“Time” will sail on the Titan seas

3 September 2011 1

On Titan, Saturn’s satellite, in 2006, a radar of a single spacecraft called NASA Cassini revealed seas consisting of ethane and methane as it passed by. The surface temperature of Titan is approximately minus one hundred fifty degrees Celsius. In this regard, there are methane and ethane, because they are the only substances that can withstand this temperature. Some of the seas that this radar has discovered can be compared in size with the largest lakes on Earth. However, these data are not particularly accurate, since the gas atmosphere of the satellite is very thick, and could be an obstacle. Now the spacecraft plans to explore the Titan Sea from a distance closer. To do this, it needs to lower the Titan Mare Explorer, a research device whose abbreviation sounds like TIME, to the surface of some of the seas.

The purpose of this device is to carry out the first sea voyage outside the Earth in stories of all mankind.

In May, 2011, the project received from the company “HACA” sponsorship investment in the amount of three million conventional units for the implementation of the first project phase. This stage will consist in the fact that a new spacecraft will be developed, as well as the forthcoming mission of the machine will be detailed. If “HACA” continues to develop the project “TiME” - the device will start in 2016 year. In 2023, it is planned that it descends to one of the Titan Seas in the polar zone of the satellite, which is removed from our planet on 1287 and a half million kilometers.

This device will take photographs, collect meteorological data, measure the sea depth, and analyze samples of marine fluid. The “TiME” capsule will not have its own engines. He will sail the seas of Titan under the influence of the wind, as well as currents.

Approximately in the middle of 2020-x, the “winter” phase will come to Titan, which will last about ten years - then Saturn will hide it from the Sun. This will affect the connection with the capsule - there will be no connection, it will be impossible to obtain scientific data. In 2035, most likely, Titan is already out of the shadow of Saturn - then the connection with the spacecraft can be restored, of course, only if it still works.

The titanium atmosphere contains methane clouds. They give the sky of this satellite an orange hue. Such clouds are sources of hydrocarbon rains. They provide an opportunity to fill the sea, as well as they form the landscape of the satellite. This is similar to how water affects planet Earth.

Ralph Lorenz, who is a physicist, and who works at the University. J. Hopkins, says that life forms known to humanity necessarily require a liquid - water, and on Titan the surface is too cold for this. However, the study of the Titanian seas will provide an opportunity to learn the reactions of molecules of organic compounds, as well as how they can be organized, which leads to the birth of life there, which are completely different from ours.

In addition, there is a huge number of other diverse issues in the field of science of planetology. For example, are there fogs over the seas? Or the spray? What kind of sea water is clear or muddy? Is there foam on the surface of the sea? And also a lot of other questions.

Next year, HACA authorities plan to fully fund one of the space missions, of which there are only three. The second task is to explore Mars using the “Geophysical Monitoring Station”. Its goal is to study the processes that took place during the formation of this planet.

This mission is developed by NASA laboratory professionals who specialize in the study of jet propulsion. The third candidate is the mission “Comet Hopper”, which is being developed by the specialists of the Center for Space Flight. Goddard NASA. The space capsule of this mission plans to land not one, but several times on various comets, while investigating those processes. Which are caused by the heating of the surface when comets approach the Sun.