The primary objective of this workshop is to focus on the astrobiological potential of icy worlds in the outer solar system — including Europa, Ganymede, Enceladus, Titan, and beyond — with discussion on future research directions and spacecraft missions that can best assess that potential. The agenda for the workshop is organized around thematic sessions that address the potential habitability of the unique planetary environments of the outer solar system.
Click the links below to watch the recorded presentations:
Workshop Day 1
Session 1
Introductions and Kick-Off
[Watch Presentation]
“Structure and Dynamics of Ganymede: Implications for its Potential Habitability (Grasset)
[Watch Presentation]
“Europa” (Pappalardo)
[Watch Presentation]
“The Astrobiology of Titan” (Lunine)
[Watch Presentation]
“Living on the Edge: The Habitability of Triton and Other Large Kuiper Belt Objects” (McKinnon)
[Watch Presentation]
“Icy World Transport Processes and Planetary Protection” (Conley)
[Watch Presentation]
Session 2
“Composition and Dynamics of Titan’s Lakes” (LuspayKuti)
[Watch Presentation]
“Transport and Concentration of Organic Molecules on Titan-Like Worlds” (Malaska)
[Watch Presentation]
“Hydrocarbon Trapping in Titan Surface Materials” (Cable)
[Watch Presentation]
“Laboratory Infrared Spectroscopy of Titan’s Tholins in Liquid Methane and Liquid Ethane: Can Complex Organics in Titan’s Lakes be Detected?” (Nna-Mvondo)
[Watch Presentation]
“The Preservation of Organics and Brines in Low-Temperature Aqueous Glasses” (Toner)
[Watch Presentation]
“Spectra of Low-Temperature Chlorine Salt Hydrates and Implications for Europa” (Hanley)
[Watch Presentation]
Session 3
“Survival and Chemistry of Organics on the Near Surface of Europa and Titan” (Gudipati)
[Watch Presentation]
“Solubility of Organics in Liquid Hydrocarbons Under Titan Surface Conditions” (Singh)
[Watch Presentation]
“Prebiotic Chemistry on Cryogenic Worlds: Tribochemical Reactions of Organics and Water in Titan Dunes” (Thomas)
[Watch Presentation]
“Formation and Evolution of Titan’s Organic Seas” (Sotin)
[Watch Presentation]
Workshop Day 2
Session 1
Panel Discussion: Chemical Energy for Life on Icy Worlds
(Voytek, McKinnon, Soderlund, McCollom, Hoehler)
[Watch Presentation]
“Heat Generated by Ocean Tides in the Outer Solar System” (Tyler)
[Watch Presentation]
“Convective Processes in Europa’s Ocean and Their Implications for Ice-Ocean Coupling” (Soderlund)
[Watch Presentation]
Session 2
“How Quickly does Drifting Material Traverse Through Europa’s Ocean?” (Farber)
[Watch Presentation]
“Water Production and Transport in the Ice Shell of Europa” (Kalousova)
[Watch Presentation]
“Thermodynamic Constraints On Ocean Structure And Water – Rock Chemistry In The Large Icy Satellites” (Vance)
[Watch Presentation]
“The Role of Clathrate Hydrates in the (Bio)Geochemical Cycles of Essential Elements of Life in the Deep Environments Within the Icy Moons” (Prieto-Ballesteros)
[Watch Presentation]
“Enceladus Plume Composition” (Waite)
[Watch Presentation]
“Silica Nanoparticles Provide Evidence for Hydrothermal Activities on Enceladus” (Hsu)
[Watch Presentation]
Session 3
“The Geophysical 'No-Man’s Land’ of Transport Across Ice Shells” (Collins)
[Watch Presentation]
“A Chaos Conveyor Belt?” (Schmidt)
[Watch Presentation]
“Diapiric Dynamics: Bringing Aqueous Solutions to Europa’s Surface” (Quick)
[Watch Presentation]
Session 4
“The H Chondrite Halite Parent Body: Warm, Wet, Organic-Rich, Rather Habitable and Possibly Ceres” (Fries)
[Watch Presentation]
“Enceladus’ Fully Cracked Core: Implications for Habitability” (Neveu)
[Watch Presentation]
“The Effect of Rayleigh-Taylor Instabilities on the Thickness of Undifferentiated Crust on Kuiper Belt Objects” (Desch)
[Watch Presentation]
“Stereo Topography and Subsurface Thermal Profiles on Icy Satellites” (Phillips)
[Watch Presentation]
“Big Impacts and Transient Oceans on Titan” (Zahnle)
[Watch Presentation]
Workshop Day 3
Session 1
“JUICE: The ESA Mission to Study Habitability of the Jovian Icy Moons” (Titov)
[Watch Presentation]
“Investigating Icy World Habitability Through the Europa Clipper Mission Concept” (Senske)
[Watch Presentation]
“Finding New Icy Worlds: The Outer Solar System Origins Survey” (Bannister)
[Watch Presentation]
“Towards an Astrobiological Vision for the Outer Solar System: The Europa and Enceladus Explorer Mission Designs” (Konstantinidis)
[Watch Presentation]
Session 2
Workshop Closing Remarks
[Watch Presentation]
Environments of Terrestrial Planets Under the Young Sun: Seeds of Biomolecules
2018 Georgia Tech Astrobiology Colloquium
Habitable Worlds 2017
AbSciCon 2017
NAI
