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from the extraterrestrial-white-'water'-rafting dept.
The aptly named Titan, Saturn's largest moon, is remarkably Earth-like. Its diameter is only about 40% that of our planet, but Titan's nitrogen-rich, dense atmosphere and the geological activity at the moon's surface make comparisons between the two bodies inevitable.
Aside from Earth, Titan is the only other body where we have found evidence of active erosion on a large scale. There are seas, lakes and rivers filled with liquid hydrocarbons – mainly methane and some ethane – that etch the moon's surface, in much the same way water erodes Earth's.
A striking example is Vid Flumina, the Nile-like, branching river system visible on the upper-left quadrant of the image. The river, in the moon's north polar region, flows into Ligeia Mare, a methane-rich sea that appears as a dark patch on the right side of the image.
Researchers in Italy and the US analysed Cassini radar observations from May 2013 and recently revealed that the narrow channels that branch off Vid Flumina are deep, steep-sided canyons filled with flowing hydrocarbons.
Do Titanians worry about too much oxygen in their atmosphere?
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 21 2016, @04:30PM
If manned missions didn't drain so much of NASA's budget, then perhaps we'd have a boat probe or two by now, cruising around Titan lakes.
They'd probably first take the safe routes near smooth shorelines, but take more risk as the mission progresses by exploring the more jagged coasts and approach rivers. If they get lucky, maybe they can ride rivers connecting lakes.
By the way, the Huygens lander was designed to float, if by chance it landed in liquid. But, it hit "dry" land. Plus, it could send signals for only a short time due to battery life and the path of the mother probe away from Titan.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Wednesday September 21 2016, @04:58PM
You just need to prove out one of two things and money will flow to get us to Titan as soon as the best engine can get there:
- Fishing is amazing
- The surf is out of this world
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 21 2016, @05:46PM
3) Oil!
(Score: 2) by takyon on Wednesday September 21 2016, @06:11PM
Good thing Titan has lakes of hydrocarbons.
I wonder what it would take to set Titan on fire.
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(Score: 3, Touché) by Username on Wednesday September 21 2016, @08:10PM
Oxygen.
Probably via hydrolysis.
(Score: 3, Funny) by bob_super on Wednesday September 21 2016, @06:15PM
Well, proving hydrocarbons isn't exactly needed. It's the space-pipeline tech which needs a bit more work.
Plus sending surfers and fishermen might prevent the blue natives from launching a planet-wide counter-attack on the greedy destructive mining bastards from Earth. There a documentary about that somewhere, with cat-related life and tall human-like protagonists, by some guy named Gargamel, I think.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Wednesday September 21 2016, @06:12PM
So... radioisotope thermoelectric generator for a Titan boat? That atmosphere is a blessing and a curse.
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(Score: 3, Insightful) by turgid on Wednesday September 21 2016, @09:07PM
If wars and other pointless conflicts didn't detract from NASA's budget... Unfortunately we are human and human nature will always be with us.
I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent [wikipedia.org].
(Score: 2) by GreatAuntAnesthesia on Thursday September 22 2016, @03:23PM
So somewhere between https://what-if.xkcd.com/30/ [xkcd.com] and https://what-if.xkcd.com/50/ [xkcd.com] then.