Life in the Universe (4th Edition)
4th Edition
ISBN: 9780134089089
Author: Jeffrey O. Bennett, Seth Shostak
Publisher: PEARSON
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Textbook Question
Chapter 9, Problem 16TYU
Europa is likely to have fishlike organisms the size of whales swimming in its ocean.
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There is strong evidence that Europa, a satellite of Jupiter, has a liquid ocean beneath its icy surface. Many scientists think we should land a vehicle there to search for life. Before launching it, we would want to test such a lander under the gravity conditions at the surface of Europa. One way to do this is to put the lander at the end of a rotating arm in an orbiting earth satellite.
Which of these is an example of an energy source that could exist on Europa (or beneath its surface) and help enable life in a Europan ocean?
a Volcanoes and/or hydrothermal vents on the seafloor
b Solar flares from the Sun that penetrate Europa's ice and send radiation into the liquid-water ocean
c Europa's rapid motion as it orbits Jupiter
d The combustion of fossils fuels beneath the surface, similar to burning coal in the Earth's crust
Compare Titan to Rhea. Estimate the strength of surface gravity on Titan compared to the gravity on Titan. How does this affect the possibility of an atmosphere on each?
Use g=GM/R2
Titan Radius: 2,575 km, Mass: 2.31 x 1021 kg
Rhea Radius: 764 km, Mass: 1.35 x 1023 kg
Chapter 9 Solutions
Life in the Universe (4th Edition)
Ch. 9 - Briefly explain how the larger jovian moons tend...Ch. 9 - Briefly describe the cause of the tides on Earth,...Ch. 9 - What is synchronous rotation, and why is it so...Ch. 9 - What is tidal heating? Briefly explain how it can...Ch. 9 - Describe the evidence suggesting that Europa has a...Ch. 9 - What energy sources might be available to life on...Ch. 9 - Describe the evidence for subsurface oceans on...Ch. 9 - Why was Titan chosen for such intense study by the...Ch. 9 - Based on recent data, describe the general nature...Ch. 9 - What evidence suggests that Enceladus might be...
Ch. 9 - Could Triton be habitable? Briefly discuss the...Ch. 9 - What do we mean by chemical equilibrium and...Ch. 9 - Prob. 13RQCh. 9 - Based on our understanding of the chemistry of...Ch. 9 - Io is riddled with volcanoes because of its...Ch. 9 - Europa is likely to have fishlike organisms the...Ch. 9 - While Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto are all...Ch. 9 - The fact that our Moon keeps one side always...Ch. 9 - Titan is simply too cold to have any life.Ch. 9 - Triton might have life that uses liquid ammonia,...Ch. 9 - Io doesnt have a significant atmosphere because it...Ch. 9 - Orbital resonances like those among Io, Europa,...Ch. 9 - If there is life on Enceladus, it probably gets...Ch. 9 - If our solar system is typical, other star systems...Ch. 9 - The moons of Saturn may have large amounts of...Ch. 9 - Which statement about synchronous rotation is...Ch. 9 - Io is covered in volcanoes while Europa is covered...Ch. 9 - Which of the following is not an indication of...Ch. 9 - Photosynthesis is an unlikely source of energy for...Ch. 9 - Its assumed that, even if Europa has life, the...Ch. 9 - The chances for life on Titans surface are...Ch. 9 - Where might we find liquid water on Titan? (a) in...Ch. 9 - Why were scientists so surprised to find active...Ch. 9 - Chemical disequilibrium is likely to be present in...Ch. 9 - Cost-Effective Exploration. Given its budget, NASA...Ch. 9 - Lessons for Life. Considering everything weve...Ch. 9 - Exploring Europa I. Although Europa is a promising...Ch. 9 - Exploring Europa II. One suggestion for...Ch. 9 - Europan Fish. On Earth, fish breathe oxygen that...Ch. 9 - Life on Titan. Several possibilities have been...Ch. 9 - Migrating Life. As we discussed in Chapter 6,...Ch. 9 - Orbital Resonances I. Using the data in Appendix...Ch. 9 - Orbital Resonances II. Using the data in Appendix...Ch. 9 - Tidal Force on the Moon. In Cosmic Calculations...Ch. 9 - Tidal Force on Io. Using the procedure from Cosmic...Ch. 9 - Tidal Force on Europa and Ganymede. Using the...Ch. 9 - Limited Thinking. Throughout this book, we have...Ch. 9 - Europa Orbiter. Find out the current status of...
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- I would like you to compare the thickness of Saturn's rings to objects here on Earth if those rings were scaled down to the size of the objects here on Earth (hint: this means it is a ratio problem). Imagine the rings of Saturn like a DVD or CD here on Earth. The DVD has a diameter of approximately 12 cm, whereas the rings of Saturn have a diameter of approximately 280,000 km. The thickness of a DVD is about 0.6 mm and the thickness of the rings of Saturn at their thickest is approximately 1 km. If we were to scale the diameter of rings of Saturn down to the diameter of a DVD, how does the new thickness of the rings of Saturn compare to the thickness of the DVD? Please provide both the new thickness of Saturn's rings and how many times thicker or thinner they would be than a CD in your answer.arrow_forwardMission to Titan: Titan is the largest of Saturn’s moons and the only moon in the Solar System that possesses a dense atmosphere and large liquid bodies (seas or lakes) at its surface. For these and other reasons, many exobiologists think that Titan is the most likely place in the Solar System beside Earth where life might exist. NASA is considering sending a 600 kg space probe into orbit around Titan in order to map its surface. This would be followed a few years later by a 320 kg robotic lander that would land on the surface of Titan in order to look for life. a) What would be the space probe’s velocity and orbital period if the probe were to orbit at an altitude of 70 km above the surface of Titan? b) What force would the lander’s thrusters need to produce in order to allow the lander to hover just above the surface of Titan.arrow_forwardInvestigate plans for future study of Europa’s ocean, either from Earth or with spacecraft. How might they help us learn whether Europa really has an ocean?arrow_forward
- Imagine a trans-Neptunian object with roughly the same mass as Earth but located 50 AU from the sun. a) based on the solar nebula theory, what do you think this object would be made of and why? b) on the basis of speculation, assume a reasonable density for this object and calculate its diameter in units of Earth radii.arrow_forwardWhat are the arguments for and against life existing inside the moon Europa?arrow_forwardHow was the discovery of Neptune not accidental?arrow_forward
- What is the evidence for a liquid water ocean on Europa, and why is this interesting to scientists searching for extraterrestrial life?arrow_forwardDensity is mass per unit volume. Granite rock weighs about 2.7 g/cm3, water weighs about 1.0 g/cm3. Knowing their sizes, how might you determine whether Europa or Ganymede is hiding a large liquid water ocean beneath an icy crust?arrow_forwardSaturn is the most oblate planet in the solar system. Why is Saturn so oblate and what does this tell you about Saturn’s interior?arrow_forward
- Saturn’s E ring is thought to be produced by water erupting from the moon Enceladus.How does its average orbital radius (238,000 km) compare to the Roche limit of Saturn?Enceladus has a density of 1.6 g/cm3 and Saturn has a density of 0.69 g/cm3. Saturn has an average radius of 58,232 km.arrow_forwardPresent theory suggests that giant planets cannot form without condensation of water ice, which becomes vapor at the high temperatures close to a star. So how can we explain the presence of jovian-sized exoplanets closer to their star than Mercury is to our Sun?arrow_forwardNeptune is about 50,000 km in diameter, and its largest moon, Triton, is about 2700 km in diameter. If you represent the planet with a ball 10 inches in diameter, how big a ball will you need to represent Triton? Triton orbits 355,000 km from Neptune. How far from Neptune would you place Triton in the model?arrow_forward
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