The Lakes of Titan?

[Babbler]

'Great lakes' seen on Titan moon
The Cassini spacecraft has discovered possible evidence for lakes filled with liquid hydrocarbons around the north pole of Saturn's moon Titan.

If confirmed, Titan would become the only planetary body other than Earth known to host lakes.

A handful of these dark patches have channels leading in and out of them; these channels have a shape that implies they were carved by a liquid.

The US-European probe entered orbit around Saturn on 1 July 2004.

Some of the putative lakes and connecting channels are completely black in the radar images, which means they essentially reflect back no radar signal, and hence must be extremely smooth.

In some cases, rims can be seen around the dark patches, suggesting deposits that might form as liquid evaporates. The lakes are thought to be filled by rainfall, perhaps in seasonal storms.

The abundant methane in Titan's atmosphere is stable as a liquid under the moon's freezing conditions, as is the slightly larger molecule ethane. But liquid water is not.

For this reason, mission scientists are interpreting the dark areas as lakes of liquid methane or ethane.

Cassini team members will image these sites again on upcoming flybys of the moon to determine whether they really are bodies of liquid hydrocarbons on the surface.

The $3.2bn Cassini-Huygens project is a joint venture between the US space agency (Nasa), the European Space Agency (Esa) and the Italian Space Agency (Asi).
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/science/nature/5214220.stm

Published: 2006/07/25 15:35:07 GMT

© BBC MMVI

I wonder what it will do with increased chances of life on the moon.

Cool, never the less.

 

[bathsheba666]

No sirens without lakes.

 

[Bozo Erectus]

This means that human settlements on Titan, no matter how advanced or airtight, would inevitably smell like farts, because the methane would seep in. Natives wouldnt notice it, but visitors would have a tough time.

 

[El_Machinae]

Well, as soon as I discover fusion, I'm going to make a long-haul rocket company to provide this thirsty planet with extra-terrestrial oil!

Take THAT Global Warming!

Seriously, a massive source of organics is highly useful for a space-faring society; much like a wild fruit forest helped out settlers a great deal by providing quick and available food to subsidize their settling.

 

[Urederra]

Well, as soon as I discover fusion, I'm going to make a long-haul rocket company to provide this thirsty planet with extra-terrestrial oil!

Take THAT Global Warming!

Not to mention that Mars needs to be globally warmed. So if 300 ppb of CO2 can raise the global temperature by 2 degrees, lets make 3 ppm of CO2 for Mars, and we'll have another liveable planet.

 

[drkodos]

Salo is there, waiting.

 

[Masquerouge]

Seasonal storms of liquid hydrocarbons. Wow. Must be an amazing sight.

 

[North King]

This means that human settlements on Titan, no matter how advanced or airtight, would inevitably smell like farts, because the methane would seep in. Natives wouldnt notice it, but visitors would have a tough time.

Pure methane is odorless.

 

[Urederra]

Pure methane is odorless.

You are totally right. Low chain hydrocarbons are completely odorless. It's the amines what give farts its characteristic smell

They even add tertbutanethiol to propane and butante to give them some odo(u)r so you can tell whether it is a leak or not.

 

[Stegyre]

No sirens without lakes.

Exactly what I was thinking.
(Probably my favorite Vonnegut novel.)
linky for the unread:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sirens_of_Titan

 

[Bozo Erectus]

Pure methane is odorless.

Yeah but my guess is their quality control department on Titan aint worth a tinkers damn, so chances are, it isnt pure.

 

[El_Machinae]

I thought it was the -thiols in my farts that make them smell, not the amines?

Anyway, these hydrocarbons aren't not entirely useful if there is no oxygen to build them into useful compounds.

 

[Abaddon]

What are the conditions like to give liquid lakes? Anything close to bacterior terratory?

 

[El_Machinae]

Freezing cold and heavy tectonic activity.

Actually, with the massive amounts of energy differential (i.e., the plates rubbing) and the mass of organic compounds - it's seems ripe for life. Of course, it's only had a few billion years.

 

[Bluemofia]

Not to mention that Mars needs to be globally warmed. So if 300 ppb of CO2 can raise the global temperature by 2 degrees, lets make 3 ppm of CO2 for Mars, and we'll have another liveable planet.

You do know that Mars has a 99% CO2 atmosphere, right?

It's that it has very little atmosphere at the moment, that's the problem.

 

[Sophie 378]

iirc, the problem with Mars is that there's no magnetic field, so the atmosphere got blown off by the solar wind.

Though I may well be completely wrong.

 

[Urederra]

Welcome back, sophie Weren't you living in Egsbaston?

And not only the atmosphere got blown of by the solar wind, mars is too small to retain low molecular weight gasses, such as O2, N2 or H2O.

You do know that Mars has a 99% CO2 atmosphere, right?

It's that it has very little atmosphere at the moment, that's the problem.

I know that, and the atmospheric pressure must be in the range of 10 milibars or so, mostly CO2, a bit heavier gas than O2 or N2 and easier for Mars' gravity to retain.

I was being a bit sarcastic, that's why I added the mischivious smilie.

 

[Bluemofia]

iirc, the problem with Mars is that there's no magnetic field, so the atmosphere got blown off by the solar wind.

Though I may well be completely wrong.

That is a reason. And there is no volcanism that replenishes atmosphere.

Solar wind would chip away at an atmosphere little by little, but volcanism replaces the atmosphere lost. Look at Venus. It has no magnetic fields, but it has active volcanoes, helping it keep its atmosphere massivly thick and dense.

Welcome back, sophie Weren't you living in Egsbaston?

And not only the atmosphere got blown of by the solar wind, mars is too small to retain low molecular weight gasses, such as O2, N2 or H2O.

I know that, and the atmospheric pressure must be in the range of 10 milibars or so, mostly CO2, a bit heavier gas than O2 or N2 and easier for Mars' gravity to retain. .

True. But I misinterpreted the smiley.

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

Whatever the long-term implications may be, I just have to say, that is awesome.

 

[drkodos]

Exactly what I was thinking.
(Probably my favorite Vonnegut novel.)
linky for the unread:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sirens_of_Titan

It is more than my favorite Vonnegut novel, it is my all time favorite, period.


I have gifted this book more than any other to people, hoping it gives them some insight into my insanity.


So, don't truth me and I won't truth you.