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Titan Balloon Mission Being Drafted

Posted by timothy on from the trial-balloon-for-a-trial-balloon dept.

eldavojohn writes "After Huygens & Cassini corrected our assumptions about Titan (a moon of Saturn), scientists are now debating about their next mission, and one of the choices is the Titan and Saturn System Mission. What makes Titan a good choice? 'Although the atmosphere of Titan is filled with a smoggy orange hydrocarbon haze, it is primarily composed of nitrogen — just like Earth's. In fact, Astrobiologists think Titan's atmosphere may be quite similar to how the Earth's was billions of years ago, before life on our planet generated oxygen.' We also discussed its liquid hydrocarbons earlier this year."

10 of 82 comments (clear)

  1. Liquid Hydrocarbons and possible life? by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 4, Funny

    I think they might be in need of some Democracy... American style.

    1. Re:Liquid Hydrocarbons and possible life? by Andr+T. · · Score: 2, Funny

      Yeah, look at all that poisonous gas. I'm sure everyone will agree that's more than one WMD.

      --

      Any life is made up of a single moment, the moment in which a man finds out, once and for all, who he is.

  2. Who will man the balloon? by Hoplite3 · · Score: 3, Funny

    I have several candidates in mind for those ...capable... of piloting a balloon through a poisonous atmosphere into a poison sea.

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    Use the Firehose to mod down Second Life stories!
    1. Re:Who will man the balloon? by cpricejones · · Score: 2, Funny

      So the choice is still (ahem) up in the air?

  3. So... by Corpuscavernosa · · Score: 4, Funny

    ... that'd be a hell of a long trip in a balloon and it seems that ya really wouldn't even need the balloon part in space, being no air and all. Maybe put some rockets or somethin' on the basket. I guess you could git the balloon out again once entering Titan's atmosphere but ya know, I just don't geddit!

    --
    We figured out a long time ago that it's easier to elect seven judges than to elect 132 legislators.
  4. smoggy orange hydrocarbon haze by Baruch+Atta · · Score: 5, Funny

    "...Although the atmosphere of Titan is filled with a smoggy orange hydrocarbon haze..."
    Just like L.A. Let's go there.

    --
    You can only be young once. But you can always be immature.
  5. Re:Billions of years ago.... by morgan_greywolf · · Score: 3, Funny

    Yeah. We all know the Earth is only 6,000 years old

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    My blog
  6. It's just a weather balloon. Stop asking questions by mahsah · · Score: 2, Funny

    Does NASA really think that the people of Titan will believe that the UFO flying over their methane fields was really just a weather balloon!?

    Get Dennis Kucinich on the job!

  7. Re:Democratic by MrNaz · · Score: 2, Funny

    Not possible. If we tasted like chicken cannibalism would be more common.

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    I hate printers.
  8. Re:Terraforming by __aailrp9629 · · Score: 2, Funny

    No, you just have to bundle up before going outside.