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 9RQ
Based on recent data, describe the general nature of Titan and discuss its prospects for life.
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a) What are the characteristics of a terrestrial planet? b) What are the characteristics of aJovian planet?
Describe Titan's atmosphere.
What did the Cassini/Huygens mission discover about the surface of Titan?
Mission 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.
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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- What evidence can you give that Venus once had significant amounts of water? Where did that water come from? Where did it go?arrow_forwardList at least three major differences between Pluto and the terrestrial planets.arrow_forwardCompare 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 kgarrow_forward
- Which of the following planetary traits is well established? choose one of the following: a) Mercury has a similar compositon to that of our moon, in that they both have a substantial metal content. b) Venus rotates more rapidly than Earth, but in the opposite direction. c) Earth's atmosphere exhibits a slightly stronger greenhouse effect than that seen on Venus. d)Astronomers have precisely calculated the mass of Mercury thanks to artificial satellites sent from Earth.arrow_forwardWhat is the evidence for a liquid water ocean on Europa, and why is this interesting to scientists searching for extraterrestrial life?arrow_forwardWe believe that chains of comet fragments like Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9’s have collided not only with the jovian planets, but occasionally with their moons. What sort of features would you look for on the outer planet moons to find evidence of such collisions? (As an extra bonus, can you find any images of such features on a moon like Callisto? You can use an online site of planetary images, such as the Planetary Photojournal, at photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov.)arrow_forward
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