Vanssay et al, 1995; McKay, 1996; Coll et al, 1997, 1998a,b; and Refs. included). Until very recently, only one organics re- mains detected in Titan but not in laboratory simulation : C4N2. A full program of experimental research has been developed at LISA, which was able to provide a com- plete identification of a wide range of compounds, proposed to be present in Titan's atmosphere, including C4N2. The composition of aerosol on Titan is not known, due to its complexity. Especially its building molecules are difficult to identify. Only functional groups of analogues have been determined using spectroscopy and pyrolysis. However this chemical composi- tion is a key parameter for Cassini-Huygens experiments and atmospheric modeling : even the optical properties of aerosols are related to C/N and C/H ratios. We will present the results of the variation of C/N and C/H ratios according to the temperature and the pressure in Titan's atmosphere simulations. This data will allow to constraint photochemical models, in order for them to be more realistic. Then the comprehension of the mechanism of aerosols formation on Titan as function of altitude will be easier.

  7. Ground Based Monitoring of Cloud Activity on Titan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Corlies, Paul; Hayes, Alexander; Rojo, Patricio; Ádámkovics, Máté; Turtle, Elizabeth; Buratti, Bonnie

    2014-11-01

    We will report on the latest results of an on-going ground based monitoring campaign of Saturn’s moon Titan using the SINFONI (Spectrograph for INtegral Field Observations in the Near Infrared) instrument on the Very Large Telescope (VLT). Presently, much is still unknown about the complex and dynamic hydrologic system of Titan as observations have yet to be made through an entire Titan year (29.7 Earth years). Because of the limited ability to observe Titan with Cassini, a combined ground and spaced-based approach provides a steady cadence of observation throughout the duration of a Titan year. We will present the results of observations to date using the adaptive optics (AO) mode (weather dependent) of SINFONI. We have been regularly observing Titan since April 2014 for the purpose of monitoring and identifying clouds and have also been in collaboration with the Cassini team that has concurrent ISS observations and historical VIMS observations of clouds. Our discussion will focus on the various algorithms and approaches used for cloud identification and analysis. Currently, we are entering into a very interesting time for clouds and Titan hydrology as Saturn moves into north polar summer for the first time since Cassini entered the Saturnian system. The increased insolation that this will bring to the north, where the majority of the liquid methane lakes reside, will give us our first observations of the potentially complex interplay between surface liquid and atmospheric conditions. By carefully monitoring and characterizing clouds (size, optical depth, altitude, etc.) we will also be able to derive constraints that can help to guide and validate GCMs. Since the beginning of our observations, no clouds have been observed through ground based observations, while Cassini has only observed a single cloud event in the north polar region over Ligeia Mare. We will provide an update on the latest results of our cloud monitoring campaign and discuss how this

  8. Energy Budgets of the Giant Planets and Titan

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Liming, Li; Smith, Mark A.; Conrath, Barney J.; Conrath, Peter J.; Simon-Miller, Amy A.; Baines, Kevin H.; West, Robert A.; Achterberg, Richard K.; Orton, Glenn S.; Santiago, Perez-Hoyos; hide

    2012-01-01

    As a fundamental property, the energy budget affects many aspeCts of planets and their moons, such as thermal structure, meteorology, and evolution. We use the observations from two Cassini spectrometers (i.e., CIRS and VIMS) to explore one important component of the energy budget the total emitted power of Jupiter, Saturn, and Titan (Li et al., 2010, 2011, 2012). Key results are: (1) The Cassini observations precisely measure the global-average emitted power of three bodies: 14.l0+/-0.03 Wm(exp -2), 4.952+/-0.035 Wm(exp -2), and 2.834+/-0.012 Wm(exp -2) for Jupiter, Saturn, and Titan, respectively. (2) The meridional distribution of emitted power displays a significant asymmetry between the northern and southern hemispheres on Jupiter and Saturn. On Titan, the meridional distribution of emitted power is basically symmetric around the equator. (3) Comparing with the Voyager measurements, the new Cassini observations reveal a significant temporal variation of emitted power on both Jupiter and Saturn: i) The asymmetry between the two hemisphere shown in the Cassini epoch (2000-2010) is not present in the Voyager epoch (1979-1980); and ii) From the Voyager epoch to the Cassini epoch, the global-average emitted power appeared to increase by approx 3.8% for Jupiter and approx 6.4% for Saturn. (4) Together with previous measurements of the absorbed solar power on Titan, the new Cassini measurements of emitted power provide the first observational evidence of the global energy balance on Titan. The uncertainty in the previous measurements of absorbed solar energy places an upper limit on its energy imbalance of 6.0% on Titan. The exploration of emitted power is the first part of a series of studies examining the temporal variability of the energy budget on the giant planets and Titan. Currently, We are measuring the absorbed solar energy in order to determine new constraints on the energy budgets of Jupiter, Saturn, and Titan.

  9. Cryovolcanism on Titan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mitri, G.; Showman, A. P.; Lunine, J. I.; Lopes, R. M.

    2008-12-01

    Remote sensing observations yield evidence for cryovolcanism on Titan, and evolutionary models support (but do not require) the presence of an ammonia-water subsurface ocean. The impetus for invoking ammonia as a constituent in an internal ocean and cryovolcanic magma comes from two factors. First, ammonia-water liquid has a lower freezing temperature than pure liquid water, enabling cryovolcanism under the low- temperature conditions prevalent in the outer Solar System. Second, pure water is negatively buoyant with respect to pure water ice, which discourages eruption from the subsurface ocean to the surface. In contrast, the addition of ammonia to the water decreases its density, hence lessening this problem of negative buoyancy. A marginally positive buoyant ammonia-water mixture might allow effusive eruptions from a subsurface ocean. If the subsurface ocean were positively buoyant, all the ammonia would have been erupted very early in Titan's history. Contrary to this scenario, Cassini-Huygens has so far observed neither a global abundance nor a complete dearth of cryovolcanic features. Further, an ancient cryovolcanic epoch cannot explain the relative youth of Titan's surface. Crucial to invoking ammonia-water resurfacing as the source of the apparently recent geological activity is not how to make ammonia-water volcanism work (because the near neutral buoyancy of the ammonia-water mixture encourages an explanation), but rather how to prevent eruption from occurring so easily that cryovolcanic activity is over early on. Although cryovolcanism by ammonia-water has been proposed as a resurfacing process on Titan, few models have specifically dealt with the problem of how to transport ammonia-water liquid onto the surface. We proposed a model of cryovolcanism that involve cracking at the base of the ice shell and formation of ammonia-water pockets in the ice. While the ammonia-water pockets cannot easily become neutral buoyant and promote effusive eruptions

  10. Titan's missing ethane: From the atmosphere to the subsurface

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gilliam, Ashley E.; Lerman, Abraham

    2016-09-01

    The second most abundant component of the present-day Titan atmosphere, methane (CH4), is known to undergo photolytic conversion to ethane (C2H6) that accumulates as a liquid on Titan's surface. Condensation temperature of ethane is higher than that of methane, so that ethane "rain" may be expected to occur before the liquefaction of methane. At present, the partial pressure of ethane in the atmosphere is 1E-5 bar, much lower than 1E-1 bar of CH4. Estimated 8.46E17 kg or 1.37E6 km3 of C2H6 have been produced on Titan since accretion. The Titan surface reservoirs of ethane are lakes and craters, of estimated volume of 50,000 km3 and 61,000 km3, respectively. As these are smaller than the total volume of liquid ethane produced in the course of Titan's history, the excess may be stored in the subsurface of the crust, made primarily of water ice. The minimum porosity of the crust needed to accommodate all the liquid ethane would be only 0.9% of the uppermost 2 km of the crust. The occurrence of CH4 and liquid C2H6 on Titan has led to much speculation on the possibility of life on that satellite. The aggregation of organic molecules in a "primordial soup or bullion" depends in part on the viscosity of the medium, diffusivity of organic molecules in it, and rates of polymerization reactions. The temperatures on Titan, much lower than on primordial Earth, are less favorable to the "Second Coming of life" on Titan.

  11. A Single Deformed Bow Shock for Titan-Saturn System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sulaiman, A. H.; Omidi, N.; Kurth, W. S.; Madanian, H.; Cravens, T.; Sergis, N.; Dougherty, M. K.; Edberg, N. J. T.

    2017-12-01

    During periods of high solar wind pressure, Saturn's bow shock is pushed inside Titan's orbit exposing the moon and its ionosphere to the supersonic solar wind. The Cassini spacecraft's T96 encounter with Titan occurred during such a period and is the subject of this presentation. The observations during this encounter show evidence for the presence of outbound and inbound shock crossings associated with Saturn and Titan. They also reveal the presence of two foreshocks: one between the outbound Kronian and inbound Titan bow shocks (foreshock-1) and the other between the outbound Titan and inbound Kronian bow shocks (foreshock-2). Using electromagnetic hybrid (kinetic ions, fluid electrons) simulations and Cassini observations we show that the origin of foreshock-1 is tied to the formation of a single deformed bow shock for the Titan-Saturn system. We also report for the first time, the observations of spontaneous hot flow anomalies (SHFAs) in foreshock-1 making Saturn the fourth planet this phenomenon has been observed and indicating its universal nature. The results of hybrid simulations also show the generation of oblique fast magnetosonic waves upstream of the outbound Titan bow shock in agreement with the observations of large amplitude magnetosonic pulsations in foreshock-2. The formation of a single deformed bow shock results in unique foreshock-bow shock or foreshock-foreshock geometries. For example, the presence of Saturn's foreshock upstream of Titan's quasi-perpendicular bow shock result in ion acceleration through a combination of shock drift and Fermi processes. We also discuss the implications of a single deformed bow shock for Saturn's magnetopause and magnetosphere.

  12. A Survey of Titan Balloon Concepts and Technology Status

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hall, Jeffery L.

    2011-01-01

    This paper surveys the options for, and technology status of, balloon vehicles to explore Saturn's moon Titan. A significant amount of Titan balloon concept thinking and technology development has been performed in recent years, particularly following the spectacular results from the descent and landing of the Huygens probe and remote sensing observations by the Cassini spacecraft. There is widespread recognition that a balloon vehicle on the next Titan mission could provide an outstanding and unmatched capability for in situ exploration on a global scale. The rich variety of revealed science targets has combined with a highly favorable Titan flight environment to yield a wide diversity of proposed balloon concepts. The paper presents a conceptual framework for thinking about balloon vehicle design choices and uses it to analyze various Titan options. The result is a list of recommended Titan balloon vehicle concepts that could perform a variety of science missions, along with their projected performance metrics. Recent technology developments for these balloon concepts are discussed to provide context for an assessment of outstanding risk areas and technological maturity. The paper concludes with suggestions for technology investments needed to achieve flight readiness.

  13. DISCOVERY OF FOG AT THE SOUTH POLE OF TITAN

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Brown, M. E.; Smith, A. L.; Chen, C.

    2009-11-20

    While Saturn's moon Titan appears to support an active methane hydrological cycle, no direct evidence for surface-atmosphere exchange has yet appeared. The indirect evidence, while compelling, could be misleading. It is possible, for example, that the identified lake features could be filled with ethane, an involatile long-term residue of atmospheric photolysis; the apparent stream and channel features could be ancient remnants of a previous climate; and the tropospheric methane clouds, while frequent, could cause no rain to reach the surface. We report here the detection of fog at the south pole of Titan during late summer using observations from themore » VIMS instrument on board the Cassini spacecraft. While terrestrial fog can form from a variety of causes, most of these processes are inoperable on Titan. Fog on Titan can only be caused by evaporation of nearly pure liquid methane; the detection of fog provides the first direct link between surface and atmospheric methane. Based on the detections presented here, liquid methane appears widespread at the south pole of Titan in late southern summer, and the hydrological cycle on Titan is currently active.« less

  14. Equatorial Titan Clouds

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2011-03-17

    NASA Cassini spacecraft chronicles the change of seasons as it captures clouds concentrated near the equator of Saturn largest moon, Titan. Methane clouds in the troposphere, the lowest part of the atmosphere, appear white here.

  15. Northern Summer on Titan

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-06-14

    NASA's Cassini spacecraft sees bright methane clouds drifting in the summer skies of Saturn's moon Titan, along with dark hydrocarbon lakes and seas clustered around the north pole. Compared to earlier in Cassini's mission, most of the surface in the moon's northern high latitudes is now illuminated by the sun. The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on June 9, 2017, using a spectral filter that preferentially admits wavelengths of near-infrared light centered at 938 nanometers. Cassini obtained the view at a distance of about 315,000 miles (507,000 kilometers) from Titan. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21615

  16. Expansion of Titan atmosphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Salem, S.; Moslem, W. M.; Radi, A.

    2017-05-01

    Self-similar plasma expansion approach is used to solve a plasma model based on the losing phenomenon of Titan atmospheric composition. To this purpose, a set of hydrodynamic fluid equations describing a plasma consisting of two positive ions with different masses and isothermal electrons is used. With the aid of self-similar transformation, numerical solution of the fluid equations has been performed to examine the density, velocity, and potential profiles. The effects of different plasma parameters, i.e., density and temperature ratios, are studied on the expanding plasma profiles. The present investigation could be useful to recognize the ionized particles escaping from Titan atmosphere.

  17. Titan brighter at twilight than in daylight

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    García Muñoz, A.; Lavvas, P.; West, R. A.

    2017-04-01

    Investigating the overall brightness of planets (and moons) provides insights into their envelopes and energy budgets 1-4 . Phase curves (a representation of the overall brightness versus the Sun-object-observer phase angle) for Titan have been published over a limited range of phase angles and spectral passbands 5,6 . Such information has been key to the study of the stratification, microphysics and aggregate nature of Titan's atmospheric haze 7,8 and has complemented the spatially resolved observations showing that the haze scatters efficiently in the forward direction 7,9 . Here, we present Cassini Imaging Science Subsystem whole-disk brightness measurements of Titan from ultraviolet to near-infrared wavelengths. The observations show that Titan's twilight (loosely defined as the view at phase angles ≳150°) outshines its daylight at various wavelengths. From the match between measurements and models, we show that at even larger phase angles, the back-illuminated moon will appear much brighter than when fully illuminated. This behaviour is unique in our Solar System to Titan and is caused by its extended atmosphere and the efficient forward scattering of sunlight by its atmospheric haze. We infer a solar energy deposition rate (for a solar constant of 14.9 W m-2) of (2.84 ± 0.11) × 1014 W, consistent to within one to two standard deviations with Titan's time-varying thermal emission from 2007 to 2013 10,11 . We propose that a forward scattering signature may also occur at large phase angles in the brightness of exoplanets with extended hazy atmospheres and that this signature has a valuable diagnostic potential for atmospheric characterization.

  18. Neptune and Titan Observed with Keck Telescope Adaptive Optics

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Max, C.E.; Macintosh, B.A.; Gibbard, S.

    2000-05-05

    The authors report on observations taken during engineering science validation time using the new adaptive optics system at the 10-m Keck II Telescope. They observe Neptune and Titan at near-infrared wavelengths. These objects are ideal for adaptive optics imaging because they are bright and small, yet have many diffraction-limited resolution elements across their disks. In addition Neptune and Titan have prominent physical features, some of which change markedly with time. They have observed infrared-bright storms on Neptune, and very low-albedo surface regions on Titan, Saturn's largest moon, Spatial resolution on Neptune and Titan was 0.05-0.06 and 0.04-0.05 arc sec, respectively.

  19. The identification of liquid ethane in Titan's Ontario Lacus

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Brown, R.H.; Soderblom, L.A.; Soderblom, J.M.; Clark, R.N.; Jaumann, R.; Barnes, J.W.; Sotin, Christophe; Buratti, B.; Baines, K.H.; Nicholson, P.D.

    2008-01-01

    Titan was once thought to have global oceans of light hydrocarbons on its surface, but after 40 close flybys of Titan by the Cassini spacecraft, it has become clear that no such oceans exist. There are, however, features similar to terrestrial lakes and seas, and widespread evidence for fluvial erosion, presumably driven by precipitation of liquid methane from Titan's dense, nitrogen-dominated atmosphere. Here we report infrared spectroscopic data, obtained by the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) on board the Cassini spacecraft, that strongly indicate that ethane, probably in liquid solution with methane, nitrogen and other low-molecular-mass hydrocarbons, is contained within Titan's Ontario Lacus.

  20. Poster 12: Nitrile and Hydrocarbon Spatial Abundance Variations in Titan's Atmosphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Thelen, Alexander E.; Nixon, Conor A.; Molter, Edward; Serigano, Joseph; Cordiner, Martin A.; Charnley, Steven B.; Teanby, Nick; Chanover, Nancy

    2016-06-01

    Many minor constituents of Titan's atmosphere exhibit latitudinal variations in abundance as a result of atmospheric circulation, photochemical production and subsequent destruction throughout Titan's seasonal cycle [1,2]. Species with observed spatial abundance variations include hydrocarbons - such as CH3CCH - and nitriles - HCN, HC3N, CH3CN, and C2H5CN - as found by Cassini [3,4]. Recent calibration images of Titan taken by the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) allow for measurements of rotational transition lines of these species in spatially resolved regions of Titan's disk [5]. Abundance profiles in Titan's lower/middle atmosphere are retrieved by modeling high resolution ALMA spectra using the Non-linear Optimal Estimator for MultivariatE Spectral analySIS (NEMESIS) radiative transfer code [6]. We present continuous abundance profiles for various species in Titan's atmosphere obtained from ALMA data in 2014. These species show polar abundance enhancements which can be compared to studies using Cassini data [7]. Measurements in the mesosphere will constrain molecular photochemical and dynamical models, while temporal variations inform our knowledge of chemical lifetimes for the large inventory of organic species produced in Titan's atmosphere. The synthesis of the ALMA and Cassini datasets thus allow us to observe the important changes in production and circulation of numerous trace components of Titan's atmosphere, which are attributed to Titan's seasons.

  1. The greenhouse and antigreenhouse effects on Titan

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mckay, Christopher P.; Pollack, James B.; Courtin, Regis

    1991-01-01

    The parallels between the atmospheric thermal structure of the Saturnian satellite Titan and the hypothesized terrestrial greenhouse effect can serve as bases for the evaluation of competing greenhouse theories. Attention is presently drawn to the similarity between the roles of H2 and CH4 on Titan and CO2 and H2O on earth. Titan also has an antigreenhouse effect due to a high-altitude haze layer which absorbs at solar wavelengths, while remaining transparent in the thermal IR; if this haze layer were removed, the antigreenhouse effect would be greatly reduced, exacerbating the greenhouse effect and raising surface temperature by over 20 K.

  2. Constraints on Titan rotation from Cassini radar

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bills, B. G.; Stiles, B. W.; Kirk, R. L.

    2014-12-01

    We give an update on efforts to model the rotation of Titan, subject to constraints from Cassini radar observations. The data we are currently using includes 670 tie-points, each of which is a pair of inertial positions of a single surface point, relative to the center of mass of Titan, and the corresponding pair of observation times. The positional accuracy is of order 1 km, in each Cartesian component. A reasonably good fit to the observations is obtained with a simple model which has a fixed spin pole and a rotation rate which is a sum of a constant value and a single sinusoidal oscillation. A better fit is obtained if we insist that Titan should behave as a synchronous rotator, in the dynamical sense of keeping its axis of least inertia oriented toward Saturn. At the level of accuracy required to fit the Cassini radar data, synchronous rotation is notably different than having a uniform rate of rotation. In this case, we need to model time variations in the orbital mean longitude, which is the longitude of periapse, plus the mean anomaly. That angle varies on a wide range of times scales, including Titan's periapse precession period (703 years), Saturn's heliocentric orbital period (29.47 years), perturbations from relatively large satellites Iapetus (79.3 days), and a 4:3 mean motion resonant interaction with Hyperion (640 and 6850 days), and a linear increase at Titan's mean orbital period (15.9455 day). Our rotation model for Titan has 4 free parameters. Two of them specify the orientation of the fixed spin pole, and the other two are the effective free libration period and viscous damping time. Our dynamical model includes a damped forced longitudinal libration, in which gravitational torques attempt to align the axis of least inertia with the instantaneous direction to Saturn. For a rigid tri-axial body, with Titan's moments of inertia, the free oscillation period for longitudinal librations would be 850 days. For a decoupled elastic shell, the effective

  3. Titan gravity investigation with the Oceanus mission

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tortora, Paolo; Zannoni, Marco; Nimmo, Francis; Mazarico, Erwan; Iess, Luciano; Sotin, Christophe; Hayes, Alexander; Malaska, Michael

    2017-04-01

    Oceanus is a proposed mission for NASA's New Frontiers 4 Announcement of Opportunity to study Saturn's largest moon Titan. One of the main goals of Oceanus is to examine crustal properties and determine the potential interaction of organics with the subsurface ocean, with implications for potential habitability of Titan. To this end, Oceanus could potentially characterize the thickness of the external icy shell and determine the extent of convection in the shell. The product (average ice rigidity) x (ice shell thickness) can be retrieved from the Love numbers k2 and h2, which describe Titan's gravity and shape response to Saturn's tidal field during its orbital motion around the planet, using a combined analysis of gravity and topography but also measuring Titan's physical librations from gravity data and the on-board camera surface landmarks. The gravity science experiment is crucial to accomplish the mission goals, because precise orbit determination of the spacecraft provides a direct measure of Titan's static gravitational field, the real and imaginary parts of the Love number k2, and its rotational state (obliquity and amplitude of physical librations in longitude). Moreover, a precise spacecraft orbit reconstruction throughout the entire mission is necessary to process radar altimetry data and accurately measure Titan's h2 through crossover analysis. We present the expected accuracy in the estimation of the scientific parameters of interest, obtained through numerical simulations of the orbit determination of the Oceanus spacecraft during its 2-year mission around Titan. The main observable quantities used in the analysis are two-way Doppler data obtained from the frequency shift of a highly stable microwave carrier between the spacecraft and the stations of NASA's Deep Space Network. White Gaussian noise was added to the simulated data, with a realistic standard deviation obtained from an accurate noise budget derived from the experience with Cassini Ka

  4. Raising the Titanic.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baker, Romona

    1990-01-01

    Described is an activity in which groups of students investigate engineering principles by writing a feasibility study to raise the luxury liner, Titanic. The problem statement and directions, and suggestions for problem solutions are included. (CW)

  5. The second stage of a Titan II rocket is lifted for mating at the launch tower, Vandenberg AFB

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2000-01-01

    At the launch tower, Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., the second stage of a Titan II rocket is lifted to vertical. The Titan will power the launch of a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA-L) satellite scheduled no earlier than Sept. 12. NOAA-L is part of the Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite (POES) program that provides atmospheric measurements of temperature, humidity, ozone and cloud images, tracking weather patterns that affect the global weather and climate. Evidence of Temporal Variation of Titan Atmospheric Density in 2005-2013

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lee, Allan Y.; Lim, Ryan S.

    2013-01-01

    One major science objective of the Cassini mission is an investigation of Titan's atmosphere constituent abundances. Titan's atmospheric density is of interest not only to planetary scientists but also to mission design and mission control engineers. Knowledge of the dependency of Titan's atmospheric density with altitude is important because any unexpectedly high atmospheric density has the potential to tumble the spacecraft during a flyby. During low-altitude Titan flyby, thrusters are fired to counter the torque imparted on the spacecraft due to the Titan atmosphere. The denser the Titan's atmosphere is, the higher are the duty cycles of the thruster firings. Therefore thruster firing telemetry data could be used to estimate the atmospheric torque imparted on the spacecraft. Since the atmospheric torque imparted on the spacecraft is related to the Titan's atmospheric density, atmospheric densities are estimated accordingly. In 2005-2013, forty-three low-altitude Titan flybys were executed. The closest approach altitudes of these Titan flybys ranged from 878 to 1,074.8 km. Our density results are also compared with those reported by other investigation teams: Voyager-1 (in November 1980) and the Huygens Atmospheric Structure Instrument, HASI (in January 2005). From our results, we observe a temporal variation of the Titan atmospheric density in 2005-2013. The observed temporal variation is significant and it isn't due to the estimation uncertainty (5.8%, 1 sigma) of the density estimation methodology. Factors that contributed to this temporal variation have been conjectured but are largely unknown. The observed temporal variation will require synergetic analysis with measurements made by other Cassini science instruments and future years of laboratory and modeling efforts to solve. The estimated atmospheric density results are given in this paper help scientists to better understand and model the density structure of the Titan atmosphere.

  6. Polyploid Titan Cells Produce Haploid and Aneuploid Progeny To Promote Stress Adaptation

    PubMed Central

    Gerstein, Aleeza C.; Fu, Man Shun; Mukaremera, Liliane; Li, Zhongming; Ormerod, Kate L.; Fraser, James A.; Berman, Judith

    2015-01-01

    ABSTRACT Cryptococcus neoformans is a major life-threatening fungal pathogen. In response to the stress of the host environment, C. neoformans produces large polyploid titan cells. Titan cell production enhances the virulence of C. neoformans, yet whether the polyploid aspect of titan cells is specifically influential remains unknown. We show that titan cells were more likely to survive and produce offspring under multiple stress conditions than typical cells and that even their normally sized daughters maintained an advantage over typical cells in continued exposure to stress. Although polyploid titan cells generated haploid daughter cell progeny upon in vitro replication under nutrient-replete conditions, titan cells treated with the antifungal drug fluconazole produced fluconazole-resistant diploid and aneuploid daughter cells. Interestingly, a single titan mother cell was capable of generating multiple types of aneuploid daughter cells. The increased survival and genomic diversity of titan cell progeny promote rapid adaptation to new or high-stress conditions. PMID:26463162

  7. Titan's atmosphere (clouds and composition): new results

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Griffith, C. A.

    Titan's atmosphere potentially sports a cycle similar to the hydrologic one on Earth with clouds, rain and seas, but with methane playing the terrestrial role of water. Over the past ten years many independent efforts indicated no strong evidence for cloudiness until some unique spectra were analyzed in 1998 (Griffith et al.). These surprising observations displayed enhanced fluxes of 14-200 % on two nights at precisely the wavelengths (windows) that sense Titan's lower altitude where clouds might reside. The morphology of these enhancements in all 4 windows observed indicate that clouds covered ~6-9 % of Titan's surface and existed at ~15 km altitude. Here I discuss new observations recorded in 1999 aimed to further characterize Titan's clouds. While we find no evidence for a massive cloud system similar to the one observed previously, 1%-4% fluctuations in flux occur daily. These modulations, similar in wavelength and morphology to the more pronounced ones observed earlier, suggest the presence of clouds covering ≤1% of Titan's disk. The variations are too small to have been detected by most prior measurements. Repeated observations, spaced 30 minutes apart, indicate a temporal variability observable in the time scale of a couple of hours. The cloud heights hint that convection might govern their evolution. Their short lives point to the presence of rain.

  8. Feasibility evaluation of the monolithic braided ablative nozzle

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Director, Mark N.; McPherson, Douglass J., Sr.

    1992-02-01

    The feasibility of the monolithic braided ablative nozzle was evaluated as part of an independent research and development (IR&D) program complementary to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration/Marshall Space Flight Center (NASA/MSFC) Low-Cost, High-Reliability Case, Insulation and Nozzle for Large Solid Rocket Motors (LOCCIN) Program. The monolithic braided ablative nozzle is a new concept that utilizes a continuous, ablative, monolithic flame surface that extends from the nozzle entrance, through the throat, to the exit plane. The flame surface is fabricated using a Through-the-Thickness braided carbon-fiber preform, which is impregnated with a phenolic or phenolic-like resin. During operation, the braided-carbon fiber/resin material ablates, leaving the structural backside at temperatures which are sufficiently low to preclude the need for any additional insulative materials. The monolithic braided nozzle derives its potential for low life cycle cost through the use of automated processing, one-component fabrication, low material scrap, low process scrap, inexpensive raw materials, and simplified case attachment. It also has the potential for high reliability because its construction prevents delamination, has no nozzle bondlines or leak paths along the flame surface, is amenable to simplified analysis, and is readily inspectable. In addition, the braided construction has inherent toughness and is damage-tolerant. Two static-firing tests were conducted using subscale, 1.8 - 2.0-inch throat diameter, hardware. Tests were approximately 15 seconds in duration, using a conventional 18 percent aluminum/ammonium perchlorate propellant. The first of these tests evaluated the braided ablative as an integral backside insulator and exit cone; the second test evaluated the monolithic braided ablative as an integral entrance/throat/exit cone nozzle. Both tests met their objectives. Radial ablation rates at the throat were as predicted, approximately 0.017 in

  9. Titan Two Halves

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2010-05-13

    Two different seasons on Titan in different hemispheres can be seen in this image. The moon northern half appears slightly darker than the southern half in this view taken in visible blue light by NASA Cassini spacecraft.

  10. Polyploid titan cells produce haploid and aneuploid progeny to promote stress adaptation.

    PubMed

    Gerstein, Aleeza C; Fu, Man Shun; Mukaremera, Liliane; Li, Zhongming; Ormerod, Kate L; Fraser, James A; Berman, Judith; Nielsen, Kirsten

    2015-10-13

    Cryptococcus neoformans is a major life-threatening fungal pathogen. In response to the stress of the host environment, C. neoformans produces large polyploid titan cells. Titan cell production enhances the virulence of C. neoformans, yet whether the polyploid aspect of titan cells is specifically influential remains unknown. We show that titan cells were more likely to survive and produce offspring under multiple stress conditions than typical cells and that even their normally sized daughters maintained an advantage over typical cells in continued exposure to stress. Although polyploid titan cells generated haploid daughter cell progeny upon in vitro replication under nutrient-replete conditions, titan cells treated with the antifungal drug fluconazole produced fluconazole-resistant diploid and aneuploid daughter cells. Interestingly, a single titan mother cell was capable of generating multiple types of aneuploid daughter cells. The increased survival and genomic diversity of titan cell progeny promote rapid adaptation to new or high-stress conditions. The ability to adapt to stress is a key element for survival of pathogenic microbes in the host and thus plays an important role in pathogenesis. Here we investigated the predominantly haploid human fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans, which is capable of ploidy and cell size increases during infection through production of titan cells. The enlarged polyploid titan cells are then able to rapidly undergo ploidy reduction to generate progeny with reduced ploidy and/or aneuploidy. Under stressful conditions, titan cell progeny have a growth and survival advantage over typical cell progeny. Understanding how titan cells enhance the rate of cryptococcal adaptation under stress conditions may assist in the development of novel drugs aimed at blocking ploidy transitions. Copyright © 2015 Gerstein et al.

  11. Two-Dimensional Finite Element Ablative Thermal Response Analysis of an Arcjet Stagnation Test

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dec, John A.; Laub, Bernard; Braun, Robert D.

    2011-01-01

    The finite element ablation and thermal response (FEAtR, hence forth called FEAR) design and analysis program simulates the one, two, or three-dimensional ablation, internal heat conduction, thermal decomposition, and pyrolysis gas flow of thermal protection system materials. As part of a code validation study, two-dimensional axisymmetric results from FEAR are compared to thermal response data obtained from an arc-jet stagnation test in this paper. The results from FEAR are also compared to the two-dimensional axisymmetric computations from the two-dimensional implicit thermal response and ablation program under the same arcjet conditions. The ablating material being used in this arcjet test is phenolic impregnated carbon ablator with an LI-2200 insulator as backup material. The test is performed at the NASA, Ames Research Center Interaction Heating Facility. Spatially distributed computational fluid dynamics solutions for the flow field around the test article are used for the surface boundary conditions.

  12. The organic aerosols of Titan

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Khare, B. N.; Sagan, C.; Thompson, W. R.; Arakawa, E. T.; Suits, F.; Calcott, T. A.; Williams, M. W.; Shrader, S.; Ogino, H.; Willingham, T. O.

    1986-01-01

    A dark reddish organic solid, called tholin, is synthesized from simulated Titanian atmospheres by irradiation with high energy electrons in a plasma discharge. The visible reflection spectrum of this tholin is found to be similar to that of high altitude aerosols responsible for the albedo and reddish color of Titan. The real (n) and imaginary (k) parts of the complex refractive index of thin films of Titan prepared by continuous dc discharge through a 0.9 N2/0.1 CH4 gas mixture at 0.2 mb is determined from X-ray to microwave frequencies. Values of n (approx. 1.65) and k (approx. 0.004 to 0.08) in the visible are consistent with deductions made by groundbased and spaceborne observations of Titan. Many infrared absorption features are present in k(lambda), including the 4.6 micrometer nitrile band. Molecular analysis of the volatile components of this tholin was performed by sequential and nonsequential pyrolytic gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. More than one hundred organic compounds are released; tentative identifications include saturated and unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbons, substituted polycylic aromatics, nitriles, amines, pyrroles, pyrazines, pyridines, pyrimidines, and the purine, adenine. In addition,acid hydrolysis produces a racemic mixture of biological and nonbiological amino acids. Many of these molecules are implicated in the origin of life on Earth, suggesting Titan as a contemporary laboratory environment for prebiological organic chemistry on a planetary scale.

  13. Titan Aeromony and Climate Workshop

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bézard, Bruno; Lavvas, Panayotis; Rannou, Pascal; Sotin, Christophe; Strobel, Darrell; West, Robert A.; Yelle, Roger

    2016-06-01

    The observations of the Cassini spacecraft since 2004 revealed that Titan, the largest moon of Saturn, has an active climate cycle with a cloud cover related to the large scale atmospheric circulation, lakes of methane and hyrdrocarbons with variable depth, a dried fluvial system witnessing a past wetter climate, dunes, and deep changes in the weather and atmospheric structure as Titan went through the North Spring equinox. Moreover, the upper atmosphere is now considered the cradle of complex chemistry leading to aerosol formation, as well as the manifestation place of atmospheric waves. However, as the Cassini mission comes to its end, many fundamental questions remain unresolved... The objective of the workshop is to bring together international experts from different fields of Titan's research in order to have an overview of the current understanding, and to determine the remaining salient scientific issues and the actions that could be implemented to address them. PhD students and post-doc researchers are welcomed to present their studies. This conference aims to be a brainstorming event leaving abundant time for discussion during oral and poster presentations. Main Topics: - Atmospheric seasonal cycles and coupling with dynamics. - Composition and photochemistry of the atmosphere. - Formation and evolution of aerosols and their role in the atmosphere. - Spectroscopy, optical properties, and radiative transfer modeling of the atmosphere. - Surface composition, liquid reservoirs and interaction with atmosphere. - Evolution of the atmosphere. - Titan after Cassini, open questions and the path forward.

  14. Nonequilibrium Ablation of Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Milos, Frank S.; Chen, Yih K.; Gokcen, Tahir

    2012-01-01

    In previous work, an equilibrium ablation and thermal response model for Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator was developed. In general, over a wide range of test conditions, model predictions compared well with arcjet data for surface recession, surface temperature, in-depth temperature at multiple thermocouples, and char depth. In this work, additional arcjet tests were conducted at stagnation conditions down to 40 W/sq cm and 1.6 kPa. The new data suggest that nonequilibrium effects become important for ablation predictions at heat flux or pressure below about 80 W/sq cm or 10 kPa, respectively. Modifications to the ablation model to account for nonequilibrium effects are investigated. Predictions of the equilibrium and nonequilibrium models are compared with the arcjet data.

  15. Titan Lifting Entry & Atmospheric Flight (T-LEAF) Science Mission

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, G.; Sen, B.; Ross, F.; Sokol, D.

    2016-12-01

    Northrop Grumman has been developing the Titan Lifting Entry & Atmospheric Flight (T-LEAF) sky rover to roam the lower atmosphere and observe at close quarters the lakes and plains of Saturn's ocean moon, Titan. T-LEAF also supports surface exploration and science by providing precision delivery of in-situ instruments to the surface of Titan. T-LEAF is a highly maneuverable sky rover and its aerodynamic shape (i.e., a flying wing) does not restrict it to following prevailing wind patterns on Titan, but allows mission operators to chart its course. This freedom of mobility allows T-LEAF to follow the shorelines of Titan's methane lakes, for example, or to target very specific surface locations. We will present a straw man concept of T-LEAF, including size, mass, power, on-board science payloads and measurement, and surface science dropsonde deployment CONOPS. We will discuss the various science instruments and their vehicle level impacts, such as meteorological and electric field sensors, acoustic sensors for measuring shallow depths, multi-spectral imagers, high definition cameras and surface science dropsondes. The stability of T-LEAF and its long residence time on Titan will provide for time to perform a large aerial survey of select prime surface targets deployment of dropsondes at selected locations surface measurements that are coordinated with on-board remote measurements communication relay capabilities to orbiter (or Earth). In this context, we will specifically focus upon key factors impacting the design and performance of T-LEAF science: science payload accommodation, constraints and opportunities characteristics of flight, payload deployment and measurement CONOPS in the Titan atmosphere. This presentation will show how these factors provide constraints as well as enable opportunities for novel long duration scientific studies of Titan's surface.

  16. Biologically Enhanced Energy and Carbon Cycling on Titan?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schulze-Makuch, Dirk; Grinspoon, David H.

    2005-08-01

    With the Cassini-Huygens Mission in orbit around Saturn, the large moon Titan, with its reducing atmosphere, rich organic chemistry, and heterogeneous surface, moves into the astrobiological spotlight. Environmental conditions on Titan and Earth were similar in many respects 4 billion years ago, the approximate time when life originated on Earth. Life may have originated on Titan during its warmer early history and then developed adaptation strategies to cope with the increasingly cold conditions. If organisms originated and persisted, metabolic strategies could exist that would provide sufficient energy for life to persist, even today. Metabolic reactions might include the catalytic hydrogenation of photochemically produced acetylene, or involve the recombination of radicals created in the atmosphere by ultraviolet radiation. Metabolic activity may even contribute to the apparent youth, smoothness, and high activity of Titan's surface via biothermal energy.

  17. Biologically enhanced energy and carbon cycling on Titan?

    PubMed

    Schulze-Makuch, Dirk; Grinspoon, David H

    2005-08-01

    With the Cassini-Huygens Mission in orbit around Saturn, the large moon Titan, with its reducing atmosphere, rich organic chemistry, and heterogeneous surface, moves into the astrobiological spotlight. Environmental conditions on Titan and Earth were similar in many respects 4 billion years ago, the approximate time when life originated on Earth. Life may have originated on Titan during its warmer early history and then developed adaptation strategies to cope with the increasingly cold conditions. If organisms originated and persisted, metabolic strategies could exist that would provide sufficient energy for life to persist, even today. Metabolic reactions might include the catalytic hydrogenation of photochemically produced acetylene, or involve the recombination of radicals created in the atmosphere by ultraviolet radiation. Metabolic activity may even contribute to the apparent youth, smoothness, and high activity of Titan's surface via biothermal energy.

  18. Evidence for a polar ethane cloud on Titan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Griffith, C.A.; Penteado, P.; Rannou, P.; Brown, R.; Boudon, V.; Baines, K.H.; Clark, R.; Drossart, P.; Buratti, B.; Nicholson, P.; McKay, C.P.; Coustenis, A.; Negrao, A.; Jaumann, R.

    2006-01-01

    Spectra from Cassini's Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer reveal the presence of a vast tropospheric cloud on Titan at latitudes 51?? to 68?? north and all longitudes observed (10?? to 190?? west). The derived characteristics indicate that this cloud is composed of ethane and forms as a result of stratospheric subsidence and the particularly cool conditions near the moon's north pole. Preferential condensation of ethane, perhaps as ice, at Titan's poles during the winters may partially explain the lack of liquid ethane oceans on Titan's surface at middle and lower latitudes.

  19. Evidence for a polar ethane cloud on Titan.

    PubMed

    Griffith, C A; Penteado, P; Rannou, P; Brown, R; Boudon, V; Baines, K H; Clark, R; Drossart, P; Buratti, B; Nicholson, P; McKay, C P; Coustenis, A; Negrao, A; Jaumann, R

    2006-09-15

    Spectra from Cassini's Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer reveal the presence of a vast tropospheric cloud on Titan at latitudes 51 degrees to 68 degrees north and all longitudes observed (10 degrees to 190 degrees west). The derived characteristics indicate that this cloud is composed of ethane and forms as a result of stratospheric subsidence and the particularly cool conditions near the moon's north pole. Preferential condensation of ethane, perhaps as ice, at Titan's poles during the winters may partially explain the lack of liquid ethane oceans on Titan's surface at middle and lower latitudes.

  1. The identification of liquid ethane in Titan's Ontario Lacus

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Brown, R.H.; Soderblom, L.A.; Soderblom, J.M.; Clark, R.N.; Jaumann, R.; Barnes, J.W.; Sotin, Christophe; Buratti, B.; Baines, K.H.; Nicholson, P.D.

    2008-01-01

    Titan was once thought to have global oceans of light hydrocarbons on its surface, but after 40 close flybys of Titan by the Cassini spacecraft, it has become clear that no such oceans exist. There are, however, features similar to terrestrial lakes and seas, and widespread evidence for fluvial erosion, presumably driven by precipitation of liquid methane from Titan's dense, nitrogen-dominated atmosphere. Here we report infrared spectroscopic data, obtained by the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) on board the Cassini spacecraft, that strongly indicate that ethane, probably in liquid solution with methane, nitrogen and other low-molecular-mass hydrocarbons, is contained within Titan's Ontario Lacus. ??2008 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.

  2. Hydrocarbon lakes on Titan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mitri, Giuseppe; Showman, Adam P.; Lunine, Jonathan I.; Lorenz, Ralph D.

    2007-02-01

    The Huygens Probe detected dendritic drainage-like features, methane clouds and a high surface relative humidity (∼50% ) on Titan in the vicinity of its landing site [Tomasko, M.G., and 39 colleagues, 2005. Nature 438, 765-778; Niemann, H.B., and 17 colleagues, 2005. Nature 438, 779-784], suggesting sources of methane that replenish this gas against photo- and charged-particle chemical loss on short (10-100) million year timescales [Atreya, S.K., Adams, E.Y., Niemann, H.B., Demick-Montelara, J.E., Owen, T.C., Fulchignoni, M., Ferri, F., Wilson, E.H., 2006. Planet. Space Sci. In press]. On the other hand, Cassini Orbiter remote sensing shows dry and even desert-like landscapes with dunes [Lorenz, R.D., and 39 colleagues, 2006a. Science 312, 724-727], some areas worked by fluvial erosion, but no large-scale bodies of liquid [Elachi, C., and 34 colleagues, 2005. Science 308, 970-974]. Either the atmospheric methane relative humidity is declining in a steady fashion over time, or the sources that maintain the relative humidity are geographically restricted, small, or hidden within the crust itself. In this paper we explore the hypothesis that the present-day methane relative humidity is maintained entirely by lakes that cover a small part of the surface area of Titan. We calculate the required minimum surface area coverage of such lakes, assess the stabilizing influence of ethane, and the implications for moist convection in the atmosphere. We show that, under Titan's surface conditions, methane evaporates rapidly enough that shorelines of any existing lakes could potentially migrate by several hundred m to tens of km per year, rates that could be detected by the Cassini orbiter. We furthermore show that the high relative humidity of methane in Titan's lower atmosphere could be maintained by evaporation from lakes covering only 0.002-0.02 of the whole surface.

  3. Titan: Kraken and Ligeia In Sharper Focus

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-03-15

    As it sped away from a relatively distant encounter with Titan on Feb. 17, 2017, NASA's Cassini spacecraft captured this mosaic view of the moon's northern lakes and seas. Cassini's viewing angle over Kraken Mare and Ligeia Mare was better during this flyby than previous encounters, providing increased contrast for viewing these seas. Because the spacecraft is peering through less of Titan's haze toward Kraken and Ligeia, more details on their shorelines are visible, compared to earlier maps. This was one of several "non-targeted" Cassini Titan flybys in 2017 that allow the mission to image the moon's north polar region and track clouds there. ("Non-targeted" means Cassini did not have to use any rocket-thruster firings to steer itself toward the flyby.) Several prominent cloud streaks are visible at mid-latitudes between 45 and 55 degrees north latitude, on the right side of the image. Smaller bright clouds are seen just above the sea called Punga Mare (roughly at center). Scientists are seeing increasing cloud activity in Titan's north polar region as the seasons continue to change from spring to summer there, though not as much as predicted by models of Titan's atmosphere. The images in this mosaic were taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera using a spectral filter sensitive to wavelengths of near-infrared light centered at 938 nanometers. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 150,700 miles (242,500 kilometers) from Titan. Image scale is about 1.6 miles (2.6 kilometers) per pixel. The view is an orthographic projection centered on 68 degrees north latitude, 225 degrees west longitude. An orthographic view is most like the view seen by a distant observer looking through a telescope. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21434

  4. Chapman Solar Zenith Angle variations at Titan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Royer, Emilie M.; Ajello, Joseph; Holsclaw, Gregory; West, Robert; Esposito, Larry W.; Bradley, Eric Todd

    2016-10-01

    Solar XUV photons and magnetospheric particles are the two main sources contributing to the airglow in the Titan's upper atmosphere. We are focusing here on the solar XUV photons and how they influence the airglow intensity. The Cassini-UVIS observations analyzed in this study consist each in a partial scan of Titan, while the center of the detector stays approximately at the same location on Titan's disk. We used observations from 2008 to 2012, which allow for a wide range of Solar Zenith Angle (SZA). Spectra from 800 km to 1200 km of altitude have been corrected from the solar spectrum using TIMED/SEE data. We observe that the airglow intensity varies as a function of the SZA and follows a Chapman curve. Three SZA regions are identified: the sunlit region ranging from 0 to 50 degrees. In this region, the intensity of the airglow increases, while the SZA decreases. Between SZA 50 and 100 degrees, the airglow intensity decreases from it maximum to its minimum. In this transition region the upper atmosphere of Titan changes from being totally sunlit to being in the shadow of the moon. For SZA 100 to 180 degrees, we observe a constant airglow intensity close to zero. The behavior of the airglow is also similar to the behavior of the electron density as a function of the SZA as observed by Ågren at al (2009). Both variables exhibit a decrease intensity with increasing SZA. The goal of this study is to understand such correlation. We demonstrate the importance of the solar XUV photons contribution to the Titan airglow and prove that the strongest contribution to the Titan dayglow occurs by solar fluorescence rather than the particle impact that predominates at night.

  5. Titan's inventory of organic surface materials

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Lorenz, R.D.; Mitchell, K.L.; Kirk, R.L.; Hayes, A.G.; Aharonson, O.; Zebker, H.A.; Paillou, P.; Radebaugh, J.; Lunine, J.I.; Janssen, M.A.; Wall, S.D.; Lopes, R.M.; Stiles, B.; Ostro, S.; Mitri, Giuseppe; Stofan, E.R.

    2008-01-01

    Cassini RADAR observations now permit an initial assessment of the inventory of two classes, presumed to be organic, of Titan surface materials: polar lake liquids and equatorial dune sands. Several hundred lakes or seas have been observed, of which dozens are each estimated to contain more hydrocarbon liquid than the entire known oil and gas reserves on Earth. Dark dunes cover some 20% of Titan's surface, and comprise a volume of material several hundred times larger than Earth's coal reserves. Overall, however, the identified surface inventories (>3 ?? 104 km3 of liquid, and >2 ?? 105 km3 of dune sands) are small compared with estimated photochemical production on Titan over the age of the solar system. The sand volume is too large to be accounted for simply by erosion in observed river channels or ejecta from observed impact craters. The lakes are adequate in extent to buffer atmospheric methane against photolysis in the short term, but do not contain enough methane to sustain the atmosphere over geologic time. Unless frequent resupply from the interior buffers this greenhouse gas at exactly the right rate, dramatic climate change on Titan is likely in its past, present and future. Copyright 2008 by the American Geophysical Union.

  6. Chemical evolution on Titan: comparisons to the prebiotic earth.

    PubMed

    Clarke, D W; Ferris, J P

    1997-06-01

    Models for the origin of Titan's atmosphere, the processing of the atmosphere and surface and its exobiological role are reviewed. Titan has gained widespread acceptance in the origin of life field as a model for the types of evolutionary processes that could have occurred on prebiotic Earth. Both Titan and Earth possess significant atmospheres (> or = 1 atm) composed mainly of molecular nitrogen with smaller amounts of more reactive species. Both of these atmospheres are processed primarily by solar ultraviolet light with high energy particles interactions contributing to a lesser extent. The products of these reactions condense or are dissolved in other atmospheric species (aerosols/clouds) and fall to the surface. There these products may have been further processed on Titan and the primitive Earth by impacting comets and meteorites. While the low temperatures on Titan (approximately 72-180 K) preclude the presence of permanent liquid water on the surface, it has been suggested that tectonic activity or impacts by meteors and comets could produce liquid water pools on the surface for thousands of years. Hydrolysis and oligomerization reactions in these pools might form chemicals of prebiological significance. Other direct comparisons between the conditions on present day Titan and those proposed for prebiotic Earth are also presented.

  7. Titan Kraken Mare

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2011-11-28

    NASA Cassini spacecraft looks toward Saturn largest moon, Titan, and spies the huge Kraken Mare in the moon north. Kraken Mare, a large sea of liquid hydrocarbons, is visible as a dark area near the top of the image.

  8. The seasonal cycle of Titan's detached haze

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    West, Robert A.; Seignovert, Benoît.; Rannou, Pascal; Dumont, Philip; Turtle, Elizabeth P.; Perry, Jason; Roy, Mou; Ovanessian, Aida

    2018-06-01

    Titan's `detached' haze, seen in Voyager images in 1980 and 1981 and monitored by the Cassini Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) during the period 2004-2017, provides a measure of seasonal activity in Titan's mesosphere with observations over almost half of Saturn's seasonal cycle. Here we report on retrieved haze extinction profiles that reveal a depleted layer (having a diminished aerosol content), visually manifested as a gap between the main haze and a thin, detached upper layer. Our measurements show the disappearance of the feature in 2012 and its reappearance in 2016, as well as details after the reappearance. These observations highlight the dynamical nature of the detached haze. The reappearance seems congruent with earlier descriptions by climate models but more complex than previously described. It occurs in two steps, first as haze reappearing at 450 ± 20 km and one year later at 510 ± 20 km. These observations provide additional tight and valuable constraints about the underlying mechanisms, especially for Titan's mesosphere, that control Titan's haze cycle.

  9. Dunes on Titan observed by Cassini Radar

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Radebaugh, J.; Lorenz, R.D.; Lunine, J.I.; Wall, S.D.; Boubin, G.; Reffet, E.; Kirk, R.L.; Lopes, R.M.; Stofan, E.R.; Soderblom, L.; Allison, M.; Janssen, M.; Paillou, P.; Callahan, P.; Spencer, C.; ,

    2008-01-01

    Thousands of longitudinal dunes have recently been discovered by the Titan Radar Mapper on the surface of Titan. These are found mainly within ??30?? of the equator in optically-, near-infrared-, and radar-dark regions, indicating a strong proportion of organics, and cover well over 5% of Titan's surface. Their longitudinal duneform, interactions with topography, and correlation with other aeolian forms indicate a single, dominant wind direction aligned with the dune axis plus lesser, off-axis or seasonally alternating winds. Global compilations of dune orientations reveal the mean wind direction is dominantly eastwards, with regional and local variations where winds are diverted around topographically high features, such as mountain blocks or broad landforms. Global winds may carry sediments from high latitude regions to equatorial regions, where relatively drier conditions prevail, and the particles are reworked into dunes, perhaps on timescales of thousands to tens of thousands of years. On Titan, adequate sediment supply, sufficient wind, and the absence of sediment carriage and trapping by fluids are the dominant factors in the presence of dunes. ?? 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. The seasonal cycle of Titan's detached haze

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    West, Robert A.; Seignovert, Benoît; Rannou, Pascal; Dumont, Philip; Turtle, Elizabeth P.; Perry, Jason; Roy, Mou; Ovanessian, Aida

    2018-04-01

    Titan's `detached' haze, seen in Voyager images in 1980 and 1981 and monitored by the Cassini Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) during the period 2004-2017, provides a measure of seasonal activity in Titan's mesosphere with observations over almost half of Saturn's seasonal cycle. Here we report on retrieved haze extinction profiles that reveal a depleted layer (having a diminished aerosol content), visually manifested as a gap between the main haze and a thin, detached upper layer. Our measurements show the disappearance of the feature in 2012 and its reappearance in 2016, as well as details after the reappearance. These observations highlight the dynamical nature of the detached haze. The reappearance seems congruent with earlier descriptions by climate models but more complex than previously described. It occurs in two steps, first as haze reappearing at 450 ± 20 km and one year later at 510 ± 20 km. These observations provide additional tight and valuable constraints about the underlying mechanisms, especially for Titan's mesosphere, that control Titan's haze cycle.

  11. Mountains on Titan observed by Cassini Radar

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Radebaugh, J.; Lorenz, R.D.; Kirk, R.L.; Lunine, J.I.; Stofan, E.R.; Lopes, R.M.C.; Wall, S.D.

    2007-01-01

    The Cassini Titan Radar mapper has observed elevated blocks and ridge-forming block chains on Saturn's moon Titan demonstrating high topography we term "mountains." Summit flanks measured from the T3 (February 2005) and T8 (October 2005) flybys have a mean maximum slope of 37?? and total elevations up to 1930 m as derived from a shape-from-shading model corrected for the probable effects of image resolution. Mountain peak morphologies and surrounding, diffuse blankets give evidence that erosion has acted upon these features, perhaps in the form of fluvial runoff. Possible formation mechanisms for these mountains include crustal compressional tectonism and upthrusting of blocks, extensional tectonism and formation of horst-and-graben, deposition as blocks of impact ejecta, or dissection and erosion of a preexisting layer of material. All above processes may be at work, given the diversity of geology evident across Titan's surface. Comparisons of mountain and blanket volumes and erosion rate estimates for Titan provide a typical mountain age as young as 20-100 million years. ?? 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Investigations into the photochemistry of the current and primordial atmosphere of Titan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wilson, Eric Hezekiah

    2002-08-01

    A comprehensive steady-state one-dimensional photochemical model of the atmosphere of Titan has been developed. This model has included updated chemistry with a focus on rate coefficients and cross sections measured under conditions most applicable for simulation of Titan's atmosphere. Through this simulation, the physical and chemical processes which affect the altitudinal distribution of constituents in Titan's atmosphere have been explored. The model results, in comparison to previous Titan photochemical models, compares favorably with ground-based and fly-by observations of Titan's atmosphere. As a result, the model has facilitated the analysis of key questions regarding the nature of Titan's present chemistry, involving the production of key molecules and hazes. These questions include the role constituent density profiles may play in constraining methane photolysis quantum yields, the existence and formation mechanisms of benzene in Titan's atmosphere, and the chemical origin of Titan haze. Results show that the determination of CH3C2H and C3H6 abundance profiles will help constrain the CH quantum yield from methane photolysis, which varies significantly among photolytic schemes. Results also show that benzene can be formed in Titan's atmosphere, and the aromatic chemistry that ensues is the likely source of the Titan haze which enshrouds the surface. The origin of Titan's atmosphere has also been studied through a pseudo-time-dependent model which describes the evolution of the likely primordial ammonia inventory during the early stages of the solar system. Assuming an enhanced T-Tauri solar flux, the conversion of ammonia to nitrogen, in the presence of methane and water vapor, is found to be a plausible mechanism to account for the present-day nitrogen inventory. Results from this model are presented in preparation for the retrieval and interpretation of data from the Cassini- Huygens spacecraft, which will arrive at Titan in 2004.

  13. A Saturnian gas ring and the recycling of Titan's atmosphere

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mcdonough, T. R.; Brice, N. M.

    1973-01-01

    Atoms which escape Titan's atmosphere are unlikely to possess escape velocity from Saturn and can orbit the planet until lost by ionization or collision with Titan. It is predicted that a toroidal ring of between 1 and 1,000 atoms or molecules per cubic centimeter exists around Saturn at a distance of about 10 times the radius of the visible rings. This torus may be detectable from earth orbit and detection or nondetection of it may provide some information about the presence or absence of a Saturnian magnetic field, and the exospheric temperature and atmospheric escape rate of Titan. It is estimated that, if Titan has a large exosphere, 97% or more of the escaping atoms can be recaptured by Titan, thereby decreasing the effective net atmospheric loss rate by up to two orders of magnitude. It is shown that, if Saturn has a magnetic field comparable to Jupiter's the magnetospheric plasma can supply Titan with hydrogen at a rate comparable to the loss rates in some of the models of Trafton (1972) and Sagan (1973).

  14. Titan aerosol and gas experiment for the Huygens Probe

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Carle, G. C.; Kojiro, D. R.; Oberbeck, V.; Ohara, B. J.; Pollack, J. B.; Valentin, J. R.; Bar-Nun, A.; Cohen, M. J.; Ferris, J. P.; Greenberg, J. M.

    1991-01-01

    The Cassini Mission is a joint undertaking of NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) to explore the Saturnian System with a Saturn Orbiter and a Titan Probe. The launch vehicle and the Saturn Orbiter are the responsibility of NASA while the Huygens Probe (detachable Titan Probe) is the responsibility of ESA. The spacecraft will be launched in 1996 and the Huygens Probe will arrive at Titan in 2003. The Cassini Mission-Huygens Probe provides a unique opportunity to obtain detailed information about the atmosphere and, possibly, the surface of Titan. Titan possesses a substantial nitrogen atmosphere containing methane and many other organic compounds. Aerosols play an important role in the atmospheric processes on Titan. The Huygens Probe offers an opportunity to determine how organic particles are formed and grow which will clarify their role on Earth. A powerful analytical instrument, capable of addressing the above technology and other science questions, was recently proposed for the Huygens Probe. It is comprised of an aerosol and gas sampler and processor, and a gas chromatograph-ion mobility spectrometer. The instrument will be able to measure complex organics that make up the collected aerosols to the approximate 1 ppm level. Gases will be measured to approximately 10 ppb. Because the Titan atmosphere is expected to be quite complex, a gas chromatograph-ion mobility spectrometer is used to provide unequivocal identification of the components of the analytes. Further details of the science question to be investigated and the proposed instrument are described. The expected results and their implications are also addressed.

  15. Landscape Evolution of Titan

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Moore, Jeffrey

    2012-01-01

    Titan may have acquired its massive atmosphere relatively recently in solar system history. The warming sun may have been key to generating Titan's atmosphere over time, starting from a thin atmosphere with condensed surface volatiles like Triton, with increased luminosity releasing methane, and then large amounts of nitrogen (perhaps suddenly), into the atmosphere. This thick atmosphere, initially with much more methane than at present, resulted in global fluvial erosion that has over time retreated towards the poles with the removal of methane from the atmosphere. Basement rock, as manifested by bright, rough, ridges, scarps, crenulated blocks, or aligned massifs, mostly appears within 30 degrees of the equator. This landscape was intensely eroded by fluvial processes as evidenced by numerous valley systems, fan-like depositional features and regularly-spaced ridges (crenulated terrain). Much of this bedrock landscape, however, is mantled by dunes, suggesting that fluvial erosion no longer dominates in equatorial regions. High midlatitude regions on Titan exhibit dissected sedimentary plains at a number of localities, suggesting deposition (perhaps by sediment eroded from equatorial regions) followed by erosion. The polar regions are mainly dominated by deposits of fluvial and lacustrine sediment. Fluvial processes are active in polar areas as evidenced by alkane lakes and occasional cloud cover.

  16. Titan Radar Mapper observations from Cassini's T3 fly-by

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Elachi, C.; Wall, S.; Janssen, M.; Stofan, E.; Lopes, R.; Kirk, R.; Lorenz, R.; Lunine, J.; Paganelli, F.; Soderblom, L.; Wood, C.; Wye, L.; Zebker, H.; Anderson, Y.; Ostro, S.; Allison, M.; Boehmer, R.; Callahan, P.; Encrenaz, P.; Flamini, E.; Francescetti, G.; Gim, Y.; Hamilton, G.; Hensley, S.; Johnson, W.; Kelleher, K.; Muhleman, D.; Picardi, G.; Posa, F.; Roth, L.; Seu, R.; Shaffer, S.; Stiles, B.; Vetrella, S.; West, R.

    2006-01-01

    Cassini's Titan Radar Mapper imaged the surface of Saturn's moon Titan on its February 2005 fly-by (denoted T3), collecting high-resolution synthetic-aperture radar and larger-scale radiometry and scatterometry data. These data provide the first definitive identification of impact craters on the surface of Titan, networks of fluvial channels and surficial dark streaks that may be longitudinal dunes. Here we describe this great diversity of landforms. We conclude that much of the surface thus far imaged by radar of the haze-shrouded Titan is very young, with persistent geologic activity. ?? 2006 Nature Publishing Group.

  17. The exploration of Titan with an orbiter and a lake probe

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mitri, Giuseppe; Coustenis, Athena; Fanchini, Gilbert; Hayes, Alex G.; Iess, Luciano; Khurana, Krishan; Lebreton, Jean-Pierre; Lopes, Rosaly M.; Lorenz, Ralph D.; Meriggiola, Rachele; Moriconi, Maria Luisa; Orosei, Roberto; Sotin, Christophe; Stofan, Ellen; Tobie, Gabriel; Tokano, Tetsuya; Tosi, Federico

    2014-12-01

    Fundamental questions involving the origin, evolution, and history of both Titan and the broader Saturnian system can be answered by exploring this satellite from an orbiter and also in situ. We present the science case for an exploration of Titan and one of its lakes from a dedicated orbiter and a lake probe. Observations from an orbit-platform can improve our understanding of Titan's geological processes, surface composition and atmospheric properties. Further, combined measurements of the gravity field, rotational dynamics and electromagnetic field can expand our understanding of the interior and evolution of Titan. An in situ exploration of Titan's lakes provides an unprecedented opportunity to understand the hydrocarbon cycle, investigate a natural laboratory for prebiotic chemistry and habitability potential, and study meteorological and marine processes in an exotic environment. We briefly discuss possible mission scenarios for a future exploration of Titan with an orbiter and a lake probe.

  18. The magnetic geometry of Titan's induced magnetosphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bertucci, C.; Achilleos, N.; Dougherty, M. K.

    2011-12-01

    As a result of the virtual absence of an intrinsic field at Titan, an induced magnetosphere is formed from the direct interaction between its atmosphere and the plasma environment. Observations at unmagnetized objects such as comets, or planets like Venus and Mars, have shown that the orientation of the magnetic field within an induced magnetosphere is, on average, symmetric with respect to the plane generated by the upstream magnetic field and plasma velocity vectors. Analyses of Voyager and early Cassini magnetometer data around Titan confirm this feature. In this work, we study the efficiency of the background magnetic field-based 'draping coordinate system' (DRAP) introduced in Neubauer et al., [2006] to organize Cassini magnetometer (MAG) measurements within the induced magnetosphere of Titan for all the close flybys of the Prime Mission where MAG data is available. We find that, in general, DRAP coordinates are efficient in organizing the orientation of the draped magnetic field according to the pattern expected for an induced magnetosphere, suggesting that the same system could be used to spatially organize plasma measurements. Departures from this picture are likely related to non stationarity in the upstream flow, fossil fields and, induced currents within Titan's ionosphere and, probably, its interior. REFERENCES: Neubauer, F. M., et al. (2006). Titan's near magnetotail from magnetic field and electron plasma observations and modeling: Cassini flybys TA, TB, and T3. Journal of Geophysical Research, 111(A10), 1-15. doi: 10.1029/2006JA011676.

  19. Titan's Atmosphere and Surface Explored by Future in Situ Balloon Investigations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Coustenis, Athena; OPAG Titan Working Group

    2009-09-01

    A wide range of high priority scientific questions for Titan remain to be addressed after Cassini-Huygens, some of which cannot be comprehensively addressed by any envisioned extension of Cassini flybys due to its inherent limitations and require both remote and in situ investigation. Whereas a spacecraft in orbit around Titan could allow for a thorough investigation of Titan's upper atmosphere, there are questions that can only be answered by extending the measurements into Titan's lower atmosphere and down to the surface. Key steps toward the synthesis of prebiotic molecules that may have been present on the early Earth as precursors to life might be occurring high in the atmosphere, the products then descending towards the surface where they might replicate. In situ chemical analysis of gases, liquids and solids, both in the atmosphere and on the surface, would enable the identification of chemical species that are present and how far such putative reactions have advanced. The rich inventory of complex organic molecules that are known or suspected to be present in the lower atmosphere and at the surface gives Titan a strong astrobiological potential. Our understanding of the forces that shape Titan's diverse landscape and interior will benefit greatly from detailed investigations at a variety of locations, a demanding requirement anywhere else, but one that is uniquely possible at Titan using a hot-air balloon (montgolfière). Indeed, Titan's thick cold atmosphere and low gravity make the deployment of in situ elements using parachutes (as demonstrated by the Cassini-Huygens probe) and balloons vastly easier than for any other solar system body. A balloon floating across the Titan landscape for long periods of time, with an adapted payload, would offer the mobility required to explore the diversity of Titan in a way that cannot be achieved with any other platform.

  20. Composition of Titan's surface from Cassini VIMS

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    McCord, T.B.; Hansen, G.B.; Buratti, B.J.; Clark, R.N.; Cruikshank, D.P.; D'Aversa, E.; Griffith, C.A.; Baines, E.K.H.; Brown, R.H.; Dalle, Ore C.M.; Filacchione, G.; Formisano, V.; Hibbitts, C.A.; Jaumann, R.; Lunine, J.I.; Nelson, R.M.; Sotin, Christophe

    2006-01-01

    Titan's bulk density along with Solar System formation models indicates considerable water as well as silicates as its major constituents. This satellite's dense atmosphere of nitrogen with methane is unique. Deposits or even oceans of organic compounds have been suggested to exist on Titan's solid surface due to UV-induced photochemistry in the atmosphere. Thus, the composition of the surface is a major piece of evidence needed to determine Titan's history. However, studies of the surface are hindered by the thick, absorbing, hazy and in some places cloudy atmosphere. Ground-based telescope investigations of the integral disk of Titan attempted to observe the surface albedo in spectral windows between methane absorptions by calculating and removing the haze effects. Their results were reported to be consistent with water ice on the surface that is contaminated with a small amount of dark material, perhaps organic material like tholin. We analyze here the recent Cassini Mission's visual and infrared mapping spectrometer (VIMS) observations that resolve regions on Titan. VIMS is able to see surface features and shows that there are spectral and therefore likely compositional units. By several methods, spectral albedo estimates within methane absorption windows between 0.75 and 5 ??m were obtained for different surface units using VIMS image cubes from the Cassini-Huygens Titan Ta encounter. Of the spots studied, there appears to be two compositional classes present that are associated with the lower albedo and the higher albedo materials, with some variety among the brighter regions. These were compared with spectra of several different candidate materials. Our results show that the spectrum of water ice contaminated with a darker material matches the reflectance of the lower albedo Titan regions if the spectral slope from 2.71 to 2.79 ??m in the poorly understood 2.8-??m methane window is ignored. The spectra for brighter regions are not matched by the spectrum of

  1. Aerothermodynamic environment for a Titan probe with deployable decelerator

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Green, M. J.; Swenson, B. L.; Balakrishnan, A.

    1985-01-01

    It is pointed out that further exploration of Titan, Saturn's largest moon, is of current interest to the scientific community, particularly from the standpoint of the organic chemical evolution of its atmosphere. For a suitable study of this Saturnian satellite, a mission involving a Titan atmospheric entry probe is to be conducted. The probe is to employ a deployable decelerator with the aim to allow scientific measurements in the haze layer. The present investigation is concerned with an assessment of the aerothermodynamic environment for the considered probe during its hypervelocity, low-Reynolds-number entry. Attention is given to the employed computational method, the Titan probe configuration, the Titan probe trajectory, the viscous-layer regime of the aerothermodynamic environment, and the incipient merged-layer regime.

  2. Detailed exploration of Titan with a Montgolfiere aerobot

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Spilker, T.; Tipex Team

    The International Cassini/Huygens (CH) mission has verified the expectation that Saturn's moon Titan offers many opportunities for studying high-priority planetary and astrobiology science objectives. CH results to date show that this world, though entirely alien in its frigid environment, presents an Earth-like and diverse appearance due to the relative balance of competing forces such as geology/tectonics, meteorology, aeronomy, and cosmic impacts. But with the limitations of a single Huygens probe, and a finite number of Cassini flybys limited in proximity and remote sensing resolution by Titan's thick atmosphere and hazes, there is much science to be done there after the CH mission has ended. Detailed exploration of Titan's surface and lower atmosphere, especially for astrobiological objectives, is best addressed by in situ investigations. The atmosphere and its hazes severely restrict orbital remote sensing: Titan cannot be mapped from orbit in the same manner as Mars, at (essentially) arbitrarily high resolution, and limited infrared (IR) windows allow only gross compositional interpretations. After CH indeed there will be further orbital investigations to be carried out, notably completion of the global mapping by Synthetic Aperture Radar and IR mapping spectrometry begun by CH, at the best resolutions practical from orbit. But to fully understand Titan as an evolving, planetary-scale body and an abode of preserved protobiological chemistry will require a platform that has access to, and mobility at, the surface and the lowest few kilometers of the atmosphere. The TiPEx study team weighed the options for Titan in situ exploration, and finds that a mission based on a Montgolfiere (a type of hot-air balloon) aerobot is the best candidate for post-CH exploration. Ground-based platforms of the type used to date on Mars are far too limited in range to sample the diversity of Titan, and do not adequately investigate the lower atmosphere. Titan's cold, dense

  3. Lab-on-a-Chip Instrument Development for Titan Exploration

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Willis, P. A.; Greer, F.; Fisher, A.; Hodyss, R. P.; Grunthaner, F.; Jiao, H.; Mair, D.; Harrison, J.

    2009-12-01

    This contribution will describe the initial stages of a new ASTID-funded research program initiated in Fall 2009 aimed at lab-on-a-chip system development for astrobiological investigations on Titan. This technology development builds off related work at JPL and Berkeley [1-3] on the ultrasensitive compositional and chiral analysis of amino acids on Mars in order to search for signatures of past or present life. The Mars-focused instrument system utilizes a microcapillary electrophoresis (μCE) system integrated with on-chip perfluoropolyether (PFPE) membrane valves and pumps for automated liquid sample handling, on-chip derivitization of samples with fluorescent tags, dilution, and mixing with standards for data calibration. It utilizes a four-layer wafer stack design with CE channels patterned in glass, along with a PFPE membrane, a pneumatic manifold layer, and a fluidic bus layer. Three pneumatically driven on-chip diaphragm valves placed in series are used to peristaltically pump reagents, buffers, and samples to and from capillary electrophoresis electrode well positions. Electrophoretic separation occurs in the all-glass channels near the base of the structure. The Titan specific lab-on-a-chip system under development here focuses its attention on the unique organic chemistry of Titan. In order to chromatographically separate mixtures of neutral organics such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), the Titan-specific microfluidic platform utilizes the related technique of microcapillary electrochromatography (μCEC). This technique differs from conventional μCE in that microchannels are filled with a porous stationary phase that presents surfaces upon which analyte species can adsorb/desorb. It is this additional surface interaction that enables separations of species critical to the understanding of the astrobiological potential of Titan that are not readily separated by the μCE technique. We have developed two different approaches for the integration

  4. Surface-Atmosphere Connections on Titan: A New Window into Terrestrial Hydroclimate

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Faulk, Sean

    This dissertation investigates the coupling between the large-scale atmospheric circulation and surface processes on Titan, with a particular focus on methane precipitation and its influence on surface geomorphology and hydrology. As the only body in the Solar System with an active hydrologic cycle other than Earth, Titan presents a valuable laboratory for studying principles of hydroclimate on terrestrial planets. Idealized general circulation models (GCMs) are used here to test hypotheses regarding Titan's surface-atmosphere connections. First, an Earth-like GCM simulated over a range of rotation rates is used to evaluate the effect of rotation rate on seasonal monsoon behavior. Slower rotation rates result in poleward migration of summer rain, indicating a large-scale atmospheric control on Titan's observed dichotomy of dry low latitudes and moist high latitudes. Second, a Titan GCM benchmarked against observations is used to analyze the magnitudes and frequencies of extreme methane rainstorms as simulated by the model. Regional patterns in these extreme events correlate well with observed geomorphic features, with the most extreme rainstorms occurring in mid-latitude regions associated with high alluvial fan concentrations. Finally, a planetary surface hydrology scheme is developed and incorporated into a Titan GCM to evaluate the roles of surface flow, subsurface flow, infiltration, and groundmethane evaporation in Titan's climate. The model reproduces Titan's observed surface liquid and cloud distributions, and reaches an equilibrium state with limited interhemispheric transport where atmospheric transport is approximately balanced by subsurface transport. The equilibrium state suggests that Titan's current hemispheric surface liquid asymmetry, favoring methane accumulation in the north, is stable in the modern climate.

  5. Ablative Thermal Response Analysis Using the Finite Element Method

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dec John A.; Braun, Robert D.

    2009-01-01

    A review of the classic techniques used to solve ablative thermal response problems is presented. The advantages and disadvantages of both the finite element and finite difference methods are described. As a first step in developing a three dimensional finite element based ablative thermal response capability, a one dimensional computer tool has been developed. The finite element method is used to discretize the governing differential equations and Galerkin's method of weighted residuals is used to derive the element equations. A code to code comparison between the current 1-D tool and the 1-D Fully Implicit Ablation and Thermal Response Program (FIAT) has been performed.

  6. Titan Airship Surveyor

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kerzhanovich, V.; Yavrouian, A.; Cutts, J.; Colozza, A.; Fairbrother, D.

    2001-01-01

    Saturn's moon Titan is considered to be one of the prime candidates for studying prebiotic materials - the substances that precede the formation of life but have disappeared from the Earth as a result of the evolution of life. A unique combination of a dense, predominantly nitrogen, atmosphere (more than four times that of the Earth), low gravity (six times less than on the Earth) and small temperature variations makes Titan the almost ideal planet for studies with lighter-than-air aerial platforms (aerobots). Moreover, since methane clouds and photochemical haze obscure the surface, low-altitude aerial platforms are the only practical means that can provide global mapping of the Titan surface at visible and infrared wavelengths. One major challenge in Titan exploration is the extremely cold atmosphere (approx. 90 K). However, current material technology the capability to operate aerobots at these very low temperatures. A second challenge is the remoteness from the Sun (10 AU) that makes the nuclear (radioisotopic) energy the only practical source of power. A third challenge is remoteness from the Earth (approx. 10 AU, two-way light-time approx. 160 min) which imposes restrictions on data rates and makes impractical any meaningful real-time control. A small-size airship (approx. 25 cu m) can carry a payload approximately 100 kg. A Stirling engine coupled to a radioisotope heat source would be the prime choice for producing both mechanical and electrical power for sensing, control, and communications. The cold atmospheric temperature makes Stirling machines especially effective. With the radioisotope power source the airship may fly with speed approximately 5 m/s for a year or more providing an excellent platform for in situ atmosphere measurements and a high-resolution remote sensing with unlimited access on a global scale. In a station-keeping mode the airship can be used for in situ studies on the surface by winching down an instrument package. Floating above the

  7. Project Cassini: a Saturn Orbiter/titan Probe Mission Proposal

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gautier, D.; Ip, W. H.

    1984-12-01

    Titan is the only moon in the solar system with a substantial atmosphere. The organic chemistry of its N2-CH4 atmosphere may resemble that of the earth's primitive atmosphere before life arose. The investigation of the synthesis of prebiotic molecules in Titan's atmosphere and the atmospheric and surface environments of this planet-sized moon will be the focal point of the Cassini Project proposed to the European Space Agency for an international Saturn Orbiter/Titan Probe mission.

  8. Cassini's Final Titan Radar Swath

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-08-11

    During its final targeted flyby of Titan on April 22, 2017, Cassini's radar mapper got the mission's last close look at the moon's surface. On this 127th targeted pass by Titan (unintuitively named "T-126"), the radar was used to take two images of the surface, shown at left and right. Both images are about 200 miles (300 kilometers) in width, from top to bottom. Objects appear bright when they are tilted toward the spacecraft or have rough surfaces; smooth areas appear dark. At left are the same bright, hilly terrains and darker plains that Cassini imaged during its first radar pass of Titan, in 2004. Scientists do not see obvious evidence of changes in this terrain over the 13 years since the original observation. At right, the radar looked once more for Titan's mysterious "magic island" (PIA20021) in a portion of one of the large hydrocarbon seas, Ligeia Mare. No "island" feature was observed during this pass. Scientists continue to work on what the transient feature might have been, with waves and bubbles being two possibilities. In between the two parts of its imaging observation, the radar instrument switched to altimetry mode, in order to make a first-ever (and last-ever) measurement of the depths of some of the lakes that dot the north polar region. For the measurements, the spacecraft pointed its antenna straight down at the surface and the radar measured the time delay between echoes from the lakes' surface and bottom. A graph is available at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21626

  9. Progressive Climate Change on Titan: Implications for Habitability

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Moore, J. M.; A. D. Howard

    2014-01-01

    Titan's landscape is profoundly shaped by its atmosphere and comparable in magnitude perhaps with only the Earth and Mars amongst the worlds of the Solar System. Like the Earth, climate dictates the intensity and relative roles of fluvial and aeolian activity from place to place and over geologic time. Thus Titan's landscape is the record of climate change. We have investigated three broad classes of Titan climate evolution hypotheses (Steady State, Progressive, and Cyclic), regulated by the role, sources, and availability of methane. We favor the Progressive hypotheses, which we will outline here, then discuss their implication for habitability.

  10. Engineering-Level Model Atmospheres for Titan and Neptune

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Justus, C. G.; Duvall, Aleta; Johnson, D. L.

    2003-01-01

    Engineering-level atmospheric models for Titan and Neptune have been developed for use in NASA s systems analysis studies of aerocapture applications in missions to the outer planets. Analogous to highly successful Global Reference Atmospheric Models for Earth (GRAM, Justus et al., 2000) and Mars (Mars-GRAM, Justus and Johnson, 2001, Justus et al., 2002) the new models are called Titan-GRAM and Neptune-GRAM. Like GRAM and Mars-GRAM, an important feature of Titan-GRAM and Neptune-GRAM is their ability to simulate quasi-random perturbations for Monte- Carlo analyses in developing guidance, navigation and control algorithms, and for thermal systems design.

  11. Decontamination of 2-chloroethyl ethylsulfide using titanate nanoscrolls

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kleinhammes, Alfred; Wagner, George W.; Kulkarni, Harsha; Jia, Yuanyuan; Zhang, Qi; Qin, Lu-Chang; Wu, Yue

    2005-08-01

    Titanate nanoscrolls, a recently discovered variant of TiO 2 nanocrystals, are tested as reactive sorbent for chemical warfare agent (CWA) decontamination. The large surface area of the uncapped tubules provides the desired rapid absorption of the contaminant while water molecules, intrinsic constituents of titanate nanoscrolls, provide the necessary chemistry for hydrolytic reaction. In this study the decomposition of 2-chloroethyl ethylsulfide (CEES), a simulant for the CWA mustard, was monitored using 13C NMR. The NMR spectra reveal reaction products as expected from the hydrolysis of CEES. This demonstrates that titanate nanoscrolls could potentially be employed as a decontaminant for CWAs.

  12. Crater Topography on Titan: Implications for Landscape Evolution

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Neish, Catherine D.; Kirk, R.L.; Lorenz, R. D.; Bray, V. J.; Schenk, P.; Stiles, B. W.; Turtle, E.; Mitchell, K.; Hayes, A.

    2013-01-01

    We present a comprehensive review of available crater topography measurements for Saturn's moon Titan. In general, the depths of Titan's craters are within the range of depths observed for similarly sized fresh craters on Ganymede, but several hundreds of meters shallower than Ganymede's average depth vs. diameter trend. Depth-to-diameter ratios are between 0.0012 +/- 0.0003 (for the largest crater studied, Menrva, D approximately 425 km) and 0.017 +/- 0.004 (for the smallest crater studied, Ksa, D approximately 39 km). When we evaluate the Anderson-Darling goodness-of-fit parameter, we find that there is less than a 10% probability that Titan's craters have a current depth distribution that is consistent with the depth distribution of fresh craters on Ganymede. There is, however, a much higher probability that the relative depths are uniformly distributed between 0 (fresh) and 1 (completely infilled). This distribution is consistent with an infilling process that is relatively constant with time, such as aeolian deposition. Assuming that Ganymede represents a close 'airless' analogue to Titan, the difference in depths represents the first quantitative measure of the amount of modification that has shaped Titan's surface, the only body in the outer Solar System with extensive surface-atmosphere exchange.

  13. Titan Ion Composition at Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Transition Region

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sittler, Edward C.; Hartle, R. E.; Shappirio, M.; Simpson, D. J.; COoper, J. F.; Burger, M. H.; Johnson, R. E.; Bertucci, C.; Luhman, J. G.; Ledvina, S. A.; hide

    2006-01-01

    Using Cassini Plasma Spectrometer (CAPS) Ion Mass Spectrometer (IMS) ion composition data, we will investigate the compositional changes at the transition region between Saturn's magnetospheric flow and Titan's upper ionosphere. It is this region where scavenging of Titan's upper ionosphere can occur, where it is then dragged away by the magnetospheric flow as cold plasma for Saturn's magnetosphere. This cold plasma may form plumes as originally proposed by (1) during the Voyager 1 epoch. This source of cold plasma may have a unique compositional signature such as methane group ions. Water group ions that are observed in Saturn's outer magnetosphere (2,3) are relatively hot and probably come from the inner magnetosphere where they are born from fast neutrals escaping Enceladus (4) and picked up in the outer magnetosphere as hot plasma (5). This scenario will be complicated by pickup methane ions within Titan's mass loading region, as originally predicted by (6) based on Voyager 1 data and observationally confirmed by (3,7) using CAPS IMS data. But, CH4(+) ions or their fragments can only be produced as pickup ions from Titan's exosphere which can extend beyond the transition region of concern here, while CH5(+) ions can be scavenged from Titan's ionosphere. We will investigate these possibilities.

  14. Design of a Long Endurance Titan VTOL Vehicle

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Prakash, Ravi; Braun, Robert D.; Colby, Luke S.; Francis, Scott R.; Guenduez, Mustafa E.; Flaherty, Kevin W.; Lafleur, Jarret M.; Wright, Henry S.

    2006-01-01

    Saturn s moon Titan promises insight into many key scientific questions, many of which can be investigated only by in situ exploration of the surface and atmosphere of the moon. This research presents a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) vehicle designed to conduct a scientific investigation of Titan s atmosphere, clouds, haze, surface, and any possible oceans. In this investigation, multiple options for vertical takeoff and horizontal mobility were considered. A helicopter was baselined because of its many advantages over other types of vehicles, namely access to hazardous terrain and the ability to perform low speed aerial surveys. Using a nuclear power source and the atmosphere of Titan, a turbo expander cycle produces the 1.9 kW required by the vehicle for flight and operations, allowing it to sustain a long range, long duration mission that could traverse the majority of Titan. Such a power source could increase the lifespan and quality of science for planetary aerial flight to an extent that the limiting factor for the mission life is not available power but the life of the mechanical parts. Therefore, the mission could potentially last for years. This design is the first to investigate the implications of this potentially revolutionary technology on a Titan aerial vehicle.

  15. Radiation damage and nanocrystal formation in uranium-niobium titanates

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lian, J.; Wang, S. X.; Wang, L. M.; Ewing, R. C.

    2001-07-01

    Two uranium-niobium titanates, U 2.25Nb 1.90Ti 0.32O 9.8 and Nb 2.75U 1.20Ti 0.36O 10, formed during the synthesis of brannnerite (UTi 2O 6), a minor phase in titanate-based ceramics investigated for plutonium immobilization. These uranium titanates were subjected to 800 keV Kr 2+ irradiation from 30 to 973 K. The critical amorphization dose of the U-rich and Nb-rich titanates at room temperature were 4.72×10 17 and 5×10 17 ions/ m2, respectively. At elevated temperature, the critical amorphization dose increases due to dynamic thermal annealing. The critical amorphization temperature for both Nb-rich and U-rich titanates is ˜933 K under a 800 keV Kr 2+ irradiation. Above the critical amorphization temperature, nanocrystals with an average size of ˜15 nm were observed. The formation of nanocrystals is due to epitaxial recrystallization. At higher temperatures, an ion irradiation-induced nucleation-growth mechanism also contributes to the formation of nanocrystals.

  16. Cassini/Titan-4 Acoustic Blanket Development and Testing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hughes, William O.; McNelis, Anne M.

    1996-01-01

    NASA Lewis Research Center recently led a multi-organizational effort to develop and test verify new acoustic blankets. These blankets support NASA's goal in reducing the Titan-4 payload fairing internal acoustic environment to allowable levels for the Cassini spacecraft. To accomplish this goal a two phase acoustic test program was utilized. Phase One consisted of testing numerous blanket designs in a flat panel configuration. Phase Two consisted of testing the most promising designs out of Phase One in a full scale cylindrical payload fairing. This paper will summarize this highly successful test program by providing the rationale and results for each test phase, the impacts of this testing on the Cassini mission, as well as providing some general information on blanket designs.

  17. Titan's Stratospheric Condensibles at High Northern Latitudes During Northern Winter

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Anderson, Carrie; Samuelson, R.; Achterberg, R.

    2012-01-01

    The Infrared Interferometer Spectrometer (IRIS) instrument on board Voyager 1 caught the first glimpse of an unidentified particulate feature in Titan's stratosphere that spectrally peaks at 221 per centimeter. Until recently, this feature that we have termed 'the haystack,' has been seen persistently at high northern latitudes with the Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) instrument onboard Cassini, The strength of the haystack emission feature diminishes rapidly with season, becoming drastically reduced at high northern latitudes, as Titan transitions from northern winter into spring, In contrast to IRIS whose shortest wavenumber was 200 per centimeter, CIRS extends down to 10 per centimeter, thus revealing an entirely unexplored spectral region in which nitrile ices have numerous broad lattice vibration features, Unlike the haystack, which is only found at high northern latitudes during northern winter/early northern spring, this geometrically thin nitrile cloud pervades Titan's lower stratosphere, spectrally peaking at 160 per centimeter, and is almost global in extent spanning latitudes 85 N to 600 S, The inference of nitrile ices are consistent with the highly restricted altitude ranges over which these features are observed, and appear to be dominated by a mixture of HCN and HC3N, The narrow range in altitude over which the nitrile ices extend is unlike the haystack, whose vertical distribution is significantly broader, spanning roughly 70 kilometers in altitude in Titan's lower stratosphere, The nitrile clouds that CIRS observes are located in a dynamically stable region of Titan's atmosphere, whereas CH4 clouds, which ordinarily form in the troposphere, form in a more dynamically unstable region, where convective cloud systems tend to occur. In the unusual situation where Titan's tropopause cools significantly from the HASI 70.5K temperature minimum, CH4 should condense in Titan's lower stratosphere, just like the aforementioned nitrile clouds, although

  18. Poster 17: Methane storms as a driver of Titan's dune orientation.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Charnay, Benjamin; Barth, Erika; Rafkin, Scot; Narteau, Clement; Lebonnois, Sebastien; Rodriguez, Sebastien; Courech Du Pont, Sylvain; Lucas, Antoine

    2016-06-01

    Titan's equatorial regions are covered by eastward oriented linear dunes [1,2]. This direction is opposite to mean surface winds simulated by Global Climate Models (GCMs) at these latitudes, oriented westward as trade winds on Earth. We propose that Titan's dune orientation is actually determined by equinoctial tropical methane storms producing a coupling with superrotation and dune formation [3]. Using meso-scale simulations of convective methane clouds [4] with a GCM wind profile featuring the superrotation [5,6], we show that Titan's storms should produce fast eastward gust fronts above the surface. Such gusts dominate the aeolian transport. Using GCM wind calculations and analogies with terrestrial dune fields [7], we show that Titan's dune propagation occurs eastward under these conditions. Finally, this scenario combining global circulation winds and methane storms can explain other major features of Titan's dunes as the divergence from the equator or the dune size and spacing. It also implies an equatorial origin of Titan's dune sand and a possible occurence of dust storms.

  19. Variations in Rotation Rate and Polar Motion of a Non-hydrostatic Titan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Van Hoolst, T.; Coyette, A.; Baland, R. M.

    2017-12-01

    Observations of the rotation of large synchronously rotating satellites such as Titan can help to probe their interior. Previous studies (Van Hoolst et al. 2013, Richard et al. 2014, Coyette et al. 2016) mostly assume that Titan is in hydrostatic equilibrium, although several measurements indicate that it deviates from such a state. Here we investigate the effect of non-hydrostatic equilibrium and of flow in the subsurface ocean on the rotation of Titan. We consider (1) the periodic changes in Titan's rotation rate with a period equal to Titan's orbital period (diurnal librations) as a result of the gravitational torque exerted by Saturn, (2) the periodic changes in Titan's rotation rate with a main period equal to half the orbital period of Saturn (seasonal librations) and due to the dynamic variations in the atmosphere of Titan and (3) the periodic changes of the axis of rotation with respect to the figure axis of Titan (polar motion) with a main period equal to the orbital period of Saturn and due to the dynamic variations in the atmosphere of Titan. The non-hydrostatic mass distribution significantly influences the amplitude of the diurnal and seasonal librations. It is less important for polar motion, which is sensitive to flow in the subsurface ocean. The smaller than synchronous rotation rate measured by Cassini (Meriggiola 2016) can be explained by the atmospheric forcing.

  20. Titan Saturn System Mission (TSSM) Enables Comparative Climatology with Earth

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Reh, Kim; Lunine, J.; Coustenis, A.; Matson, D.; Beauchamp, P.; Erd, C.; Lebreton, J.

    2009-09-01

    Titan is a complex world more like the Earth than any other: it has a dense mostly nitrogen atmosphere and active climate and meteorological cycles where the working fluid, methane, behaves under Titan conditions the way that water does on Earth. Its geology, from lakes and seas to broad river valleys and mountains, while carved in ice is, in its balance of processes, again most like Earth. Beneath this panoply of Earth-like processes an ice crust floats atop what appears to be a liquid water ocean. The Titan Saturn System Mission would seek to understand Titan as a system, in the same way that one would ask this question about Venus, Mars, and the Earth. How are distinctions between Titan and other worlds in the solar systems understandable in the context of the complex interplay of geology, hydrology, meteorology, and aeronomy? Is Titan an analogue for some aspect of Earth's history, past or future? Why is Titan endowed with an atmosphere when Ganymede is not? Titan is also rich in organic molecules_more so in its surface and atmosphere than anyplace in the solar system, including Earth (excluding our vast carbonate sediments). These molecules were formed in the atmosphere, deposited on the surface and, in coming into contact with liquid water may undergo an aqueous chemistry that could replicate aspects of life's origins. The second goal of the proposed TSSM mission is to understand the chemical cycles that generate and destroy organics and assess the likelihood that they can tell us something of life's origins. This work was performed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory-California Institute of Technology, under contract to NASA.

  1. Between heaven and Earth: the exploration of Titan.

    PubMed

    Owen, Tobias C; Niemann, Hasso; Atreya, Sushil; Zolotov, Mikhail Y

    2006-01-01

    The atmosphere of Titan represents a bridge between the early solar nebula and atmospheres like ours. The low abundances of primordial noble gases in Titan's atmosphere relative to N2 suggest that the icy planetesimals that formed the satellite must have originated at temperatures higher than 75-100 K. Under these conditions, N2 would also be very poorly trapped and thus Titan's nitrogen, like ours, must have arrived as nitrogen compounds, of which ammonia was likely the major component. This temperature constraint also argues against the trapping of methane. Production of this gas on the satellite after formation appears reasonable based on terrestrial examples of serpentinization, disproportionation and reduction of carbon. These processes require rocks, water, suitable catalysts and the variety of primordial carbon compounds that were plausibly trapped in Titan's ices. Application of this same general scenario to Ganymede, Callisto, KBOs and conditions on the very early Earth seems promising.

  2. Titanic exploration with GIS

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Kerski, J.J.

    2004-01-01

    To help teachers and students investigate one of the world's most famous historical events using the geographic perspective and GIS tools and methods, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) created a set of educational lessons based on the RMS Titanic's April 1912 sailing. With these lessons, student researchers can learn about latitude and longitude, map projections, ocean currents, databases, maps, and images through the analysis of the route, warnings, sinking, rescue, and eventual discovery of the submerged ocean liner in 1985. They can also consider the human and physical aspects of the maiden voyage in the North Atlantic Ocean at a variety of scales, from global to regional to local. Likewise, their investigations can reveal how the sinking of the Titanic affected future shipping routes.

  3. RADAR Reveals Titan Topography

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kirk, R. L.; Callahan, P.; Seu, R.; Lorenz, R. D.; Paganelli, F.; Lopes, R.; Elachi, C.

    2005-01-01

    The Cassini Titan RADAR Mapper is a K(sub u)-band (13.78 GHz, lambda = 2.17 cm) linear polarized RADAR instrument capable of operating in synthetic aperture (SAR), scatterometer, altimeter and radiometer modes. During the first targeted flyby of Titan on 26 October, 2004 (referred to as Ta) observations were made in all modes. Evidence for topographic relief based on the Ta altimetry and SAR data are presented here. Additional SAR and altimetry observations are planned for the T3 encounter on 15 February, 2005, but have not been carried out at this writing. Results from the T3 encounter relevant to topography will be included in our presentation. Data obtained in the Ta encounter include a SAR image swath

  4. COSPAR Workshop on Planetary Protection for Titan and Ganymede

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rummel, J. D.; Raulin, F.; Ehrenfreund, P.

    2010-06-01

    During the deliberations of the COSPAR Workshop on Planetary Protection for Outer Planet Satellites and Small Solar System Bodies (Rummel et al., 2009), held in Vienna in April 2009, a number of bodies in the outer Solar System were identified as being potentially in the "II+" category consistent with the COSPAR categorization scheme, referring to a body that is of interest to chemical evolution and the origin of life, but whose potential to support living organisms is undecided, including at least Titan, Ganymede, Triton, and the Pluto-Charon system (see Appendix C). Of these objects, Titan is the highest priority target for a near-term robotic flagship mission and Ganymede is also the subject of flagship mission interest. To address the concerns that were raised in Vienna about the categorization of Titan and Ganymede (as "II+") required another dedicated workshop to concentrate on those two bodies, a meeting was planned and held jointly by NASA, ESA, and COSPAR during the winter of 2009- 2010. This workshop included additional experts on Titan and Ganymede who were not able to participate in the Vienna meeting, and allowed the attendees to inspect detailed information about the most recent Cassini-Huygens results as well as the most current interpretation of the data available for both Titan and Ganymede. The goal of this workshop was to resolve the mission category for Titan and Ganymede and to develop a consensus on the II versus II+ dichotomy, taking into account both the conservative nature of planetary protection policy and the physical constraints on the Titan system and on Ganymede - the two largest moons in our solar system. This report summarizes the findings and recommendations from the workshop. The document will be distributed to the COSPAR Planetary Protection panel for consideration prior to the next General Assembly meeting in Bremen (Germany) during July 2010. Results from the Titan/Ganymede study will also be coordinated in a larger evaluation

  5. TandEM: Titan and Enceladus mission

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Coustenis, A.; Atreya, S.K.; Balint, T.; Brown, R.H.; Dougherty, M.K.; Ferri, F.; Fulchignoni, M.; Gautier, D.; Gowen, R.A.; Griffith, C.A.; Gurvits, L.I.; Jaumann, R.; Langevin, Y.; Leese, M.R.; Lunine, J.I.; McKay, C.P.; Moussas, X.; Muller-Wodarg, I.; Neubauer, F.; Owen, T.C.; Raulin, F.; Sittler, E.C.; Sohl, F.; Sotin, Christophe; Tobie, G.; Tokano, T.; Turtle, E.P.; Wahlund, J.-E.; Waite, J.H.; Baines, K.H.; Blamont, J.; Coates, A.J.; Dandouras, I.; Krimigis, T.; Lellouch, E.; Lorenz, R.D.; Morse, A.; Porco, C.C.; Hirtzig, M.; Saur, J.; Spilker, T.; Zarnecki, J.C.; Choi, E.; Achilleos, N.; Amils, R.; Annan, P.; Atkinson, D.H.; Benilan, Y.; Bertucci, C.; Bezard, B.; Bjoraker, G.L.; Blanc, M.; Boireau, L.; Bouman, J.; Cabane, M.; Capria, M.T.; Chassefiere, E.; Coll, P.; Combes, M.; Cooper, J.F.; Coradini, A.; Crary, F.; Cravens, T.; Daglis, I.A.; de Angelis, E.; De Bergh, C.; de Pater, I.; Dunford, C.; Durry, G.; Dutuit, O.; Fairbrother, D.; Flasar, F.M.; Fortes, A.D.; Frampton, R.; Fujimoto, M.; Galand, M.; Grasset, O.; Grott, M.; Haltigin, T.; Herique, A.; Hersant, F.; Hussmann, H.; Ip, W.; Johnson, R.; Kallio, E.; Kempf, S.; Knapmeyer, M.; Kofman, W.; Koop, R.; Kostiuk, T.; Krupp, N.; Kuppers, M.; Lammer, H.; Lara, L.-M.; Lavvas, P.; Le, Mouelic S.; Lebonnois, S.; Ledvina, S.; Li, Ji; Livengood, T.A.; Lopes, R.M.; Lopez-Moreno, J. -J.; Luz, D.; Mahaffy, P.R.; Mall, U.; Martinez-Frias, J.; Marty, B.; McCord, T.; Salvan, C.M.; Milillo, A.; Mitchell, D.G.; Modolo, R.; Mousis, O.; Nakamura, M.; Neish, Catherine D.; Nixon, C.A.; Mvondo, D.N.; Orton, G.; Paetzold, M.; Pitman, J.; Pogrebenko, S.; Pollard, W.; Prieto-Ballesteros, O.; Rannou, P.; Reh, K.; Richter, L.; Robb, F.T.; Rodrigo, R.; Rodriguez, S.; Romani, P.; Bermejo, M.R.; Sarris, E.T.; Schenk, P.; Schmitt, B.; Schmitz, N.; Schulze-Makuch, D.; Schwingenschuh, K.; Selig, A.; Sicardy, B.; Soderblom, L.; Spilker, L.J.; Stam, D.; Steele, A.; Stephan, K.; Strobel, D.F.; Szego, K.; Szopa,

    2009-01-01

    TandEM was proposed as an L-class (large) mission in response to ESA’s Cosmic Vision 2015–2025 Call, and accepted for further studies, with the goal of exploring Titan and Enceladus. The mission concept is to perform in situ investigations of two worlds tied together by location and properties, whose remarkable natures have been partly revealed by the ongoing Cassini–Huygens mission. These bodies still hold mysteries requiring a complete exploration using a variety of vehicles and instruments. TandEM is an ambitious mission because its targets are two of the most exciting and challenging bodies in the Solar System. It is designed to build on but exceed the scientific and technological accomplishments of the Cassini–Huygens mission, exploring Titan and Enceladus in ways that are not currently possible (full close-up and in situ coverage over long periods of time). In the current mission architecture, TandEM proposes to deliver two medium-sized spacecraft to the Saturnian system. One spacecraft would be an orbiter with a large host of instruments which would perform several Enceladus flybys and deliver penetrators to its surface before going into a dedicated orbit around Titan alone, while the other spacecraft would carry the Titan in situ investigation components, i.e. a hot-air balloon (Montgolfière) and possibly several landing probes to be delivered through the atmosphere.

  6. TandEM: Titan and Enceladus mission

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Coustenis, A.; Atreya, S. K.; Balint, T.; Brown, R. H.; Dougherty, M. K.; Ferri, F.; Fulchignoni, M.; Gautier, D.; Gowen, R. A.; Griffith, C. A.; Gurvits, L. I.; Jaumann, R.; Langevin, Y.; Leese, M. R.; Lunine, J. I.; McKay, C. P.; Moussas, X.; Müller-Wodarg, I.; Neubauer, F.; Owen, T. C.; Raulin, F.; Sittler, E. C.; Sohl, F.; Sotin, C.; Tobie, G.; Tokano, T.; Turtle, E. P.; Wahlund, J.-E.; Waite, J. H.; Baines, K. H.; Blamont, J.; Coates, A. J.; Dandouras, I.; Krimigis, T.; Lellouch, E.; Lorenz, R. D.; Morse, A.; Porco, C. C.; Hirtzig, M.; Saur, J.; Spilker, T.; Zarnecki, J. C.; Choi, E.; Achilleos, N.; Amils, R.; Annan, P.; Atkinson, D. H.; Bénilan, Y.; Bertucci, C.; Bézard, B.; Bjoraker, G. L.; Blanc, M.; Boireau, L.; Bouman, J.; Cabane, M.; Capria, M. T.; Chassefière, E.; Coll, P.; Combes, M.; Cooper, J. F.; Coradini, A.; Crary, F.; Cravens, T.; Daglis, I. A.; de Angelis, E.; de Bergh, C.; de Pater, I.; Dunford, C.; Durry, G.; Dutuit, O.; Fairbrother, D.; Flasar, F. M.; Fortes, A. D.; Frampton, R.; Fujimoto, M.; Galand, M.; Grasset, O.; Grott, M.; Haltigin, T.; Herique, A.; Hersant, F.; Hussmann, H.; Ip, W.; Johnson, R.; Kallio, E.; Kempf, S.; Knapmeyer, M.; Kofman, W.; Koop, R.; Kostiuk, T.; Krupp, N.; Küppers, M.; Lammer, H.; Lara, L.-M.; Lavvas, P.; Le Mouélic, S.; Lebonnois, S.; Ledvina, S.; Li, J.; Livengood, T. A.; Lopes, R. M.; Lopez-Moreno, J.-J.; Luz, D.; Mahaffy, P. R.; Mall, U.; Martinez-Frias, J.; Marty, B.; McCord, T.; Menor Salvan, C.; Milillo, A.; Mitchell, D. G.; Modolo, R.; Mousis, O.; Nakamura, M.; Neish, C. D.; Nixon, C. A.; Nna Mvondo, D.; Orton, G.; Paetzold, M.; Pitman, J.; Pogrebenko, S.; Pollard, W.; Prieto-Ballesteros, O.; Rannou, P.; Reh, K.; Richter, L.; Robb, F. T.; Rodrigo, R.; Rodriguez, S.; Romani, P.; Ruiz Bermejo, M.; Sarris, E. T.; Schenk, P.; Schmitt, B.; Schmitz, N.; Schulze-Makuch, D.; Schwingenschuh, K.; Selig, A.; Sicardy, B.; Soderblom, L.; Spilker, L. J.; Stam, D.; Steele, A.; Stephan, K.; Strobel, D. F.; Szego, K.; Szopa, C.; Thissen, R.; Tomasko, M. G.; Toublanc, D.; Vali, H.; Vardavas, I.; Vuitton, V.; West, R. A.; Yelle, R.; Young, E. F.

    2009-03-01

    TandEM was proposed as an L-class (large) mission in response to ESA’s Cosmic Vision 2015-2025 Call, and accepted for further studies, with the goal of exploring Titan and Enceladus. The mission concept is to perform in situ investigations of two worlds tied together by location and properties, whose remarkable natures have been partly revealed by the ongoing Cassini-Huygens mission. These bodies still hold mysteries requiring a complete exploration using a variety of vehicles and instruments. TandEM is an ambitious mission because its targets are two of the most exciting and challenging bodies in the Solar System. It is designed to build on but exceed the scientific and technological accomplishments of the Cassini-Huygens mission, exploring Titan and Enceladus in ways that are not currently possible (full close-up and in situ coverage over long periods of time). In the current mission architecture, TandEM proposes to deliver two medium-sized spacecraft to the Saturnian system. One spacecraft would be an orbiter with a large host of instruments which would perform several Enceladus flybys and deliver penetrators to its surface before going into a dedicated orbit around Titan alone, while the other spacecraft would carry the Titan in situ investigation components, i.e. a hot-air balloon (Montgolfière) and possibly several landing probes to be delivered through the atmosphere.

  7. Above Titan South

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2012-09-17

    Titan south polar vortex seems to float above the moon south pole in this Cassini spacecraft view. The vortex, which is a mass of gas swirling around the south pole high in the moon atmosphere, can be seen in the lower right of this view.

  8. Organic matter in the Titan lakes, and comparison with primitive Earth

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Khare, Bishun N.; McKay, C.; Wilhite, P.; Beeler, D.; Carter, M.; Schurmeier, L.; Jagota, S.; Kawai, J.; Nna-Mvondo, D.; Cruikshank, D.; Embaye, T.

    2013-06-01

    Titan is the only world in the solar system besides the Earth that has liquid on its surface. The liquid in the lakes is thought to be composed primarily of ethane with methane and nitrogen in solution. The clouds are thought to be composed of liquid methane drops. Surface liquid is present in polar lakes and in surface materials at equatorial sites. Studying the chemical processing that potentially results from organic material interacting with this liquid is one of the main goals of proposed missions to Titan. We have been engaged in producing tholin under Titan-like conditions for more than three decades, first at the Laboratory for Planetary Studies at Cornell University in collaboration with Late Dr. Carl Sagan and for over a decade at Laboratory for Planetary Studies at NASA Ames Research Center and Carl Sagan Center for the Study of Life in the Universe, SETI Institute. Our focus is to understand the capabilities for analysis of tholin solubility in liquid methane and ethane for flight instruments. Our results are expected to contribute to an understanding of the organic chemistry on Titan and to the development of an explicit and targeted scientific strategy for near term analysis of the products of organic-liquid interactions on Titan. Organics are produced as a haze in Titan's high atmosphere due to photolysis of methane with the Sun's extreme ultraviolet light and subsequent reaction with N. Also tholins are formed at a much higher level on Titan by charged particles of Saturn magnetosphere. However, the presence of organics is not the sole feature, which makes Titan significant to astrobiology; organics are widely present in the outer solar system. The reason Titan is a prime target for future outer solar system missions is the combination of organic material and liquid on the surface; liquid that could over a medium for further organic synthesis. NASA recently selected for further study a Discovery proposal TiME to investigate the chemistry of the

  9. Exploration of a New World: Saturn's Moon Titan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hansen, Candice; Ray, Trina; Matson, Dennis L.; Lebreton, Jean-Pierre; Waite, J. Hunter; Turtle, Elizabeth; Bolton, Scott; Spilker, Linda

    Before the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft arrived at the Saturnian system very little was known about Saturn's largest moon Titan. Ground-based observations and Voyager data had revealed a thick atmosphere composed primarily of nitrogen with a small percentage of methane and higher order hydrocarbons. The surface was obscured by hydrocarbon smog. Where do you begin, when exploring a new world? What were the basic science objectives? What were the exploration objectives? How well has Cassini-Huygens achieved them? What are the pragmatic considerations in using a spacecraft equipped with 12 sophisticated instruments and no moving parts? How were the 45 Titan flybys in the primary mission to be used? We started by organizing science goals into four high level disciplines for the orbital investigation from Cassini: 1) study of the interior, 2) mapping of the surface geology and composition, 3) study of atmospheric structure, composition and dynamics, and 4) characterization of Titan's interaction with Saturn's magnetosphere. The Huygens probe gave us detailed in situ "ground truth" from the upper atmosphere to the surface, for comparison to orbital data. Now at the end of the primary mission, we are embarking on Cassini's 2 year "Equinox" extended mission, and planning a possible 6 year Cassini "Solstice" Mission to follow if all goes well. When we arrived at Titan it was the equivalent of January and by the time the Solstice Mission is complete it will be June on Titan. Now is a good time to review our progress and our future goals for the exploration of Titan. For each of the four disciplines we will review the goals and achievements of the primary mission, the way in which the 26 Titan flybys in the 2 year Equinox mission fills in gaps left by the primary mission, and look ahead to what could be done in a Solstice Mission. Cassini has discovered seas of "sand" dunes, lakes in the polar regions, and a young surface marked by few craters. The blank spots on the map are

  10. Crater relaxation on Titan aided by low thermal conductivity sand infill

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schurmeier, Lauren R.; Dombard, Andrew J.

    2018-05-01

    Titan's few impact craters are currently many hundreds of meters shallower than the depths expected. Assuming these craters initially had depths equal to that of similar-size fresh craters on Ganymede and Callisto (moons of similar size, composition, and target lithology), then some process has shallowed them over time. Since nearly all of Titan's recognized craters are located within the arid equatorial sand seas of organic-rich dunes, where rain is infrequent, and atmospheric sedimentation is expected to be low, it has been suggested that aeolian infill plays a major role in shallowing the craters. Topographic relaxation at Titan's current heat flow was previously assumed to be an unimportant process on Titan due to its low surface temperature (94 K). However, our estimate of the thermal conductivity of Titan's organic-rich sand is remarkably low (0.025 W m-1 K-1), and when in thick deposits, will result in a thermal blanketing effect that can aid relaxation. Here, we simulate the relaxation of Titan's craters Afekan, Soi, and Sinlap including thermal effects of various amounts of sand inside and around Titan's craters. We find that the combination of aeolian infill and subsequent relaxation can produce the current crater depths in a geologically reasonable period of time using Titan's current heat flow. Instead of needing to fill completely the missing volume with 100% sand, only ∼62%, ∼71%, and ∼97%, of the volume need be sand at the current basal heat flux for Afekan, Soi, and Sinlap, respectively. We conclude that both processes are likely at work shallowing these craters, and this finding contributes to why Titan overall lacks impact craters in the arid equatorial regions.

  11. The occultation of 28 Sgr by Titan

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hubbard, W. B.; Sicardy, Bruno; Miles, R.; Hollis, A. J.; Forrest, R. W.; Nicolson, I. K. M.; Appleby, G.; Beisker, W.; Bittner, C.; Bode, H.-J.

    1993-01-01

    We present a comprehensive analysis of data obtained during the 1989 July 3 occultation of 28 Sgr by Titan. The data set includes 23 lightcurves from 15 separate stations, spanning wavelengths from 0.36 to 0.89 micron. A detailed model of the structure of Titan's atmosphere in the altitude range 250 to 450 km is developed, giving the distribution of temperature, pressure, haze optical depth, and zonal wind velocity as a function of altitude and latitude. Haze layers detected in Titan's stratosphere are about one scale height higher than inferred from Voyager data, and show a wavelength dependence indicative of particle sizes on the order of 0.1 micron. A marked north-south dichotomy in haze density is observed with a transition to lower density south of about -20 deg latitude. Zonal wind speeds are inferred from global distortions from spherical symmetry and are of the order of 100 m/s with significant increase toward higher latitudes. Titan's high atmosphere shows substantial axial symmetry; the position angle of the symmetry axis is equal to the position angle of Saturn's spin axis to within about 1 deg.

  12. Freeze cast porous barium titanate for enhanced piezoelectric energy harvesting

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Roscow, J. I.; Zhang, Y.; Kraśny, M. J.; Lewis, R. W. C.; Taylor, J.; Bowen, C. R.

    2018-06-01

    Energy harvesting is an important developing technology for a new generation of self-powered sensor networks. This paper demonstrates the significant improvement in the piezoelectric energy harvesting performance of barium titanate by forming highly aligned porosity using freeze casting. Firstly, a finite element model demonstrating the effect of pore morphology and angle with respect to poling field on the poling behaviour of porous ferroelectrics was developed. A second model was then developed to understand the influence of microstructure-property relationships on the poling behaviour of porous freeze cast ferroelectric materials and their resultant piezoelectric and energy harvesting properties. To compare with model predictions, porous barium titanate was fabricated using freeze casting to form highly aligned microstructures with excellent longitudinal piezoelectric strain coefficients, d 33. The freeze cast barium titanate with 45 vol.% porosity had a d 33  =  134.5 pC N‑1 compared to d 33  =  144.5 pC N‑1 for dense barium titanate. The d 33 coefficients of the freeze cast materials were also higher than materials with uniformly distributed spherical porosity due to improved poling of the aligned microstructures, as predicted by the models. Both model and experimental data indicated that introducing porosity provides a large reduction in the permittivity () of barium titanate, which leads to a substantial increase in energy harvesting figure of merit, , with a maximum of 3.79 pm2 N‑1 for barium titanate with 45 vol.% porosity, compared to only 1.40 pm2 N‑1 for dense barium titanate. Dense and porous barium titanate materials were then used to harvest energy from a mechanical excitation by rectification and storage of the piezoelectric charge on a capacitor. The porous barium titanate charged the capacitor to a voltage of 234 mV compared to 96 mV for the dense material, indicating a 2.4-fold increase that was similar to that

  13. Microwave ablation versus radiofrequency ablation in the kidney: high-power triaxial antennas create larger ablation zones than similarly sized internally cooled electrodes.

    PubMed

    Laeseke, Paul F; Lee, Fred T; Sampson, Lisa A; van der Weide, Daniel W; Brace, Christopher L

    2009-09-01

    To determine whether microwave ablation with high-power triaxial antennas creates significantly larger ablation zones than radiofrequency (RF) ablation with similarly sized internally cooled electrodes. Twenty-eight 12-minute ablations were performed in an in vivo porcine kidney model. RF ablations were performed with a 200-W pulsed generator and either a single 17-gauge cooled electrode (n = 9) or three switched electrodes spaced 1.5 cm apart (n = 7). Microwave ablations were performed with one (n = 7), two (n = 3), or three (n = 2) 17-gauge triaxial antennas to deliver 90 W continuous power per antenna. Multiple antennas were powered simultaneously. Temperatures 1 cm from the applicator were measured during two RF and microwave ablations each. Animals were euthanized after ablation and ablation zone diameter, cross-sectional area, and circularity were measured. Comparisons between groups were performed with use of a mixed-effects model with P values less than .05 indicating statistical significance. No adverse events occurred during the procedures. Three-electrode RF (mean area, 14.7 cm(2)) and single-antenna microwave (mean area, 10.9 cm(2)) ablation zones were significantly larger than single-electrode RF zones (mean area, 5.6 cm(2); P = .001 and P = .0355, respectively). No significant differences were detected between single-antenna microwave and multiple-electrode RF. Ablation zone circularity was similar across groups (P > .05). Tissue temperatures were higher during microwave ablation (maximum temperature of 123 degrees C vs 100 degrees C for RF). Microwave ablation with high-power triaxial antennas created larger ablation zones in normal porcine kidneys than RF ablation with similarly sized applicators.

  14. The Greenhouse and Anti-Greenhouse Effects on Titan

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    McKay, C. P.; Cuzzi, Jeffrey N. (Technical Monitor)

    1994-01-01

    Titan is the largest moon of Saturn and is the only moon in the solar system with a substantial atmosphere. Its atmosphere is mostly made of nitrogen, with a few percent CH4, 0.1% H2 and an uncertain level of Ar (less than 10%). The surface pressure is 1.5 atms and the surface temperature is 95 K, decreasing to 71 at the tropopause before rising to stratospheric temperatures of 180 K. In pressure and composition Titan's atmosphere is the closest twin to Earth's. The surface of Titan remains unknown, hidden by the thick smog layer, but it may be an ocean of liquid methane and ethane. Titan's atmosphere has a greenhouse effect which is much stronger than the Earth's - 92% of the surface warming is due to greenhouse radiation. However an organic smog layer in the upper atmosphere produces an anti-greenhouse effect that cuts the greenhouse warming in half - removing 35% of the incoming solar radiation. Models suggest that during its formation Titan's atmosphere was heated to high temperatures due to accretional energy. This was followed by a cold Triton-like period which gradually warmed to the present conditions. The coupled greenhouse and haze anti-greenhouse may be relevant to recent suggestions for haze shielding of a CH4 - NH3 early atmosphere on Earth or Mars. When the NASA/ESA mission to the Saturn System, Cassini, launches in a few years it will carry a probe that will be sent to the surface of Titan and show us this world that is strange and yet in many ways similar to our own.

  15. Fluid dynamics of liquids on Titans surface

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ori, Gian Gabriele; Marinangeli, Lucia; Baliva, Antonio; Bressan, Mario; Strom, Robert G.

    1998-10-01

    On the surface of Titan liquids can be present in three types of environments : (i) oceans, (ii) seas and lakes, and (iii) fluvial channels. The liquid in these environments will be affected by several types of motion: progressive (tidal) waves, wind-generated waves and unidirectional currents. The physical parameters of the liquid on Titans surface can be reconstructed using the Peng-Robinson equation of state. The total energy of the waves, both tidal and wind, depends on the gravity and liquid density ; both values are lower on Titan than on Earth. Thus, the same total energy will produce larger waves on Titan. This is also valid also for the progressive waves, as it is confirmed by the physical relationship between horizontal velocity, wave amplitude, and depth of the liquid. Wind-driven waves also will tend to be larger, because the viscosity of the liquid (which is lower on Titan) controls the deformation of the liquid under shear stress. Wind-generated waves would be rather large, but the dimension of the liquid basin limits the size of the waves ; in small lakes or seas the wave power cannot reach large values. Unidirectional currents are also affected by the liquid properties. Both the relations from driving and resting forces and the Reynolds number suggests that the flows exhibit a large erosional capacity and that, theoretically, a true fluvial network could be formed. However, caution should be exercised, because the cohesion of the sedimentary interface can armour bottom and induce laterally extensive, unchanelled sheet flows with small erosional capacity.

  16. Exploration of Titan and Enceladus: European plans

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Coustenis, Athena

    TandEM, the Titan and Enceladus mission, was proposed as an L-class (large) mission in response to ESA's Cosmic Vision 2015-2025 Call, and selected for further studies, with the goal of exploring both satellites. The mission concept is to perform in situ investigations of two worlds tied together by location and properties, whose remarkable natures have been partly revealed by the ongoing Cassini-Huygens mission. These bodies still hold mysteries requiring a complete exploration using a variety of vehicles and instruments. TandEM is an ambitious mission because its targets are two of the most exciting and challenging bodies in the Solar System. It is designed to build on but exceed the scientific and technological accomplishments of the Cassini-Huygens mission, exploring Titan and Enceladus in ways that are not currently possible (full close-up and in situ coverage over long periods of time). In the current mission architecture, TandEM proposes to deliver two medium-sized spacecraft to the Saturnian system. One spacecraft would be an orbiter with a large host of instruments which would perform several Enceladus flybys and deliver penetrators to its surface before going into a dedicated orbit around Titan alone, while the other spacecraft would carry the Titan in situ investigation components, i.e. a hot-air balloon (Montgolfi`re) and possibly several landing probes to be delivered through e the atmosphere. ESA will study this mission concept in collaboration with NASA and other partners, focusing mainly on the Titan in situ elements.

  17. Atomic hydrogen distribution. [in Titan atmospheric model

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tabarie, N.

    1974-01-01

    Several possible H2 vertical distributions in Titan's atmosphere are considered with the constraint of 5 km-A a total quantity. Approximative calculations show that hydrogen distribution is quite sensitive to two other parameters of Titan's atmosphere: the temperature and the presence of other constituents. The escape fluxes of H and H2 are also estimated as well as the consequent distributions trapped in the Saturnian system.

  18. Ablation mass features in multi-pulses femtosecond laser ablate molybdenum target

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, Dongye; Gierse, Niels; Wegner, Julian; Pretzler, Georg; Oelmann, Jannis; Brezinsek, Sebastijan; Liang, Yunfeng; Neubauer, Olaf; Rasinski, Marcin; Linsmeier, Christian; Ding, Hongbin

    2018-03-01

    In this study, the ablation mass features related to reflectivity of bulk Molybdenum (Mo) were investigated by a Ti: Sa 6 fs laser pulse at central wavelength 790 nm. The ablated mass removal was determined using Confocal Microscopy (CM) technique. The surface reflectivity was calibrated and measured by a Lambda 950 spectrophotometer as well as a CCD camera during laser ablation. The ablation mass loss per pulse increase with the increasing of laser shots, meanwhile the surface reflectivity decrease. The multi-pulses (100 shots) ablation threshold of Mo was determined to be 0.15 J/cm2. The incubation coefficient was estimated as 0.835. The reflectivity change of the Mo target surface following multi-pulses laser ablation were studied as a function of laser ablation shots at various laser fluences from 1.07 J/cm2 to 36.23 J/cm2. The results of measured reflectivity indicate that surface reflectivity of Mo target has a significant decline in the first 3-laser pulses at the various fluences. These results are important for developing a quantitative analysis model for laser induced ablation and laser induced breakdown spectroscopy for the first wall diagnosis of EAST tokamak.

  19. Ablation and radiation coupled viscous hypersonic shock layers, volume 1

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Engel, C. D.

    1971-01-01

    The results for a stagnation-line analysis of the radiative heating of a phenolic-nylon ablator are presented. The analysis includes flow field coupling with the ablator surface, equilibrium chemistry, a step-function diffusion model and a coupled line and continuum radiation calculation. This report serves as the documentation, i e. users manual and operating instructions for the computer programs listed in the report.

  20. Acetylene-based pathways for prebiotic evolution on Titan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Abbas, O.; Schulze-Makuch, D.

    2002-11-01

    Due to Titan's reducing atmosphere and lack of an ozone shield, ionizing radiation penetrates the atmosphere creating ions, radicals and electrons that are highly reactive producing versatile chemical species on Titan's surface. We propose that the catalytic hydrogenation of photochemically produced acetylene may be used as simple metabolic pathway by organisms at or near Titan's surface. While the acetylene may undergo this reaction, it can also undertake several other multi-step synthetic schemes that eventually lead to the production of amino acids or other biologically important molecules. Four model synthetic schemes will be described, and their relevance in relation to prebiotic evolution on Earth is discussed.

  1. Barium Titanate Nanoparticles for Biomarker Applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Matar, O.; Posada, O. M.; Hondow, N. S.; Wälti, C.; Saunders, M.; Murray, C. A.; Brydson, R. M. D.; Milne, S. J.; Brown, A. P.

    2015-10-01

    A tetragonal crystal structure is required for barium titanate nanoparticles to exhibit the nonlinear optical effect of second harmonic light generation (SHG) for use as a biomarker when illuminated by a near-infrared source. Here we use synchrotron XRD to elucidate the tetragonal phase of commercially purchased tetragonal, cubic and hydrothermally prepared barium titanate (BaTiO3) nanoparticles by peak fitting with reference patterns. The local phase of individual nanoparticles is determined by STEM electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), measuring the core-loss O K-edge and the Ti L3-edge energy separation of the t2g, eg peaks. The results show a change in energy separation between the t2g and eg peak from the surface and core of the particles, suggesting an intraparticle phase mixture of the barium titanate nanoparticles. HAADF-STEM and bright field TEM-EDX show cellular uptake of the hydrothermally prepared BaTiO3 nanoparticles, highlighting the potential for application as biomarkers.

  2. Magnetic phase composition of strontium titanate implanted with iron ions

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Dulov, E.N., E-mail: evgeny.dulov@ksu.ru; Ivoilov, N.G.; Strebkov, O.A.

    2011-12-15

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The origin of RT-ferromagnetism in iron implanted strontium titanate. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Metallic iron nanoclusters form during implantation and define magnetic behaviour. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Paramagnetic at room temperature iron-substituted strontium titanate identified. -- Abstract: Thin magnetic films were synthesized by means of implantation of iron ions into single-crystalline (1 0 0) substrates of strontium titanate. Depth-selective conversion electron Moessbauer spectroscopy (DCEMS) indicates that origin of the samples magnetism is {alpha}-Fe nanoparticles. Iron-substituted strontium titanate was also identified but with paramagnetic behaviour at room temperature. Surface magneto-optical Kerr effect (SMOKE) confirms that the films reveal superparamagnetism (the low-fluence sample) or ferromagnetism (themore » high-fluence sample), and demonstrate absence of magnetic in-plane anisotropy. These findings highlight iron implanted strontium titanate as a promising candidate for composite multiferroic material and also for gas sensing applications.« less

  3. ALMA observations of Titan : Vertical and spatial distribution of nitriles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moreno, R.; Lellouch, E.; Vinatier, S.; Gurwell, M.; Moullet, A.; Lara, L. M.; Hidayat, T.

    2015-10-01

    We report submm observations of Titan performed with the ALMA interferometer centered at the rotational frequencies of HCN(4-3) and HNC(4-3), i.e. 354 and 362 GHz. These measurements yielded disk-resolved emission spectra of Titan with an angular resolution of ~0.47''. Titan's angular surface diameter was 0.77''. Data were acquired in summer 2012 near the greatest eastern and western elongations of Titan at a spectral resolution of 122 kHz (λ/d λ = 3106). We have obtained maps of several nitriles present in Titan' stratosphere: HCN, HC3N, CH3CN, HNC, C2H5CNand other weak lines (isotopes, vibrationnally excited lines).We will present radiative transfer analysis of the spectra acquired. With the combination of all these detected rotational lines, we will constrain the atmospheric temperature, the spatial and vertical distribution of these species, as well as isotopic ratios. Moreover, Doppler lineshift measurements will enable us to constrain the zonal wind flow in the upper atmosphere.

  4. Watching Summer Clouds on Titan

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-11-04

    NASA's Cassini spacecraft watched clouds of methane moving across the far northern regions of Saturn's largest moon, Titan, on Oct. 29 and 30, 2016. Several sets of clouds develop, move over the surface and fade during the course of this movie sequence, which spans 11 hours, with one frame taken every 20 minutes. Most prominent are long cloud streaks that lie between 49 and 55 degrees north latitude. While the general region of cloud activity is persistent over the course of the observation, individual streaks appear to develop then fade. These clouds are measured to move at a speed of about 14 to 22 miles per hour (7 to 10 meters per second). There are also some small clouds over the region of small lakes farther north, including a bright cloud between Neagh Lacus and Punga Mare, which fade over the course of the movie. This small grouping of clouds is moving at a speed of about 0.7 to 1.4 miles per hour (1 to 2 meters per second). Time-lapse movies like this allow scientists to observe the dynamics of clouds as they develop, move over the surface and fade. A time-lapse movie can also help to distinguish between noise in images (for example from cosmic rays hitting the detector) and faint clouds or fog. In 2016, Cassini has intermittently observed clouds across the northern mid-latitudes of Titan, as well as within the north polar region -- an area known to contain numerous methane/ethane lakes and seas see PIA19657 and PIA17655. However, most of this year's observations designed for cloud monitoring have been short snapshots taken days, or weeks, apart. This observation provides Cassini's best opportunity in 2016 to study short-term cloud dynamics. Models of Titan's climate have predicted more cloud activity during early northern summer than what Cassini has observed so far, suggesting that the current understanding of the giant moon's changing seasons is incomplete. The mission will continue monitoring Titan's weather around the 2017 summer solstice in Titan

  5. Aerosol chemistry in Titan's ionosphere: simultaneous growth and etching processes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Carrasco, Nathalie; Cernogora, Guy; Jomard, François; Etcheberry, Arnaud; Vigneron, Jackie

    2016-10-01

    Since the Cassini-CAPS measurements, organic aerosols are known to be present and formed at high altitudes in the diluted and partially ionized medium that is Titan's ionosphere [1]. This unexpected chemistry can be further investigated in the laboratory with plasma experiments simulating the complex ion-neutral chemistry starting from N2-CH4 [2]. Two sorts of solid organic samples can be produced in laboratory experiments simulating Titan's atmospheric reactivity: grains in the volume and thin films on the reactor walls. We expect that grains are more representative of Titan's atmospheric aerosols, but films are used to provide optical indices for radiative models of Titan's atmosphere.The aim of the present study is to address if these two sorts of analogues are chemically equivalent or not, when produced in the same N2-CH4 plasma discharge. The chemical compositions of both these materials are measured by using elemental analysis, XPS analysis and Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry. We find that films are homogeneous but significantly less rich in nitrogen and hydrogen than grains produced in the same experimental conditions. This surprising difference in their chemical compositions is explained by the efficient etching occurring on the films, which stay in the discharge during the whole plasma duration, whereas the grains are ejected after a few minutes [3]. The impact for our understanding of Titan's aerosols chemical composition is important. Our study shows that chemical growth and etching process are simultaneously at stake in Titan's ionosphere. The more the aerosols stay in the ionosphere, the more graphitized they get through etching process. In order to infer Titan's aerosols composition, our work highlights a need for constraints on the residence time of aerosols in Titan's ionosphere. [1] Waite et al. (2009) Science , 316, p. 870[2] Szopa et al. (2006) PSS, 54, p. 394[3] Carrasco et al. (2016) PSS, 128, p. 52

  6. Concept for A Mission to Titan, Saturn System and Enceladus

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Beauchamp, Patricia; Reh, K. R.; Lunine, J.; Coustenis, A.; Erd, C.; Matson, D.; Lebreton, J.

    2008-09-01

    A mission to Titan is a high priority for exploration, as recommended by the 2003 NRC report on New Frontiers in the Solar System (Decadal Survey). As anticipated by the NRC subcommittee, recent Cassini-Huygens discoveries have revolutionized our understanding of Titan and its potential for harbouring "ingredients” necessary for life. These discoveries reveal that Titan is rich in organics, possibly contains a vast subsurface ocean and has energy sources to drive chemical evolution. With these recent discoveries, interest in Titan as the next scientific target in the outer Solar System is strongly reinforced. Cassini's discovery of active geysers on Enceladus adds a second target in the Saturn system for such a mission, one that is synergistic with Titan in understanding planetary evolution and in adding a potential abode in the Saturn system for life. The TSSM concept would consist of a NASA provided orbiter with ESA provided Lander and Montgolfiere Balloon. The mission would launch on an Atlas 551 in 2018-2020, and travel to Saturn on a gravity assist trajectory, reaching Saturn 8.5 years later. The SEP stage would be released and the main engine would place the flight system into orbit around Saturn for a 2 year tour. During the first Titan flyby the in situ elements would be released to target a polar lake and mid-latitude region respectively. During the tour phase, TSSM would accomplish Saturn system and Enceladus science. Following the tour, the spacecraft would enter into an elliptical Titan orbit and perform extensive aerosampling while aerobraking in Titan's atmosphere. The spacecraft would execute a final periapsis raise burn to achieve a 1500 km circular, 85º polar orbit. This work was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under contract to NASA.

  7. Discovery of lake-effect clouds on Titan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Brown, M.E.; Schaller, E.L.; Roe, H.G.; Chen, C.; Roberts, J.; Brown, R.H.; Baines, K.H.; Clark, R.N.

    2009-01-01

    Images from instruments on Cassini as well as from telescopes on the ground reveal the presence of sporadic small-scale cloud activity in the cold late-winter north polar region of Saturn's large moon Titan. These clouds lie underneath the previously discovered uniform polar cloud attributed to a quiescent ethane cloud at ???40 km and appear confined to the same latitudes as those of the largest known hydrocarbon lakes at the north pole of Titan. The physical properties of these clouds suggest that they are due to methane convection and condensation. Such convection could be caused by a process in some ways analogous to terrestrial lake-effect clouds. The lakes on Titan could be a key connection between the surface and the meteorological cycle. ?? 2009 by the American Geophysical Union.

  8. Titan's Oxygen Chemistry and its Impact on Haze Formation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vuitton, Veronique; Carrasco, Nathalie; Flandinet, Laurene; Horst, Sarah; Klippenstein, Stephen; Lavvas, Panayotis; Orthous-Daunay, Francois-Regis; Quirico, Eric; Thissen, Roland; Yelle, Roger V.

    2016-10-01

    Though Titan's atmosphere is reducing with its 98% N2, 2% CH4 and 0.1% H2, CO is the fourth most abundant molecule with a uniform mixing ratio of ~50 ppm. Two other oxygen bearing molecules have also been observed in Titan's atmosphere: CO2 and H2O, with a mixing ratio of ~15 and ~1 ppb, respectively. The physical and chemical processes that determine the abundances of these species on Titan have been at the centre of a long-standing debate as they place constraints on the origin and evolution of its atmosphere [1]. Moreover, laboratory experiments have shown that oxygen can be incorporated into complex molecules, some of which are building blocks of life [2]. Finally, the presence of CO modifies the production rate and size of tholins [3, 4], which transposed to Titan's haze may have some strong repercussions on the temperature structure and dynamics of the atmosphere.We present here our current understanding of Titan's oxygen chemistry and of its impact on the chemical composition of the haze. We base our discussion on a photochemical model that describes the first steps of the chemistry and on state-of-the-art laboratory experiments for the synthesis and chemical analysis of aerosol analogues. We used a very-high resolution mass spectrometer (LTQ-Orbitrap XL instrument) to characterize the soluble part of tholin samples generated from N2/CH4/CO mixtures at different mixing ratios and with two different laboratory set-ups. These composition measurements provide some understanding of the chemical mechanisms by which CO affects particle formation and growth. Our final objective is to obtain a global picture of the fate and impact of oxygen on Titan, from its origin to prebiotic molecules to haze particles to material deposited on the surface.[1] S.M. Hörst et al., The origin of oxygen species in Titan's atmosphere, J. Geophys. Res., 113, E10006 (2008).[2] S.M. Hörst et al., Formation of amino acids and nucleotide bases in a Titan atmosphere simulation experiment

  9. Evidence of Titan's Climate History from Evaporite Distribution

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    MacKenzie, Shannon; Barnes, J. W.; Brown, R.; Sotin, C.; Buratti, B. J.; Clark, R.; Baines, K. H.; Nicholson, P. D.; Le Mouelic, S.; Rodriguez, S.

    2013-10-01

    5-μm bright material on the surface of Titan has been positively correlated with the shores of RADAR-dark (liquid-filled) and the bottoms of RADAR-bright (empty) lakebeds in the region just south of Ligea Mare by Barnes et al. (2011). This water ice-poor spectral unit was thus proposed to be evaporite, the formerly-dissolved solute deposits left behind when the solvent (here presumably a methane/ethane mixture) evaporates. Because evaporite forms under specific conditions—solute and solvent at or near saturation, no outlets or other means of affecting the solution balance, etc.—the presence of evaporite can shed light on Titan's climate history. Adding to the previously identified cases, we use the breadth of available Cassini VIMS data to comprehensively map new instances of evaporite. In particular, we found new instances of evaporite in the north polar region and the midlatitudes. Our map of the global distribution of Titan's 5-μm-bright deposits can be used to constrain the historical evolution of Titan's surface volatile inventory and may bear on the question of the time variation of the methane concentration in Titan's atmosphere. Furthermore, we explore the implications of the idea that the 5-$\\mu$m-bright areas are indeed mostly evaporitic in nature with respect to the relationship between the regional and global volatile cycles.

  10. Transient Climate Effects of Large Impacts on Titan

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zahnle, Kevin J.; Korycansky, Donald; Nixon, Conor A.

    2013-01-01

    Titan's thick atmosphere and volatile-rich surface cause it to respond to big impacts in a somewhat Earth-like manner. Here we construct a simple globally-averaged model that tracks the flow of energy through the environment in the weeks, years, and millenia after a big comet strikes Titan. The model Titan is endowed with 1.4 bars of N2 and 0.07 bars of CH4, methane lakes, a water ice crust, and enough methane underground to saturate the regolith to the surface. We find that a nominal Menrva impact is big enough to raise the surface temperature by approx. 80 K and to double the amount of methane in the atmosphere. The extra methane drizzles out of the atmosphere over hundreds of years. An upper-limit Menrva is just big enough to raise the surface to water's melting point. The putative Hotei impact (a possible 800-1200 km diameter basin, Soderblom et al., 2009) is big enough to raise the surface temperature to 350-400 K. Water rain must fall and global meltwaters might range between 50 m to more than a kilometer deep, depending on the details. Global meltwater oceans do not last more than a few decades or centuries at most, but are interesting to consider given Titan's organic wealth. Significant near-surface clathrate formation is possible as Titan cools but faces major kinetic barriers.

  11. Miniature Cryogenic Valves for a Titan Lake Sampling System

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sherrit, Stewart; Zimmerman, Wayne; Takano, Nobuyuki; Avellar, Louisa

    2014-01-01

    The Cassini mission has revealed Titan to be one of the most Earthlike worlds in the Solar System complete with many of the same surface features including lakes, river channels, basins, and dunes. But unlike Earth, the materials and fluids on Titan are composed of cryogenic organic compounds with lakes of liquid methane and ethane. One of the potential mission concepts to explore Titan is to land a floating platform on one of the Titan Lakes and determine the local lake chemistry. In order to accomplish this within the expected mass volume and power budgets there is a need to pursue the development for a low power lightweight cryogenic valves which can be used along with vacuum lines to sample lake liquid and to distribute to various instruments aboard the Lander. To meet this need we have initiated the development of low power cryogenic valves and actuators based on a single crystal piezoelectric flextensional stacks produced by TRS Ceramics Inc. Since the origin of such high electromechanical properties of Relaxor-PT single crystals is due to the polarization rotation effect, (i.e., intrinsic contributions), the strain per volt decrease at cryogenic temperatures is much lower than in standard Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) ceramics. This makes them promising candidates for cryogenic actuators with regards to the stroke for a given voltage. This paper will present our Titan Lake Sampling and Sample Handling system design and the development of small cryogenic piezoelectric valves developed to meet the system specifications.

  12. Multi-wavelength search for complex molecules in Titan's Atmosphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nixon, C. A.; Cordiner, M. A.; Greathouse, T. K.; Richter, M.; Kisiel, Z.; Irwin, P. G.; Teanby, N. A.; Kuan, Y. J.; Charnley, S. B.

    2017-12-01

    Titan's atmosphere is one of the most complex astrochemical environments known: the photochemistry of methane and nitrogen, induced by solar UV and Saturn magnetospheric electron impacts, creates a bonanza of organic molecules like no other place in the solar system. Cassini has unveiled the first glimpses of Titan's chemical wonderland, but many gaps remain. In particular, interpreting the mass spectra of Titan's upper atmosphere requires external knowledge, to disentangle the signature of molecules from their identical-mass brethren. Cassini infrared spectroscopy with CIRS has helped to some extent, but is also limited by low spectral resolution. Potentially to the rescue, comes high-resolution spectroscopy from the Earth at infrared and sub-millimeter wavelengths, where molecules exhibit vibrational and rotational transitions respectively. In this presentation, we describe the quest to make new, unique identifications of large molecules in Titan's atmosphere, focusing specifically on cyclic molecules including N-heterocycles. This molecular family is of high astrobiological significance, forming the basic ring structure for DNA nucleobases. We present the latest spectroscopic observations of Titan from ALMA and NASA's IRTF telescope, discussing present findings and directions for future work.

  13. Ultraviolet photochemistry of cyanoacetylene: Application to Titan. [Abstract only

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Clarke, D. W.; Ferris, J. P.

    1994-01-01

    Cyanoacetylene is believed to have had a central role in the formation of the pyrimidines essential for RNA synthesis leading to the origin of life on Earth. Cyanoacetylene has also been detected on Titan, Saturn's largest moon, and the only moon in the solar system that possesses a dense atmosphere. It is generally accepted that photochemistry plays a major role in the formation of the complex organic molecules and aerosols found in Titan's atmosphere. Because of its long wavelength absorption and low dissociation threshold it is expected that cyanoacetylene is an important part of these photochemical processes. Since cyanoacetylene would also have been subject to ultraviolet light in the atmosphere of early Earth, an investigation of cyanoacetylene photochemistry on Titan might lead to a better understanding of both the photochemical reactions occurring on primitive earth and the processes of chemical evolution as they occur in planetary atmospheres. The effects of irradiation wavelength, mixing with Titan's atmospheric gases, reducing the temperature and lowering cyanoacetylene partial pressures on product formation and polymer composition have been determined with the ultimate goal of understanding the chemical transformations taking place in Titan's atmosphere.

  14. Isotopic Ratios in Nitrile Species on Titan using ALMA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Molter, Edward; Nixon, Conor; Cordiner, Martin; Serigano, Joseph; Irwin, Patrick; Teanby, Nicholas; Charnley, Steven; Lindeberg, Johan

    2016-06-01

    The atmosphere of Titan is primarily composed of molecular nitrogen (N2, ˜98%) and methane (CH4, ˜2%), but also hosts a myriad of trace organic species. Two of the simplest and most abundant of these are hydrogen cyanide (HCN) and cyanoacetylene (HC3N). The advent of ALMA provides the opportunity to observe rotational transitions in these molecules and their isotopologues with unprecendented sensitivity and spatial resolution. We searched through the ALMA archive for publicly available high-resolution observations of Titan as a flux calibrator source taken between April and July 2014; each integration lasted around 160 seconds. Using spectra of HCN and HC3N isotopologues found in these data, we derive vertical abundance profiles and determine the isotopic ratios 14N/15N and 12C/13C in these molecules. We also report the detection of a new HCN isotopologue on Titan, H13C6 15N, and use a high signal-to-noise spectrum of DCN to determine the D/H ratio in HCN on Titan for the first time. These isotopic ratios are leveraged to constrain the physical and chemical processes occurring in Titan's atmosphere.

  15. Global ablation techniques.

    PubMed

    Woods, Sarah; Taylor, Betsy

    2013-12-01

    Global endometrial ablation techniques are a relatively new surgical technology for the treatment of heavy menstrual bleeding that can now be used even in an outpatient clinic setting. A comparison of global ablation versus earlier ablation technologies notes no significant differences in success rates and some improvement in patient satisfaction. The advantages of the newer global endometrial ablation systems include less operative time, improved recovery time, and decreased anesthetic risk. Ablation procedures performed in an outpatient surgical or clinic setting provide advantages both of potential cost savings for patients and the health care system and improved patient convenience. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  16. Oceans in the Outer Solar System: Future Exploration of Europa, Titan, and Enceladus

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Johnson, T.; Clark, K.; Cutts, J.; Lunine, J.; Pappalardo, R.; Reh, K.

    Observational and theoretical evidence points to water-rich oceans or seas within several of the icy satellites of the outer planets, notably Europa and Enceladus, and hydrocarbon reservoirs within Titan. Here we report on concepts for future studies of these fascinating targets of high astrobiological relevance. Europa Exploration: Post-Galileo exploration of Europa presents several major technical challenges. We argue that four recent investments in technology and research allow a flagship mission class Europa exploration that relies on demonstrated technologies and achieves the high level science objectives. 1. Mass and Trip Time: Utilizing indirect Earth gravity assist, trajectories allows ˜2000 - 3000 kg dry mass, permitting ˜150 - 200 kg of science payload. 2. Radiation Tolerant Electronics: A significant program of radiation hard technology development has been done by NASA. The necessary radiation-tolerant elements are now ready for flight. 3. Science Mission: The science mission would last approximately two years, with a Jupiter system science phase of ˜1.5 yr and a 90 day nominal orbital mission at Europa, with significant probability of functioning much longer. 4. Planetary Protection: The ultimate fate of an orbiter will be impact with Europa. Planetary protection requirements will be met by radiation sterilization during the primary mission for most external and unshielded internal surfaces, combined with pre-launch sterilization of shielded components. We conclude that a flagship class Europa mission can now be developed relying on existing technologies, having significant scientific capability. Titan and Enceladus Exploration: Remarkable discoveries by the Cassini/Huygens related to hydrocarbons at Titan and water vapor geysering at Enceladus demand follow-up of these astrobiologically relevant worlds by future missions. An aerial platform capable of observing the surface of Titan from beneath the obscuring cloud cover and descending repeatedly to

  17. Catheter Ablation versus Thoracoscopic Surgical Ablation in Long Standing Persistent Atrial Fibrillation (CASA-AF): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Khan, Habib Rehman; Kralj-Hans, Ines; Haldar, Shouvik; Bahrami, Toufan; Clague, Jonathan; De Souza, Anthony; Francis, Darrel; Hussain, Wajid; Jarman, Julian; Jones, David Gareth; Mediratta, Neeraj; Mohiaddin, Raad; Salukhe, Tushar; Jones, Simon; Lord, Joanne; Murphy, Caroline; Kelly, Joanna; Markides, Vias; Gupta, Dhiraj; Wong, Tom

    2018-02-20

    Atrial fibrillation is the commonest arrhythmia which raises the risk of heart failure, thromboembolic stroke, morbidity and death. Pharmacological treatments of this condition are focused on heart rate control, rhythm control and reduction in risk of stroke. Selective ablation of cardiac tissues resulting in isolation of areas causing atrial fibrillation is another treatment strategy which can be delivered by two minimally invasive interventions: percutaneous catheter ablation and thoracoscopic surgical ablation. The main purpose of this trial is to compare the effectiveness and safety of these two interventions. Catheter Ablation versus Thoracoscopic Surgical Ablation in Long Standing Persistent Atrial Fibrillation (CASA-AF) is a prospective, multi-centre, randomised controlled trial within three NHS tertiary cardiovascular centres specialising in treatment of atrial fibrillation. Eligible adults (n = 120) with symptomatic, long-standing, persistent atrial fibrillation will be randomly allocated to either catheter ablation or thoracoscopic ablation in a 1:1 ratio. Pre-determined lesion sets will be delivered in each treatment arm with confirmation of appropriate conduction block. All patients will have an implantable loop recorder (ILR) inserted subcutaneously immediately following ablation to enable continuous heart rhythm monitoring for at least 12 months. The devices will be programmed to detect episodes of atrial fibrillation and atrial tachycardia ≥ 30 s in duration. The patients will be followed for 12 months, completing appropriate clinical assessments and questionnaires every 3 months. The ILR data will be wirelessly transmitted daily and evaluated every month for the duration of the follow-up. The primary endpoint in the study is freedom from atrial fibrillation and atrial tachycardia at the end of the follow-up period. The CASA-AF Trial is a National Institute for Health Research-funded study that will provide first-class evidence on the

  18. Characterizing GEO Titan IIIC Transtage Fragmentations Using Ground-Based and Telescopic Measurements

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cowardin, H.

    2017-01-01

    In a continued effort to better characterize the Geosynchronous Orbit (GEO) environment, NASA's Orbital Debris Program Office (ODPO) utilizes various ground-based optical assets to acquire photometric and spectral data of known debris associated with fragmentations in or near GEO. The Titan IIIC Transtage upper stage is known to have fragmented four times. Two of the four fragmentations were in GEO while a third Transtage fragmented in GEO transfer orbit. The forth fragmentation occurred in Low Earth Orbit. In order to better assess and characterize these fragmentations, the NASA ODPO acquired a Titan Transtage test and display article previously in the custody of the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG) in Tucson, Arizona. After initial inspections at AMARG demonstrated that the test article was of sufficient fidelity to be of interest, the test article was brought to JSC to continue material analysis and historical documentation of the Titan Transtage. The Transtage has been subject to two separate spectral measurement campaigns to characterize the reflectance spectroscopy of historical aerospace materials. These data have been incorporated into the NASA Spectral Database, the goal being to enable comparison with telescopic data and potential material identification. A LIDAR scan has been completed and a scale model has been created for use in the Optical Measurement Center for photometric analysis of an intact Transtage, including a BRDF. An historical overview of the Titan IIIC Transtage, the current analysis that has been done to date, and the future work to be completed in support of characterizing the GEO and near GEO orbital debris environment will be discussed in the subsequent presentation.

  19. Hydrolysis of Laboratory Made Tholins in Aqueous Solutions: Implications for Prebiotic Chemistry on Titan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Neish, Catherine; Somogyi, Á.; Lunine, J.; Smith, M.

    2008-09-01

    Laboratory experiments that simulate the reactions occurring in Titan's thick nitrogen-methane atmosphere produce complex organic precipitates known as tholins. Tholins have the general formula CxHyNz, and are spectrally similar to Titan's haze. When placed in liquid water, specific water soluble compounds in the tholins have been shown to produce oxygenated organic species with activation energies in the range of 60 ± 10 kJ mol-1 and half-lives between 0.3 and 17 days at 273 K (Neish et al. 2008). Oxygen incorporation into such materials - a necessary step towards the formation of biological molecules - is therefore fast compared to the freezing of impact melts and cryolavas on Titan. The rates quoted above are for reactions occurring in pure liquid water. The composition of impact melts and lavas on Titan are not likely to be pure water, but rather contain a few percent ammonia. Tobie et al. (2005) predict that Titan has a subsurface water layer with an ammonia concentration of 14 wt. % in the present era. The presence of ammonia would likely change the reaction rates and yields of the hydrolysis reactions of tholins. We have therefore extended our work to include the measurement of tholin hydrolysis rate coefficients in ammonia-water solutions. In this work, tholins were synthesized from a 0.98 N2/0.02 CH4 atmosphere in a high voltage AC flow discharge reactor, and dissolved in a 13 wt. % ammonia-water solution. Rates were determined by monitoring intensity changes of select species over time using high resolution FT-ICR MS. Comparisons between rates of similar species observed at different pH will be presented. This work was supported by the NASA Exobiology Program. C. Neish was supported by an NSERC Postgraduate Scholarship.

  20. JPL-20170811-CASSINf-0001a-A World Unveiled Cassini at TItan

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-08-11

    A look at the Cassini-Huygens mission's discoveries at Saturn's moon Titan and a description of how flybys of Titan allowed the mission to change to new orbits repeatedly without wasting fuel. Featuring Linda Spilker, Cassini Project Scientist, JPL; Jonathan Lunine, Cassini Titan Scientist, Cornell University; and Elizabeth "Zibi" Turtle, Cassini Imaging Team, John Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.

  1. Titan's Greenhouse Effect And Climate: Lessons From The Earth's Cooler Cousin

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nixon, Conor A.; Titan Climate White Paper Proposal Team

    2009-12-01

    We argue that continuing scientific study of Earth's `distant cousin’ Titan can provide a greater understanding and insight into the energy balance of our own planet's atmosphere. Titan's Earth-like properties have been recognized for some time, from the discovery of its atmosphere in 1907, through the Voyager 1 encounter in 1980 that showed Titan's atmosphere is mostly nitrogen gas with a surface pressure within a factor of two of terrestrial. Calculation shows that Titan's atmosphere causes `greenhouse’ warming of the surface, an effect similar to that seen on the Earth, Mars, and Venus. In the 1990s, direct imaging from the Earth by adaptive optics revealed that Titan's ubiquitous haze layer is slowly changing in apparent response to the seasons that occur due to the Saturn system's obliquity. The NASA Cassini mission that arrived in Saturnian orbit in 2004, and the ESA Huygens Titan probe of 2005, have returned a flood of new data regarding this intriguing world. For the first time, we are building a detailed picture of weather in the lower atmosphere, where condensable methane takes on the role played by water in the Earth's atmosphere, leading to methane rainfall, rivers and lakes. We examine parallels between the atmospheres of Earth and of Titan, including the possibilities for dramatic climate change. Extending the duration of the Cassini spacecraft mission during the next decade will provide part of the needed picture, but in addition we urge planning for a future new mission focused on Titan's climate, and other measures.

  2. Simulating Titan-Like Smog

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2013-04-03

    In a laboratory experiment at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., scientists simulate the atmosphere of Saturn moon Titan. In this picture, molecules of dicyanoacetylene are seen on a special film on a sapphire window.

  3. Thermal Structure of Titan's Troposphere and Middle Atmosphere

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Flasar, F. M.; Achterberg, R. K.; Schinder, P. J.

    2011-01-01

    The thermal structure of Titan's atmosphere is reviewed, with particular emphasis on recent Cassini-Huygens results. Titan's has a similar troposphere-stratosphere-mesosphere pattern like Earth, but with a much more extended atmosphere, because of the weaker gravity, and also much lower temperatures, because of its greater distance from the sun. Titan's atmosphere exhibits an unusually large range in radiative relaxation times. In the troposphere, these are long compared to seasonal time scales, but in the stratosphere they are much shorter than a season. An exception is near the winter pole, where the stratospheric relaxation times at 100-170 km become comparable to the seasonal time scale; at the warm stratopause, they are comparable to a Titan day. Hence, seasonal behavior in the troposphere should be muted, but significant in the stratosphere. This is reflected in the small meridional contrast observed in temperatures in the troposphere and the large stratospheric contrasts noted above. A surprising feature of the vertical profiles of temperature is the abrupt transition between these regimes in at high northern latitudes in winter, where the temperatures in the lower stratosphere exhibit a sudden drop with increasing altitude. This could be a radiative effect, not associated with spatial variations in gaseous opacity, but rather from an optically thick condensate at thermal-infrared wavelengths. A curious aspect of Titan's middle atmosphere is that the axis of symmetry of the temperature field is tilted by several degrees relative to the rotational axis of the moon itself. Whether this is driven by solar heating or gravitational perturbations is not known. Titan's surface exhibits weak contrasts in temperature, approximately 3 K in the winter hemisphere. At low latitudes, there is evidence of a weak nocturnal boundary layer on the morning terminator, which is not radiatively controlled, but can be explained in terms of vertical mixing with a small eddy

  4. Exploring inner structure of Titan's dunes from Cassini Radar observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sharma, P.; Heggy, E.; Farr, T. G.

    2013-12-01

    Linear dunes discovered in the equatorial regions of Titan by the Cassini-Huygens mission are morphologically very similar to many terrestrial linear dune fields. These features have been compared with terrestrial longitudinal dune fields like the ones in Namib desert in western Africa. This comparison is based on the overall parallel orientation of Titan's dunes to the predominant wind direction on Titan, their superposition on other geomorphological features and the way they wrap around topographic obstacles. Studying the internal layering of dunes has strong implications in understanding the hypothesis for their origin and evolution. In Titan's case, although the morphology of the dunes has been studied from Cassini Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images, it has not been possible to investigate their internal structure in detail as of yet. Since no radar sounding data is available for studying Titan's subsurface yet, we have developed another technique to examine the inner layering of the dunes. In this study, we utilize multiple complementary radar datasets, including radar imaging data for Titan's and Earth's dunes and Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR)/radar sounding data for terrestrial dunes. Based on dielectric mixing models, we suggest that the Cassini Ku-band microwaves should be able to penetrate up to ~ 3 m through Titan's dunes, indicating that the returned radar backscatter signal would include contributions from both surface and shallow subsurface echoes. This implies that the shallow subsurface properties can be retrieved from the observed radar backscatter (σ0). In our analysis, the variation of the radar backscatter as a function of dune height is used to provide an insight into the layering in Titan's dunes. We compare the variation of radar backscatter with elevation over individual dunes on Titan and analogous terrestrial dunes in three sites (Great Sand Sea, Siwa dunes and Qattaniya dunes) in the Egyptian Sahara. We observe a strong, positive

  5. Family System of Advanced Charring Ablators for Planetary Exploration Missions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Congdon, William M.; Curry, Donald M.

    2005-01-01

    Advanced Ablators Program Objectives: 1) Flight-ready(TRL-6) ablative heat shields for deep-space missions; 2) Diversity of selection from family-system approach; 3) Minimum weight systems with high reliability; 4) Optimized formulations and processing; 5) Fully characterized properties; and 6) Low-cost manufacturing. Definition and integration of candidate lightweight structures. Test and analysis database to support flight-vehicle engineering. Results from production scale-up studies and production-cost analyses.

  6. Spectral properties of Titan's impact craters imply chemical weathering of its surface

    PubMed Central

    Barnes, J. W.; Sotin, C.; MacKenzie, S.; Soderblom, J. M.; Le Mouélic, S.; Kirk, R. L.; Stiles, B. W.; Malaska, M. J.; Le Gall, A.; Brown, R. H.; Baines, K. H.; Buratti, B.; Clark, R. N.; Nicholson, P. D.

    2015-01-01

    Abstract We examined the spectral properties of a selection of Titan's impact craters that represent a range of degradation states. The most degraded craters have rims and ejecta blankets with spectral characteristics that suggest that they are more enriched in water ice than the rims and ejecta blankets of the freshest craters on Titan. The progression is consistent with the chemical weathering of Titan's surface. We propose an evolutionary sequence such that Titan's craters expose an intimate mixture of water ice and organic materials, and chemical weathering by methane rainfall removes the soluble organic materials, leaving the insoluble organics and water ice behind. These observations support the idea that fluvial processes are active in Titan's equatorial regions. PMID:27656006

  7. Robotically assisted ablation produces more rapid and greater signal attenuation than manual ablation.

    PubMed

    Koa-Wing, Michael; Kojodjojo, Pipin; Malcolme-Lawes, Louisa C; Salukhe, Tushar V; Linton, Nick W F; Grogan, Aaron P; Bergman, Dale; Lim, Phang Boon; Whinnett, Zachary I; McCarthy, Karen; Ho, Siew Yen; O'Neill, Mark D; Peters, Nicholas S; Davies, D Wyn; Kanagaratnam, Prapa

    2009-12-01

    Robotic remote catheter ablation potentially provides improved catheter-tip stability, which should improve the efficiency of radiofrequency energy delivery. Percentage reduction in electrogram peak-to-peak voltage has been used as a measure of effectiveness of ablation. We tested the hypothesis that improved catheter-tip stability of robotic ablation can diminish signals to a greater degree than manual ablation. In vivo NavX maps of 7 pig atria were constructed. Separate lines of ablation were performed robotically and manually, recording pre- and postablation peak-to-peak voltages at 10, 20, 30, and 60 seconds and calculating signal amplitude reduction. Catheter ablation settings were constant (25W, 50 degrees , 17 mL/min, 20-30 g catheter tip pressure). The pigs were sacrificed and ablation lesions correlated with NavX maps. Robotic ablation reduced signal amplitude to a greater degree than manual ablation (49 +/- 2.6% vs 29 +/- 4.5% signal reduction after 1 minute [P = 0.0002]). The mean energy delivered (223 +/- 184 J vs 231 +/- 190 J, P = 0.42), power (19 +/- 3.5 W vs 19 +/- 4 W, P = 0.84), and duration of ablation (15 +/- 9 seconds vs 15 +/- 9 seconds, P = 0.89) was the same for manual and robotic. The mean peak catheter-tip temperature was higher for robotic (45 +/- 5 degrees C vs 42 +/- 3 degrees C [P < 0.0001]). The incidence of >50% signal reduction was greater for robotic (37%) than manual (21%) ablation (P = 0.0001). Robotically assisted ablation appears to be more effective than manual ablation at signal amplitude reduction, therefore may be expected to produce improved clinical outcomes.

  8. Analysis of iodinated contrast delivered during thermal ablation: is material trapped in the ablation zone?

    PubMed

    Wu, Po-Hung; Brace, Chris L

    2016-08-21

    Intra-procedural contrast-enhanced CT (CECT) has been proposed to evaluate treatment efficacy of thermal ablation. We hypothesized that contrast material delivered concurrently with thermal ablation may become trapped in the ablation zone, and set out to determine whether such an effect would impact ablation visualization. CECT images were acquired during microwave ablation in normal porcine liver with: (A) normal blood perfusion and no iodinated contrast, (B) normal perfusion and iodinated contrast infusion or (C) no blood perfusion and residual iodinated contrast. Changes in CT attenuation were analyzed from before, during and after ablation to evaluate whether contrast was trapped inside of the ablation zone. Visualization was compared between groups using post-ablation contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR). Attenuation gradients were calculated at the ablation boundary and background to quantitate ablation conspicuity. In Group A, attenuation decreased during ablation due to thermal expansion of tissue water and water vaporization. The ablation zone was difficult to visualize (CNR  =  1.57  ±  0.73, boundary gradient  =  0.7  ±  0.4 HU mm(-1)), leading to ablation diameter underestimation compared to gross pathology. Group B ablations saw attenuation increase, suggesting that iodine was trapped inside the ablation zone. However, because the normally perfused liver increased even more, Group B ablations were more visible than Group A (CNR  =  2.04  ±  0.84, boundary gradient  =  6.3  ±  1.1 HU mm(-1)) and allowed accurate estimation of the ablation zone dimensions compared to gross pathology. Substantial water vaporization led to substantial attenuation changes in Group C, though the ablation zone boundary was not highly visible (boundary gradient  =  3.9  ±  1.1 HU mm(-1)). Our results demonstrate that despite iodinated contrast being trapped in the ablation zone, ablation visibility

  9. Titan's icy scar

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Griffith, C. A.; Penteado, P. F.; Turner, J. D.; Neish, C. D.; Mitri, G.; Montiel, M. J.; Schoenfeld, A.; Lopes, R. M. C.

    2017-09-01

    We conduct a Principal Components Analysis (PCA) of Cassini/VIMS [1] infrared spectral windows to identify and quantify weak surface features, with no assumptions on the haze and surface characteris- tics. This study maps the organic sediments, supplied by past atmospheres, as well as ice-rich regions that constitute Titan's bedrock.

  10. An improved automotive brake lining using fibrous potassium titanate

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mansfield, J. A.; Halberstadt, M. L.; Riccitiello, S. R.; Rhee, S. K.

    1976-01-01

    Simultaneous fade reduction and wear improvement of a commercial automotive brake lining were achieved by adding fibrous potassium titanate. The dependence of friction and wear characteristics on quantitative variations in potassium titanate, asbestos, phenolic binder, and organic and inorganic modifiers was evaluated.

  11. Studies on the effects of titanate and silane coupling agents on the performance of poly (methyl methacrylate)/barium titanate denture base nanocomposites.

    PubMed

    Elshereksi, Nidal W; Ghazali, Mariyam J; Muchtar, Andanastuti; Azhari, Che H

    2017-01-01

    This study aimed to fabricate and characterise silanated and titanated nanobarium titanate (NBT) filled poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) denture base composites and to evaluate the behaviour of a titanate coupling agent (TCA) as an alternative coupling agent to silane. The effect of filler surface modification on fracture toughness was also studied. Silanated, titanated and pure NBT at 5% were incorporated in PMMA matrix. Neat PMMA matrix served as a control. NBT was sonicated in MMA prior to mixing with the PMMA. Curing was carried out using a water bath at 75°C for 1.5h and then at 100°C for 30min. NBT was characterised via Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis before and after surface modification. The porosity and fracture toughness of the PMMA nanocomposites (n=6, for each formulation and test) were also evaluated. NBT was successfully functionalised by the coupling agents. The TCA exhibited the lowest percentage of porosity (0.09%), whereas silane revealed 0.53% porosity. Statistically significant differences in fracture toughness were observed among the fracture toughness values of the tested samples (p<0.05). While the fracture toughness of untreated samples was reduced by 8%, an enhancement of 25% was achieved after titanation. In addition, the fracture toughness of the titanated samples was higher than the silanated ones by 10%. Formation of a monolayer on the surface of TCA enhanced the NBT dispersion, however agglomeration of silanated NBT was observed due to insufficient coverage of NBT surface. Such behaviour led to reducing the porosity level and improving fracture toughness of titanated NBT/PMMA composites. Thus, TCA seemed to be more effective than silane. Minimising the porosity level could have the potential to reduce fungus growth on denture base resin to be hygienically accepTable Such enhancements obtained with Ti-NBT could lead to promotion of the

  12. Integration of Titan supercomputer at OLCF with ATLAS Production System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barreiro Megino, F.; De, K.; Jha, S.; Klimentov, A.; Maeno, T.; Nilsson, P.; Oleynik, D.; Padolski, S.; Panitkin, S.; Wells, J.; Wenaus, T.; ATLAS Collaboration

    2017-10-01

    The PanDA (Production and Distributed Analysis) workload management system was developed to meet the scale and complexity of distributed computing for the ATLAS experiment. PanDA managed resources are distributed worldwide, on hundreds of computing sites, with thousands of physicists accessing hundreds of Petabytes of data and the rate of data processing already exceeds Exabyte per year. While PanDA currently uses more than 200,000 cores at well over 100 Grid sites, future LHC data taking runs will require more resources than Grid computing can possibly provide. Additional computing and storage resources are required. Therefore ATLAS is engaged in an ambitious program to expand the current computing model to include additional resources such as the opportunistic use of supercomputers. In this paper we will describe a project aimed at integration of ATLAS Production System with Titan supercomputer at Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF). Current approach utilizes modified PanDA Pilot framework for job submission to Titan’s batch queues and local data management, with lightweight MPI wrappers to run single node workloads in parallel on Titan’s multi-core worker nodes. It provides for running of standard ATLAS production jobs on unused resources (backfill) on Titan. The system already allowed ATLAS to collect on Titan millions of core-hours per month, execute hundreds of thousands jobs, while simultaneously improving Titans utilization efficiency. We will discuss the details of the implementation, current experience with running the system, as well as future plans aimed at improvements in scalability and efficiency. Notice: This manuscript has been authored, by employees of Brookhaven Science Associates, LLC under Contract No. DE-AC02-98CH10886 with the U.S. Department of Energy. The publisher by accepting the manuscript for publication acknowledges that the United States Government retains a non-exclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, world-wide license to

  13. How primitive are the gases in Titan's atmosphere?

    PubMed

    Owen, T

    1987-01-01

    Titan's atmosphere contains a mixture of nitrogen, methane, argon, hydrogen, simple hydrocarbons and nitriles, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide. Sources of nitrogen may be as a product of the photodissociation of ammonia or trapped in the ices that formed the satellite. Reasons for the abundance of deuterium are examined and its association with nitrogen on Titan is explained.

  14. Seeing, touching and smelling the extraordinarily Earth-like world of Titan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    2005-01-01

    "We now have the key to understanding what shapes Titan's landscape," said Dr Martin Tomasko, Principal Investigator for the Descent Imager-Spectral Radiometer (DISR), adding: "Geological evidence for precipitation, erosion, mechanical abrasion and other fluvial activity says that the physical processes shaping Titan are much the same as those shaping Earth." Spectacular images captured by the DISR reveal that Titan has extraordinarily Earth-like meteorology and geology. Images have shown a complex network of narrow drainage channels running from brighter highlands to lower, flatter, dark regions. These channels merge into river systems running into lakebeds featuring offshore 'islands' and 'shoals' remarkably similar to those on Earth. Data provided in part by the Gas Chromatograph and Mass Spectrometer (GCMS) and Surface Science Package (SSP) support Dr Tomasko's conclusions. Huygens' data provide strong evidence for liquids flowing on Titan. However, the fluid involved is methane, a simple organic compound that can exist as a liquid or gas at Titan's sub-170°C temperatures, rather than water as on Earth. Titan's rivers and lakes appear dry at the moment, but rain may have occurred not long ago. Deceleration and penetration data provided by the SSP indicate that the material beneath the surface's crust has the consistency of loose sand, possibly the result of methane rain falling on the surface over eons, or the wicking of liquids from below towards the surface. Heat generated by Huygens warmed the soil beneath the probe and both the GCMS and SSP detected bursts of methane gas boiled out of surface material, reinforcing methane's principal role in Titan's geology and atmospheric meteorology -- forming clouds and precipitation that erodes and abrades the surface. In addition, DISR surface images show small rounded pebbles in a dry riverbed. Spectra measurements (colour) are consistent with a composition of dirty water ice rather than silicate rocks. However

  15. The Xanadu Annex on Titan Denoised

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-09-07

    This synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) image was obtained by NASA's Cassini spacecraft on July 25, 2016, during its 'T-121' pass over Titan's southern latitudes. The improved contrast provided by the denoising algorithm helps river channels (at bottom and upper left) stand out, as well as the crater-like feature at left. The image shows an area nicknamed the "Xanadu annex" by members of the Cassini radar team, earlier in the mission. This area had not been imaged by Cassini's radar until now, but measurements of its brightness temperature from Cassini's microwave radiometer were quite similar to that of the large region on Titan named Xanadu. Cassini's radiometer is essentially a very sensitive thermometer, and brightness temperature is a measure of the intensity of microwave radiation received from a feature by the instrument. Radar team members predicted at the time that, if this area were ever imaged, it would be similar in appearance to Xanadu, which lies just to the north. That earlier hunch appears to have been borne out, as features in this scene bear a strong similarity to the mountainous terrains Cassini's radar has imaged in Xanadu. Xanadu -- and now perhaps its annex -- remains something of a mystery. First imaged in 1994 by the Hubble Space Telescope (just three years before Cassini's launch from Earth), Xanadu was the first surface feature to be recognized on Titan. Once thought to be a raised plateau, the region is now understood to be slightly tilted, but not higher than, the darker surrounding regions. It blocks the formation of sand dunes, which otherwise extend all the way around Titan at its equator. The image was taken by the Cassini Synthetic Aperture radar (SAR) on July 25, 2016 during the mission's 122nd targeted Titan encounter. The image has been modified by the denoising method described in A. Lucas, JGR:Planets (2014). http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20714

  16. Growth and micro structural studies on Yittria Stabilized Zirconia (YSZ) and Strontium Titanate (STO) buffer layers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Srinivas, S.; Pinto, R.; Pai, S. P.; Dsousa, D. P.; Apte, P. R.; Kumar, D.; Purandare, S. C.; Bhatnagar, A. K.

    1995-01-01

    Microstructure of Yittria Stabilized Zirconia (YSZ) and Strontium Titanate (STO) of radio frequency magnetron sputtered buffer layers was studied at various sputtering conditions on Si (100), Sapphire and LaAlO3 (100) substrates. The effect of substrate temperatures up to 800 C and sputtering gas pressures in the range of 50 mTorr. of growth conditions was studied. The buffer layers of YSZ and STO showed a strong tendency for columnar growth was observed above 15 mTorr sputtering gas pressure and at high substrate temperatures. Post annealing of these films in oxygen atmosphere reduced the oxygen deficiency and strain generated during growth of the films. Strong c-axis oriented superconducting YBa2Cu3O7-x (YBCO) thin films were obtained on these buffer layers using pulsed laser ablation technique. YBCO films deposited on multilayers of YSZ and STO were shown to have better superconducting properties.

  17. ALMA observations of Titan's atmospheric chemistry and seasonal variation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cordiner, Martin

    2017-04-01

    Titan is the largest moon of Saturn, with a thick (1.45 bar) atmosphere composed primarily of molecular nitrogen and methane. Photochemistry in Titan's upper atmosphere results in the production of a wide range of organic molecules, including hydrocarbons, nitriles and aromatics, some of which could be of pre-biotic relevance. Thus, we obtain insights into the possible molecular inventories of primitive (reducing) planetary atmospheres. Titan's atmosphere also provides a unique laboratory for testing our understanding of fundamental processes involving the chemistry and spectroscopy of complex organic molecules. In this talk, results will be presented from our studies using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) during the period 2012-2015, focussing in particular on the detection and mapping of emission from various nitrile species. By combining data from multiple ALMA observations, our spectra have reached an unprecedented sensitivity level, enabling the first spectroscopic detection and mapping of C2H3CN (vinyl cyanide) on Titan. Liquid-phase simulations of Titan's seas indicate that vinyl cyanide molecules could combine to form vesicle membranes (similar to the cells of terrestrial biology), and the astrobiological implications of this discovery will be discussed. Furthermore, ALMA observations provide instantaneous snapshot mapping of Titan's entire Earth-facing hemisphere, for gases inaccessible to previous instruments. Combined with complementary data obtained from the Cassini Saturn orbiter, as well as theoretical models and laboratory studies, our observed, seasonally variable, spatially resolved abundance patterns are capable of providing new insights into photochemical production and transport in primitive planetary atmospheres in the Solar System and beyond.

  18. Compact pulse forming line using barium titanate ceramic material

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kumar Sharma, Surender; Deb, P.; Shukla, R.; Prabaharan, T.; Shyam, A.

    2011-11-01

    Ceramic material has very high relative permittivity, so compact pulse forming line can be made using these materials. Barium titanate (BaTiO3) has a relative permittivity of 1200 so it is used for making compact pulse forming line (PFL). Barium titanate also has piezoelectric effects so it cracks during high voltages discharges due to stresses developed in it. Barium titanate is mixed with rubber which absorbs the piezoelectric stresses when the PFL is charged and regain its original shape after the discharge. A composite mixture of barium titanate with the neoprene rubber is prepared. The relative permittivity of the composite mixture is measured to be 85. A coaxial pulse forming line of inner diameter 120 mm, outer diameter 240 mm, and length 350 mm is made and the composite mixture of barium titanate and neoprene rubber is filled between the inner and outer cylinders. The PFL is charged up to 120 kV and discharged into 5 Ω load. The voltage pulse of 70 kV, 21 ns is measured across the load. The conventional PFL is made up of oil or plastics dielectrics with the relative permittivity of 2-10 [D. R. Linde, CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 90th ed. (CRC, 2009); Xia et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 79, 086113 (2008); Yang et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 81, 43303 (2010)], which increases the length of PFL. We have reported the compactness in length achieved due to increase in relative permittivity of composite mixture by adding barium titanate in neoprene rubber.

  19. Titan's cold case files - Outstanding questions after Cassini-Huygens

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nixon, C. A.; Lorenz, R. D.; Achterberg, R. K.; Buch, A.; Coll, P.; Clark, R. N.; Courtin, R.; Hayes, A.; Iess, L.; Johnson, R. E.; Lopes, R. M. C.; Mastrogiuseppe, M.; Mandt, K.; Mitchell, D. G.; Raulin, F.; Rymer, A. M.; Todd Smith, H.; Solomonidou, A.; Sotin, C.; Strobel, D.; Turtle, E. P.; Vuitton, V.; West, R. A.; Yelle, R. V.

    2018-06-01

    The entry of the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft into orbit around Saturn in July 2004 marked the start of a golden era in the exploration of Titan, Saturn's giant moon. During the Prime Mission (2004-2008), ground-breaking discoveries were made by the Cassini orbiter including the equatorial dune fields (flyby T3, 2005), northern lakes and seas (T16, 2006), and the large positive and negative ions (T16 & T18, 2006), to name a few. In 2005 the Huygens probe descended through Titan's atmosphere, taking the first close-up pictures of the surface, including large networks of dendritic channels leading to a dried-up seabed, and also obtaining detailed profiles of temperature and gas composition during the atmospheric descent. The discoveries continued through the Equinox Mission (2008-2010) and Solstice Mission (2010-2017) totaling 127 targeted flybys of Titan in all. Now at the end of the mission, we are able to look back on the high-level scientific questions from the start of the mission, and assess the progress that has been made towards answering these. At the same time, new scientific questions regarding Titan have emerged from the discoveries that have been made. In this paper we review a cross-section of important scientific questions that remain partially or completely unanswered, ranging from Titan's deep interior to the exosphere. Our intention is to help formulate the science goals for the next generation of planetary missions to Titan, and to stimulate new experimental, observational and theoretical investigations in the interim.

  20. Radar evidence for liquid surfaces on Titan.

    PubMed

    Campbell, Donald B; Black, Gregory J; Carter, Lynn M; Ostro, Steven J

    2003-10-17

    Arecibo radar observations of Titan at 13-centimeter wavelength indicate that most of the echo power is in a diffusely scattered component but that a small specular component is present for about 75% of the subearth locations observed. These specular echoes have properties consistent with those expected for areas of liquid hydrocarbons. Knowledge of the areal extent and depth of any deposits of liquid hydrocarbons could strongly constrain the history of Titan's atmosphere and surface.

  1. Titan Touchdown

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-01-11

    On Jan. 14, 2005, ESA's Huygens probe made its descent to the surface of Saturn's hazy moon, Titan. Carried to Saturn by NASA's Cassini spacecraft, Huygens made the most distant landing ever on another world, and the only landing on a body in the outer solar system. This video uses actual images taken by the probe during its two-and-a-half hour fall under its parachutes. Also include mission animation.

  2. Ablation enhancement of silicon by ultrashort double-pulse laser ablation

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Zhao, Xin; Shin, Yung C.

    In this study, the ultrashort double-pulse ablation of silicon is investigated. An atomistic simulation model is developed to analyze the underlying physics. It is revealed that the double-pulse ablation could significantly increase the ablation rate of silicon, compared with the single pulse ablation with the same total pulse energy, which is totally different from the case of metals. In the long pulse delay range (over 1 ps), the enhancement is caused by the metallic transition of melted silicon with the corresponding absorption efficiency. At ultrashort pulse delay (below 1 ps), the enhancement is due to the electron excitation by the first pulse.more » The enhancement only occurs at low and moderate laser fluence. The ablation is suppressed at high fluence due to the strong plasma shielding effect.« less

  3. Titan's Atmospheric Composition from Observations by the Cassini Infrared Spectrometer

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Abbas, M. M.; LeClair, A.; Flasar, F. M.; Kunde, V. G.; Conrath, B. J.; Coustenis, A.; Jennings, D. J.; Nixon, C. A.; Brasunas, J.; Achterberg, R. K.

    2006-01-01

    The Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) aboard the Cassini spacecraft has been making observations during the fly-bys of Titan since the Saturn-Orbit-Insertion in July 2004. The observations provide infrared them1 emission spectra of Titan s atmosphere in three spectral channels covering the 10/cm to 1400/cm spectral region, with variable spectral resolutions of 0.53/cm and 2.8/cm. The uniquely observed spectra exhibit rotational and vibrational-rotational spectral lines of the molecular constituents of Titan s atmosphere that may be analyzed to retrieve information about the composition, thermal structure, and physical and dynamical processes in the remotely sensed atmosphere. We present an analysis of Titan's infrared spectra observed during July 2004 (TO), December 2004 (Tb) and February 2005 (T3), for retrieval of the stratospheric thermal structure, distribution of the hydrocarbons, nitriles, and oxygen bearing constituents, such as C2H2, C2H4, C2H6, C3H8, HCN, HC3N, CO, and CO2 . Preliminary results on the distribution and opacity of haze in Titan s atmosphere are discussed.

  4. The Xanadu Annex on Titan

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-09-07

    This synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) image was obtained by NASA's Cassini spacecraft on July 25, 2016, during its "T-121" pass over Titan's southern latitudes. The image shows an area nicknamed the "Xanadu annex" by members of the Cassini radar team, earlier in the mission. This area had not been imaged by until now, but measurements of its brightness temperature from Cassini's microwave radiometer were quite similar to that of the large region on Titan named Xanadu (see PIA20713), which lies just to the north. Cassini's radiometer is essentially a very sensitive thermometer, and brightness temperature is a measure of the intensity of microwave radiation received from a feature by the instrument. Radar team members predicted at the time that, if this area were ever imaged, it would be similar in appearance to Xanadu. That earlier hunch appears to have been borne out, as features in this scene bear a strong similarity to the mountainous terrains Cassini's radar has imaged in Xanadu. Xanadu -- and now perhaps its annex -- remains something of a mystery. First imaged in 1994 by the Hubble Space Telescope (just three years before Cassini's launch from Earth), Xanadu was the first surface feature to be recognized on Titan. Once thought to be a raised plateau, the region is now understood to be slightly tilted, but not higher than, the darker surrounding regions. It blocks the formation of sand dunes, which otherwise extend all the way around Titan at its equator. The area shown here is illuminated by the radar from the bottom at a 30-degree incidence angle. It measures about 155 by 310 miles (250 by 500 kilometers) and is centered at about 30 degrees south latitude, 60 degrees west longitude. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20712

  5. Astrobiological Implications of Titan Tholin in Methane Lakes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Khare, Bishun N.; McKay, C. P.; McPherson, S.; Cruikshank, D.; Nna-Mvondo, D.; Sekine, Y.

    2010-10-01

    We report here on our ongoing research in the Laboratory for Planetary Studies at NASA Ames Research Center dedicated to determine the degree of solubility of Titan tholin in the methane-ethane lakes. Our work is also directed toward confirming the presence of any astrobiologically significant molecules via hydrolysis and pyrolysis of a simulated lake sample. Our previous work conducted at Cornell University and subsequently in the Laboratory for Planetary Studies at NASA Ames Research Center has established that Titan tholin produces amino acids (Khare et al. Icarus 1986) on hydrolysis, and many compounds including adenine on pyrolysis (Khare et al. Adv. Space Res. 1984). Also, our previous work by Thompson et al. (Icarus 1991) has clearly indicated that when energy is supplied to Titan's atmospheric composition (methane and nitrogen), tholin results from hundreds of contemporary compounds, including highly reactive compounds such as azides and isocyanides. Cassini showed that photolysis of methane produces benzene and many polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, along with compounds with very high molecular weights (up to 10000 amu), resulting from the photolytic reactions of CH4 with nitrogen. These heavy aerosols, termed "tholins” by Sagan and Khare (Nature 1979), are also synthesized when Titan intercepts charged particles from the magnetosphere of Saturn. Tholins resulting from both of these syntheses eventually descend to the surface of Titan, where some quantity collects in the methane-ethane lakes. This research is supported by a grant from Planetary Atmospheres.

  6. Aerocapture Technology Developments from NASA's In-Space Propulsion Technology Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Munk, Michelle M.; Moon, Steven A.

    2007-01-01

    This paper will explain the investment strategy, the role of detailed systems analysis, and the hardware and modeling developments that have resulted from the past 5 years of work under NASA's In-Space Propulsion Program (ISPT) Aerocapture investment area. The organizations that have been funded by ISPT over that time period received awards from a 2002 NASA Research Announcement. They are: Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Applied Research Associates, Inc., Ball Aerospace, NASA's Ames Research Center, and NASA's Langley Research Center. Their accomplishments include improved understanding of entry aerothermal environments, particularly at Titan, demonstration of aerocapture guidance algorithm robustness at multiple bodies, manufacture and test of a 2-meter Carbon-Carbon "hot structure," development and test of evolutionary, high-temperature structural systems with efficient ablative materials, and development of aerothermal sensors that will fly on the Mars Science Laboratory in 2009. Due in large part to this sustained ISPT support for Aerocapture, the technology is ready to be validated in flight.

  7. Cassini observations of carbon-based anions in Titan's ionosphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Desai, Ravindra; Lewis, Gethyn; Waite, J. Hunter; Kataria, Dhiren; Wellbrock, Anne; Jones, Geraint; Coates, Andrew

    2016-07-01

    Cassini observations of Titan's ionosphere revealed an atmosphere rich in positively and negatively charged ions and organic molecules. The detection of large quantities of negatively charged ions was particularly surprising and adds Titan to the growing list of locations where anion chemistry has been observed to play an important role. In this study we present updated analysis on these negatively charged ions through an enhanced understanding of the Cassini CAPS Electron Spectrometer (CAPS-ELS) instrument response. The ionisation of Titan's dominant atmospheric constituent, N2, by the HeII Solar line, results in an observable photoelectron population at 24.1eV which we use to correct for differential spacecraft charging. Correcting for further energy-angle signatures within this dataset, we use an updated fitting procedure to show how the ELS mass spectrum, previously grouped into broad mass ranges, can be resolved into specific peaks at multiples of carbon-based anion species up to over 100amu/q. These peaks are shown to be ubiquitous within Titan's upper atmosphere and reminiscent of carbon-based anions identified in dense molecular clouds beyond our Solar System. It is thus shown how the moon Titan in the Outer Solar System can be used as an analogue to study these even more remote and exotic astrophysical environments.

  8. Mapping Titan Cloud Coverage

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2010-09-21

    This graphic, constructed from data obtained by NASA Cassini spacecraft, shows the percentage of cloud coverage across the surface of Saturn moon Titan. The color scale from black to yellow signifies no cloud coverage to complete cloud coverage.

  9. Crater topography on Titan: Implications for landscape evolution

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Neish, C.; Kirk, R.; Lorenz, R.; Bray, V.; Schenk, P.; Stiles, B.; Turtle, E.; Cassini Radar Team

    2012-04-01

    Unique among the icy satellites, Titan’s surface shows evidence for extensive modification by fluvial and aeolian erosion, which act to change the topography of its surface over time. Quantifying the extent of this landscape evolution is difficult, since the original, ‘non-eroded’ surface topography is generally unknown. However, fresh craters on icy satellites have a well-known shape and morphology, which has been determined from extensive studies on the airless worlds of the outer solar system (Schenk et al., 2004). By comparing the topography of craters on Titan to similarly sized, pristine analogues on airless bodies, we can obtain one of the few direct measures of the amount of erosion that has occurred on Titan. Cassini RADAR has imaged >30% of the surface of Titan, and more than 60 potential craters have been identified in this data set (Wood et al., 2010; Neish and Lorenz, 2012). Topographic information for these craters can be obtained from a technique known as ‘SARTopo’, which estimates surface heights by comparing the calibration of overlapping synthetic aperture radar (SAR) beams (Stiles et al., 2009). We present topography data for several craters on Titan, and compare the data to similarly sized craters on Ganymede, for which topography has been extracted from stereo-derived digital elevation models (Bray et al., 2012). We find that the depths of craters on Titan are generally within the range of depths observed on Ganymede, but several hundreds of meters shallower than the average (Fig. 1). A statistical comparison between the two data sets suggests that it is extremely unlikely that Titan’s craters were selected from the depth distribution of fresh craters on Ganymede, and that is it much more probable that the relative depths of Titan are uniformly distributed between ‘fresh’ and ‘completely infilled’. This is consistent with an infilling process that varies linearly with time, such as aeolian infilling. Figure 1: Depth of

  10. Endometrial Ablation

    MedlinePlus

    ... or lighter levels. If ablation does not control heavy bleeding, further treatment or surgery may be needed. ... ablation is used to treat many causes of heavy bleeding. In most cases, women with heavy bleeding ...

  11. Titan's rotation reveals an internal ocean and changing zonal winds

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Lorenz, R.D.; Stiles, B.W.; Kirk, R.L.; Allison, M.D.; Del Marmo, P.P.; Iess, L.; Lunine, J.I.; Ostro, S.J.; Hensley, S.

    2008-01-01

    Cassini radar observations of Saturn's moon Titan over several years show that its rotational period is changing and is different from its orbital period. The present-day rotation period difference from synchronous spin leads to a shift of ???0.36?? per year in apparent longitude and is consistent with seasonal exchange of angular momentum between the surface and Titan's dense superrotating atmosphere, but only if Titan's crust is decoupled from the core by an internal water ocean like that on Europa.

  12. Thermal Testing of Ablators in the NASA Johnson Space Center Radiant Heat Test Facility

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Del Papa, Steven; Milhoan, Jim; Remark, Brian; Suess, Leonard

    2016-01-01

    A spacecraft's thermal protection system (TPS) is required to survive the harsh environment experienced during reentry. Accurate thermal modeling of the TPS is required to since uncertainties in the thermal response result in higher design margins and an increase in mass. The Radiant Heat Test Facility (RHTF) located at the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) replicates the reentry temperatures and pressures on system level full scale TPS test models for the validation of thermal math models. Reusable TPS, i.e. tile or reinforced carbon-carbon (RCC), have been the primary materials tested in the past. However, current capsule designs for MPCV and commercial programs have required the use of an ablator TPS. The RHTF has successfully completed a pathfinder program on avcoat ablator material to demonstrate the feasibility of ablator testing. The test results and corresponding ablation analysis results are presented in this paper.

  13. Performance of Conformable Ablators in Aerothermal Environments

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Thornton, J.; Fan, W.; Skokova, K.; Stackpoole, M.; Beck, R.; Chavez-Garcia, J.

    2012-01-01

    Conformable Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator, a cousin of Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator (PICA), was developed at NASA Ames Research Center as a lightweight thermal protection system under the Fundamental Aeronautics Program. PICA is made using a brittle carbon substrate, which has a very low strain to failure. Conformable PICA is made using a flexible carbon substrate, a felt in this case. The flexible felt significantly increases the strain to failure of the ablator. PICA is limited by its thermal mechanical properties. Future NASA missions will require heatshields that are more fracture resistant than PICA and, as a result, NASA Ames is working to improve PICAs performance by developing conformable PICA to meet these needs. Research efforts include tailoring the chemistry of conformable PICA with varying amounts of additives to enhance mechanical properties and testing them in aerothermal environments. This poster shows the performance of conformable PICA variants in arc jets tests. Some mechanical and thermal properties will also be presented.

  14. Spatial Variations of Chemical Abundances in Titan's Atmosphere as Revealed by ALMA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Thelen, Alexander E.; Nixon, Conor; Chanover, Nancy J.; Molter, Edward; Serigano, Joseph; Cordiner, Martin; Charnley, Steven B.; Teanby, Nicholas A.; Irwin, Patrick

    2016-10-01

    Complex organic molecules in Titan's atmosphere - formed through the dissociation of N2 and CH4 - exhibit latitudinal variations in abundance as observed by Cassini. Chemical species including hydrocarbons - such as CH3CCH - and nitriles - HCN, HC3N, CH3CN, and C2H5CN - may show spatial abundance variations as a result of atmospheric circulation, photochemical production and subsequent destruction throughout Titan's seasonal cycle. Recent calibration images of Titan taken by the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) with beam sizes of ~0.3'' allow for measurements of rotational transition lines of these species in spatially resolved regions of Titan's disk. We present abundance profiles obtained from public ALMA data taken in 2014, as Titan transitioned into northern summer. Abundance profiles in Titan's lower/middle atmosphere were retrieved by modeling high resolution ALMA spectra using the Non-linear Optimal Estimator for MultivariatE Spectral analySIS (NEMESIS) radiative transfer code. These retrievals were performed using spatial temperature profiles obtained by modeling strong CO lines from datasets taken in similar times with comparable resolution. We compare the abundance variations of chemical species to measurements made using Cassini data. Comparisons of chemical species with strong abundance enhancements over the poles will inform our knowledge of chemical lifetimes in Titan's atmosphere, and allow us to observe the important changes in production and circulation of numerous organic molecules which are attributed to Titan's seasons.

  15. Characterization of complex organics produced by proton irradiation of simulated Titan atmosphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Taniuchi, T.; Hosogai, T.; Kaneko, T.; Kobayashi, K.

    Titan the biggest satellite of Saturn has dense atmosphere that mainly consists of nitrogen and methane Voyager observation showed the presence of organic haze in Titan atmosphere Some scientists suggested the existence liquid hydrocarbon and water ice on surface Recently Huygens probe sent the analytical data about organic aerosol in Titan atmosphere to the Earth while in the Cassini-Huygens Mission It is supposed that Titan has somewhat similar environments to the primitive Earth so many observations and simulation experiments have been done where mainly UV light or electric discharges are used as energy sources Khare and Sagan reported that the organic materials produced by electric discharges in simulated Titan atmosphere tholin had structure with hydrocarbons nitriles hetero aromatic compounds and so on and that tholin yielded amino acids after hydrolysis They simulated the condition of upper atmosphere of Titan Though cosmic rays are possible effective energy source near the surface on Titan for the formation of organic compounds there were few laboratory simulations of cosmic ray tholin In this study we irradiated proton beam to the mixture of nitrogen and methane to verify the possibile formation of cosmic ray tholin in lower Titan atmosphere A mixture of methane 1-5 and nitrogen balance was irradiated with 3 MeV proton from a van de Graaff accelerator The resulting tholin was analyzed by Pyrolysis Py -GC MS and 1 H NMR to estimate the structure Gel permeation chromatography GPC and

  16. The Atmosphere of Titan from Cassini Radio Occultations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schinder, Paul J.; Flasar, F. M.; Marouf, E. A.; French, R. G.; McGhee, C. A.; Kliore, A. J.; Rappaport, N.; Nagy, A. F.; Anabtawi, A.; Asmar, S.; Barbinis, E.; Fleischman, D. U.; Goltz, G. L.

    2006-09-01

    The first two radio occultations of Cassini by Titan occurred on March 19 and May 20, 2006. On March 19, the ingress occultation occurred at a latitude of 31 S, and egress at 53 S. On May 20, ingress was at 33 S, and egress at 34 S. We present the temperature-pressure profiles for the atmosphere of Titan for these 4 locations.

  17. Zinc titanate sorbents

    DOEpatents

    Gupta, R.P.; Gangwal, S.K.; Jain, S.C.

    1998-02-03

    The present invention provides a zinc titanate sorbent material useful in desulfurization applications. The zinc titanate material is in the form of generally spherical particles of substantially uniform chemical distribution. The sorbent material is capable of absorbing sulfur compounds from a gaseous feed in an amount of at least about 15 weight percent based on the weight of the sorbent. The sorbent material is prepared by a process including: (a) forming a zinc oxide/titanium dioxide dry blend, (b) preparing a substantially uniform aqueous slurry comprising the zinc oxide/titanium dioxide dry blend, organic binder, and at least about 1 weight percent inorganic binder based on the solids weight of the slurry, (c) spray drying the slurry to produce substantially spherical particles, and (d) calcining the particles at a temperature of between about 750 to about 950 C. The dry blend is formed by mixing between about 0.5 to about 2 parts zinc oxide having a median particle size of less than about 0.5 microns, and about 1 part titanium dioxide having a median particle size of less than about 1 micron. The slurry contains substantially no free silica and may be prepared by the process including (1) preparing an aqueous solution of organic binder, (2) adding the dry blend to the aqueous solution of organic binder, and (3) adding the inorganic binder to the solution of organic binder, and blend. Additional reagents, such as a surfactant, may also be incorporated into the sorbent material. The present invention also provides a process for desulfurizing a gaseous stream. The process includes passing a gaseous stream through a reactor containing an attrition resistant zinc titanate sorbent material of the present invention.

  18. Zinc titanate sorbents

    DOEpatents

    Gupta, Raghubir P.; Gangwal, Santosh K.; Jain, Suresh C.

    1998-01-01

    The present invention provides a zinc titanate sorbent material useful in desulfurization applications. The zinc titanate material is in the form of generally spherical particles of substantially uniform chemical distribution. The sorbent material is capable of absorbing sulfur compounds from a gaseous feed in an amount of at least about 15 weight percent based on the weight of the sorbent. The sorbent material is prepared by a process including: (a) forming a zinc oxide/titanium dioxide dry blend, (b) preparing a substantially uniform aqueous slurry comprising the zinc oxide/titanium dioxide dry blend, organic binder, and at least about 1 weight percent inorganic binder based on the solids weight of the slurry, (c) spray drying the slurry to produce substantially spherical particles, and (d) calcining the particles at a temperature of between about 750.degree. C. to about 950.degree. C. The dry blend is formed by mixing between about 0.5 to about 2 parts zinc oxide having a median particle size of less than about 0.5 .mu., and about 1 part titanium dioxide having a median particle size of less than about 1 .mu.. The slurry contains substantially no free silica and may be prepared by the process including (1) preparing an aqueous solution of organic binder, (2) adding the dry blend to the aqueous solution of organic binder, and (3) adding the inorganic binder to the solution of organic binder, and blend. Additional reagents, such as a surfactant, may also be incorporated into the sorbent material. The present invention also provides a process for desulfurizing a gaseous stream. The process includes passing a gaseous stream through a reactor containing an attrition resistant zinc titanate sorbent material of the present invention.

  19. Lightning generation in Titan due to the electrical self-polarization properties of Methane

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Quintero, A.; Falcón, N.

    2009-05-01

    We describe an electrical charge process in Titan's thunderclouds, due to the self-polarization properties or pyroelectricity of methane, which increases the internal electric field in thunderclouds and facilitates the charge generation and separation processes. Microphysics that generates lightning flashes is associated with the physical and chemical properties of the local atmosphere, so methane could be the principal agent of the electrical activity because of its great concentration in Titan's atmosphere. Besides, Titan's electrical activity should not be very influenced by Saturn's magnetosphere because lightning occurs at very low altitude above Titan's surface, compared with the greater distance of Saturn's magnetosphere and Titan's troposphere. Using an electrostatic treatment, we calculate the internal electric field of Titan's thunderclouds due to methane's pyroelectrical properties, 7.05×10^11 Vm^-1; and using the telluric capacitor approximation for thunderclouds, we calculate the total charge obtained for a typical Titan thundercloud, 2.67×10^9 C. However, it is not right to use an electrostatic treatment because charge times are very fast due to the large methane concentration in Titan's clouds and the life time of thunderclouds is very low (around 2 hours). We consider a time dependent mechanism, employing common Earth atmospheric approaches, because of the similitude in chemical composition of both atmospheres (mainly nitrogen), so the typical charge of a thundercloud in Titan should reach between 20 C to 40 C, like on Earth. We obtain that lightning occurs with a frequency between 2 and 6 KHz. In Titan's atmosphere, methane concentration is higher than on Earth, and atmospheric electrical activity is stronger, so this model could be consistent with the observed phenomenology.

  20. Titan: a laboratory for prebiological organic chemistry

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sagan, C.; Thompson, W. R.; Khare, B. N.

    1992-01-01

    When we examine the atmospheres of the Jovian planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune), the satellites in the outer solar system, comets, and even--through microwave and infrared spectroscopy--the cold dilute gas and grains between the stars, we find a rich organic chemistry, presumably abiological, not only in most of the solar system but throughout the Milky Way galaxy. In part because the composition and surface pressure of the Earth's atmosphere 4 x 10(9) years ago are unknown, laboratory experiments on prebiological organic chemistry are at best suggestive; but we can test our understanding by looking more closely at the observed extraterrestrial organic chemistry. The present Account is restricted to atmospheric organic chemistry, primarily on the large moon of Saturn. Titan is a test of our understanding of the organic chemistry of planetary atmospheres. Its atmospheric bulk composition (N2/CH4) is intermediate between the highly reducing (H2/He/CH4/NH3/H2O) atmospheres of the Jovian planets and the more oxidized (N2/CO2/H2O) atmospheres of the terrestrial planets Mars and Venus. It has long been recognized that Titan's organic chemistry may have some relevance to the events that led to the origin of life on Earth. But with Titan surface temperatures approximately equal to 94 K and pressures approximately equal to 1.6 bar, the oceans of the early Earth have no ready analogue on Titan. Nevertheless, tectonic events in the water ice-rich interior or impact melting and slow re-freezing may lead to an episodic availability of liquid water. Indeed, the latter process is the equivalent of a approximately 10(3)-year-duration shallow aqueous sea over the entire surface of Titan.

  1. Low-Temperature Alkaline pH Hydrolysis of Oxygen-Free Titan Tholins: Carbonates' Impact.

    PubMed

    Brassé, Coralie; Buch, Arnaud; Coll, Patrice; Raulin, François

    2017-01-01

    Titan, the largest moon of Saturn, is one of the key planetary objects in the field of exobiology. Its dense, nitrogen-rich atmosphere is the site of important organic chemistry. This paper focuses on the organic aerosols produced in Titan's atmosphere that play an important role in atmospheric and surface processes and in organic chemistry as it applies to exobiological interests. To produce reliable laboratory analogues of these aerosols, we developed, tested, and optimized a device for the synthesis of clean tholins. The potential chemical evolution of Titan aerosols at Titan's surface has been studied, in particular, the possible interaction between aerosols and putative ammonia-water cryomagma. Modeling of the formation of Saturn's atmosphere has permitted the characterization of a composition of salts in the subsurface ocean and cryolava. From this new and original chemical composition, a laboratory study of several hydrolyses of tholins was carried out. The results obtained show the formation of many organic compounds, among them, species identified only in the presence of salts. In addition, a list of potential precursors of these compounds was established, which could provide a database for research of the chemical composition of tholins and/or aerosols of Titan. Key Words: Titan tholins-Titan aerosols-Hydrolysis-Carbonates-Titan's surface. Astrobiology 17, 8-26.

  2. Quantifying Precipitation Variability on Titan Using a GCM and Implications for Observed Geomorphology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Faulk, Sean P.; Mitchell, Jonathan L.; Moon, Seulgi; Lora, Juan Manuel

    2016-10-01

    Titan's zonal-mean precipitation behavior has been widely investigated using general circulation models (GCMs), but the spatial and temporal variability of rainfall in Titan's active hydrologic cycle is less well understood. We conduct statistical analyses of rainfall, diagnosed from GCM simulations of Titan's atmosphere, to determine storm intensity and frequency. Intense storms of methane have been proposed to be critical for enabling mechanical erosion of Titan's surface, as indicated by observations of dendritic valley networks. Using precipitation outputs from the Titan Atmospheric Model (TAM), a GCM shown to realistically simulate many features of Titan's atmosphere, we quantify the precipitation variability within eight separate latitude bins for a variety of initial surface liquid distributions. We find that while the overall wettest regions are indeed the poles, the most intense rainfall generally occurs in the high mid-latitudes, between 45-67.5 degrees, consistent with recent geomorphological observations of alluvial fans concentrated at those latitudes. We also find that precipitation rates necessary for surface erosion, as estimated by Perron et al. (2006) J. Geophys. Res. 111, E11001, frequently occur at all latitudes, with recurrence intervals of less than one Titan year. Such analysis is crucial towards understanding the complex interaction between Titan's atmosphere and surface and defining the influence of precipitation on observed geomorphology.

  3. Theoretical Calculations on Sediment Transport on Titan, and the Possible Production of Streamlined Forms

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Burr, D. M.; Emery, J. P.; Lorenz, R. D.

    2005-01-01

    The Cassini Imaging Science System (ISS) has been returning images of Titan, along with other Saturnian satellites. Images taken through the 938 nm methane window see down to Titan's surface. One of the purposes of the Cassini mission is to investigate possible fluid cycling on Titan. Lemniscate features shown recently and radar evidence of surface flow prompted us to consider theoretically the creation by methane fluid flow of streamlined forms on Titan. This follows work by other groups in theoretical consideration of fluid motion on Titan's surface.

  4. Titan tholins formed from simuolated upper and lower atmosphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Taniuchi, Toshinori; Hosogai, Tomohiro; Takano, Yoshinori; Kaneko, Takeo; Kobayashi, Kensei; Khare, Bishun; McKay, Chris

    Titan, the biggest satellite of Saturn, has dense atmosphere that mainly consists of nitrogen and methane. In this study, we irradiated proton beams to the mixture of nitrogen and methane, and analyzed the structure, the chemical composition, and molecular weight of the resulting aerosols (named PI-tholins), in order to simulate possible reactions in the lower Titan atmosphere. On the other hand, magnetosphere electrons could be effective for the formation of organic molecules in the upper atmosphere of Titan. Thus we compared PI-tholin with the tholin formed by plasma discharge (named PD-tholins). A mixture of methane and nitrogen was irradiated with 3 MeV protons from a van de Graaff accelerator (Tokyo Institute of Technology). Many nitriles and nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds were detected by Py-GC/MS, showing that quite complex organics were formed from the simulated Titan atmosphere by proton irradiation. Microscopic observation showed that the complex organic aerosols had the structure bigger than 0.01 mm. G-value of Gly was 0.03. PD-tholins were produced by plasma discharge in 1 Torr of a mixture of methane and nitrogen by using plasma discharge facility RFX-600 (NASA Ames Research Center). Discharges were continued at 100 W for 72 hours. PD-tholins had similar chemical structures to PI-tholins. But the G-value of Gly in PD-tholins was 0.000091, which was much less thatn that in PI-tholins. It was implied that cosmic rays in the lower Titan atmosphere was much more effective to form complex organics yielding amino acids than other energies in the upper Titan atmosphere.

  5. Rotary Wing Deceleration Use on Titan

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Young, Larry A.; Steiner, Ted J.

    2011-01-01

    Rotary wing decelerator (RWD) systems were compared against other methods of atmospheric deceleration and were determined to show significant potential for application to a system requiring controlled descent, low-velocity landing, and atmospheric research capability on Titan. Design space exploration and down-selection results in a system with a single rotor utilizing cyclic pitch control. Models were developed for selection of a RWD descent system for use on Titan and to determine the relationships between the key design parameters of such a system and the time of descent. The possibility of extracting power from the system during descent was also investigated.

  6. Detection and mapping of organic molecules in Titan's atmosphere using ALMA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cordiner, Martin

    2016-06-01

    Titan's atmospheric photochemistry results in the production of a wide range of organic molecules, including hydrocarbons, nitriles, aromatics and other complex species of possible pre-biotic relevance. Studies of Titan's atmospheric chemistry thus provide a unique opportunity to explore the origin and evolution of organic matter in primitive (terrestrial) planetary atmospheres. The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is a powerful new facility, well suited to the study of molecular emission from Titan's upper and middle-atmosphere. Results will be presented from our ongoing studies of Titan using ALMA data obtained during the period 2012-2014 [1,2], including detection and mapping of emission from C2H5CN, HNC, HC3N, CH3CN and CH3CCH. In addition, combining data from multiple ALMA Band 6 observations, we obtained high-resolution spectra with unprecedented sensitivity, enabling the first detection of C2H3CN (vinyl cyanide) on Titan, and derived a mean C2H3CN C2H5CN abundance ratio above 300 km of 0.3. Vinyl cyanide has recently been investigated as a possible constituent of (pre-biotic) vesicle membranes in Titan's liquid CH4 oceans [3]. Radiative transfer models and possible chemical formation pathways for the detected molecules will be discussed. ALMA observations provide instantaneous snapshot mapping of Titan's entire Earth-facing hemisphere for gases inaccessible to previous studies, and therefore provide new insights into photochemical production and transport, particularly at higher altitudes. Our maps show spatially resolved peaks in Titan's northern and southern hemispheres, consistent with the molecular distributions found in previous studies at infrared wavelengths by Voyager and Cassini, but high-altitude longitudinal asymmetries in our nitrile data indicate that the mesosphere may be more spatially variable than previously thought.

  7. The Influence of Runoff and Surface Hydrology on Titan's Weather and Climate

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Faulk, S.; Lora, J. M.; Mitchell, J.; Moon, S.

    2017-12-01

    Titan's surface liquid distribution has been shown by general circulation models (GCMs) to greatly influence the hydrological cycle, producing characteristic weather and seasonal climate patterns. Simulations from the Titan Atmospheric Model (TAM) with imposed polar methane "wetlands" reservoirs realistically produce observed cloud features and temperature profiles of Titan's atmosphere, whereas "aquaplanet" simulations with a global methane ocean are not as successful. In addition, wetlands simulations, unlike aquaplanet simulations, demonstrate strong correlations between extreme rainfall behavior and observed geomorphic features, indicating the influential role of precipitation in shaping Titan's surface. The wetlands configuration is, in part, motivated by Titan's large-scale topography featuring low-latitude highlands and high-latitude lowlands, with the implication being that methane may concentrate in the high-latitude lowlands by way of runoff and subsurface flow of a global or regional methane table. However, the extent to which topography controls the surface liquid distribution and thus impacts the global hydrological cycle by driving surface and subsurface flow is unclear. Here we present TAM simulations wherein the imposed wetlands reservoirs are replaced by a surface runoff scheme that allows surface liquid to self-consistently redistribute under the influence of topography. We discuss the impact of surface runoff on the surface liquid distribution over seasonal timescales and compare the resulting hydrological cycle to observed cloud and surface features, as well as to the hydrological cycles of the TAM wetlands and aquaplanet simulations. While still idealized, this more realistic representation of Titan's hydrology provides new insight into the complex interaction between Titan's atmosphere and surface, demonstrates the influence of surface runoff on Titan's global climate, and lays the groundwork for further surface hydrology developments in Titan

  8. Speed of sound estimation for thermal monitoring using an active ultrasound element during liver ablation therapy (Conference Presentation)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, Younsu; Audigier, Chloé; Dillow, Austin; Cheng, Alexis; Boctor, Emad M.

    2017-03-01

    Thermal monitoring for ablation therapy has high demands for preserving healthy tissues while removing malignant ones completely. Various methods have been investigated. However, exposure to radiation, cost-effectiveness, and inconvenience hinder the use of X-ray or MRI methods. Due to the non-invasiveness and real-time capabilities of ultrasound, it is widely used in intraoperative procedures. Ultrasound thermal monitoring methods have been developed for affordable monitoring in real-time. We propose a new method for thermal monitoring using an ultrasound element. By inserting a Lead-zirconate-titanate (PZT) element to generate the ultrasound signal in the liver tissues, the single travel time of flight is recorded from the PZT element to the ultrasound transducer. We detect the speed of sound change caused by the increase in temperature during ablation therapy. We performed an ex vivo experiment with liver tissues to verify the feasibility of our speed of sound estimation technique. The time of flight information is used in an optimization method to recover the speed of sound maps during the ablation, which are then converted into temperature maps. The result shows that the trend of temperature changes matches with the temperature measured at a single point. The estimation error can be decreased by using a proper curve linking the speed of sound to the temperature. The average error over time was less than 3 degrees Celsius for a bovine liver. The speed of sound estimation using a single PZT element can be used for thermal monitoring.

  9. TSSM: An International Mission to Titan and the Saturn System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lunine, J. I.; Lebreton, J. P.; Coustenis, A.; Matson, D.; Reh, K.; Beauchamp, P.; Erd, C.

    2008-09-01

    A mission to return to Titan after Cassini- Huygens is a high priority for exploration, as recommended by the 2007 NASA Science Plan, the 2006 Solar System Exploration Roadmap, the ESA Cosmic Visions competition, and the 2003 National Research Council of the National Academies Solar System report on New Frontiers in the Solar System: An Integrated Exploration Strategy (aka Decadal Survey). As anticipated by the 2003 Decadal Survey, recent Cassini-Huygens discoveries have further revolutionized our understanding of the Titan system and its potential for harbouring the "ingredients" necessary for life. These discoveries reveal that Titan is rich in organics, contains a vast subsurface ocean of liquid water, surface repositories of methane, ethane and other organic compounds, and has the energy sources necessary to drive chemical evolution. With these recent discoveries, interest in Titan as the next scientific target in the outer Solar System is strongly reinforced. Cassini's discovery of active geysers on Enceladus adds a second target in the Saturn system for such a mission, one that is synergistic with Titan in understanding planetary evolution and in adding a potential abode in the Saturn system for life as we know it. One of the mission concepts would consist of a NASA-provided 1600 kg orbiter with ESA-provided 180 kg Mare Explorer and 588 kg Montgolfière Balloon. The mission would launch on an Atlas 551 in the 2018-2020 timeframe, travelling to Saturn on an SEP gravity assist trajectory, and reaching Saturn approximately 8.5 years later. The SEP stage would be released approximately 5.8 years after launch well in advance of Saturn approach. The main engine would then place the flight system into orbit around Saturn for a tour phase lasting approximately 2 years. During the first Titan flyby (~100 days after SOI), the orbiter would release the lander (Mare Explorer) to target one of the two large northern polar seas, probably Kraken Mare, and the Montgolfiere

  10. How Altitude and Latitude Control Dune Morphometry on Titan

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Le Gall, A.; Hayes, A.; Ewing, R.; Janssen, M. A.; Radebaugh, J.; Savage, C.; Encrenaz, P.

    2011-01-01

    Dune fields are one of the dominant landforms and represent the largest known organic reservoir on Titan. SAR-derived topography show that Titan's dune terrains tend to occupy the lowest altitude areas in equatorial regions occurring at mean elevations between approx.-400 and 0 m. In elevated dune terrains, there is a definite trend towards a smaller dune to interdune ratio, interpreted as due to limited sediment availability. A similar linear correlation is observed with latitude, suggesting that the quantity of windblown sand in the dune fields tends to decrease as one moves farther north. These findings place important constraints on Titan's geology and climate.

  11. IN SITU MEASUREMENTS OF THE SIZE AND DENSITY OF TITAN AEROSOL ANALOGS

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hoerst, S. M.; Tolbert, M. A, E-mail: sarah.horst@colorado.edu

    2013-06-10

    The organic haze produced from complex CH{sub 4}/N{sub 2} chemistry in the atmosphere of Titan plays an important role in processes that occur in the atmosphere and on its surface. The haze particles act as condensation nuclei and are therefore involved in Titan's methane hydrological cycle. They also may behave like sediment on Titan's surface and participate in both fluvial and aeolian processes. Models that seek to understand these processes require information about the physical properties of the particles including their size and density. Although measurements obtained by Cassini-Huygens have placed constraints on the size of the haze particles, theirmore » densities remain unknown. We have conducted a series of Titan atmosphere simulation experiments and measured the size, number density, and particle density of Titan aerosol analogs, or tholins, for CH{sub 4} concentrations from 0.01% to 10% using two different energy sources, spark discharge and UV. We find that the densities currently in use by many Titan models are higher than the measured densities of our tholins.« less

  12. Infrared Spectra and Optical Constants of Nitrile Ices Relevant to Titan's Atmosphere

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Anderson, Carrie; Ferrante, Robert F.; Moore, W. James; Hudson, Reggie; Moore, Marla H.

    2011-01-01

    Spectra and optical constants of nitrile ices known or suspected to be in Titan?s atmosphere have been determined from 2.0 to 333.3 microns (approx.5000 to 30/cm). These results are relevant to the ongoing modeling of Cassini CIRS observations of Titan?s winter pole. Ices studied were: HCN, hydrogen cyanide; C2N2, cyanogen; CH3CN, acetonitrile; C2H5CN, propionitrile; and HC3N, cyanoacetylene. Optical constants were calculated, using Kramers-Kronig analysis, for each nitrile ice?s spectrum measured at a variety of temperatures, in both the amorphous- and crystalline phases. Spectra were also measured for many of the nitriles after quenching at the annealing temperature and compared with those of annealed ices. For each of these molecules we also measured the real component, n, of the refractive index for amorphous and crystalline phases at 670 nm. Several examples of the information contained in these new data sets and their usefulness in modeling Titan?s observed features will be presented (e.g., the broad emission feature at 160/cm; Anderson and Samuelson, 2011).

  13. Encouragement from Jupiter for Europe's Titan Probe

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    1996-04-01

    Huygens will transmit scientific information for 150 minutes, from the outer reaches of Titan's cold atmosphere and all the way down to its enigmatic surface. For comparison, the Jupiter Probe radioed scientific data for 58 minutes as it descended about 200 kilometres into the outer part of the atmosphere of the giant planet. The parachutes controlling various stages of Huygens' descent will rely upon a system for deployment designed and developed in Europe that is nevertheless similar to that used by the Jupiter Probe. The elaborate sequence of operations in Huygens worked perfectly during a dramatic drop test from a stratospheric balloon over Sweden in May 1995, which approximated as closely as possible to events on Titan. The performance of the American Probe at Jupiter renews the European engineers' confidence in their own descent control system, and also in the lithium sulphur-dioxide batteries which were chosen to power both Probes. "The systems work after long storage in space," comments Hamid Hassan, ESA's Project Manager for Huygens. "Huygens will spend seven years travelling to Saturn's vicinity aboard the Cassini Orbiter. The Jupiter Probe was a passenger in Galileo for six years before its release, so there is no reason to doubt that Huygens will work just as well." Huygens will enter the outer atmosphere of Titan at 20,000 kilometres per hour. A heat shield 2.7 metres in diameter will withstand the friction and slow the Probe to a speed at which parachutes can be deployed. The size of the parachute for the main phase of the descent is chosen to allow Huygens to reach the surface in about 2 hours. The batteries powering Huygens will last for about 21/2 hours. Prepared for surprises A different perspective on the Jupiter Probe comes from Jean-Pierre Lebreton, ESA's Project Scientist for Huygens. The results contradicted many preconceptions of the Galileo scientists, particularly about the abundance of water and the structure of cloud layers. Arguments

  14. Formation of sodium bismuth titanate-barium titanate during solid-state synthesis

    DOE PAGES

    Hou, Dong; Aksel, Elena; Fancher, Chris M.; ...

    2017-01-12

    Phase formation of sodium bismuth titanate (Na 0.5Bi 0.5TiO 3 or NBT) and its solid solution with barium titanate (BaTiO 3 or BT) during the calcination process is studied using in situ high-temperature diffraction. The reactant powders were mixed and heated to 1000°C, while X-ray diffraction patterns were recorded continuously. Phase evolutions from starting materials to final perovskite products are observed, and different transient phases are identified. The formation mechanism of NBT and NBT–xBT perovskite structures is discussed, and a reaction sequence is suggested based on the observations. The in situ study leads to a new processing approach, which ismore » the use of nano-TiO 2, and gives insights to the particle size effect for solid-state synthesis products. Lastly, it was found that the use of nano-TiO 2 as reactant powder accelerates the synthesis process, decreases the formation of transient phases, and helps to obtain phase-pure products using a lower thermal budget.« less

  15. The Influence of Internal and External Torques on Titan's Length-of-day Variations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    van Hoolst, T.; Karatekin, O.; Rambaux, N.

    2008-12-01

    Cassini radar observations show that Titan's spin is slightly faster than synchronous spin. Angular momentum exchange between Titan and its atmosphere is the most likely cause of the observed non-synchronous rotation. We study the effect of Saturn's gravitational torque and torques between Titan's internal layers on the length-of-day (LOD) variations driven by the atmosphere. Those torques depend on the equatorial flattening of Titan resulting from static tides raised by Saturn. We calculate Titan's flattening under the assumption of hydrostatic equilibrium and show that the gravitational forcing by Saturn, due to misalignment of the long axis of Titan with the line joining the mass centers of Titan and Saturn, reduces the LOD variations with respect to those for a spherical Titan by an order of magnitude. Internal gravitational and pressure coupling between the ice shell and the interior beneath a putative ocean tends to diminish any differential rotation between shell and interior and reduces further the LOD variations by a few times. For the current estimate of the atmospheric torque, we obtain LOD variations of a hydrostatic Titan that are more than 50 times smaller than the observations indicate when a subsurface ocean exists and more than 100 times smaller when Titan has no ocean. Moreover, Saturn's torque causes the rotation to be slower than synchronous in contrast to the Cassini observations. Those large differences with the observations suggest that non-hydrostatic effects in Titan are important. In particular, we show that the amplitude and phase of the calculated rotation variations would be similar to the observed values if non-hydrostatic effects strongly reduce the equatorial flattening of the ice shell above an internal ocean. Alternatively, the calculated LOD variations could be increased if the atmospheric torque is larger than predicted or if fast viscous relaxation of the ice shell could reduce the gravitational coupling, but it remains to be

  16. Observations of CO in Titan's Atmosphere Using ALMA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Serigano, Joseph; Nixon, Conor A.; Cordiner, Martin; Irwin, Patrick G. J.; Teanby, Nicholas; Charnley, Steven B.; Lindberg, Johan E.; Remijan, Anthony J.

    2015-11-01

    The advent of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) has provided a powerful facility for probing the atmospheres of solar system targets at long wavelengths (84-720 GHz) where the rotational lines of small, polar molecules are prominent. In the dense, nitrogen-dominated atmosphere of Titan, photodissociation of molecular nitrogen and methane leads to a wealth of complex hydrocarbons and nitriles in small abundances. Past millimeter/submillimeter observations, including ground-based observations as well as those by the Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) aboard the Cassini spacecraft, have proven the significance of this wavelength region for the derivation of vertical mixing profiles, latitudinal and seasonal variations, and molecular detections. Previous ALMA studies of Titan have presented mapping and vertical column densities of hydrogen isocyanide (HNC) and cyanoacetylene (HC3N) (Cordiner et al. 2014) as well as the first spectroscopic detection of ethyl cyanide (C2H5CN) in Titan’s atmosphere (Cordiner et al. 2015).Here, we report several submillimetric observations of carbon monoxide (CO) and its isotopologues 13CO, C18O, and C17O in Titan’s atmosphere obtained with flux calibration data from the ALMA Science Archive. We employ NEMESIS, a line-by-line radiative transfer code, to determine the stratospheric abundances of these molecules. The abundance of CO in Titan's atmosphere is determined to be approximately 50±1 ppm, constant with altitude, and isotopic ratios are determined to be approximately 12C/13C = 90, 16O/18O = 470, and 16O/17O = 2800. This report presents the first spectroscopic detection of C17O in the outer solar system, detected at >11σ confidence. This talk will focus on isotopic ratios in CO in Titan's atmosphere and will compare our results to previously measured values for Titan and other bodies in the Solar System. General implications for the history of Titan from measurements of CO and its isotopologues will be

  17. Touring the saturnian system: the atmospheres of titan and saturn

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Owen, Tobias; Gautier, Daniel

    2002-07-01

    This report follows the presentation originally given in the ESA Phase A Study for the Cassini Huygens Mission. The combination of the Huygens atmospheric probe into Titan's atmosphere with the Cassini orbiter allows for both in-situ and remote-sensing observations of Titan. This not only provides a rich harvest of data about Saturn's famous satellite but will permit a useful calibration of the remote-sensing instruments which will also be used on Saturn itself. Composition, thermal structure, dynamics, aeronomy, magnetosphere interactions and origins will all be investigated for the two atmospheres, and the spacecraft will also deliver information on the interiors of both Titan and Saturn. As the surface of Titan is intimately linked with the atmosphere, we also discuss some of the surface studies that will be carried out by both probe and orbiter.

  18. Alma Observations of HCN and its Isotopologues on Titan

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Molter, Edward M.; Nixon, C. A.; Cordiner, M. A.; Serigano, J.; Irwin, P. G. J.; Teanby, N. A.; Charnley, S. B.; Lindberg, J. E.

    2016-01-01

    We present sub-millimeter spectra of HCN isotopologues on Titan, derived from publicly available ALMA flux calibration observations of Titan taken in early 2014. We report the detection of a new HCN isotopologue on Titan, H13C15N, and confirm an earlier report of detection of DCN. We model high signal-to-noise observations of HCN, H13CN, HC15N, DCN, and H13C15N to derive abundances and infer the following isotopic ratios: 12C/13C = 89.8 +/- 2.8, 14N/15N = 72.3 +/- 2.2, D/H = (2.5 +/- 0.2) × 10-4, and HCN/H13C15N = 5800 +/- 270 (1sigma errors). The carbon and nitrogen ratios are consistent with and improve on the precision of previous results, confirming a factor of approximately 2.3 elevation in 14N/15N in HCN compared to N2 and a lack of fractionation in 12C/13C from the protosolar value. This is the first published measurement of D/H in a nitrile species on Titan, and we find evidence for a factor of approximately 2 deuterium enrichment in hydrogen cyanide compared to methane. The isotopic ratios we derive may be used as constraints for future models to better understand the fractionation processes occurring in Titan's atmosphere.

  19. The Case for Cryovolcanism on Saturns Moon Titan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nelson, R. M.

    2009-04-01

    Two regions on the surface of Saturn's satellite Titan have been observed to change reflectance during the Cassini spacecraft's four-year, orbital tour of the Saturnian system. These changes were documented by Cassini's Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer. Titan's atmosphere is opaque at visual wavelengths due to methane, but VIMS is able to image the surface through "windows" at infrared wavelengths where the methane is relatively transparent[1,2]. Cassini RADAR images show that at least one of these regions, Hotei Arcus (26S,78W), exhibits lobate "flow" forms, consistent with the morphology of volcanic terrain [3]. Here we report the discovery of additional lobate "flow" patterns on Titan's surface at Hotei Arcus, based on VIMS images recently obtained during close flybys by Cassini. This new evidence, combined with the previous evidence from RADAR images, together with the earlier brightness variability seen at these same locations by VIMS, supports the hypothesis of volcanic eruptions. If so, then Titan is presently geologically active on the surface, and in its interior. Cassini encountered Titan at very close range on 2008-11-19-13:58 and again on 2008-12-05-12:38. These epochs are called T47 and T48. The slant distance from the spacecraft to Hotei Arcus was 27,051 and 31,787 km. for T47 and T48 respectively. We report changes that occurred since the T5 flyby (2005-04-16-13:17; range 117042 km). Previously, VIMS was able to see brightness changes but not morphological change. Now, comparison of earlier higher-resolution data (T5) with the recent T47 and T48 data reveal changes of the surface reflectance and morphology in the Hotei region. This is the first evidence from VIMS that shows that Hotei Arcus is morphology consistent with volcanic terrain. If Titan is currently active then these results raise for discussion the following questions: What is the full extent of current geologic activity? What are the ongoing processes? Are Titan's chemical

  20. Cassini measurements of cold plasma in the ionosphere of Titan.

    PubMed

    Wahlund, J E; Boström, R; Gustafsson, G; Gurnett, D A; Kurth, W S; Pedersen, A; Averkamp, T F; Hospodarsky, G B; Persoon, A M; Canu, P; Neubauer, F M; Dougherty, M K; Eriksson, A I; Morooka, M W; Gill, R; André, M; Eliasson, L; Müller-Wodarg, I

    2005-05-13

    The Cassini Radio and Plasma Wave Science (RPWS) Langmuir probe (LP) sensor observed the cold plasma environment around Titan during the first two flybys. The data show that conditions in Saturn's magnetosphere affect the structure and dynamics deep in the ionosphere of Titan. The maximum measured ionospheric electron number density reached 3800 per cubic centimeter near closest approach, and a complex chemistry was indicated. The electron temperature profiles are consistent with electron heat conduction from the hotter Titan wake. The ionospheric escape flux was estimated to be 10(25) ions per second.

  1. Titan's Surface Composition from Cassini VIMS Solar Occultation Observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McCord, Thomas; Hayne, Paul; Sotin, Christophe

    2013-04-01

    Titan's surface is obscured by a thick absorbing and scattering atmosphere, allowing direct observation of the surface within only a few spectral win-dows in the near-infrared, complicating efforts to identify and map geologi-cally important materials using remote sensing IR spectroscopy. We there-fore investigate the atmosphere's infrared transmission with direct measure-ments using Titan's occultation of the Sun as well as Titan's reflectance measured at differing illumination and observation angles observed by Cas-sini's Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS). We use two im-portant spectral windows: the 2.7-2.8-mm "double window" and the broad 5-mm window. By estimating atmospheric attenuation within these windows, we seek an empirical correction factor that can be applied to VIMS meas-urements to estimate the true surface reflectance and map inferred composi-tional variations. Applying the empirical corrections, we correct the VIMS data for the viewing geometry-dependent atmospheric effects to derive the 5-µm reflectance and 2.8/2.7-µm reflectance ratio. We then compare the cor-rected reflectances to compounds proposed to exist on Titan's surface. We propose a simple correction to VIMS Titan data to account for atmospheric attenuation and diffuse scattering in the 5-mm and 2.7-2.8 mm windows, generally applicable for airmass < 3.0. We propose a simple correction to VIMS Titan data to account for atmospheric attenuation and diffuse scatter-ing in the 5-mm and 2.7-2.8 mm windows, generally applicable for airmass < 3.0. The narrow 2.75-mm absorption feature, dividing the window into two sub-windows, present in all on-planet measurements is not present in the occultation data, and its strength is reduced at the cloud tops, suggesting the responsible molecule is concentrated in the lower troposphere or on the sur-face. Our empirical correction to Titan's surface reflectance yields properties shifted closer to water ice for the majority of the low

  2. Late Outcome of Atrial Fibrillation Ablation Program at Unity Point Health Methodist in Peoria Illinois.

    PubMed

    Mina, Adel; Warnecke, Nicholas

    2015-01-01

    The objective of this study was to evaluate the long term efficacy and safety of the atrial fibrillation program at Unity Point Health Methodist in Peoria. A retrospective analysis was performed on patients who had atrial fibrillation procedures at Unity Point Methodist from February 19 th 2010 to September 26 th 2014. Patients were enrolled and information obtained through the patient's medical records. The study consisted of 53 patients, 65 percent of patients were paroxysmal, and 35 percent had chronic or persistent atrial fibrillation. The mean age was 66 +/- 23 (45 to 89 years). The average CHADS-Vasc Score is score is 2.13. Baseline co-morbidities included 34 individuals with HTN, 10 with Diabetes, and 4 with coronary artery disease. The average EF was 55% +/-25 (30% to 70%) and the average LA diameter 41 +/-15 mm (25-56). The average number of antiarrhythmic was 1.5 prior to ablation. After a mean follow-up of 28 ± 29 months (range, 3 to 57 months), freedom from AF was 94% overall (51 of 53 patients, including 52 were on antiarrhythmic drugs), 94% for paroxysmal AF (34 of 36 patients, including 24 of whom discontinued their antiarrhythmic drugs), and 94% for persistent AF (16 of 17 patients, including 9 no longer on antiarrhythmic drugs). 76 percent experienced a decrease in their antiarrhythmic medications of which 60 percent discontinued antiarrhythmic altogether. Out of the 53 patients, there were three major but completely reversible transient complications. Two of the complications were related to pericardial effusion that was successfully drained with no recurrence. The last complication was phrenic nerve injury in a patient who showed complete recovery 4 month after the procedure. Long-term results of atrial fibrillation ablation at Unity Point Health Methodist showed safety and efficacy of the program in the treatment of symptomatic atrial fibrillation in both paroxysmal and persistent groups.

  3. High Performance Radiation Transport Simulations on TITAN

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Baker, Christopher G; Davidson, Gregory G; Evans, Thomas M

    2012-01-01

    In this paper we describe the Denovo code system. Denovo solves the six-dimensional, steady-state, linear Boltzmann transport equation, of central importance to nuclear technology applications such as reactor core analysis (neutronics), radiation shielding, nuclear forensics and radiation detection. The code features multiple spatial differencing schemes, state-of-the-art linear solvers, the Koch-Baker-Alcouffe (KBA) parallel-wavefront sweep algorithm for inverting the transport operator, a new multilevel energy decomposition method scaling to hundreds of thousands of processing cores, and a modern, novel code architecture that supports straightforward integration of new features. In this paper we discuss the performance of Denovo on the 10--20 petaflop ORNLmore » GPU-based system, Titan. We describe algorithms and techniques used to exploit the capabilities of Titan's heterogeneous compute node architecture and the challenges of obtaining good parallel performance for this sparse hyperbolic PDE solver containing inherently sequential computations. Numerical results demonstrating Denovo performance on early Titan hardware are presented.« less

  4. Large catchment area recharges Titan's Ontario Lacus

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dhingra, Rajani D.; Barnes, Jason W.; Yanites, Brian J.; Kirk, Randolph L.

    2018-01-01

    We seek to address the question of what processes are at work to fill Ontario Lacus while other, deeper south polar basins remain empty. Our hydrological analysis indicates that Ontario Lacus has a catchment area spanning 5.5% of Titan's surface and a large catchment area to lake surface area ratio. This large catchment area translates into large volumes of liquid making their way to Ontario Lacus after rainfall. The areal extent of the catchment extends to at least southern mid-latitudes (40°S). Mass conservation calculations indicate that runoff alone might completely fill Ontario Lacus within less than half a Titan year (1 Titan year = 29.5 Earth years) assuming no infiltration. Cassini Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) observations of clouds over the southern mid and high-latitudes are consistent with precipitation feeding Ontario's large catchment area. This far-flung rain may be keeping Ontario Lacus filled, making it a liquid hydrocarbon oasis in the relatively dry south polar region.

  5. Microwave Ablation Compared with Radiofrequency Ablation for Breast Tissue in an Ex Vivo Bovine Udder Model

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Tanaka, Toshihiro, E-mail: toshihir@bf6.so-net.ne.jp; Westphal, Saskia, E-mail: swestphal@ukaachen.de; Isfort, Peter, E-mail: isfort@hia.rwth-aachen.de

    2012-08-15

    Purpose: To compare the effectiveness of microwave (MW) ablation with radiofrequency (RF) ablation for treating breast tissue in a nonperfused ex vivo model of healthy bovine udder tissue. Materials and Methods: MW ablations were performed at power outputs of 25W, 35W, and 45W using a 915-MHz frequency generator and a 2-cm active tip antenna. RF ablations were performed with a bipolar RF system with 2- and 3-cm active tip electrodes. Tissue temperatures were continuously monitored during ablation. Results: The mean short-axis diameters of the coagulation zones were 1.34 {+-} 0.14, 1.45 {+-} 0.13, and 1.74 {+-} 0.11 cm for MWmore » ablation at outputs of 25W, 35W, and 45W. For RF ablation, the corresponding values were 1.16 {+-} 0.09 and 1.26 {+-} 0.14 cm with electrodes having 2- and 3-cm active tips, respectively. The mean coagulation volumes were 2.27 {+-} 0.65, 2.85 {+-} 0.72, and 4.45 {+-} 0.47 cm{sup 3} for MW ablation at outputs of 25W, 35W, and 45W and 1.18 {+-} 0.30 and 2.29 {+-} 0.55 cm{sup 3} got RF ablation with 2- and 3-cm electrodes, respectively. MW ablations at 35W and 45W achieved significantly longer short-axis diameters than RF ablations (P < 0.05). The highest tissue temperature was achieved with MW ablation at 45W (P < 0.05). On histological examination, the extent of the ablation zone in MW ablations was less affected by tissue heterogeneity than that in RF ablations. Conclusion: MW ablation appears to be advantageous with respect to the volume of ablation and the shape of the margin of necrosis compared with RF ablation in an ex vivo bovine udder.« less

  6. Organics on Titan : Carbon Rings and Carbon Cycles (Invited)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lorenz, R. D.

    2010-12-01

    ? What are the inscrutably amorphous midlatitude terrains made of ? Is Titan’s bulk crust made of water ice? Only a few places show evidence of water ice bedrock (notably fluvial debris, and the fresh-looking Sinlap ejecta blanket). This may relate to another puzzle - the apparently karstic depressions, many of which are filled with hydrocarbon lakes, found in the polar regions. Low solubility makes etching of hundred-meter deep depressions in ice rather improbable. Perhaps the crust comprises shock-processed organic material from early in Titan’s history, as well as photolysis/radiolysis products forming today. Are the flow-like features detected in a number of places such as Hotei, ‘classical’ ammonia-water cryolavas as claimed, merely geomorphological delusions, or are they some reprocessed organic material heated or squeezed in the interior ? A terrestrial analog might be the salt glaciers of Iran, or in sci-fi the ‘waxworms’ of Titan in Arthur C. Clarke’s ‘Imperial Earth’. Classic cryovolcanism (and impact melt) is of course of interest for the known prebiotic synthesis pathways via hydrolysis of tholins, but some recent work suggests that at least trace prebiotic synthesis may occur in the gas phase via oxygen-bearing molecules sprinkled into the upper atmosphere by ablation of icy meteoroids and O+ ions from Enceladus. In any case, Titan presents us with an abundant and rich inventory of organics.

  7. Benign thyroid nodule unresponsive to radiofrequency ablation treated with laser ablation: a case report.

    PubMed

    Oddo, Silvia; Balestra, Margherita; Vera, Lara; Giusti, Massimo

    2018-05-11

    Radiofrequency ablation and laser ablation are safe and effective techniques for reducing thyroid nodule volume, neck symptoms, and cosmetic complaints. Therapeutic success is defined as a nodule reduction > 50% between 6 and 12 months after the procedure, but a percentage of nodules inexplicably do not respond to thermal ablation. We describe the case of a young Caucasian woman with a solid benign thyroid nodule who refused surgery and who had undergone radiofrequency ablation in 2013. The nodule did not respond in terms of either volume reduction or improvement in neck symptoms. After 2 years, given the patient's continued refusal of thyroidectomy, we proposed laser ablation. The nodule displayed a significant volume reduction (- 50% from radiofrequency ablation baseline volume, - 57% from laser ablation baseline), and the patient reported a significant improvement in neck symptoms (from 6/10 to 1/10 on a visual analogue scale). We conjecture that some benign thyroid nodules may be intrinsically resistant to necrosis when one specific ablation technique is used, but may respond to another technique. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first description of the effect of performing a different percutaneous ablation technique in a nodule that does not respond to radiofrequency ablation.

  8. Light scattering measurements with Titan's aerosols analogues produced by dusty plasma

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hadamcik, E.; Renard, J.-B.; Szopa, C.; Cernogora, G.; Levasseur-Regourd, A. C.

    The Titan s atmosphere contains solid aerosols produced by the photochemistry of nitrogen and methane These aerosols are at the origin of the characteristic brown yellow colour of Titan During the descent of the Huygens probe the 14 th January 2005 optical measurements of the Titan s haze and Titan s surface have been done In order to explain the obtained results laboratory simulations are necessary We produce analogues of the Titan s aerosols in a RF capacitively coupled low-pressure plasma in a N 2 --CH 4 mixture representative of the Titan s atmosphere Szopa et al 2006 Szopa et al this conference The morphology of the produced solid aerosols is observed by SEM analyses They are quasi spherical and their mean size is function of the plasma conditions Moreover their colour changes from yellow to brown as a function of CH 4 ratio in the plasma In order to have information on the optical properties of the produced aerosols measurements have been performed with the PROGRA2 experiment Renard et al 2002 The PROGRA2 experiment measures the phase dependence of the linear polarization of the light scattered by dust particles for two wavelengths 543 5 nm and 632 8 nm The particles are lifted either in microgravity in the CNES ESA dedicated airplane or by an air-draught in ground-based conditions The aim of this work is to build a database for further modelling of the optical properties of Titan s in connection with the Huygens data These particles have also an astrophysical interest as organic compounds Hadamcik et

  9. New clues on the interior of Titan from its rotation state

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Noyelles, Benoît; Nimmo, Francis

    2014-07-01

    The Saturnian satellite Titan is one of the main targets of the Cassini-Huygens mission, which revealed in particular Titan's shape, gravity field, and rotation state. The shape and gravity field suggest that Titan is not in hydrostatic equilibrium, that it has a global subsurface ocean, and that its ice shell is both rigid (at tidal periods) and of variable thickness. The rotational state of Titan consists of an expected synchronous rotation rate and an unexpectedly high obliquity (0.3○) explained by Baland et al. (2011) to be a resonant behavior. We here combine a realistic model of the ice shell and interior and a 6-degrees of freedom rotational model, in which the librations, obliquity and polar motion of the rigid core and of the shell are modelled, to constrain the structure of Titan from the observations. We consider the gravitational pull of Saturn on the 2 rigid layers, the gravitational coupling between them, and the pressure coupling at the liquid-solid interfaces. We confirm the influence of the resonance found by Baland et al., that affects between 10 and 13% of the possible Titans. It is due to the 29.5-year periodic annual forcing. The resonant Titans can be obtained in situations in which a mass anomaly at the shell-ocean boundary (bottom loading) is from 80 to 92% compensated. This suggests a 250 to 280 km thick ocean below a 130 to 140 km thick shell, and is consistent with the degree-3 analysis of Hemingway 26 et al. (2013).

  10. Effects of material composition on the ablation performance of low density elastomeric ablators

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tompkins, S. S.; Kabana, W. P.

    1973-01-01

    The ablation performance of materials composed of various concentrations of nylon, hollow silica spheres, hollow phenolic spheres, and four elastomeric resins was determined. Both blunt-body and flat-panel specimens were used, the cold-wall heating-rate ranges being 0.11 to 0.8 MW/sq m, respectively. The corresponding surface pressure ranges for these tests were 0.017 to 0.037 atmosphere and 0.004 to 0.005 atmosphere. Some of the results show that (1) the addition of nylon significantly improved the ablation performance, but the nylon was not compatible with one resin system; (2) panel and blunt-body specimen data do not show the same effect of phenolic sphere content on ablation effectiveness; and (3) there appears to be an optimum concentration of hollow silica spheres for good ablation performance. The composition of an efficient, nonproprietary ablator for lifting body application is identified and the ablation performance of this ablator is compared with the performance of three commercially available materials.

  11. Study of the growth of CeO2 nanoparticles onto titanate nanotubes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Marques, Thalles M. F.; Ferreira, Odair P.; da Costa, Jose A. P.; Fujisawa, Kazunori; Terrones, Mauricio; Viana, Bartolomeu C.

    2015-12-01

    We report the study of the growth of CeO2 nanoparticles on the external walls and Ce4+ intercalation within the titanate nanotubes. The materials were fully characterized by multiple techniques, such as: Raman spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The ion exchange processes in the titanate nanotubes were carried out using different concentrations of Ce4+ in aqueous solution. Our results indicate that the growth of CeO2 nanoparticles grown mediated by the hydrolysis in the colloidal species of Ce and the attachment onto the titanate nanotubes happened and get it strongly anchored to the titanate nanotube surface by a simple electrostatic interaction between the nanoparticles and titanate nanotubes, which can explain the small size and even distribution of nanoparticles on titanate supports. It was demonstrated that it is possible to control the amount and size of CeO2 nanoparticles onto the nanotube surface, the species of the Ce ions intercalated between the layers of titanate nanotubes, and the materials could be tuned for using in specific catalysis in according with the amount of CeO2 nanoparticles, their oxygen vacancies/defects and the types of Ce species (Ce4+ or Ce3+) present into the nanotubes.

  12. Aromatic Structure in Simulates Titan Aerosol

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Trainer, Melissa G.; Loeffler, M. J.; Anderson, C. M.; Hudson, R. L.; Samuelson, R. E.; Moore, M. A.

    2011-01-01

    Observations of Titan by the Cassini Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) between 560 and 20 per centimeter (approximately 18 to 500 micrometers) have been used to infer the vertical variations of Titan's ice abundances, as well as those of the aerosol from the surface to an altitude of 300 km [1]. The aerosol has a broad emission feature centered approximately at 140 per centimeter (71 micrometers). As seen in Figure 1, this feature cannot be reproduced using currently available optical constants from laboratory-generated Titan aerosol analogs [2]. The far-IR is uniquely qualified for investigating low-energy vibrational motions within the lattice structures of COITIDlex aerosol. The feature observed by CIRS is broad, and does not likely arise from individual molecules, but rather is representative of the skeletal movements of macromolecules. Since Cassini's arrival at Titan, benzene (C6H6) has been detected in the atmosphere at ppm levels as well as ions that may be polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) [3]. We speculate that the feature may be a blended composite that can be identified with low-energy vibrations of two-dimensional lattice structures of large molecules, such as PAHs or nitrogenated aromatics. Such structures do not dominate the composition of analog materials generated from CH4 and N2 irradiation. We are performing studies forming aerosol analog via UV irradiation of aromatic precursors - specifically C6H6 - to understand how the unique chemical architecture of the products will influence the observable aerosol characteristics. The optical and chemical properties of the aromatic analog will be compared to those formed from CH4/N2 mixtures, with a focus on the as-yet unidentified far-IR absorbance feature. Preliminary results indicate that the photochemically-formed aromatic aerosol has distinct chemical composition, and may incorporate nitrogen either into the ring structure or adjoined chemical groups. These compositional differences are

  13. Titan's Oxygen Chemistry and its Impact on Haze Formation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vuitton, Veronique; Carrasco, Nathalie; Flandinet, Laurene; Horst, Sarah; Klippenstein, Stephen; Lavvas, Panayotis; Orthous-Daunay, Francois-Regis; Thissen, Roland; Yelle, Roger

    2016-06-01

    Though Titan's atmosphere is reducing with its 98% N2, 2% CH4 and 0.1% H2, CO is the fourth most abundant molecule with a uniform mixing ratio of ˜50 ppm. Two other oxygen bearing molecules have also been observed in Titan's atmosphere: CO2 and H2O, with a mixing ratio of ˜15 and ˜1 ppb, respectively. The physical and chemical processes that determine the abundances of these species on Titan have been at the centre of a long-standing debate as they place constraints on the origin and evolution of its atmosphere [1]. Moreover, laboratory experiments have shown that oxygen can be incorporated into complex molecules, some of which are building blocks of life [2]. Finally, the presence of CO modifies the production rate and size of tholins [3,4], which transposed to Titan's haze may have some strong repercussions on the temperature structure and dynamics of the atmosphere. We present here our current understanding of Titan's oxygen chemistry and of its impact on the chemical composition of the haze. We base our discussion on a photochemical model that describes the first steps of the chemistry and on state-of-the-art laboratory experiments for the synthesis and chemical analysis of aerosol analogues. We used a very-high resolution mass spectrometer (LTQ-Orbitrap XL instrument) to characterize the soluble part of tholin samples generated from N2/CH4/CO mixtures at different mixing ratios and with two different laboratory set-ups. These composition measurements provide some understanding of the chemical mechanisms by which CO affects particle formation and growth. Our final objective is to obtain a global picture of the fate and impact of oxygen on Titan, from its origin to prebiotic molecules to haze particles to material deposited on the surface.

  14. Hygroscopicity of Early Earth and Titan Laboratory Aerosol Analogs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hasenkopf, C. A.; Beaver, M. R.; Freedman, M. A.; Toon, O. B.; Tolbert, M. A.

    2009-12-01

    We have explored the ability of organic hazes, known to exist in the atmosphere of Titan and postulated to have existed in the Archean Earth atmosphere, to act as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). These laboratory aerosol analogs are generated via UV-photolysis of early Earth and Titan analog gas mixtures and are designed to mimic the present day atmospheric conditions on Titan and the early Earth atmosphere before the rise of oxygen. Water uptake is observed to occur on the early Earth and Titan aerosol analogs at relative humidities of 80% - 90% via optical growth measurements using cavity ring-down aerosol extinction spectroscopy. We find the optical growth of these aerosols is similar to known slightly-soluble organic acids, such as phthalic and pyromellitic acids. On average, the optical growth of the early Earth analog is slightly larger than the Titan analog. In order to translate our measurements obtained in a subsaturated regime into the CCN ability of these particles, we rely on the hygroscopicity parameter κ, developed by Petters & Kreidenweis (2007). We retrieve κ = 0.17±0.03 and 0.06±0.01 for the early Earth and Titan analogs, respectively. This early Earth analog hygroscopicity value indicates that the aerosol could activate at reasonable water vapor supersaturations. We use previous aerosol mass spectrometry results to correlate the chemical structure of the two types of analog with their hygroscopicity. The hygroscopicity of the early Earth aerosol analog, coupled with the apparent lack of other good CCN during the Archean, helps explain the role of the organic haze in the indirect effect of clouds on the early Earth and indicates that it may have had a significant impact on the hydrological cycle.

  15. A 3D Microphysical Model of Titan's Methane Cloud

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xiao, J.; Newman, C.; Inada, A.; Richardson, M.

    2006-12-01

    A time-dependent idealized 3D microphysical model for Titan's methane cloud is described. This new high resolution microphysical model nests in a Titan WRF GCM model. It assumes the vapor-liquid equilibria of methane-nitrogen mixtures which are based on the recent chemical experiments and thermodynamics models. In particular, the methane is condensed at a given temperature and pressure. Meanwhile nitrogen is dissolved in the methane liquid. The new model first uses the data from the thermodynamic model (Kouvaris et al. 1991), which involves saturation criteria, composition of condensate, and latent heat for a given pressure-temperature profile. For altitudes lower than 14 km, methane is saturated and condensed into liquid phase. However for altitudes from 14 km above to tropopause, methane is changed into supercooled liquid state. Then, we do some testing experiments with 1D model by varying the initial methane vapor mass mixing ratio profile and the initial mole fraction of methane in liquid phase. Based on the steady state results from 1D model, an idealized 3D microphysics model is developed to investigate the convection cloud in Titan's troposphere. Due to lower relative humidity at titan's surface (Samuelson et al. 1997) and the current estimated moist adiabatic lapse rate, convection is hardly to happen without lifting. For this reason, we apply a symmetry cosine ridge in a 100*100 grids box to force the air flow lifted at certain levels, which in turn drives the condensation of methane vapor. In addition to the abundance of methane clouds and its duration provided by the 3D model, our study demonstrates that vertical motion might be likely the major cause of convection clouds in Titan's troposphere. As the future work, we will further investigate size-resolved microphysical scheme to insight into the nature of methane cycle in Titan's atmosphere.

  16. The enhancement of the Transtage for the commercial Titan launch vehicle

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gunter, D.; Gizinski, S.

    1987-06-01

    The configuration of the Transtage upper stage and its application to the Titan III launch vehicle are examined. The Transtage consists of a control and a propulsion module, and is about 10 feet in diameter and 14.75 feet in length. The elements of the control and propulsion modules and their functions are described. The Transtage/Titan III combination allows for the insertion of a payload into geostationary transfer orbit and eliminates the requirement for a perigee kick motor system. It is observed that the addition of the Transtage upper stage to the Titan III launch vehicle provides a geosynchronous transfer orbit capability of 9500 lbs, flexible mission tailoring, and reliability exceeding 96 percent. Diagrams of the Titan III and the Transtage and its components are provided.

  17. Mars, Venus, Earth and Titan UV Laboratory Aeronomy by Electron Impact

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Malone, C. P.; Ajello, J. M.; McClintock, W. E.; Eastes, R.; Evans, J. S.; Holsclaw, G.; Schneider, N. M.; Jain, S.; Gerard, J. C. M. C.; Hoskins, A.

    2017-12-01

    The UV response of the Mars, Earth, Titan and Venus upper atmospheres to the solar radiation fields [solar wind and solar EUV] is the focus of the present generation of Mars, Earth, Titan and Venus missions. These missions are Mars Express (MEX), the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission (MAVEN), Cassini at Titan, Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk (GOLD) mission for Earth and Venus Express (VEX). Each spacecraft is equipped with a UV spectrometer that senses far ultraviolet (FUV) emissions from 110-190 nm, whose dayglow intensities are proportional to three quantities:1) particle (electron, ion) fluxes, 2) the altitude distribution of species in the ionosphere: CO, CO2, O, N2 at Venus and Mars and N2, O and O2 at Titan and Earth and 3) the emission cross section for the interaction process. UV spectroscopy provides a benchmark to the present space environment and indicates pathways for removing upper atmosphere gas (e.g., water escape from Mars and Earth) or N2 escape at Titan over eons. We present a UV laboratory program that utilizes an instrument, unique in the world, at the University of Colorado that can measure excitation mechanisms by particle (electron, ion) impact and the resulting emission cross sections that include processes occurring in a planetary atmosphere, particularly the optically forbidden emissions presented by the Cameron bands, the Lyman Birge Hopfield bands and the OI 135.6 nm multiplet. There are presently uncertainties by a factor of two in the existing measurements of the emission cross section, affecting modeling of electron transport. We have utilized the MAVEN Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph (IUVS) engineering model which operates at moderate spectral resolution ( 0.5-1.0nm FWHM) to obtain the full vibrational spectra of the Cameron band system CO(a 3Π → X 1Σ+) from both CO direct excitation and CO2 dissociative excitation, and for the dipole-allowed Fourth Positive band system of CO, while for N2 we have

  18. Titan 3E/Centaur D-1T Systems Summary

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1973-01-01

    A systems and operational summary of the Titan 3E/Centaur D-1T program is presented which describes vehicle assembly facilities, launch facilities, and management responsibilities, and also provides detailed information on the following separate systems: (1) mechanical systems, including structural components, insulation, propulsion units, reaction control, thrust vector control, hydraulic systems, and pneumatic equipment; (2) astrionics systems, such as instrumentation and telemetry, navigation and guidance, C-Band tracking system, and range safety command system; (3) digital computer unit software; (4) flight control systems; (5) electrical/electronic systems; and (6) ground support equipment, including checkout equipment.

  19. Long - High Resolution Spectrum of Methane. Towards Titan's Atmosphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Daumont, Ludovic; Tyuterev, Vladimir; Regalia, Laurence; Thomas, Xavier; von der Heyden, Pierre; Nikitin, Rei; Brown, Linda

    2011-06-01

    The precise knowledge of the methane absorption in the study of planetary systems, and especially of Titan (Saturn's largest satellite whose atmosphere is mainly composed of nitrogen and methane at temperatures ranging between 70 K and 200 K), is of great importance because it gives access to the determination of the physical properties of these objects. The full interpretation of the Titan data returned by the ground-based and space observations has been hindered by the lack of precise knowledge of the methane absorption which dominates Titan's near infrared spectra. We investigate the methane spectra in the closest conditions to existing Titan's spectra. We used the 50 m long cell from Reims university in front of the Home-made Fourier Transform Spectrometer to study the 12CH_4 spectra with 1603 m absorption path length, 1, 7 and 34 hPa pressures and at room temperature. The spectra was recorded in the all range from 3800 to 8100 Cm-1. The up-to-date measurements and assignments- mainly in the so called methane transparancy windows- will be presented and discussed.

  20. Femtosecond laser ablation of dentin and enamel: relationship between laser fluence and ablation efficiency.

    PubMed

    Chen, Hu; Liu, Jing; Li, Hong; Ge, Wenqi; Sun, Yuchun; Wang, Yong; Lü, Peijun

    2015-02-01

    The objective was to study the relationship between laser fluence and ablation efficiency of a femtosecond laser with a Gaussian-shaped pulse used to ablate dentin and enamel for prosthodontic tooth preparation. A diode-pumped thin-disk femtosecond laser with wavelength of 1025 nm and pulse width of 400 fs was used for the ablation of dentin and enamel. The laser spot was guided in a line on the dentin and enamel surfaces to form a groove-shaped ablation zone under a series of laser pulse energies. The width and volume of the ablated line were measured under a three-dimensional confocal microscope to calculate the ablation efficiency. Ablation efficiency for dentin reached a maximum value of 0.020 mm3∕J when the laser fluence was set at 6.51 J∕cm2. For enamel, the maximum ablation efficiency was 0.009 mm3∕J at a fluence of 7.59 J∕cm2.Ablation efficiency of the femtosecond laser on dentin and enamel is closely related to the laser fluence and may reach a maximum when the laser fluence is set to an appropriate value. © 2015 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)

  1. Cassini / Huygens at Saturn and Titan

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mitchell, Robert T.

    2005-01-01

    The Cassin/Huygens Project is a joint undertaking between NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Italian Space Agency to conduct an in-depth exploration of the Saturnian system. The spacecraft consists of an orbiter vehicle and an atmospheric probe which has completed its mission in the atmosphere and on the surface of Titan, the largest moon of Saturn. The spacecraft was launched on October 15, 1997, has completed its nearly seven years of interplanetary flight, and by the time of the 56th IAC, it will have completed 17 of its planned 75 orbits during its four-year prime orbital mission. This paper gives an overview of the mission, and describes in detail the accomplishments and events over the past year, including the spectacularly successful descent of the .European Space Agency's Huygens probe to the surface of Titan. Initial scientific results from both the Huygens mission as well as from the first one-and-a-quarter years of orbiting Saturn are summarized. The plans for the remainder of the orbiter's tour of the Saturn system and the many flybys of Titan and the smaller icy satellites are described.

  2. Amino acids derived from Titan tholins

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Khare, B. N.; Sagan, C.; Ogino, H.; Nagy, B.; Er, C.; Schram, K. H.; Arakawa, E. T.

    1986-01-01

    An organic heteropolymer (Titan tholin) was produced by continuous dc discharge through a 0.9 N2/0.1 CH4 gas mixture at 0.2 mbar pressure, roughly simulating the cloudtop atmosphere of Titan. Treatment of this tholin with 6N HCl yielded 16 amino acids by gas chromatography after derivatization of N-trifluroacetyl isopropyl esters on two different capillary columns. Identifications were confirmed by GC/MS. Glycine, aspartic acid, and alpha- and beta-alanine were produced in greatest abundance; the total yield of amino acids was approximately 10(-2), approximately equal to the yield of urea. The presence of "nonbiological" amino acids, the absence of serine, and the fact that the amino acids are racemic within experimental error together indicate that these molecules are not due to microbial or other contamination, but are derived from the tholin. In addition to the HCN, HC2CN, and (CN)2 found by Voyager, nitriles and aminonitriles should be sought in the Titanian atmosphere and, eventually, amino acids on the surface. These results suggest that episodes of liquid water in the past or future of Titan might lead to major further steps in prebiological organic chemistry on that body.

  3. The dynamics behind Titan's methane clouds.

    PubMed

    Mitchell, Jonathan L; Pierrehumbert, Raymond T; Frierson, Dargan M W; Caballero, Rodrigo

    2006-12-05

    We present results of an axisymmetric global circulation model of Titan with a simplified suite of atmospheric physics forced by seasonally varying insolation. The recent discovery of midlatitude tropospheric clouds on Titan has caused much excitement about the roles of surface sources of methane and the global circulation in forming clouds. Although localized surface sources, such as methane geysers or "cryovolcanoes," have been invoked to explain these clouds, we find in this work that clouds appear in regions of convergence by the mean meridional circulation and over the poles during solstices, where the solar forcing reaches its seasonal maximum. Other regions are inhibited from forming clouds because of dynamical transports of methane and strong subsidence. We find that for a variety of moist regimes, i.e., with the effect of methane thermodynamics included, the observed cloud features can be explained by the large-scale dynamics of the atmosphere. Clouds at the solsticial pole are found to be a robust feature of Titan's dynamics, whereas isolated midlatitude clouds are present exclusively in a variety of moist dynamical regimes. In all cases, even without including methane thermodynamics, our model ceases to produce polar clouds approximately 4-6 terrestrial years after solstices.

  4. Concept for A Mission to Titan, Saturn System and Enceladus

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Reh, K.; Beauchamp, P.; Elliott, J.

    2008-09-01

    A mission to Titan is a high priority for exploration, as recommended by the 2007 NASA Science Plan, the 2006 Solar System Exploration Roadmap, and the 2003 National Research Council of the National Academies Solar System report on New Frontiers in the Solar System: An Integrated Exploration Strategy (aka Decadal Survey). As anticipated by the 2003 Decadal Survey, recent Cassini-Huygens discoveries have further revolutionized our understanding of the Titan system and its potential for harbouring the "ingredients" necessary for life. These discoveries reveal that Titan is rich in organics, possibly contains a vast subsurface ocean and has energy sources to drive chemical evolution. With these recent discoveries, the interest in Titan as the next scientific target in the outer Solar System is strongly reinforced. Cassini's discovery of active geysers on Enceladus adds a second target in the Saturn system for such a mission, one that is synergistic with Titan in understanding planetary evolution and in adding a potential abode in the Saturn system for life as we know it. The baseline mission concept shown in Figures 1 and 2 would consist of a chemically propelled orbiter, with accommodations for ESA contributed in situ elements, and would launch on an Atlas 551 in 2016-2018 timeframe, traveling to Saturn on a Venus-Earth-Earth gravity assist (VEEGA) trajectory, and reaching Saturn approximately 10 years later. Prior to Saturn orbit insertion (SOI) the orbiter would target and release ESA provided in situ elements; possibly a low-latitude Montgolfiere balloon system and capable polar and/or mid-latitude lander. The main engine would then place the flight system into orbit around Saturn for a tour phase lasting 18 months. This tour phase would accomplish Saturn system and Enceladus science (4 Enceladus flybys with instrumentation for plume sampling well beyond Cassini capability) while executing leveraging Titan pump down manoeuvres to minimize the required amount of

  5. A Comparison of Platforms for the Aerial Exploration of Titan

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wright, Henry S.; Gasbarre, Joseph F.; Levine, Joel S.

    2005-01-01

    Exploration of Titan, envisioned as a follow-on to the highly successful Cassini-Huygens mission, is described in this paper. A mission blending measurements from a dedicated orbiter and an in-situ aerial explorer is discussed. Summary description of the science rationale and the mission architecture, including the orbiter, is provided. The mission has been sized to ensure it can be accommodated on an existing expendable heavy-lift launch vehicle. A launch to Titan in 2018 with a 6-year time of flight to Titan using a combination of Solar Electric Propulsion and aeroassist (direct entry and aerocapture) forms the basic mission architecture. A detailed assessment of different platforms for aerial exploration of Titan has been performed. A rationale for the selection of the airship as the baseline platform is provided. Detailed description of the airship, its subsystems, and its operational strategies are provided.

  6. Localization of gaps during redo ablations of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation: Preferential patterns depending on the choice of cryoballoon ablation or radiofrequency ablation for the initial procedure.

    PubMed

    Galand, Vincent; Pavin, Dominique; Behar, Nathalie; Auffret, Vincent; Fénéon, Damien; Behaghel, Albin; Daubert, Jean-Claude; Mabo, Philippe; Martins, Raphaël P

    2016-11-01

    Pulmonary vein (PV) isolation, using cryoballoon or radiofrequency ablation, is the cornerstone therapy for symptomatic paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) refractory to antiarrhythmic drugs. One-third of the patients have recurrences, mainly due to PV reconnections. To describe the different locations of reconnection sites in patients who had previously undergone radiofrequency or cryoballoon ablation, and to compare the characteristics of the redo procedures in both instances. Demographic data and characteristics of the initial ablation (cryoballoon or radiofrequency) were collected. Number and localization of reconduction gaps, and redo characteristics were reviewed. Seventy-four patients scheduled for a redo ablation of paroxysmal AF were included; 38 had been treated by radiofrequency ablation and 36 by cryoballoon ablation during the first procedure. For the initial ablation, procedural and fluoroscopy times were significantly shorter for cryoballoon ablation (147.8±52.6min vs. 226.6±64.3min [P<0.001] and 37.0±17.7min vs. 50.8±22.7min [P=0.005], respectively). Overall, an identical number of gaps was found during redo procedures of cryoballoon and radiofrequency ablations. However, a significantly higher number of gaps were located in the right superior PV for patients first ablated with radiofrequency (0.9±1.0 vs. 0.5±0.9; P=0.009). Gap localization displayed different patterns. Although not significant, redo procedures of cryoballoon ablation were slightly shorter and needed shorter durations of radiofrequency to achieve PV isolation. During redo procedures, gap localization pattern is different for patients first ablated with cryoballoon or radiofrequency ablation, and right superior PV reconnections occur more frequently after radiofrequency ablation. Redo ablation of a previous cryoballoon ablation appears to be easier. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  7. Advanced Radioisotope Power System Enabled Titan Rover Concept with Inflatable Wheels

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Balint, Tibor S.; Schriener, Timothy M.; Shirley, James H.

    2006-01-01

    The Decadal Survey identified Titan as one of the top priority science destinations in the large moons category, while NASA's proposed Design Reference Mission Set ranked a Titan in-situ explorer second, after a recommended Europa Geophysical Explorer mission. This paper discusses a Titan rover concept, enabled by a single advanced Radioisotope Power System that could provide about 110 We (BOL). The concept targets the smaller Flagship or potentially the New Frontiers mission class. This MSL class rover would traverse on four 1.5 m diameter inflatable wheels during its 3 years mission duration and would use as much design and flight heritage as possible to reduce mission cost. Direct to Earth communication would remove the need for a relay orbiter. Details on the strawman instrument payload, and rover subsystems are given for this science driven mission concept. In addition, power system trades between Advanced RTG, TPV, and Advanced-Stirling and Brayton RPSs are outlined. While many possible approaches exist for Titan in-situ exploration, the Titan rover concept presented here could provide a scientifically interesting and programmatically affordable solution.

  8. Photochemical aerosol formation in planetary atmospheres: A comparison between Pluto and Titan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lavvas, Panayotis; Strobel, Darrell F.; Lellouch, Emmanuel; Gurwell, Mark A.; Cheng, Andrew F.; Summers, Michael; Gladstone, Randy

    2016-10-01

    The New Horizons mission observations have revealed us that Pluto's atmosphere is rich in photochemical hazes that extend to high altitudes above its surface [1], apparently similar to those observed in Titan's atmosphere [2].We use detailed models combining photochemistry and microphysics in order to simulate the aerosol formation and growth in Pluto's atmosphere, as performed for Titan's atmosphere [3]. Here we discuss the possible mechanisms leading to the formation of haze particles in Pluto's atmosphere, and we evaluate the contribution of different growth processes (e.g. coagulation vs. condensation) to the resulting particle properties.Moreover we investigate the role of these particles in the radiative balance of Pluto's atmosphere and we compare the resulting particle properties, with those retrieved for Titan's upper atmosphere based on Cassini observations [4]. We discuss the similarities and difference between Pluto's and Titan's aerosols.[1] Gladstone et al., 2016, Science, 351, 6271[2] West et al., 2015, Titan's Haze, in Titan, Interior, Surface, Atmosphere and Space environment, Cambridge University Press[3] Lavvas et al., 2013, PNAS, pnas.1217059110[4] Lavvas et al., 2015, DPS47, id.205.08

  9. Probing Titan's Complex Atmospheric Chemistry Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cordiner, Martin A.; Nixon, Conor; Charnley, Steven B.; Teanby, Nick; Irwin, Pat; Serigano, Joseph; Palmer, Maureen; Kisiel, Zbigniew

    2015-01-01

    Titan is Saturn's largest moon, with a thick (1.45 bar) atmosphere composed primarily of molecular nitrogen and methane. Atmospheric photochemistry results in the production of a wide range of complex organic molecules, including hydrocarbons, nitriles, aromatics and other species of possible pre-biotic relevance. Titan's carbon-rich atmosphere may be analogous to that of primitive terrestrial planets throughout the universe, yet its origin, evolution and complete chemical inventory are not well understood. Here we present spatially-resolved maps of emission from C2H5CN, HNC, HC3N, CH3CN and CH3CCH in Titan's atmosphere, observed using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in 2012-2013. These data show previously-undetected spatial structures for the observed species and provide the first spectroscopic detection of C2H5CN on Titan. Our maps show spatially resolved peaks in Titan's northern and southern hemispheres, consistent with photochemical production and transport in the upper atmosphere followed by subsidence over the poles. The HNC emission peaks are offset from the polar axis, indicating that Titan's mesosphere may be more longitudinally variable than previously thought.

  10. Constraints on Titan's rotation from Cassini mission radar data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bills, Bruce; Stiles, Bryan W.; Hayes, Alexander

    2015-05-01

    We present results of a new analysis of the rotational kinematics of Titan, as constrained by Cassini radar data, extending over the entire currently available set of flyby encounters. Our analysis provides a good constraint on the current orientation of the spin pole, but does not have sufficient accuracy and duration to clearly see the expected spin pole precession. In contrast, we do clearly see temporal variations in the spin rate, which are driven by gravitational torques which attempt to keep the prime meridian oriented toward Saturn.Titan is a synchronous rotator. At lowest order, that means that the rotational and orbital motions are synchronized. At the level of accuracy required to fit the Cassini radar data, we can see that synchronous rotation and uniform rotation are not quite the same thing. Our best fitting model has a fixed pole, and a rotation rate which varies with time, so as to keep Titan's prime meridian oriented towards Saturn, as the orbit varies.A gravitational torque on the tri-axial figure of Titan attempts to keep the axis of least inertia oriented toward Saturn. The main effect is to synchronize the orbit and rotation periods, as seen in inertial space. The response of the rotation angle, to periodic changes in orbital mean longitude, is modeled as a damped, forced harmonic oscillator. This acts as a low-pass filter. The rotation angle accurately tracks orbital variations at periods longer than the free libration period, but is unable to follow higher frequency variations.The mean longitude of Titan's orbit varies on a wide range of time scales. The largest variations are at Saturn's orbital period (29.46 years), and are due to solar torques. There are also variations at periods of 640 and 5800 days, due to resonant interaction with Hyperion.For a rigid body, with moments of inertia estimated from observed gravity, the free libration period for Titan would be 850 days. The best fit to the radar data is obtained with a libration period of

  11. Titan's Interior Chemical Composition: A Thermochemical Assessment*

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Howard, Michael; Zaug, J. M.; Khare, B. N.; McKay, C. P.

    2007-10-01

    We study the interior composition of Titan using thermal chemical equilibrium calculations that are valid to high pressures and temperatures. The equations of state are based on exponential-6 fluid theory and have been validated against experimental data up to a few Mbars in pressure and approximately 20000K in temperature. In addition to CHNO molecules, we account for multi-phases of carbon, water and a variety of metals such as Al and Fe, and their oxides. With these fluid equations of state, chemical equilibrium is calculated for a set of product species. As the temperature and pressure evolves for increasing depth in the interior, the chemical equilibrium shifts. We assume that Titan is initially composed of comet material, which we assume to be solar, except for hydrogen, which we take to be depleted by a factor 1/690. We find that a significant amount of nitrogen is in the form of n2, rather than nh3. Moreover, above 12 kbars, as is the interior pressure of Titan, a significant amount of the carbon is in the form of graphite, rather than co2 and ch4. We discuss the implications of these results for understanding the atmospheric and surface composition of Titan. • This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by the University of California Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under contract No. W-7405-Eng-48.

  12. Dimming Titan Revealed by the Cassini Observations

    PubMed Central

    Li, Liming

    2015-01-01

    Here we report the temporal variation of Titan's emitted energy with the Cassini/CIRS observations. In the northern hemisphere, the hemispheric-average emitted power decreased from 2007 to 2009 and increased from 2009 to 2012–13, which make the net change insignificant (0.1 ± 0.2%) during the period 2007–2013. The decrease from 2007 to 2009 is mainly due to the cooling around the stratospause, and the increase from 2009 to 2012–13 is probably related to temporal variation of atmospheric temperature around the tropopuase in the northern hemisphere. In the southern hemisphere, the emitted power continuously decreased by 5.0 ± 0.6% from 2.40 ± 0.01 W/m2 in 2007 to 2.28 ± 0.01 in 2012–13, which is mainly related to Titan's seasonal variation. The asymmetry in the temporal variation between the two hemispheres results in the global-average emitted power decreasing by 2.5 ± 0.6% from 2.41 ± 0.01 W/m2 in 2007 to 2.35 ± 0.01 W/m2 in 2012–13. The solar constant at Titan decreased by ~13.0% in the same period 2007–2013, which is much stronger than the temporal variation of emitted power. The measurements of Titan's absorbed solar power are needed to determine the temporal variation of the global energy budget. PMID:25649341

  13. Upgrade of the TITAN EBIT High Voltage Operation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Foster, Matt; Titan Collaboration

    2016-09-01

    TRIUMF's Ion Trap for Atomic and Nuclear science (TITAN) is a setup dedicated to highly precise mass measurements of short-lived isotopes down to 10ms. TITAN's Electron Beam Ion Trap (EBIT) is a charge breeder integrated into the setup to perform in-trap decay spectroscopy of highly charged ions and increase the precision of mass measurements. In its previous configuration TITAN's EBIT could not fulfil its maximum design specification due to high voltage safety restrictions, limiting its obtainable charge states. A recently completed upgrade of the high voltage operation that will allow the EBIT to fulfil its design specification and achieve higher charge states for heavier species is undergoing preliminary tests with stable beam. Simulations were performed to optimise the injection and extraction efficiency at high voltage and initial tests have involved using a Ge detector to identify x-rays produced by charge breeding stable ions. Future work comprises exploring electron capture rates of Ne-, He- and H-like charge states of 64Cu and higher masses, which were not previously accessible. The function of the EBIT within the TITAN setup, the work carried out on the upgrade thus far and its scope for future work will be presented.

  14. Ethane ocean on Titan

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lunine, J. I.; Stevenson, D. J.; Yung, Y.L.

    1983-01-01

    Voyager I radio occultation data is employed to develop a qualitative model of an ethane ocean on Titan. It is suggested that the ocean contains 25 percent CH4 and that the ocean is in dynamic equilibrium with an N2 atmosphere. Previous models of a CH4 ocean are discounted due to photolysis rates of CH4 gas. Tidal damping of Titan's orbital eccentricity is taken as evidence for an ocean layer approximately 1 km deep, with the ocean floor being covered with a solid C2H2 layer 100 to 200 m thick. The photolytic process disrupting the CH4, if the estimates of the oceanic content of CH4 are correct, could continue for at least one billion years. Verification of the model is dependent on detecting CH4 clouds in the lower atmosphere, finding C2H6 saturation in the lower troposphere, or obtaining evidence of a global ocean.

  15. Organic chemistry on Titan

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chang, S.; Scattergood, T.; Aronowitz, S.; Flores, J.

    1979-01-01

    Features taken from various models of Titan's atmosphere are combined in a working composite model that provides environmental constraints within which different pathways for organic chemical synthesis are determined. Experimental results and theoretical modeling suggest that the organic chemistry of the satellite is dominated by two processes: photochemistry and energetic particle bombardment. Photochemical reactions of CH4 in the upper atmosphere can account for the presence of C2 hydrocarbons. Reactions initiated at various levels of the atmosphere by cosmic rays, Saturn 'wind', and solar wind particle bombardment of a CH4-N2 atmospheric mixture can account for the UV-visible absorbing stratospheric haze, the reddish appearance of the satellite, and some of the C2 hydrocarbons. In the lower atmosphere photochemical processes will be important if surface temperatures are sufficiently high for gaseous NH3 to exist. It is concluded that the surface of Titan may contain ancient or recent organic matter (or both) produced in the atmosphere.

  16. On the time-variable nature of Titan's obliquity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Noyelles, Benoit; Nimmo, Francis

    2014-05-01

    Titan presents an unexpectedly high obliquity (Stiles et al. 2008, Meriggiola & Iess 2012) while its topography and gravity suggest a non-hydrostatic ice shell (Hemingway et al. 2013). We here present a 6-dof model of the rotation of Titan simultaneously simulating the full orientation of the shell and the inner core, and considering a global subsurface ocean with a partially-compensated shell of spatially-variable thickness. Between 10 and 13% of our realistic interior models induce a resonance with the annual forcing, that dramatically raises the obliquity. The relevant model Titans are composed of a 130-140 km thick shell floating on a ~250 km thick ocean. The observed obliquity should not be considered as a mean one but as an instantaneous one, that should vary by ~7 arcmin over the duration of the Cassini mission.

  17. Study of entry and landing probes for exploration of Titan

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1979-01-01

    Saturn's largest moon, Titan, is a totally unique planetary body which is certain to yield exciting new phenomena. Current information is lacking in detail to distinguish between a thin methane rich atmosphere and a thick nitrogen rich atmosphere. Therefore, both the thin and thick atmospheric models were used for the study of various Titan probe classes described in this report. The technical requirements, conceptual design, science return, schedule, cost and mission implications of three probe classes that could be used for exploration of Titan are defined. The three probe classes were based on a wide range of exploration mission possibilities.

  18. Voltage and pace-capture mapping of linear ablation lesions overestimates chronic ablation gap size.

    PubMed

    O'Neill, Louisa; Harrison, James; Chubb, Henry; Whitaker, John; Mukherjee, Rahul K; Bloch, Lars Ølgaard; Andersen, Niels Peter; Dam, Høgni; Jensen, Henrik K; Niederer, Steven; Wright, Matthew; O'Neill, Mark; Williams, Steven E

    2018-04-26

    Conducting gaps in lesion sets are a major reason for failure of ablation procedures. Voltage mapping and pace-capture have been proposed for intra-procedural identification of gaps. We aimed to compare gap size measured acutely and chronically post-ablation to macroscopic gap size in a porcine model. Intercaval linear ablation was performed in eight Göttingen minipigs with a deliberate gap of ∼5 mm left in the ablation line. Gap size was measured by interpolating ablation contact force values between ablation tags and thresholding at a low force cut-off of 5 g. Bipolar voltage mapping and pace-capture mapping along the length of the line were performed immediately, and at 2 months, post-ablation. Animals were euthanized and gap sizes were measured macroscopically. Voltage thresholds to define scar were determined by receiver operating characteristic analysis as <0.56 mV (acutely) and <0.62 mV (chronically). Taking the macroscopic gap size as gold standard, error in gap measurements were determined for voltage, pace-capture, and ablation contact force maps. All modalities overestimated chronic gap size, by 1.4 ± 2.0 mm (ablation contact force map), 5.1 ± 3.4 mm (pace-capture), and 9.5 ± 3.8 mm (voltage mapping). Error on ablation contact force map gap measurements were significantly less than for voltage mapping (P = 0.003, Tukey's multiple comparisons test). Chronically, voltage mapping and pace-capture mapping overestimated macroscopic gap size by 11.9 ± 3.7 and 9.8 ± 3.5 mm, respectively. Bipolar voltage and pace-capture mapping overestimate the size of chronic gap formation in linear ablation lesions. The most accurate estimation of chronic gap size was achieved by analysis of catheter-myocardium contact force during ablation.

  19. Simulations of Prebiotic Chemistry under Post-Impact Conditions on Titan.

    PubMed

    Turse, Carol; Leitner, Johannes; Firneis, Maria; Schulze-Makuch, Dirk

    2013-12-17

    The problem of how life began can be considered as a matter of basic chemistry. How did the molecules of life arise from non-biological chemistry? Stanley Miller's famous experiment in 1953, in which he produced amino acids under simulated early Earth conditions, was a huge leap forward in our understanding of this problem. Our research first simulated early Earth conditions based on Miller's experiment and we then repeated the experiment using Titan post-impact conditions. We simulated conditions that could have existed on Titan after an asteroid strike. Specifically, we simulated conditions after a potential strike in the subpolar regions of Titan that exhibit vast methane-ethane lakes. If the asteroid or comet was of sufficient size, it would also puncture the icy crust and bring up some of the subsurface liquid ammonia-water mixture. Since, O'Brian, Lorenz and Lunine showed that a liquid water-ammonia body could exist between about 102-104 years on Titan after an asteroid impact we modified our experimental conditions to include an ammonia-water mixture in the reaction medium. Here we report on the resulting amino acids found using the Titan post-impact conditions in a classical Miller experimental reaction set-up and how they differ from the simulated early Earth conditions.

  20. Equinoctial Activity Over Titan Dune Fields Revealed by Cassini/vims

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rodriguez, S.; Le Mouelic, S.; Barnes, J. W.; Hirtzig, M.; Rannou, P.; Sotin, C.; Brown, R. H.; Bow, J.; Vixie, G.; Cornet, T.; Bourgeois, O.; Narteau, C.; Courrech Du Pont, S.; Le Gall, A.; Reffet, E.; Griffith, C. A.; Jaumann, R.; Stephan, K.; Buratti, B. J.; Clark, R. N.; Baines, K. H.; Nicholson, P. D.; Coustenis, A.

    2012-12-01

    Titan, the largest satellite of Saturn, is the only satellite in the solar system with a dense atmosphere. The close and continuous observations of Titan by the Cassini spacecraft, in orbit around Saturn since July 2004, bring us evidences that Titan troposphere and low stratosphere experience an exotic, but complete meteorological cycle similar to the Earth hydrological cycle, with hydrocarbons evaporation, condensation in clouds, and rainfall. Cassini monitoring campaigns also demonstrate that Titan's cloud coverage and climate vary with latitude. Titan's tropics, with globally weak meteorological activity and widespread dune fields, seem to be slightly more arid than the poles, where extensive and numerous liquid reservoirs and sustained cloud activity have been discovered. Only a few tropo-spheric clouds have been observed at Titan's tropics during the southern summer. As equinox was approaching (in August 2009), they occurred more frequently and appeared to grow in strength and size. We present here the observation of intense brightening at Titan's tropics, very close to the equinox. These detections were conducted with the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) onboard Cassini. We will discuss the VIMS images of the three individual events detected so far, observed during the Titan's flybys T56 (22 May 2009), T65 (13 January 2010) and T70 (21 June 2010). T56, T65 and T70 observations show an intense and transient brighten-ing of large regions very close to the equator, right over the extensive dune fields of Senkyo, Belet and Shangri-La. They all appear spectrally and morphologically different from all transient surface features or atmospheric phenomena previously reported. Indeed, these events share in particular a strong brightening at wavelengths greater than 2 μm (especially at 5 μm), making them spectrally distinct from the small tropical clouds observed before the equinox and the large storms observed near the equator in September and October

  1. The effect of gravitational and pressure torques on Titan's length-of-day variations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Van Hoolst, T.; Rambaux, N.; Karatekin, Ö.; Baland, R.-M.

    2009-03-01

    Cassini radar observations show that Titan's spin is slightly faster than synchronous spin. Angular momentum exchange between Titan's surface and the atmosphere over seasonal time scales corresponding to Saturn's orbital period of 29.5 year is the most likely cause of the observed non-synchronous rotation. We study the effect of Saturn's gravitational torque and torques between internal layers on the length-of-day (LOD) variations driven by the atmosphere. Because static tides deform Titan into an ellipsoid with the long axis approximately in the direction to Saturn, non-zero gravitational and pressure torques exist that can change the rotation rate of Titan. For the torque calculation, we estimate the flattening of Titan and its interior layers under the assumption of hydrostatic equilibrium. The gravitational forcing by Saturn, due to misalignment of the long axis of Titan with the line joining the mass centers of Titan and Saturn, reduces the LOD variations with respect to those for a spherical Titan by an order of magnitude. Internal gravitational and pressure coupling between the ice shell and the interior beneath a putative ocean tends to reduce any differential rotation between shell and interior and reduces further the LOD variations by a few times. For the current estimate of the atmospheric torque, we obtain LOD variations of a hydrostatic Titan that are more than 100 times smaller than the observations indicate when Titan has no ocean as well as when a subsurface ocean exists. Moreover, Saturn's torque causes the rotation to be slower than synchronous in contrast to the Cassini observations. The calculated LOD variations could be increased if the atmospheric torque is larger than predicted and or if fast viscous relaxation of the ice shell could reduce the gravitational coupling, but it remains to be studied if a two order of magnitude increase is possible and if these effects can explain the phase difference of the predicted rotation variations

  2. Descent imager/spectral radiometer (DISR) instrument aboard the Huygens probe of Titan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tomasko, Martin G.; Doose, Lyn R.; Smith, Peter H.; Fellows, C.; Rizk, B.; See, C.; Bushroe, M.; McFarlane, E.; Wegryn, E.; Frans, E.; Clark, R.; Prout, M.; Clapp, S.

    1996-10-01

    The Huygen's probe of the atmosphere of Saturn's moon Titan includes one optical instrument sensitive to the wavelengths of solar radiation. The goals of this investigation fall into four broad areas: 1) the measurement of the profile of solar heating to support an improved understanding of the thermal balance of Titan and the role of the greenhouse effect in maintaining Titan's temperature structure; 2) the measurement of the size, vertical distribution, and optical properties of the aerosol and cloud particles in Titan's atmosphere to support studies of the origin, chemistry, life cycles, and role in the radiation balance of Titan played by these particles; 3) the composition of the atmosphere, particularly the vertical profile of the mixing ratio of methane, a condensable constituent in Titan's atmosphere; and 4) the physical state, composition, topography, and physical processes at work in determining the nature of the surface of Titan and its interaction with Titan's atmosphere. In order to accomplish these objectives, the Descent Imager/Spectral Radiometer (DISR) instrument makes extensive use of fiber optics to bring the light from several different sets of foreoptics to a silicon CCD detector, to a pair of InGaAs linear array detectors, and to three silicon photometers. Together these detectors permit DISR to make panoramic images of the clouds and surface of Titan, to measure the spectrum of upward and downward streaming sunlight from 350 to 1700 nm at a resolving power of about 200, to measure the reflection spectrum of >= 3000 locations on the surface, to measure the brightness and polarization of the solar aureole between 4 and 30 degrees from the sun at 500 and 935 nm, to separate the direct and diffuse downward solar flux at each wavelength measured, and to measure the continuous reflection spectrum of the ground between 850 and 1600 nm using an onboard lamp in the last 100 m of the descent.

  3. Cassini radar views the surface of Titan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Elachi, C.; Wall, S.; Allison, M.; Anderson, Y.; Boehmer, R.; Callahan, P.; Encrenaz, P.; Flamini, E.; Franceschetti, G.; Gim, Y.; Hamilton, G.; Hensley, S.; Janssen, M.; Johnson, W.; Kelleher, K.; Kirk, R.; Lopes, R.; Lorenz, R.; Lunine, J.; Muhleman, D.; Ostro, S.; Paganelli, F.; Picardi, G.; Posa, F.; Roth, L.; Seu, R.; Shaffer, S.; Soderblom, L.; Stiles, B.; Stofan, E.; Vetrella, S.; West, R.; Wood, C.; Wye, L.; Zebker, H.

    2005-01-01

    The Cassini Titan Radar Mapper imaged about 1% of Titan's surface at a resolution of ???0.5 kilometer, and larger areas of the globe in lower resolution modes. The images reveal a complex surface, with areas of low relief and a variety of geologic features suggestive of dome-like volcanic constructs, flows, and sinuous channels. The surface appears to be young, with few impact craters. Scattering and dielectric properties are consistent with porous ice or organics. Dark patches in the radar images show high brightness temperatures and high emissivity and are consistent with frozen hydrocarbons.

  4. Origin and Evolution of Titan's Nitrogen Atmosphere - A Cassini-Huygens Perspective

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Atreya, Sushil K.

    2014-05-01

    Prior to Cassini-Huygens, it was debated how Titan acquired its earth-like atmosphere of nitrogen [1]. This talk will review the history of Titan's atmosphere, models, and the unique role of Cassini-Huygens in understanding the origin and evolution of an atmosphere of nitrogen on Titan. After hydrogen and helium, nitrogen is the fourth most abundant element in the solar system. In the colder outer solar system beyond 5 AU, nitrogen is bound to hydrogen in the giant planets. Thus ammonia (NH3), not N2, is the dominant reservoir of nitrogen in these objects. The satellites that form in the relatively warm and dense subnebula of the gas giant planets, Jupiter and Saturn, may acquire nitrogen as NH3 during their accretion [2], although some models had proposed N2, not NH3, as the stable form of nitrogen in the subnebulae. The latter is reflected in the atmosphere of Triton, which almost certainly accreted nitrogen directly as N2, since N2 can be the stable form of nitrogen in the very cold environment of Neptune. Before Cassini-Huygens, it was debated whether Titan, the largest moon of Saturn, also acquired its nitrogen directly as N2, putting it in the same class as Neptune's moon Triton half its size, or the nitrogen on Titan was secondary atmosphere, produced from a nitrogen bearing molecule, putting Titan in the class with terrestrial planets. The evidence from Cassini-Huygens to be discussed in this talk leaves no doubt that Titan's nitrogen atmosphere is secondary [3]. Probable scenarios of the sustenance, evolution and reduction or demise of this atmosphere will also be explored. References: [1]Owen T. (2000), Planet. Space Sci. 48, 747-752. [2]Prinn R.G., Fegley B. (1981), Astrophys J. 249, 308-317. [3]Atreya S.K., Lorenz R.D., Waite J.H. (2009), pp 177-199, in Titan (R.H. Brown et al., eds.) Springer.

  5. Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation

    PubMed Central

    2006-01-01

    Executive Summary Objective To review the effectiveness, safety, and costing of ablation methods to manage atrial fibrillation (AF). The ablation methods reviewed were catheter ablation and surgical ablation. Clinical Need Atrial fibrillation is characterized by an irregular, usually rapid, heart rate that limits the ability of the atria to pump blood effectively to the ventricles. Atrial fibrillation can be a primary diagnosis or it may be associated with other diseases, such as high blood pressure, abnormal heart muscle function, chronic lung diseases, and coronary heart disease. The most common symptom of AF is palpitations. Symptoms caused by decreased blood flow include dizziness, fatigue, and shortness of breath. Some patients with AF do not experience any symptoms. According to United States data, the incidence of AF increases with age, with a prevalence of 1 per 200 people aged between 50 and 60 years, and 1 per 10 people aged over 80 years. In 2004, the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) estimated that the rate of hospitalization for AF in Canada was 582.7 per 100,000 population. They also reported that of the patients discharged alive, 2.7% were readmitted within 1 year for stroke. One United States prevalence study of AF indicated that the overall prevalence of AF was 0.95%. When the results of this study were extrapolated to the population of Ontario, the prevalence of AF in Ontario is 98,758 for residents aged over 20 years. Currently, the first-line therapy for AF is medical therapy with antiarrhythmic drugs (AADs). There are several AADs available, because there is no one AAD that is effective for all patients. The AADs have critical adverse effects that can aggravate existing arrhythmias. The drug selection process frequently involves trial and error until the patient’s symptoms subside. The Technology Ablation has been frequently described as a “cure” for AF, compared with drug therapy, which controls AF but does not cure it

  6. Titan Moving Mid-Latitude Clouds

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2011-03-17

    This image shows clouds in the mid-southern latitudes of Saturn largest moon, Titan, one of a series of images captured by NASA Cassini spacecraft a few months after fall began in the southern hemisphere.

  7. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the atmospheres of Titan and Jupiter

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sagan, Carl; Khare, B. N.; Thompson, W. R.; Mcdonald, G. D.; Wing, Michael R.; Bada, Jeffrey L.; Vo-Dinh, Tuan; Arakawa, E. T.

    1993-01-01

    PAHs are important components of the interstellar medium and carbonaceous chondrites, but have never been identified in the reducing atmospheres of the outer solar system. Incompletely characterized complex organic solids (tholins) produced by irradiating simulated Titan atmospheres reproduce well the observed UV/visible/IR optical constants of the Titan stratospheric haze. Titan tholin and a tholin generated in a crude simulation of the atmosphere of Jupiter are examined by two-step laser desorption/multiphoton ionization mass spectrometry. A range of two- to four-ring PAHs, some with one to four alkylation sites, are identified, with a net abundance of about 0.0001 g/g (grams per gram) of tholins produced. Synchronous fluorescence techniques confirm this detection. Titan tholins have proportionately more one- and two-ring PAHs than do Jupiter tholins, which in turn have more four-ring and larger PAHs. The four-ringed PAH chrysene, prominent in some discussions of interstellar grains, is found in Jupiter tholins.

  8. Onset and Cessation of Thermal Convection within Titan's Ice Shell

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mitri, G.; Tobie, G.; Choblet, G.

    2015-12-01

    The onset of thermal convection within the outer ice shell of Titan is believed to be at the origin of methane outgassing on Titan (Tobie et al., 2006), a possible factor in Titan's resurfacing processes (Mitri et al., 2008), and to have a major role in the evolution and tectonic activity of this Saturnian icy satellite (Tobie et al., 2005; Mitri and Showman, 2008; Mitri et al., 2010). Recent measurements of the gravity field (Iess et al., 2010, 2012) and the modeling of the shape and topography (Zebker et al., 2009; Mitri et al., 2014) have recently improved our knowledge of the thermal state and structure of Titan's outer ice shell. Mitri et al. (2014) found that Titan's surface topography is consistent with an isostatically compensated ice shell of variable thickness, likely at the present in a thermally conductive state (see also Nimmo and Bills, 2010; Hemingway et al., 2013), overlying a relatively dense (~1200-1350 kg m-3) subsurface ocean. As Titan's ice shell is not currently experiencing thermal convection it is likely that the ice shell could have experienced during its history both the onset and the cessation of thermal convection; thermal convection could be present within the ice shell for limited times or in fact be episodic. We investigate the evolution of Titan's outer ice shell from the crystallization of the underlying ocean with a focus on the onset and cessation of thermal convection. To simulate convection in a growing ice shell, we numerically solve the thermal convection equations for a Newtonian rheology in a two dimensional Cartesian domain using finite element method, with a moving bottom boundary to ocean crystallization. We discuss how the crystallization process affects the onset of convection and in which conditions the cessation of thermal convection may occur. The geological consequences of the changes of the thermal state and structure of the outer ice shell will also be discussed.

  9. Are Titan's radial Labyrinth terrains surface expressions of large laccoliths?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schurmeier, L.; Dombard, A. J.; Malaska, M.; Radebaugh, J.

    2017-12-01

    The Labyrinth terrain unit may be the one of the best examples of the surface expression of Titan's complicated history. They are characterized as highly eroded, dissected, and elevated plateaus and remnant ridges, with an assumed composition that is likely organic-rich based on radar emissivity. How these features accumulated organic-rich sediments and formed topographic highs by either locally uplifting or surviving pervasive regional deflation or erosion is an important question for understanding the history of Titan. There are several subsets of Labyrinth terrains, presumably with differing evolutionary histories and formation processes. We aim to explain the formation of a subset of Labyrinth terrain units informally referred to as "radial Labyrinth terrains." They are elevated and appear dome-like, circular in planform, have a strong radial dissection pattern, are bordered by Undifferentiated Plains units, and are found in the mid-latitudes. Based on their shape, clustering, and dimensions, we suggest that they may be the surface expression of large subsurface laccoliths. A recent study by Manga and Michaut (Icarus, 2017) explained Europa's lenticulae (pits, domes, spots) with the formation of saucer-shaped sills that form laccoliths around the brittle-ductile transition depth within the ice shell (1-5 km). Here, we apply the same scaling relationships and find that the larger size of radial labyrinth terrains with Titan's higher gravity implies deeper intrusion depths of around 20-40 km. This intrusion depth matches the expected brittle-ductile transition on Titan based on our finite element simulations and yield strength envelope analyses. We hypothesize that Titan's radial labyrinth terrains formed as cryovolcanic (water) intrusions that rose to the brittle-ductile transition within the ice shell where they spread horizontally, and uplifted the overlying ice. The organic-rich sedimentary cover also uplifted, becoming more susceptible to pluvial and fluvial

  10. The Titan haze revisted: Magnetospheric energy sorces quantitative tholin yields

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Thompson, W. Reid; Mcdonald, Gene D.; Sagan, Carl

    1994-01-01

    We present laboratory measurements of the radiation yields of complex organic solids produced from N2/CH4 gas mixtures containing 10 or 0.1% CH4. These tholins are thought to resemble organic aerosols produced in the atmospheres of Titan, Pluto, and Triton. The tholin yields are large compared to the total yield of gaseous products: nominally, 13 (C + N)/100 eV for Titan tholin and 2.1 (C + N)/100 eV for Triton tholin. High-energy magnetospheric electrons responsible for tholin production represents a class distinct from the plasma electrons considered in models of Titan's aiglow. Electrons with E greater than 20 keV provide an energy flux approximately 1 x 10(exp -2) erg/cm/sec, implying from our measured tholin yields a mass flux of 0.5 to 4.0 x 10(exp -14) g/sq cm/sec of tholin. (The corresponding thickness of the tholin sedimentary column accumulated over 4 Gyr on Titan's surface is 4 to 30 m). This figure is in agreement with required mass fluxes computed from recent radiative transfer and sedimentation models. If, however, theses results, derived from experiments at approximately 2 mb, are applied to lower pressure levels toward peak auroral electron energy deposition and scaled with pressure as the gas-phase organic yields, the derived tholin mass flux is at least an order of magnitude less. We attrribute this difference to the fact that tholin synthesis occurs well below the level of maximum electron energy depositon and to possible contributions to tholis from UV-derived C2-hydrocarbons. We conclude that Tita tholin, produced by magnetospheric electrons, is alone sufficient to supply at least a significant fraction of Titan's haze-a result consistent with the fact that the optical properties of Titan tholin, among all proposed material, are best at reproducing Titan's geometric albedo spectrum from near UV to mid-IR in light-scattering models.

  11. Oceanus: A New Frontiers orbiter to study Titan's potential habitability

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sotin, Christophe; Hayes, Alex; Malaska, Michael; Nimmo, Francis; Trainer, Melissa; Tortora, Paolo

    2017-04-01

    The New Frontiers 4 AO includes the theme "Ocean Worlds (Titan and/or Enceladus)" focused on the search for signs of extant life and/or characterizing the potential habitability of Titan and/or Enceladus. The Cassini has demonstrated that Titan is an organic world of two oceans: surface hydrocarbon seas [1,2] that cover part of the north polar region and a deep water ocean [3] that decouples the outer ice crust from an inner core likely composed of hydrated silicates [4]. Oceanus is an orbiter that would follow up on Cassini's amazing discoveries and assess Titan's habitability by following the organics through the methanologic cycle and assessing ex-change processes between the atmosphere, surface, and subsurface. Titan's reduced nitrogen-rich atmosphere operates as an organic factory [5] where heavy organic molecules are produced by a series of reations starting by the photolysis of methane [6,7]. The mass spectrometer will perform high-resolution in situ measurements of the organic material over a large mass range and at different altitudes. It will provide the information required to determine (i) the processes at work to form the heavy molecules, (ii) the functional group pattern of large molecules providing information on their composition. These organics coat Titan's surface and are moved around through a complex source-to-sink sediment transport system analogous to surface processes here on Earth. Titan's 90-95 K surface temperature at 1.5 bar surface pressure permit me-thane and ethane to condense out of the atmosphere and flow as liquids on the surface. As a result, Titan's methane-based hydrologic system produces a rich set of geologic features (dunes, river net-works, polar lakes/seas, etc.). Cassini's observations of this rich geomorphology is hindered by kilometer-scale resolution. Oceanus will take ad-vantage of a narrow atmospheric window at 5 µm to acquire 25 m/pixel (< 100 m resolution) images of Titan diverse surface [8]. The presence of 40Ar, a

  12. Explorer of Enceladus and Titan (E2T): Investigating Ocean Worlds' Evolution and Habitability in the Saturn System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mitri, Giuseppe

    2017-04-01

    of low-mass organic species, to identify high-mass organic species for the first time, to further constrain trace species such as the noble gases, and to clarify the evolution of solid and volatile species. E2T's high-resolution IR camera will reveal Titan's global surface only partly covered today and Enceladus's fractured SPT and plume in detail unattainable by the Cassini mission. The nominal science operation phase is 3.5 years after a 6 years transfer from Earth to Saturn with an expected launch in April 2030. The proposed mission will address key scientific questions regarding extraterrestrial habitability, abiotic/prebiotic chemistry and emergence of life in the outer solar system, which are among the highest priorities of ESA's Cosmic Vision program.

  13. The Story Titan Dunes Tell

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2009-06-10

    An intricate, fingerprint-like pattern of dunes is seen in this dramatic radar image of Saturn moon Titan captured by NASA Cassini spacecraft on May 21, 2009 from an altitude of 965 kilometers about 600 miles.

  14. INMS Titan Observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Waite, J. H., Jr.; Niemann, H.; Yelle, R. V.; Kasprzak, W. T.; Cravens, T. E.; Luhmann, J. G.; McNutt, R. L.; Ip, W.-H.; De La Haye, V.; Ledvina, S.; Mueller-Wordarg, I.; Borggren, N.

    2005-08-01

    The Ion Neutral Mass Spectrometer (INMS) aboard the Cassini Orbiter has obtained the first in situ composition measurements of the neutral densities of molecular nitrogen, methane, hydrogen, argon, and a host of stable carbon-nitrile ion and neutral compounds in the first and sixth flybys of Titan. The bulk composition and thermal structure of the moon's upper atmosphere appear to vary with latitude and local time. The new data set provides strong evidence for atmospheric waves in the upper atmosphere and for the existence of a warm, chemically complex corona. Furthermore, the data set provides direct measurements of isotopes of nitrogen, carbon, and argon, which reveal interesting clues about the evolution of the atmosphere. The atmosphere likely formed from outgassing as planetesimals composed of silicates, water ice, clathrates of methane, and ammonia hydrates coalesced. Subsequent photochemistry and/or shock-induced chemistry likely converted the atmospheric nitrogen into molecular nitrogen, which is inferred by the absence (<0.6 ppm) of 36Ar in the INMS data. (Ice clathrate delivery of N2 would have presumably also delivered 36Ar to the proto Titan.) The decrease of the 14N to 15N isotopic ratio with respect to the terrestrial value allows us to suggest an early atmosphere >1.5 to 100 times more substantial that was lost via escape over the intervening 4.5 billion years. Carbon in the form of methane has continued to outgas over time from the interior (as inferred from the elevated 12C to 13C ratio as compared to terrestrial values) with much of its subsequent photolysis products being deposited in the form of complex hydrocarbons on the surface ( 5 x 1027 s-1 as estimated from the H2 escape rate of 6.1 ± 0.2 x 109 cm-2 s-1 measured by INMS). This talk will highlight the composition, vertical structure, wave processes, and escape of Titan's atmosphere.

  15. A Titan Explorer Mission Utilizing Solar Electric Propulsion and Chemical Propulsion Systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cupples, Michael; Coverstone, Vicki

    2003-01-01

    Mission and Systems analyses were performed for a Titan Explorer Mission scenario utilizing medium class launch vehicles, solar electric propulsion system (SEPS) for primary interplanetary propulsion, and chemical propulsion for capture at Titan. An examination of a range of system factors was performed to determine their affect on the payload delivery capability to Titan. The effect of varying the launch vehicle, solar array power, associated number of SEPS thrusters, chemical propellant combinations, tank liner thickness, and tank composite overwrap stress factor was investigated. This paper provides a parametric survey of the aforementioned set of system factors, delineating their affect on Titan payload delivery, as well as discussing aspects of planetary capture methodology.

  16. Atrial fibrillation ablation using a closed irrigation radiofrequency ablation catheter.

    PubMed

    Golden, Keith; Mounsey, John Paul; Chung, Eugene; Roomiani, Pahresah; Morse, Michael Andew; Patel, Ankit; Gehi, Anil

    2012-05-01

    Catheter ablation is an effective therapy for symptomatic, medically refractory atrial fibrillation (AF). Open-irrigated radiofrequency (RF) ablation catheters produce transmural lesions at the cost of increased fluid delivery. In vivo models suggest closed-irrigated RF catheters create equivalent lesions, but clinical outcomes are limited. A cohort of 195 sequential patients with symptomatic AF underwent stepwise AF ablation (AFA) using a closed-irrigation ablation catheter. Recurrence of AF was monitored and outcomes were evaluated using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox proportional hazards models. Mean age was 59.0 years, 74.9% were male, 56.4% of patients were paroxysmal and mean duration of AF was 5.4 years. Patients had multiple comorbidities including hypertension (76.4%), tobacco abuse (42.1%), diabetes (17.4%), and obesity (mean body mass index 30.8). The median follow-up was 55.8 weeks. Overall event-free survival was 73.6% with one ablation and 77.4% after reablation (reablation rate was 8.7%). Median time to recurrence was 26.9 weeks. AF was more likely to recur in patients being treated with antiarrhythmic therapy at the time of last follow-up (recurrence rate 30.3% with antiarrhythmic drugs, 13.2% without antiarrhythmic drugs; hazard ratio [HR] 2.2, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1-4.4, P = 0.024) and in those with a history of AF greater than 2 years duration (HR 2.7, 95% CI 1.1-6.9, P = 0.038). Our study represents the largest cohort of patients receiving AFA with closed-irrigation ablation catheters. We demonstrate comparable outcomes to those previously reported in studies of open-irrigation ablation catheters. Given the theoretical benefits of a closed-irrigation system, a large head-to-head comparison using this catheter is warranted. ©2012, The Authors. Journal compilation ©2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  17. Possible role for cryoballoon ablation of right atrial appendage tachycardia when conventional ablation fails.

    PubMed

    Amasyali, Basri; Kilic, Ayhan

    2015-06-01

    Focal atrial tachycardia arising from the right atrial appendage usually responds well to radiofrequency ablation; however, successful ablation in this anatomic region can be challenging. Surgical excision of the right atrial appendage has sometimes been necessary to eliminate the tachycardia and prevent or reverse the resultant cardiomyopathy. We report the case of a 48-year-old man who had right atrial appendage tachycardia resistant to multiple attempts at ablation with use of conventional radiofrequency energy guided by means of a 3-dimensional mapping system. The condition led to cardiomyopathy in 3 months. The arrhythmia was successfully ablated with use of a 28-mm cryoballoon catheter that had originally been developed for catheter ablation of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. To our knowledge, this is the first report of cryoballoon ablation without isolation of the right atrial appendage. It might also be an alternative to epicardial ablation or surgery when refractory atrial tachycardia originates from the right atrial appendage.

  18. A Detailed Geomorphological Sketch Map of Titan's Afekan Crater Region

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schoenfeld, A.; Malaska, M. J.; Lopes, R. M. C.; Le Gall, A. A.; Birch, S. P.; Hayes, A.

    2014-12-01

    Due to Titan's uniquely thick atmosphere and organic haze layers, the most detailed images (with resolution of 300 meters per pixel) of the Saturnian moon's surface exist as Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images taken by Cassini's RADAR instrument. Using the SAR data, we have been putting together detailed geomorphological sketch maps of various Titan regions in an effort to piece together its geologic history. We initially examined the Afekan region of Titan due to extensive SAR coverage. Features described on Afekan fall under the categories (in order of geologic age, extrapolated from their relative emplacement) of hummocky, labyrinthic, plains, and dunes. During our mapping effort, we also divided each terrain category into several different subclasses on a local level. Our map offers a chance to present and analyze the distribution, relationship, and potential formation hypotheses of the different terrains. In bulk, we find evidence for both Aeolian and fluvial processes. A particularly important unit found in the Afekan region is the unit designated "undifferentiated plains", or the "Blandlands" of Titan, a mid-latitude terrain unit comprising 25% of the moon's surface. Undifferentiated plains are notable for its relative featurelessness in radar and infrared. Our interpretation is that it is a fill unit in and around Afekan crater and other hummocky/mountainous units. The plains suggest that the nature of Titan's geomorphology seems to be tied to ongoing erosional forces and sediment deposition. Other datasets used in characterizing Titan's various geomorphological units include information obtained from radiometry, infrared (ISS), and spectrometry (VIMS). We will present the detailed geomorphological sketch map with all the terrain units assigned and labeled.

  19. HYDRA: Macroscopic 3D Approach of Light Weight Ablator

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pinaud, G.; Barcena, J.; Bouilly, J.-M.; Leroy, V.; Fischer, Wpp.; Massuti, T.

    2014-06-01

    The HYDRA project is an European funded program that aims at developing novel solution in term of TPS associated to a demonstration of Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4. We describe modelling activities (radiation/ablation) compared to plasma test.

  20. Titan's interior from its rotation axis orientation and its Love number

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Baland, Rose-Marie; Gabriel, Tobie; Axel, Lefèvre

    2013-04-01

    The tidal Love number k2 of Titan has been recently estimated from Cassini flybys radio-tracking and is consistent with the presence of a global ocean in Titan's interior, located between two ice layers (Iess et al. 2012), in accordance with prediction from interior and evolutionary models for Titan. Previously, the orientation of the rotation axis of Titan has been measured on the basis of radar images from Cassini (Stiles et al. 2008). Titan's obliquity, is about 0.3. The measured orientation is more consistent with the presence of a global internal liquid ocean than with an entirely solid Titan (Baland et al. 2011). The global topography data of Titan seem to indicate some departure from the hydrostatic shape expected for a synchronous satellite under the influence of its rotation and the static tides raised by the central planet (Zebker et al. 2009). This may be explained by a differential tidal heating in the ice shell which flattens the poles (Nimmo and Bills 2010). A surface more flattened than expected implies compensation in depth to explain the measured gravity coefficients C20 and C22 of Iess et al. (2012). Here, all layers are assumed to have a tri-axial ellipsoid shape, but with polar and equatorial flattenings that differ from the hydrostatic expected ones. We assess the influence of this non-hydrostatic shape on the conclusions of Baland et al. (2011), which developped a Cassini state model for the orientation of the rotation axis of a synchronous satellite having an internal liquid layer. We assess the possibility to constrain Titan's interior (and particularly the structure of the water/ice layer) from both the rotation axis orientation and the Love number. We consider a range of internal structure models consistent with the mean density and the mean radius of Titan, and made of a shell, an ocean, a mantle, and a core, from the surface to the center, with various possible compositions (e.g. ammonia mixed with water for the ocean). The internal

  1. Life on Titan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Potashko, Oleksandr

    Volcanoes engender life on heavenly bodies; they are pacemakers of life. All planets during their period of formation pass through volcanism hence - all planets and their satellites pass through the life. Tracks of life If we want to find tracks of life - most promising places are places with volcanic activity, current or past. In the case of just-in-time volcanic activity we have 100% probability to find a life. Therefore the most perspective “search for life” are Enceladus, Io and comets, further would be Venus, Jupiter’s satellites, Saturn’s satellites and first of all - Titan. Titan has atmosphere. It might be result of high volcanic activity - from one side, from other side atmosphere is a necessary condition development life from procaryota to eucaryota. Existence of a planet means that all its elements after hydrogen formed just there inside a planet. The forming of the elements leads to the formation of mineral and organic substances and further to the organic life. Development of the life depends upon many factors, e.g. the distance from star/s. The intensity of the processes of the element formation is inversely to the distance from the star. Therefore we may suppose that the intensity of the life in Mercury was very high. Hence we may detect tracks of life in Mercury, particularly near volcanoes. The distance from the star is only one parameter and now Titan looks very active - mainly due to interior reason. Its atmosphere compounds are analogous to comet tail compounds. Their collation may lead to interesting result as progress occurs at one of them. Volcanic activity is as a source of life origin as well a reason for a death of life. It depends upon the thickness of planet crust. In the case of small thickness of a crust the probability is high that volcanoes may destroy a life on a planet - like Noachian deluge. Destroying of the life under volcano influences doesn’t lead to full dead. As result we would have periodic Noachian deluge or

  2. The affects on Titan atmospheric modeling by variable molecular reaction rates

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hamel, Mark D.

    The main effort of this thesis is to study the production and loss of molecular ions in the ionosphere of Saturn's largest moon Titan. Titan's atmosphere is subject to complex photochemical processes that can lead to the production of higher order hydrocarbons and nitriles. Ion-molecule chemistry plays an important role in this process but remains poorly understood. In particular, current models that simulate the photochemistry of Titan's atmosphere overpredict the abundance of the ionosphere's main ions suggesting a flaw in the modeling process. The objective of this thesis is to determine which reactions are most important for production and loss of the two primary ions, C2H5+ and HCNH+, and what is the impact of uncertainty in the reaction rates on the production and loss of these ions. In reviewing the literature, there is a contention about what reactions are really necessary to illuminate what is occurring in the atmosphere. Approximately seven hundred reactions are included in the model used in this discussion (INT16). This paper studies what reactions are fundamental to the atmospheric processes in Titan's upper atmosphere, and also to the reactions that occur in the lower bounds of the ionosphere which are used to set a baseline molecular density for all species, and reflects what is expected at those altitudes on Titan. This research was conducted through evaluating reaction rates and cross sections available in the scientific literature and through conducting model simulations of the photochemistry in Titan's atmosphere under a range of conditions constrained by the literature source. The objective of this study is to determine the dependence of ion densities of C2H5+ and HCNH+ on the uncertainty in the reaction rates that involve these two ions in Titan's atmosphere.

  3. Origin and Evolution of Nitrogen on Titan, Enceladus, Triton, and Pluto

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Atreya, S. K.; Niemann, H. B.; Mahaffy, P. R.; Owen, T. C.

    2007-01-01

    Nitrogen, together with carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulfur (CHNOPS), plays a central role in life as we know it. Indeed, molecular nitrogen is the most abundant component of the terrestrial atmosphere, and second only to carbon dioxide on Mars and Venus. The Voyager and Cassini-Huygens observations show that copious nitrogen is present on Titan also, comprising some 95% by volume of this moon's 1500 millibar atmosphere. After water vapor, it may be the most abundant (4%) of the gases around tiny Enceladus, as revealed by the recent Cassini observations. A thin nitrogen atmosphere is found even on the coldest of the solar system bodies, Triton and Pluto. The available evidence on nitrogen isotopes and the heavy noble gases suggests that Titan acquired its nitrogen largely in the form of ammonia. Subsequent chemical evolution, beginning with the photolysis of NH3 on primordial Titan, led to the nitrogen atmosphere we see on Titan today. This is also the scenario for the origin of nitrogen on the terrestrial planets. Contrary to Titan, the colder outer solar system objects, Triton and Pluto, neither had the luxury of receiving much arnmonia in the first place, nor of photolyzing whatever little ammonia they did receive in the planetesimals that formed them. On the other hand, it is plausible the planetesimals were capable of trapping and delivering molecular nitrogen directly to Triton and Pluto, unlike Titan. The origin of nitrogen on Enceladus is somewhat enigmatic. A scenario similar to Titan's, but with a role for the interior processes, may be at work. In this paper, we will discuss the source and loss of nitrogen for the above objects, and why Ganymede, the largest moon in the solar system, is nitrogen starved.

  4. Ablation effects in oxygen-lead fragmentation at 2.1 GeV/nucleon

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Townsend, L. W.

    1984-01-01

    The mechanism of particle evaporation was used to examine ablation effects in the fragmentation of 2.1 GeV/nucleon oxygen nuclei by lead targets. Following the initial abrasion process, the excited projectile prefragment is assumed to statistically decay in a manner analogous to that of a compound nucleus. The decay probabilities for the various particle emission channels are calculated by using the EVAP-4 Monte Carlo computer program. The input excitation energy spectrum for the prefragment is estimated from the geometric ""clean cut'' abrasion-ablation model. Isotope production cross sections are calculated and compared with experimental data and with the predictions from the standard geometric abrasion-ablation fragmentation model.

  5. Review on optical constants of Titan aerosols: Experimental results and modeling/observational data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brassé, Coralie; Muñoz, Olga; Coll, Patrice; Raulin, François

    2014-05-01

    During the last years many studies have been performed to improve the experimental database of optical constants of Titan aerosols. Indeed, the determination of the optical constants of these particles is essential to quantify their capacity to absorb and to scatter solar radiation, and thus to evaluate their role on Titan's radiative balance and climate. The study of optical properties is also crucial to analyze and to better interpret many of Titan's observational data, in particular those acquired during the Cassini-Huygens mission. One way to determine Titan aerosols optical constant is to measure the optical constants of analogues of Titan complex organic material synthesized in the laboratory, usually named Titan's tholins (Sagan and Khare, 1979). But the optical constants depend on the chemical composition, the size and the shape of particles (Raulin et al., 2012). Those three parameters result from the experimental conditions such as energy source, gas mixing ratio, gas pressure, flow rate and irradiation time (Cable et al., 2012). Besides the determination of the refractive index in the laboratory, there are others methods using theoretical models or observational data. Nevertheless, theoretical models are based on laboratory data or/and observational data. The visible - near infrared spectral region of optical constants has been widely studied with laboratory analogues. Comparison of the obtained results suggest that tholins synthesized by Tran et al. (2003) and Majhoub et al. (2012) are the best representative of Titan aerosols with regards to their refractive indexes in this spectral region. The mid-infrared spectral range has been studied only by Imanaka et al. (2012) and slightly by Tran et al. (2003). In that spectral range, Titan tholins do not exhibit the features displayed by Kim and Courtin (2013) from Titan's observations. For spectral region of wavelengths smaller than 0.20µm or higher than 25µm, only the data from Khare et al. (1984) are

  6. Exobiology and the solar system: the Cassini mission to Titan.

    PubMed

    Raulin, F; Gautier, D; Ip, W H

    1984-01-01

    The recent Voyager mission and the simulation experiments in the laboratory suggest that a complex nitrogen-organic chemistry is occuring at the periphery of Titan. Thus, this satellite of Saturn appears as a privileged place in the solar system for the study of extraterrestrial organic chemistry which can be considered as part of Exobiology. Projects of space mission relating to Titan are already under investigation, in particular with the "CASSINI" proposal. The CASSINI project is a combination of a Saturn orbiter and a Titan probe mission. Such a mission would allow the first study "in situ" of a complex extraterrestrial organic chemistry in atmospheric phase.

  7. Do Titan's Mountains Betray the Late Acquisition of its Current Atmosphere

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Moore, Jeffrey Morgan; Nimmo, F.

    2011-01-01

    Titan may have acquired its massive atmosphere relatively recently in solar system history [1,2,3,4]. Prior to that time, Titan would have been nearly airless, with its volatiles frozen or sequestered. Present-day Titan experiences only small (approximately 4 K) pole-to-equator variations, owing to efficient heat transport via the thick atmosphere [5]; these temperature variations would have been much larger (approximately 20 K) in the absence of an atmosphere. If Titan's ice shell is conductive, the change in surface temperature associated with the development of an atmosphere would have led to changes in shell thickness. In particular, the poles would move down (inducing compression) while the equator would move up. Figure 1 shows the predicted change in surface elevation as a result of the change in surface temperature, using the numerical conductive shell thickness model of [6

  8. The Production of Titan's Ultraviolet Nitrogen Airglow

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stevens, Michael H.; Gustin, J.; Ajello, J. M.; Evans, J. S.; Meier, R. R.; Stewart, A. I. F.; Esposito, L. W.; McClintock, W. E.; Stephan, A. W.

    2010-10-01

    The Cassini Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) observed Titan's dayside limb on 22 June, 2009, obtaining high quality extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and far ultraviolet (FUV) spectra from a distance of only 60,000 km (23 Titan radii). The observations reveal the same EUV and FUV emissions arising from photoelectron excitation and photofragmentation of molecular nitrogen (N2) on Earth but with the altitude of peak emission much higher on Titan near 1000 km altitude. In the EUV, emission bands from the photoelectron excited N2 Carroll-Yoshino c4'-X system and N I and N II multiplets arising from photofragmentation of N2 dominate, with no detectable c4'(0,0) emission near 958 Å, contrary to many interpretations of the lower resolution Voyager 1 Ultraviolet Spectrometer data. The FUV is dominated by emission bands from the N2 Lyman-Birge-Hopfield a-X system and additional N I multiplets. We also identify several N2 Vegard-Kaplan A-X bands between 1500-1900 Å, two of which are located near 1561 and 1657 Å where C I multiplets were previously identified from a separate UVIS disk observation. We compare these limb emissions to predictions from a terrestrial airglow model adapted to Titan that uses a solar spectrum appropriate for these June, 2009 observations. Volume production rates and limb radiances are calculated, including extinction by methane and allowance for multiple scattering within the readily excited c4'(0,v') system, and compared to UVIS observations. We find that for these airglow data only emissions arising from processes involving N2 are present.

  9. Ion Escape from the Ionosphere of Titan

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hartle, R.; Sittler, E.; Lipatov, A.

    2008-01-01

    Ions have been observed to flow away from Titan along its induced magnetic tail by the Plasma Science Instrument (PLS) on Voyager 1 and the Cassini Plasma Spectrometer (CAPS) on Cassini. In both cases, the ions have been inferred to be of ionospheric origin. Recent plasma measurements made at another unmagnetized body, Venus, have also observed similar flow in its magnetic tail. Much earlier, the possibility of such flow was inferred when ionospheric measurements made from the Pioneer Venus Orbiter (PVO) were used to derive upward flow and acceleration of H(+), D(+) and O(+) within the nightside ionosphere of Venus. The measurements revealed that the polarization electric field in the ionosphere produced the principal upward force on these light ions. The resulting vertical flow of H(+) and D(+) was found to be the dominant escape mechanism of hydrogen and deuterium, corresponding to loss rates consistent with large oceans in early Venus. Other electrodynamic forces were unimportant because the plasma beta in the nightside ionosphere of Venus is much greater than one. Although the plasma beta is also greater than one on Titan, ion acceleration is expected to be more complex, especially because the subsolar point and the subflow points can be 180 degrees apart. Following what we learned at Venus, upward acceleration of light ions by the polarization electric field opposing gravity in the ionosphere of Titan will be described. Additional electrodynamic forces resulting from the interaction of Saturn's magnetosphere with Titan's ionosphere will be examined using a recent hybrid model.

  10. Landform Evolution Modeling of Specific Fluvially Eroded Physiographic Units on Titan

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Moore, J. M.; Howard, A. D.; Schenk, P. M.

    2015-01-01

    Several recent studies have proposed certain terrain types (i.e., physiographic units) on Titan thought to be formed by fluvial processes acting on local uplands of bedrock or in some cases sediment. We have earlier used our landform evolution models to make general comparisons between Titan and other ice world landscapes (principally those of the Galilean satellites) that we have modeled the action of fluvial processes. Here we give examples of specific landscapes that, subsequent to modeled fluvial work acting on the surfaces, produce landscapes which resemble mapped terrain types on Titan.

  11. Titan Density Reconstruction Using Radiometric and Cassini Attitude Control Flight Data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Andrade, Luis G., Jr.; Burk, Thomas A.

    2015-01-01

    This paper compares three different methods of Titan atmospheric density reconstruction for the Titan 87 Cassini flyby. T87 was a unique flyby that provided independent Doppler radiometric measurements on the ground throughout the flyby including at Titan closest approach. At the same time, the onboard accelerometer provided an independent estimate of atmospheric drag force and density during the flyby. These results are compared with the normal method of reconstructing atmospheric density using thruster on-time and angular momentum accumulation. Differences between the estimates are analyzed and a possible explanation for the differences is evaluated.

  12. Possible formation of amino acid precursors in the lower atmosphere of Titan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kobayashi, K.; Taniuchi, T.; Kaneko, T.; Al-Hanbali, H.; Yamori, A.; Miyakawa, S.; Takano, Y.

    Titan is a quite interesting satellite of Saturn from the point of view of astrobiology and origins of life It has ca 0 15 MPa atmosphere mainly composed of nitrogen and methane which can give us the possible implication of primitive Earth environments There have been a great number of experiments simulating chemical reactions in Titan atmosphere In most experiments electric discharges and ultraviolet light were used as energy sources The former is simulation of charged particles trapped in Saturn s magnetosphere and the latter is simulation of solar light Thus it can be said that these experiments simulate chemical reaction in the upper thin atmosphere Cosmic rays are another possible energy source available in Titan atmosphere Their energy is so high that they can penetrate into the lower atmosphere of Titan The energy flux of cosmic rays in the lower Titan atmosphere was estimated as to 9 0 x 10 -3 erg cm -2 s -1 Sagan and Thompson 1984 In order to simulate the action of cosmic rays in Titan atmosphere we irradiated simulated Titan atmosphere with high-energy protons A gas mixture of methane 1-10 and nitrogen balance total pressure was 700 Torr was sealed in a Pyrex tube with a window of Havar foil 0 01 mm thick It was irradiated with 3 MeV protons from a van de Graaff accelerator Tokyo Institute of Technology The products were dissolved in water dichloromethane tetrahydrofuran or benzene They were evaporated to dryness and then acid-hydrolyzed Amino acids were analyzed by cation exchange HPLC

  13. Sagan Lecture : Exploring Titan, An Earth-like Organic Paradise

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lorenz, R. D.

    2007-12-01

    Saturn's giant moon Titan has been called many things - 'The Mars of the Outer Solar System', 'A Fiercely-Frozen Echo of the Early Earth', 'A Place Like Home'- indeed, 'The Whole ball of Wax'. These various appelations reflect the richness and bewildering complexity of this most fascinating world which bears comparisons with both the terrestrial planets as well as other icy satellites. Titan's thick but dynamic atmosphere sculpts its surface with tidal winds and methane monsoons, and its climate has competing greenhouse and antigreenhouse effects as well as a seasonal polar haze structure analogous to the Earth's ozone hole. Titan is striking also in its massive organic inventory - its dunes and lakes make up an exposed carbon reservoir hundreds of times more massive than all of Earth's fossil fuels. At least part of this organic inventory has been processed by transient exposures to liquid water, in impact melt sheets and cryovolcanic flows (a scenario first pointed out by Thompson and Sagan in 1991). This aqueous chemical interaction is known from terrestrial laboratory experiments to yield amino acids, pyrimidines and other building blocks of living molecular systems. How far these chemical systems might evolve on geological, as opposed to laboratory, scales of space and time on Titan is completely unknown, but must surely be interesting to find out. The talk will review some of the surprising findings from Cassini-Huygens, their lessons for us here on Earth, and what future Titan exploration may tell us about the origins of worlds and the origins of life.

  14. Implications of dune pattern analysis for Titan's surface history

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Savage, Christopher J.; Radebaugh, Jani; Christiansen, Eric H.; Lorenz, Ralph D.

    2014-02-01

    Analysis of large-scale morphological parameters can reveal the reaction of dunes to changes in atmospheric and sedimentary conditions. Over 7000 dune width and 7000 dune spacing measurements were obtained for linear dunes in regions across Saturn's moon Titan from images T21, T23, T28, T44 and T48 collected by the Synthetic Aperture RADAR (SAR) aboard the Cassini spacecraft in order to reconstruct the aeolian surface history of Titan. Dunes in the five study areas are all linear in form, with a mean width of 1.3 km and mean crest spacing of 2.7 km, similar to dunes in the African Saharan and Namib deserts on Earth. At the resolution of Cassini SAR, the dunes have the morphology of large linear dunes, and they lack evidence for features of compound or complex dunes. The large size, spacing and uniform morphology are all indicators that Titan's dunes are mature features, in that they have grown toward a steady state for a long period of time. Dune width decreases to the north, perhaps from increased sediment stabilization caused by a net transport of moisture from south to north, or from increased maturity in dunes to the south. Cumulative probability plots of dune parameters measured at different locations across Titan indicate there is a single population of intermediate-to-large-sized dunes on Titan. This suggests that, unlike analogous dunes in the Namib and Agneitir Sand Seas, dune-forming conditions that generated the current set of dunes were stable and active long enough to erase any evidence of past conditions.

  15. Organic haze on Titan and the early Earth

    PubMed Central

    Trainer, Melissa G.; Pavlov, Alexander A.; DeWitt, H. Langley; Jimenez, Jose L.; McKay, Christopher P.; Toon, Owen B.; Tolbert, Margaret A.

    2006-01-01

    Recent exploration by the Cassini/Huygens mission has stimulated a great deal of interest in Saturn's moon, Titan. One of Titan's most captivating features is the thick organic haze layer surrounding the moon, believed to be formed from photochemistry high in the CH4/N2 atmosphere. It has been suggested that a similar haze layer may have formed on the early Earth. Here we report laboratory experiments that demonstrate the properties of haze likely to form through photochemistry on Titan and early Earth. We have used a deuterium lamp to initiate particle production in these simulated atmospheres from UV photolysis. Using a unique analysis technique, the aerosol mass spectrometer, we have studied the chemical composition, size, and shape of the particles produced as a function of initial trace gas composition. Our results show that the aerosols produced in the laboratory can serve as analogs for the observed haze in Titan's atmosphere. Experiments performed under possible conditions for early Earth suggest a significant optical depth of haze may have dominated the early Earth's atmosphere. Aerosol size measurements are presented, and implications for the haze layer properties are discussed. We estimate that aerosol production on the early Earth may have been on the order of 1014 g·year−1 and thus could have served as a primary source of organic material to the surface. PMID:17101962

  16. Titan's Interior Chemical Composition: Possible Important Phase Transitions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Howard, Michael; Fried, L. E.; Khare, B. N.; McKay, C. P.

    2008-09-01

    We study the interior composition of Titan using thermal chemical equilibrium calculations that are valid to high pressures and temperatures. The equations of state are based on exponential-6 fluid theory and have been validated against experimental data up to a few Mbars in pressure and approximately 20000K in temperature. In addition to CHNO molecules, we account for multi-phases of carbon, water and a variety of metals such as Al and Fe, and their oxides. With these fluid equations of state, chemical equilibrium is calculated for a set of product species. As the temperature and pressure evolves for increasing depth in the interior, the chemical equilibrium shifts. We assume that Titan is initially composed of comet material, which we assume to be solar, except for hydrogen, which we take to be depleted by a factor 1/1000. We find that a significant amount of nitrogen is in the form of N2, rather than NH3. Moreover, above 12 kbars pressure, as is the interior pressure of Titan, a significant amount of the carbon is in the form of graphite, rather than CO2 and CH4. We discuss the implications of these results for understanding the atmospheric and surface composition of Titan. This work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

  17. Organic sedimentary deposits in Titan's dry lakebeds: Probable evaporite

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Barnes, J.W.; Bow, J.; Schwartz, J.; Brown, R.H.; Soderblom, J.M.; Hayes, A.G.; Vixie, G.; Le, Mouelic S.; Rodriguez, S.; Sotin, Christophe; Jaumann, R.; Stephan, K.; Soderblom, L.A.; Clark, R.N.; Buratti, B.J.; Baines, K.H.; Nicholson, P.D.

    2011-01-01

    We report the discovery of organic sedimentary deposits at the bottom of dry lakebeds near Titan's north pole in observations from the Cassini Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS). We show evidence that the deposits are evaporitic, making Titan just the third known planetary body with evaporitic processes after Earth and Mars, and is the first that uses a solvent other than water. ?? 2011 Elsevier Inc.

  18. Report of the December 2009 Titan Planetary Protection workshop

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Raulin, Francois; Rummel, John; Kminek, Gerhard; Conley, Catharine; Ehrenfreund, Pascale

    The status of planning for space missions to explore the outer solar system has identified the need to define the proper planetary protection categories and implementation guidelines for outer planet satellites. A COSPAR planetary protection workshop was held in Vienna in April 2009 on that subject, and a consensus was found regarding the planetary protection status of many of these objects. However, it was determined that for the planetary protection categorization of Titan further data and studies were required, to conclude whether there is only a remote (Cat. II) or significant (Cat. III) chance that contamination carried by a spacecraft could jeopardize future exploration. The main issue to be resolved is the uncertainty surrounding the communication between the surface and the potentially liquid water in the subsurface with regard to (feasible) processes and associated time frames. It was thus decided to have a planetary protection workshop fully dedicated to the case of Titan, both to focus greater expertise on the subject and to make use of additional Cassini-Huygens mission data. A two days Titan Planetary Protection workshop was thus organized at Caltech, on December 9 and 10, 2009. The meeting was sponsored by NASA and ESA, with the participation of the COSPAR Panel on Planetary Protection. It was attended by 25 participants. The goal of this workshop was to resolve the mission category for Titan (and Ganymede) and develop a consensus on the Category II (remote chance that contamination jeopardize future exploration) versus II+ /III (less remote or significant chance of contamination jeopardize future exploration) dichotomy, taking into account both the conservative nature of planetary protection policy and the physical constraints on the Titan and Ganymede systems. The outcome of this workshop will be presented and discussed during the PPP1 session of the COSPAR General Assembly meeting in Bremen. Note: all participants of the Titan PP workshop are

  19. Cassini radar views the surface of Titan.

    PubMed

    Elachi, C; Wall, S; Allison, M; Anderson, Y; Boehmer, R; Callahan, P; Encrenaz, P; Flamini, E; Franceschetti, G; Gim, Y; Hamilton, G; Hensley, S; Janssen, M; Johnson, W; Kelleher, K; Kirk, R; Lopes, R; Lorenz, R; Lunine, J; Muhleman, D; Ostro, S; Paganelli, F; Picardi, G; Posa, F; Roth, L; Seu, R; Shaffer, S; Soderblom, L; Stiles, B; Stofan, E; Vetrella, S; West, R; Wood, C; Wye, L; Zebker, H

    2005-05-13

    The Cassini Titan Radar Mapper imaged about 1% of Titan's surface at a resolution of approximately 0.5 kilometer, and larger areas of the globe in lower resolution modes. The images reveal a complex surface, with areas of low relief and a variety of geologic features suggestive of dome-like volcanic constructs, flows, and sinuous channels. The surface appears to be young, with few impact craters. Scattering and dielectric properties are consistent with porous ice or organics. Dark patches in the radar images show high brightness temperatures and high emissivity and are consistent with frozen hydrocarbons.

  20. The evolution of Titan's mid-latitude clouds

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Griffith, C.A.; Penteado, P.; Baines, K.; Drossart, P.; Barnes, J.; Bellucci, G.; Bibring, J.; Brown, R.; Buratti, B.; Capaccioni, F.; Cerroni, P.; Clark, R.; Combes, M.; Coradini, A.; Cruikshank, D.; Formisano, V.; Jaumann, R.; Langevin, Y.; Matson, D.; McCord, T.; Mennella, V.; Nelson, R.; Nicholson, P.; Sicardy, B.; Sotin, Christophe; Soderblom, L.A.; Kursinski, R.

    2005-01-01

    Spectra from Cassini's Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer reveal that the horizontal structure, height, and optical depth of Titan's clouds are highly, dynamic. Vigorous cloud centers are seen to rise from the middle to the upper troposphere within 30 minutes and dissipate within the next hour. Their development indicates that Titan's clouds evolve convectively; dissipate through rain; and, over the next several hours, waft downwind to achieve their great longitude extents. These and other characteristics suggest that temperate clouds originate from circulation-induced convergence, in addition to a forcing at the surface associated with Saturn's tides, geology, and/or surface composition.