 |
|
|
NASA’s Cassini spacecraft is
once again in the spotlight, as it uncovered evidence that points to the existence
of an underground ocean on one of Saturn’s moons, namely Titan. Scientists believe
the composition of the ocean could be water and ammonia, and will detail their
findings in the March 21 issue of the journal Science.
The images that led scientists
to such assumptions were taken with the help of Cassini’s radar observations on
the moon’s rotation between 2004 and 2007. The geological features on the
surface of Titan combined with its rotation and the mysterious displacement of
some of these features in time led to the idea that there might be an ocean
somewhere under the surface that is responsible for all the “movement.”
Ralph Lorenz, lead author of the
paper, said that the organic dunes, lakes, channels and mountains point to a
striking resemblance of Titan to our own planet. The radar images also gave scientists
a glimpse on what could happen beneath the surface of Titan, and why not, even
more hope that somewhere in the Universe life is possible to take shape.
Between October 2005 and May
2007, Cassini executed 19 passes over Titan, gathering detailed data on the
surface of the moon and their precise location. The fact that the geological features
changed location in such short periods of time got them thinking on the
probable cause.
“We believe that about 100
kilometers (62 miles) beneath the ice and organic-rich surface is an internal ocean
of liquid water mixed with ammonia,” concluded Bryan Stiles of NASA’s Jet Propulsion
Laboratory in Pasadena, California, who also contributed to the paper.
The next Titan fly-by is set for
March 25, when NASA’s Cassini spacecraft will get as close as 1,000 kilometers
(620 miles) from the Saturn moon’s surface. The mission is to take a closer
look at Titan’s upper atmosphere with the help of its Ion and Neutral Mass Spectrometer,
while the spacecraft’s Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer will take
high-resolution images of Titan’s southeast quadrant.
Image credits: NASA
© 2007 - 2008 - eFluxMedia
