Download or read book Post Cassini Investigations of Titan Atmospheric Chemistry written by Sarah M. Horst and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 618 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The arrival of the Cassini-Huygens mission to the Saturn system ushered in a new era in the study of Titan. Armed with a variety of instruments capable of remote sensing and in situ investigations of Titan's atmosphere and surface, Cassini and Huygens have provided a wealth of new information about Titan and have finally allowed humankind to see its surface. This work focuses on two discoveries made by the Cassini Plasma Spectrometer (CAPS): the detection of oxygen ions (O+) precipitating into Titan's atmosphere (Hartle et al., 2006) and the discovery of very large positive (Waite et al., 2007; Crary et al., 2009) and negative ions (Coates et al., 2007, 2009) present in Titan's thermosphere. Through the use of a photochemical model, I demonstrate that the observed densities of CO, CO2and H2O can be explained by a combination of O and OH or H2O input to the upper atmosphere. Given the detection of O+precipitation into Titan's upper atmosphere, it is no longer necessary to invoke outgassing from Titan's interior as a source for atmospheric CO or to assume that the observed CO is the remnant of a larger primordial abundance in Titan's atmosphere. Instead, it is most likely that the oxygen bearing species in Titan's atmosphere are the result of external input, most likely from Enceladus. I have also used very high resolution mass spectrometry to investigate the com- position of Titan aerosol analogues, or "tholins". Although there are an enormous number of molecules present in tholin samples, they exhibit numerous patterns, in- cluding very regular spectral spacing. These patterns may help constrain the com- position of the very large ions observed in the CAPS spectra, since the resolution of the instrument makes identification of the molecules impossible. Additionally, tholins produced with CO possess molecules of prebiotic interest, including all 5 nucleotide bases and the 2 smallest amino acids (glycine and alanine). This indicatesthat chemistry occurring in Titan's upper atmosphere may be capable of forming incredibly complex organic molecules, which may have implications for the origin of life on Earth and elsewhere in the universe.
Download or read book Titan written by Ingo Müller-Wodarg and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2014-02-24 with total page 479 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This comprehensive reference and guide examines the processes that shape the atmosphere and surface of Titan, Saturn's largest moon.
Download or read book Titan from Cassini Huygens written by Robert Brown and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2009-10-13 with total page 529 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is one of two volumes meant to capture, to the extent practical, the sci- ti? c legacy of the Cassini–Huygens prime mission, a landmark in the history of pl- etary exploration. As the most ambitious and interdisciplinary planetary exploration mission ? own to date, it has extended our knowledge of the Saturn system to levels of detail at least an order of magnitude beyond that gained from all previous missions to Saturn. Nestled in the brilliant light of the ne w and deep understanding of the Saturn pl- etary system is the shiny nugget that is the spectacularly successful collaboration of individuals, organizations and governments in the achievement of Cassini–Huygens. In some ways the partnerships formed and lessons learned may be the most enduring legacy of Cassini–Huygens. The broad, international coalition that is Cassini– Huygens is now conducting the Cassini Equinox Mission and planning the Cassini Solstice Mission, and in a major expansion of those fruitful efforts, has extended the collaboration to the study of new ? agship missions to both Jupiter and Saturn. Such ventures have and will continue to enrich us all, and evoke a very optimistic vision of the future of international collaboration in planetary exploration.
Download or read book Titan written by Athena Coustenis and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 1999 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the first book to deal with Titan, one of the most mysterious bodies in the solar system. The largest satellite of the giant planet Saturn, Titan is itself larger than the planet Mercury, and is unique in being the only known moon with a thick atmosphere. In addition, its atmosphere bears a startling resemblance to the Earth's, but is much colder. The American and European space agencies, NASA and ESA, have recently combined efforts to send a huge robot spacecraft to orbit Saturn and land on Titan. This book provides the background to this, the greatest deep space venture of our time, and sets the scene for what may be found when the spacecraft arrives in 2004.
Download or read book Photochemistry of Small Molecules written by Hideo Okabe and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 1978 with total page 456 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Saturn in the 21st Century written by Kevin H. Baines and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2019 with total page 495 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A detailed overview of Saturn's formation, evolution and structure written by eminent planetary scientists involved in the Cassini Orbiter mission.
Download or read book Titan written by Athena Coustenis and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2008 with total page 412 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Titan: Exploring an Earthlike World presents the only comprehensive description in book form of what is currently known about Titan, the largest satellite of the planet Saturn and arguably the most intriguing and mysterious world in the Solar System. Because of its resemblance to our own planet, Titan is often described as a “frozen primitive Earth” and is therefore of wide interest to scientists and educated laypersons from a wide range of backgrounds. The book aims to cater to all of these by using nontechnical language wherever possible, while maintaining a high standard of scientific rigor.The book is a fully revised and extensively updated edition of Titan: The Earthlike Moon, which was published in 1999, before the Cassini and Huygens missions arrived to orbit Saturn and land on Titan. As investigators on these missions, the authors use the latest results to present the most recent revelations and latest surprises about an exciting new world.
Download or read book Encyclopedia of Planetary Sciences written by J.H. Shirley and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 1997-06-30 with total page 943 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Planetary science is a truly multidisciplinary subject. The book deals with the atmospheres, surfaces and interiors of the planets and moons, and with the interplanetary environment of plasma and fields, as well as with asteroids and meteorites. Processes such as accretion, differentiation, thermal evolution, and impact cratering form another category of entries. Remote sensing techniques employed in investigation and exploration, such as magnetometry, photometry, and spectroscopy are described in separate articles. In addition, the Encyclopedia chronicles the history of planetary science, including biographies of pioneering scientists, and detailed descriptions of all major lunar and planetary missions and programs. The Encyclopedia of Planetary Sciences is superbly illustrated throughout with over 450 line drawings, 180 black and white photographs, and 63 color illustrations. It will be a key reference source for planetary scientists, astronomers, and workers in related disciplines such as geophysics, geology, and the atmospheric sciences.
Download or read book Titan Unveiled written by Ralph Lorenz and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2010-07-01 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For twenty-five years following the Voyager mission, scientists speculated about Saturn's largest moon, a mysterious orb clouded in orange haze. Finally, in 2005, the Cassini-Huygens probe successfully parachuted down through Titan's atmosphere, all the while transmitting images and data. In the early 1980s, when the two Voyager spacecraft skimmed past Titan, Saturn's largest moon, they transmitted back enticing images of a mysterious world concealed in a seemingly impenetrable orange haze. Titan Unveiled is one of the first general interest books to reveal the startling new discoveries that have been made since the arrival of the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn and Titan. Ralph Lorenz and Jacqueline Mitton take readers behind the scenes of this mission. Launched in 1997, Cassini entered orbit around Saturn in summer 2004. Its formidable payload included the Huygens probe, which successfully parachuted down through Titan's atmosphere in early 2005, all the while transmitting images and data--and scientists were startled by what they saw. One of those researchers was Lorenz, who gives an insider's account of the scientific community's first close encounter with an alien landscape of liquid methane seas and turbulent orange skies. Amid the challenges and frayed nerves, new discoveries are made, including methane monsoons, equatorial sand seas, and Titan's polar hood. Lorenz and Mitton describe Titan as a world strikingly like Earth and tell how Titan may hold clues to the origins of life on our own planet and possibly to its presence on others. Generously illustrated with many stunning images, Titan Unveiled is essential reading for anyone interested in space exploration, planetary science, or astronomy. A new afterword brings readers up to date on Cassini's ongoing exploration of Titan, describing the many new discoveries made since 2006.
Download or read book The Outer Planets and their Moons written by Thérèse Encrenaz and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2005-12-28 with total page 491 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Representatives of several scientific communities, such as planetary scientists, astronomers, space physicists, chemists and astrobiologists have met with the aim to review the knowledge on four major themes: (1) the study of the formation and evolution processes of the outer planets and their satellites, beginning with the formation of compounds and planetesimals in the solar nebula, and the subsequent evolution of the interiors of the outer planets, (2) a comparative study of the atmospheres of the outer planets and Titan, (3) the study of the planetary magnetospheres and their interactions with the solar wind, and (4) the formation and properties of satellites and rings, including their interiors, surfaces, and their interaction with the solar wind and the magnetospheres of the outer planets. Beyond these topics, the implications for the prebiotic chemical evolution on Europa and Titan are reviewed. At the time of publication, the study of the outer planets is particularly motivated by the fact that the Saturn system is being investigated by the Cassini-Huygens mission.
Download or read book The Early Evolution of the Atmospheres of Terrestrial Planets written by J.M. Trigo-Rodriguez and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-05-29 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “The Early Evolution of the Atmospheres of Terrestrial Planets” presents the main processes participating in the atmospheric evolution of terrestrial planets. A group of experts in the different fields provide an update of our current knowledge on this topic. Several papers in this book discuss the key role of nitrogen in the atmospheric evolution of terrestrial planets. The earliest setting and evolution of planetary atmospheres of terrestrial planets is directly associated with accretion, chemical differentiation, outgassing, stochastic impacts, and extremely high energy fluxes from their host stars. This book provides an overview of the present knowledge of the initial atmospheric composition of the terrestrial planets. Additionally it includes some papers about the current exoplanet discoveries and provides additional clues to our understanding of Earth’s transition from a hot accretionary phase into a habitable world. All papers included were reviewed by experts in their respective fields. We are living in an epoch of important exoplanet discoveries, but current properties of these exoplanets do not match our scientific predictions using standard terrestrial planet models. This book deals with the main physio-chemical signatures and processes that could be useful to better understand the formation of rocky planets.
Download or read book Investigations Into the Photochemistry of the Current and Primordial Atmosphere of Titan written by Eric Hezekiah Wilson and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 598 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Report Series Committee on Astrobiology and Planetary Science written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2020-12-16 with total page 31 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Committee on Astrobiology and Planetary Sciences of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is tasked with monitoring the progress in implementation of the recommendations of the most recent planetary science decadal survey, Vision and Voyages for Planetary Science in the Decade 2013-2022. Planetary science decadal surveys evaluate the state of the field, identify the most important scientific questions and themes, and prioritize missions and activities for the decade in question based on scientific merit, technical feasibility, and anticipated cost. The need for careful monitoring is underscored by the fact that some of the decadal survey's recommendations are triggered at specific programmatic decision points. Options for the Fifth New Frontiers Announcement of Opportunity addresses one such decision point. For each of the following four New Frontiers targets: Ocean Worlds, Trojan Tour and Rendezvous, Io Observer and Lunar Geophysical, this report summarizes changes in scientific understanding or external factors since the release of Vision and Voyages or its midterm review and considers whether those changes have been sufficiently substantial to warrant reconsideration of the four targets for inclusion in the New Frontiers 5 announcement of opportunity, scheduled for release in early 2022.
Download or read book First Steps in the Origin of Life in the Universe written by Julian Chela-Flores and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2011-06-28 with total page 415 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Proceedings of the Sixth Trieste Conference on Chemical Evolution, Trieste, Italy, 18-22 September 2000
Download or read book Encyclopedia of Geology written by and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2020-12-16 with total page 5634 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Encyclopedia of Geology, Second Edition presents in six volumes state-of-the-art reviews on the various aspects of geologic research, all of which have moved on considerably since the writing of the first edition. New areas of discussion include extinctions, origins of life, plate tectonics and its influence on faunal provinces, new types of mineral and hydrocarbon deposits, new methods of dating rocks, and geological processes. Users will find this to be a fundamental resource for teachers and students of geology, as well as researchers and non-geology professionals seeking up-to-date reviews of geologic research. Provides a comprehensive and accessible one-stop shop for information on the subject of geology, explaining methodologies and technical jargon used in the field Highlights connections between geology and other physical and biological sciences, tackling research problems that span multiple fields Fills a critical gap of information in a field that has seen significant progress in past years Presents an ideal reference for a wide range of scientists in earth and environmental areas of study
Download or read book Planetary Landers and Entry Probes written by Andrew Ball and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2007-05-10 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a concise, broad overview of the engineering, science and history of planetary landers and atmospheric entry probes designed to explore the atmospheres and surfaces of other planets. This will form an important reference for professionals, researchers and graduate students in planetary science, aerospace engineering and space mission development.
Download or read book Remote Compositional Analysis written by Janice L. Bishop and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2019-11-28 with total page 655 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Comprehensive overview of the spectroscopic, mineralogical, and geochemical techniques used in planetary remote sensing.
