Unveiling Titan

[alexblackwell]

I'm using this image, though it has already been discussed, and notwithstanding the informative "Titan exploration" thread below, just to re-initiate <i>this</i> thread. Here I'll probably post links to Titan-related articles, papers, and, if I get the time, re-post links from the former thread BD (Before the Disaster ;-)<br />

 

[alexblackwell]

The journal <i>Geophysical Research Letters</i> recently began publishing a series of Titan-related papers in a Special Section entitled Titan: Pre-Cassini Views.

 

[alexblackwell]

For those who may be a little tired of the Where is Cassini Now?" views on the Cassini website, below is a typical view from the orbiter's remote sensing pallet, in this case during the first non-targeted Titan flyby (T0) on July 2, 2004. FYI, the white, orange, and magenta lines/circles represent the fields of view for the ISS NAC and ISS WAC, CIRS, and UVIS, respectively.

 

[alexblackwell]

The August 2004 issue of Discover Magazine has a cover story entitled "Saturn Spectacular" by Fred Guterl.

 

[alexblackwell]

At this risk of immodesty, I'll post a link to Amazon.com and <i>Lifting Titan's Veil: Exploring the Giant Moon of Saturn</i> by Ralph Lorenz and Jacqueline Mitton. You may note my recent online review lower down on the page. As you can see, I highly recommend the book. I procrastinated so long in writing it that Ralph had to remind me the review was a year overdue ;-)

 

[alexblackwell]

The fields and particles-type people may be interested in a new preprint on the LANL arXiv server, "Titan's Atomic and Molecular Nitrogen Tori" by H.T. Smith <i>et al</i>.

 

[alexblackwell]

Cassini sees lightning on Saturn<br />By Paul Rincon <br />BBC News Online science staff, in Paris <br />Last Updated: Friday, 23 July, 2004, 14:01 GMT 15:01 UK<br /><br />Note the last few grafs:<br /><br />"'This will give us good information of the existence of lighting - or not - on Titan,' said Dr Zarka.<br /><br />"Recent images of Titan did not show clear evidence of oceans composed of hydrocarbons on the surface - as some scientists have suggested there might be. <br /><br />"But one new hypothesis suggests that the oceans may be covered from view by some sort of hydrocarbon fog."

 

[alexblackwell]

Receding Titan<br />Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute<br />Released: July 27, 2004 (PIA 06087)

 

[alexblackwell]

Hazy All Over<br />Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute<br />Released: July 28, 2004 (PIA 06089)

 

[alexblackwell]

Titan, in Living Color...and a Preview of Hyperion<br />by Emily Lakdawalla<br />The Planetary Society<br />July 28, 2004

 

[alexblackwell]

Purple Haze<br />Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute<br />Released: July 29, 2004 (PIA 06090)

 

[remcook]

http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA06418<br /><br />

 

[alexblackwell]

MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE<br />JET PROPULSION LABORATORY<br />CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY<br />NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION<br />PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011<br />http://www.jpl.nasa.gov<br /><br />Carolina Martinez (818) 354-9382<br />Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.<br /><br />Donald Savage (202) 358-1727<br /><br />NASA Headquarters, Washington<br /><br />News Release: 2004-193 August 5, 2004<br /><br />Saturn's Shadow and Titan's Glow Shed Light on a Complex System<br /><br />The Cassini spacecraft, which began its tour of the Saturn system just<br />over a month ago, has detected lightning and a new radiation belt at<br />Saturn, and a glow around the planet's largest moon, Titan.<br /><br />The spacecraft's radio and plasma wave science instrument detected<br />radio waves generated by lightning. "We are detecting the same crackle<br />and pop one hears when listening to an AM radio broadcast during a<br />thunderstorm," said Dr. Bill Kurth, deputy principal investigator on<br />the radio and plasma wave instrument, University of Iowa, Iowa City.<br />"These storms are dramatically different than those observed 20 years<br />ago."<br /><br />Cassini finds radio bursts from this lightning are highly episodic.<br />There are large variations in the occurrence of lightning from day to<br />day, sometimes with little or no lightning, suggesting a number of<br />different, possibly short-lived storms at middle to high latitudes.<br />Voyager observed lightning from an extended storm system at low<br />latitudes, which lasted for months and appeared highly regular from<br />one day to the next.<br /><br />The difference in storm characteristics may be related to very<br />different shadowing conditions in the 1980s than are found now.<br />During the Voyager time period when lightning was first observed, the<br />rings cast a very deep shadow near Saturn's equator. As a result, the<br />atmosphere in a narrow band was permanently in shadow -- making it

 

[alexblackwell]

Cassini Images: Titan's Glowing Sky<br />by Emily Lakdawalla<br />The Planetary Society<br />August 6, 2004

 

[alexblackwell]

Published online today in <i>Geophysical Research Letters</i>:<br /><br />Trainer, Melissa G.; Pavlov, Alexander A.; Jimenez, Jose L.; McKay, Christopher P.; Worsnop, Douglas R.; Toon, Owen B.; Tolbert, Margaret A.<br /><b>Chemical composition of Titan's haze: Are PAHs present?</b><br /><i>Geophys. Res. Lett</i>., Vol. 31, No. 17, L17S08<br />10.1029/2004GL019859<br />11 August 2004<br />Abstract<br />Special Section

 

[alexblackwell]

Saturn's Moon Titan: Prebiotic Laboratory<br />Interview with Jonathan Lunine <br />by Henry Bortman<br /><i>Astrobiology Magazine</i><br />August 11, 2004

 

[nopatience]

Jonathan Lunine is a good speaker. I saw him give a speech at a lecture at the UofA , the Real Lord of the Rings. the most amazing thing about that lecture was that he showed us a camera test of the optical system in Huguens. They took a helicopter above Tucson and simulated what the camera would do when it enters Titan. and then they showed us what the movie would be like. <br /><br />All I can say is.....damn amazing. I can't wait.

 

[alexblackwell]

Published online today in <i>Geophysical Research Letters</i>:<br /><br />Ledvina, Stephen A.; Brecht, Stephen H.; Luhmann, Janet G.<br /><b>Ion distributions of 14 amu pickup ions associated with Titan's plasma interaction</b><br /><i>Geophys. Res. Lett</i>., Vol. 31, No. 17, L17S10<br />10.1029/2004GL019861<br />13 August 2004<br />Abstract<br />Special Section<br /><br />Kallio, E.; Sillanpää, I.; Janhunen, P.<br /><b>Titan in subsonic and supersonic flow</b><br /><i>Geophys. Res. Lett</i>., Vol. 31, No. 15, L15703<br />10.1029/2004GL020344<br />13 August 2004<br />Abstract

 

[alexblackwell]

Published online recently in <i>Geophysical Research Letters</i>:<br /><br />Ádámkovics, M.; de Pater, I.; Roe, H. G.; Gibbard, S. G.; Griffith, C. A.<br /><b>Spatially-resolved spectroscopy at 1.6 um of Titan's atmosphere and surface</b><br /><i>Geophys. Res. Lett</i>., Vol. 31, No. 17, L17S05<br />10.1029/2004GL019929<br />18 August 2004<br />Abstract<br />Special Section<br /><br />Smith, H. T.; Johnson, R. E.; Shematovich, V. I.<br /><b>Titan's atomic and molecular nitrogen tori</b><br /><i>Geophys. Res. Lett</i>., Vol. 31, No. 16, L16804<br />10.1029/2004GL020580<br />21 August 2004<br />Abstract<br /><br />de Pater, Imke<br /><b>Introduction to special section: Titan: Pre-Cassini view</b><br /><i>Geophys. Res. Lett</i>., Vol. 31, No. 17, L17S01<br />10.1029/2004GL020742<br />25 August 2004<br />Abstract<br />Special Section

 

[alexblackwell]

Below is the current view of the Cassini orbiter remote sensing pallet.

 

[alexblackwell]

Interestingly, I understand some of the Huygens crowd are really concerned about, believe it or not, Iapetus. Specifically, they are browbeating Cassini Mission Planning for an accurate value for Iapetus' GM parameter. This has to do with the fact that while Iapetus' mass is too low to give any type of useful gravity assist, it is large enough that the Probe's post-release trajectory is expected to be perturbed before Titan entry, which could affect the landing zone. Note also that Cassini performs a non-targeted flyby of Iapteus on January 1, 2005 (13 days before the Hugyens Probe entry at Titan during Tc).

 

[alokmohan]

Iapetus islikeagetleman ,he has two faces.Much within our perceptions of twofaced guys.

 

[alexblackwell]

Published online today in <i>Geophysical Research Letters</i>:<br /><br />Young, E. F.; Puetter, R.; Yahil, A.<br /><b>Direct imaging of Titan's extended haze layer from HST observations</b><br /><i>Geophys. Res. Lett</i>., Vol. 31, No. 17, L17S09<br />10.1029/2004GL020135<br />15 September 2004<br />Abstract<br />Special Section

 

[alexblackwell]

For those who may not have access to Titan-related literature in peer-reviewed publications, you may wish to take a look at the University of Arizona's Ralph Lorenz's publications page, which contains several links to his vast list of papers, articles, and abstracts related to Titan. Note that Lorenz is one of the co-authors of the recent book <i>Lifting Titan's Veil</i>, a science team member for Cassini-Huygens, and one of the most prolific publishers of Titan-related literature.

 

[alexblackwell]

Huygens test successful<br />ESA News Release<br />September 17, 2004