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Project Reports

• Task 2.2.2.1 Ultraviolet/infrared Spectroscopy of Ice Films

  These experiments explore to what extent long wavelength photons, the main solar radiation penetrating deep into the Titan atmosphere, can initiate chemical reactions in Titan atmospheric ices.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.2 3.1 3.2 3.3

• Task 3.1.1 Reactions of Organics With Ices and Mineral Grains

  Chemistry catalyzed by mineral grains on the Titan surface, for example a result of meteoritic infall, might lead to the formation of prebiotic compounds resulting from the insertion of oxygen into organic compounds of atmospheric origin.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.2 3.1 3.2 3.3

• Task 3.4 Tholin Chemical Analysis

  New techniques need to be developed to characterize the chemical composition of tholins at the molecular structural level.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.2 3.1 3.2 3.3

• Task 2.1.2.2 Atmospheric Observations

  The observed organic haze in the Titan atmosphere is a result of abiotic atmospheric synthesis chemical processes.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.2 3.1 3.2 3.3

• Task 3.3.2 Solubility in Lakes

  The solubility of organics in hydrocarbon lakes is a key limiting factor to the extent of chemistry that can occur in Titan lakes.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.2 3.1 3.2 3.3

• NAI Focus Group: Icy Satellites Environments Focus Group (ISEFoG)

  This focus group provides a forum for cross-team multidisciplinary discussions related to icy outer solar system satellite processes.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.2 3.1 3.2

• Task 2.1.1 Master Atmospheric Chemistry Simulation

  The master atmospheric chemistry model will contribute to the understanding of the extent to which organic chemistry in atmospheric processes produces complex compounds.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.2 3.1 3.2 3.3

• Task 3.1.2 Heterogeneous Chemistry

  There are a variety of heterogenous surface chemical processes possible in the Titan environment that can be simulated in laboratory experiments to determine how effective each may be in leading to the synthesis of prebiotic chemistry.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.2 3.1 3.2 3.3

• Task 2.2.1 Characterization of Aerosol Nucleation and Growth

  Laboratory experiments of aerosol formation in the Titan atmosphere provide input to model simulations of atmospheric processes that can lead to the formation of large organic compounds.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.2 3.1 3.2 3.3

• Task 2.2.2.3 Aerosol Photoprocessing and Analysis

  A laboratory device is being constructed to simulate the condensation of aerosols in Titan’s atmosphere for exploring the possible effects of exposure of these aerosols to solar radiation.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.2 3.1 3.2 3.3

• Task 2.1.2.1 Atmospheric State and Dynamics

  The physical conditions in the Titan atmosphere set the context for the formation of organic compounds in the atmosphere.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.2 3.1 3.2 3.3

• Task 3.3.1 Solubility of Organics in Methane

  The first step in understanding what chemistry might occur in the Titan lakes requires understanding the degree to which organics can actually dissolve in liquid hydrocarbons.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.2 3.1 3.2 3.3

• Task 1.1.2 Models of the Internal Dynamics: Formation of Liquids in the Subsurface and Relationships With Cryovolcanism

  The rate of the heat flow through the Titan ice crust sets a limit on how long water can exist in liquid form on the surface of Titan

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.2 3.1 3.2 3.3

• Task 1.2 Interaction of Methane/ethane With Water Ice

  The extent to which hydrocarbon liquids interact with the bedrock water ice sets the stage for reactions leading to the formation of prebiotic oxygen-containing organic compounds on the Titan surface.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.2 3.1 3.2 3.3

• Task 3.5 Titan Genetics

  This project addresses the question of how complex molecules might be formed in liquid hydrocarbons, rather than liquid water.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 3.1 3.2 3.3

• The Commonality of Life in the Universe

  This research considers under what conditions and where in the Universe Titan might be habitable.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.2 3.1 3.2 3.3