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Cassini Probe Sees Plastic Ingredient On Titan Moon

Posted by timothy on from the windblown-grocery-bags dept.

Ron024 writes "The Cassini probe has detected propene, or propylene, on Saturn's moon Titan. It is the first definitive detection of the plastic ingredient on any moon or planet, other than our home world, says the U.S. space agency (NASA). The discovery, made by Cassini's infrared spectrometer, is reported in Astrophysical Journal Letters [abstract]."

6 of 71 comments (clear)

  1. Not this again... by ModernGeek · · Score: 4, Informative

    Doesn't anyone remember the last time we found plastic on another planet?

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    1. Re:Not this again... by Hatta · · Score: 4, Informative

      It's not that implausible in the case of Titan. The moon is covered with hydrocarbons, it would be more suprising if none of those hydrocarbons were unsaturated. And that's all we're really talking about, individual propane monomers that have had a couple hydrogens knocked off. They're not even claiming to have found polypropylene.

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  2. Beware of Autons by Jason+Levine · · Score: 3, Funny

    You know what this means? The Nestene Consciousness is probably living there with its army of Autons. Someone call the Doctor!

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  3. Carlin was right by l0ungeb0y · · Score: 3, Funny

    Planets want plastic and we evolved to make lots of it. So get over your "save the planet" BS and start giving the planet more plastic.
    We should create a Kickstarter to send a shipment to Titan which while working hard to make it's own, clearly would be happy with much more.

  4. ... untold environmental consequences ... by dogsbreath · · Score: 4, Funny

    ... when migrating aliens get their heads ( er ... extended body parts? ) caught in these 6 pack devil traps and can no longer execute their primary function:

    ** probing anal orifices **

    A sad discovery indeed.

  5. Uh oh by mu51c10rd · · Score: 3, Funny

    So aliens use plastic too eh? Greenpeace is going to have a fit...