Titan Mare Explorer
 Lake lander probe TiME (artist's concept: Corby Waste/Jet Propulsion Laboratory) |
|
| Operator | Proposed to NASA |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Lake-lander. |
| Launch date | January 2015[1] or 2016 (proposed)[2][3][4] |
| Launch vehicle | Atlas 411 |
| Mission duration | Cruise: 7 years; Science: 3 to 6 months[5] |
| Mission highlight | Nautical exploration of an extraterrestrial sea. |
| Power | ASRG |
| Titan (moon) landing | |
| Date | 2023 (proposed) |
| Instruments | |
| Main instruments | Mass Spectrometer, optical cameras, sonar, meteorology sensors. |
Titan Mare Explorer (TiME) was a proposed spacecraft lander that would probe Titan, the largest moon of the planet Saturn.[2] TiME had been proposed to NASA by Proxemy Research as a scout-like pioneering mission, originally as part of NASA's Discovery Program.[6] TiME is a low-cost, outer-planet mission that would have measured the organic constituents on Titan and would have performed the first nautical exploration of an extraterrestrial sea, analyze its nature and, possibly, observe its shoreline. The mission would have been cost-capped at US$425million, not including launch vehicle funding.[3]
Contents |
Competition [edit]
TiME was one of three Discovery Mission finalists that received US$3 million in May 2011 to develop a detailed concept study. The other two missions were InSight and Comet Hopper. After a review in August 2012, NASA selected the InSight mission.[7]
Missions to land in Titan's lakes or seas were also considered by the Solar System Decadal Survey. Additionally, the flagship Titan Saturn System Mission is proposed for launch in the 2020s.[6][8]
History [edit]
The discovery on 22 July 2006 of lakes and seas in Titan's northern hemisphere confirmed the hypothesis that liquid hydrocarbons exist on it.[9] In addition, previous observations of southern polar storms and new observations of storms in the equatorial region provide evidence of active methane-generating processes, possibly cryovolcanic features from the interior of Titan.[8]
Most of the moon goes centuries without seeing any rain, but precipitation is expected to be much more frequent at the poles.[5]
It is believed that Titan's methane cycle is analogous to Earth's hydrologic cycle, with meteorological working fluid existing as rain, clouds, rivers and lakes.[9] TiME would directly discern the methane cycle of Titan and help understand its similarities and differences to the hydrologic cycle on Earth.[5][8] If NASA had selected TiME, Ellen Stofan - a member of the Cassini radar team - would lead the mission as principal investigator and Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) would manage it.[10] Lockheed Martin would build the TiME capsule, with scientific instruments provided by APL, Goddard Space Flight Center and Malin Space Science Systems.
Target [edit]
TiME's launch would have been with an Atlas 411 rocket during 2016 and arriving to Titan in 2023. The target lake is Ligeia Mare (78°N, 250°W).[5] It is one of the largest lakes of Titan identified to date, with a surface area of about ~100,000 km2. The backup target is Kraken Mare.[2][8]
Science objectives [edit]
The Titan Mare Explorer would undergo a 7-year simple interplanetary cruise with no flyby science. Some science measurements would be made during entry and descent, but data transmissions would begin only after splashdown. The science objectives of the mission are:[2][8]
- Determine the chemistry of a Titan sea. Instruments: Mass Spectrometer (MS), Meteorology and Physical Properties Package (MP3).
- Determine the depth of a Titan sea. Instrument: Meteorology and Physical Properties Package (Sonar) (MP3).
- Constrain marine processes on Titan. Instrument: Meteorology and Physical Properties Package (MP3), Descent and surface cameras.
- Determine how the local meteorology over the sea varies on diurnal timescales. Instrument: Meteorology and Physical Properties Package (MP3), cameras.
- Characterize the atmosphere above the sea. Instrument: Meteorology and Physical Properties Package (MP3), cameras.
Malin Space Science Systems, which builds and operates camera systems for spacecraft, has signed an early development contract with NASA to conduct preliminary design studies.[11] There would be two cameras. One would take pictures during the descent to the surface of Ligeia Mare lake, and the other would take pictures after landing.[11]
A Meteorology and Physical Properties Package (MP3) [12] would be built by the Applied Physics Laboratory. This instrument package would measure wind speed and direction, methane humidity, pressure and temperature above the 'waterline', and turbidity, sea temperature, speed of sound and dielectric properties below the surface. A sonar would measure the sea depth.
Power source [edit]
Titan's thick atmosphere rules out the use of solar panels like the ones that have kept the Mars rovers and landers functioning for years, while batteries would only provide some hours of power at most. Had it been selected by NASA, the TiME lander would have been the test flight of the Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator (ASRG),[6] which is a prototype meant to provide availability of long-lived power supplies for landed networks and other planetary missions. For this mission, it would be used in two environments: deep space and non-terrestrial atmosphere. The ASRG is a radioisotope power system using Stirling power conversion technology and is expected to generate 140–160 W of electrical power; that is four times more efficient than RTGs currently in use. Its mass is 28 kg and will have a nominal lifetime of 14 years.[2]
- Specifications
- ≥14 year lifetime
- Nominal power: 140 W
- Mass ~ 28 kg
- System efficiency: ~ 30%
- Two GPHS 238Pu modules
- Uses 0.8 kg plutonium-238
The capsule would not need propulsion: the wind and possible tidal currents are expected to push this buoyant craft around the sea for months.[4]
Communications [edit]
The vehicle will communicate direct to Earth and, in principle, it could be possible to maintain at least intermittent contact for several years after arrival: the Earth finally sinks below the horizon as seen from Ligeia in 2026.[13] It will not have a line of sight to Earth to beam back more data until 2035.[14]
Surface conditions [edit]
Data suggest that waves on Ligeia Mare do not normally exceed 0.2 metres (0.66 ft) and occasionally might reach just over 0.5 metres (1.6 ft) in the course of a few months.[15] The capsule is expected to drift on the surface of the lake, pushed by currents and wind with typical speeds of 0.5 m/s, and not exceeding 1.3 m/s (4.2 feet/second).[13] The probe would not be equipped with propulsion, and even if its motion cannot be controlled, location sequences can be used to optimize scientific return, such as lake depth, temperature variations and shore imaging. Some proposed location techniques are measurement of Doppler shift, Sun height measurement, and Very Long Baseline Interferometry.[13]
Potential habitable zone [edit]
The chance to discover a form of life with a different chemical basis than life on Earth has led some researchers to consider Titan the most important world on which to search for extraterrestrial life.[16] A few scientists hypothesize that if the hydrocarbon chemistry on Titan crossed the threshold from inanimate matter to some form of life, it would be difficult to detect.[16] This is because there is no way that water-based terrestrial life could have originated or could prosper on Titan because of the fundamentally different chemistry of Titan's surface. Moreover, because Titan is so cold, the amount of energy available for building complex biochemical structures is limited, and any water-based life would freeze without a heat source.[16] However, some scientists have suggested that hypothetical life forms may be able to exist in a methane-based solvent.[17][18] Ellen Stofan, TiME's Principal Investigator, thinks that life as we know it is not viable in Titan's seas, and stated that "there will be chemistry in the seas that may give us insight into how organic systems progress toward life."[19]
Similar project [edit]
A similar lander project was proposed in late 2012 in Europe. The concept probe is called Titan Lake In-situ Sampling Propelled Explorer (TALISE).[20][21] The major difference would be a propulsion system.
References [edit]
- ^ Stofan, Ellen (25 August 2009). "Titan Mare Explorer (TiME): The First Exploration of an Extra-Terrestrial Sea". Archived from the original on 24 October 2009. Retrieved 2012-1-23.
- ^ a b c d e Stofan, Ellen (2010). "TiME: Titan Mare Explorer" (PDF). Caltech. Retrieved 2011-08-17.
- ^ a b "NASA picks project shortlist for next Discovery mission". TG Daily. 9 May 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-20.
- ^ a b Greenfieldboyce, Nell (September 16, 2009). "Exploring A Moon By Boat". National Public Radio (NPR). Retrieved 2009-11-08.
- ^ a b c d "Probe mission to explore Titan's minuscule rainfall proposed". Physorg. March 23, 2012. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
- ^ a b c Hsu, Jeremy (14 October 2009). "Nuclear-Powered Robot Ship Could Sail Seas of Titan". Space.com. Imaginova Corp. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
- ^ NASA will send robot drill to Mars in 2016, Washington Post, By Brian Vastag, Monday, August 20
- ^ a b c d e Stofan, Ellen (25 August 2009). "Titan Mare Explorer (TiME): The First Exploration of an Extra-Terrestrial Sea". Presentation to NASA's Decadal Survey. Space Policy Online.
- ^ a b Stofan, Ellen; Elachi, Lunine, Lorenz, Stiles, Mitchell, Ostro, Soderblom, Wood (4 January 2007/). "The lakes of Titan". Nature 445 (7123): 61–4. Bibcode:2007Natur.445...61S. doi:10.1038/nature05438. PMID 17203056. Retrieved 2009-11-10.
- ^ Sutherland, Paul (November 1, 2009). "Let's go sailing on lakes of Titan!". Scientific American. Retrieved 2009-11-04.
- ^ a b "San Diego company may get deep space work". Sign On San Diego. 19 May 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-20.
- ^ 'MP3 - A Meteorology and Physical Properties Package to explore Air-Sea interaction on Titan'. March 2012. Retrieved 2012-07-20.
- ^ "Space Boat: A Nautical Mission to an Alien Sea". Popular Science. 17 August 2011. Retrieved 2011-08-17.
- ^ "Smooth Sailing on Titan". Sky & Telescope. March 14, 2012. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
- ^ a b c Life Without Water And The Habitable Zone. Astrobiology Magazine March 19, 2010 by Henry Bortman.
- ^ Darrell F. Strobel (2010). In press. "Molecular hydrogen in Titan's atmosphere: Implications of the measured tropospheric and thermospheric mole fractions". Icarus 208 (2): 878. Bibcode:2010Icar..208..878S. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2010.03.003.
- ^ McKay, C. P.; Smith, H. D. (2005). "Possibilities for methanogenic life in liquid methane on the surface of Titan". Icarus 178 (1): 274–276. Bibcode:2005Icar..178..274M. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2005.05.018.
- ^ Happy Birthday Titan! (Mar 28, 2012)
- ^ "TALISE: Titan Lake In-situ Sampling Propelled Explorer" (PDF), European Planetary Science Congress 2012, Europe: EPSC Abstracts, 2012, retrieved 2012-10-10
- ^ "Probe would set sail on a Saturn moon". CNN - Light Years. 9 October 2012. Retrieved 2012-10-10.
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