Oxygen found on Saturn's moon Rhea

reply to post by Oozii


Very exciting find. What is more significant, imo, is the question "Where did the oxygen come from". The scientists think it came from the breakdown of, wait for it, water!

More and more of these moons are showing the presence of water ice and even subsurface oceans. The best example is Europa, but Callisto, Enceladus and Ganymede are also possible.

Here is a picture of water "volcanoes" on Enceladus with a hypothesized ocean underneath the ice to explain the observations:

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/b40298e97162.jpg[/atsimg]

Europa is even more exciting, with the ridges or channels possible forming energy and nutrient gradients at or near the surface:

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/4502b6529844.jpg[/atsimg]

So what does this mean? Well, we have sources of water when we start moving out into our solar system (which is good). Also there may be hydrothermal vents at the bottom of these oceans and like on earth their may be life there. With Europa, the the sun may be enough to provide life the energy it needs to get going.

The more moons (and don't forget Mars with subsurface ice) with water we find, the higher the probability of finding life off the earth.

The next mission to Europa is slated for 2020, so many of us will be around to see it. link: en.wikipedia.org...

But it may be awhile before we send a robot under the ice and swim through alien oceans to see what's really there.

This is a very interesting discovery. Although the atmosphere of Rhea is VERY thin and wispy, it's atmospheric oxygen is 100% more than what Earth's moon has.

reply to post by Nicolas Flamel


From my understanding of Europa it is the tidal forces created by Jupiter that would be the engine of life on that moon. The friction of the squeezing and stretching being enough to create a moon-wide ocean beneath the ice.

---

Oxygen is not a universal requirement for life but water may turn out to be. H2O is one of the most abundant substances in the universe. It's up there everywhere just waiting for us to utilize it when we finally get our act together. This is one of the reasons i have no time for idiots who think aliens have visited Earth to either steal our water, or use earth as their own personal reservoir. The only thing on Earth that is rare in terms of galactic resources is US.

and that's in our neighborhood of the galaxy, just imagine what's out past our grasps just waiting to be found.

S+F

reply to post by spookfish


I agree that the squeezing of Europa by the giant Jupiter is what would cause the underwater oceans. The same would apply to other moons close enough to massive gas giants like Jupiter and Saturn. The tidal forces could also be strong enough to create underwater volcanoes, i.e. hydrothermal vents were everything needed for life: liquid water, nutrients and energy exist. I should really say earth like life, but the hydrothermal life on earth is based on chemosynthesis rather than photosynthesis through the breakdown of hydrogen sulfide. This is pretty alien even for earth.

This is awesome. So much being discovered in that area. I for one believe this universe thrives with life. And I still don't understand how some people can argue that point. I look forward to more and more discoveries. We are living in some amazing times to say the least. Let us all cherish them! Have a good weekend all!

Wonder what made those moons so perfectly spherical?

Same with other bodies like Planets.

Originally posted by NewAgeDragon
This is awesome. So much being discovered in that area. I for one believe this universe thrives with life. And I still don't understand how some people can argue that point. I look forward to more and more discoveries. We are living in some amazing times to say the least. Let us all cherish them! Have a good weekend all!

Life hasn't been found, just marvel and mystery. Perhaps the Universe is a giant computer program -- created to amuse him, and us.

reply to post by etcorngods


Large moons and planets are spherical because of gravity. They are beautiful aren't they?

The smaller asteroids aren't spherical because their gravity doesn't pull all the matter towards the center evenly. Although I have seen astronauts playing with water in space, and usually the water form spheres, a good shape for objects in space?

Disregarding density and rotation, it looks like has to be about 1000km wide to get spherical (mars is at the bottom, the others are asteroids):

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/4767fb470fda.jpg[/atsimg]

reply to post by Nicolas Flamel


Yea, I have heard that one.

My guess is, it is a message from GOD that Big is Bad. Who wants to be the same as others -- has to happen in a large organization (Church, China).

Did you ever work for one of those Giant Corporations, go to the Catholic Church, see the China Olympics?

reply to post by TheRemedial


it feels good to know that other people are using the imaginative part of their brains...i dont know how many times i've thought about this theory, nice one Remedial

reply to post by Iam'___'


awesome post, the same thing i said to theRemedial applies to you as well...i believe that string theory does suggest that there are 11 dimensions, some of which that may be macroscopic in size but microscopic relative to us.

reply to post by Iam'___'


I used to be the CEO of a flat panel display company. The CEO of a competiting technolory company was a buddy. His hobby was Sub Atomic Particle theory. He said that he had discovered that each electron, proton, photon, neutron, etc was composed of 10 to the 26th sub particles.

There's lots more to be learned on the "Small" side of things.

reply to post by etcorngods


that is quite the hobby and definitely interesting, who knows maybe it continously goes deeper and deeper but at the same time we are looping back around into our own universe...like Iam'___' suggested.

Originally posted by VerumPeto
reply to post by etcorngods

 

that is quite the hobby and definitely interesting, who knows maybe it continously goes deeper and deeper but at the same time we are looping back around into our own universe...like Iam'___' suggested.

I agree -- very interesting!!!

Originally posted by the_denv
If methane is there it means at one put there was vegetation there, all that methane could be liquefied grass/trees/plants that turned into a gas form.

There are lots of abiotic ways to create methane.

Reading the description of Rhea it seems the moon has a small rocky core and the ice spins freely around this core making it a seismological nightmare for any type of permanent settlement. Also given that it does have a rocky core, instead of metal, there wouldn't be enough electromagnetism produced to shield against solar and cosmic radiation. Finally the atmosphere is so thin that much of the O2 reaches escape velocity and is lost forever. It does look like a good source for water being the planet is 75% water ice.

Saturn's moon Rhea may have a breathable atmosphere
io9.com...

Im not Surprised !

Oxygen Gas Leak on RHEA ?


Why !

Ort Cloud !

en.wikipedia.org...

The Oort cloud is thought to comprise two separate regions: a spherical outer Oort cloud and a disc-shaped inner Oort cloud, or Hills cloud. Objects in the Oort cloud are largely composed of ices, such as water, ammonia, and methane. Astronomers believe that the matter comprising the Oort cloud formed closer to the Sun and was scattered far out into space by the gravitational effects of the giant planets early in the Solar System's evolution.[1]

as all planets in this Solar System were bombarded with comets ! that were mated up of H20 Ammonia Methane since the Birth of Our Solar System Either by some Object Smashing though the Ice Field of the Ort Cloud by a Distant Exploding Star with its celestial bodies ? (Planets Moons etc.) or the Cause of a Gravitation distortion of a Dying Star Mini Black Hole ETC.

In June 2010 Harold F. Levison and others have suggested on the basis of enhanced computer simulations that the Sun "captured comets from other stars while it was in its birth cluster." Their results imply that "a substantial fraction of the Oort cloud comets, perhaps exceeding 90%, are from the protoplanetary disks of other stars." [28]

If thats True from other Stars! Does that mean its Possible that some of those Comets Proplanetary disks have Dormant Life in it (Bacteria , one cell Animals or like the Water bear Sea Monkeys lol )

Oort cloud objects (OCOs)
en.wikipedia.org...

We Have so much Water (H20) as Our Planet Called Earth its in the Right Spot to have Liquidfied Water Just Move Europa Titan Rhea Ganymede Near Our Spot and Watch Something Wonderful Happen The Effect Would be like what you see in a Movie called Total Recall ( Blue Sky on Mars ! ) Those Icy Planets are too Cold (On the Surface to sustain Life ) Underneath the Ice it will always be 32+ Degrees ! The Colder the Thicker the Ice.. Ask a Eskimo that lives in a Igloo ! anyone Ice Fish!?

Seriously I I would not be Surprised if Europa has Life Even Titan

Small Shrimp a Big Surprise to Scientists


June 7, 2010

Is There Really Life on Saturn's Moon?
An Uproar Follows Claim by Scientists of Evidence of Life on Titan
www.cbsnews.com...

Life on Titan? New Clues to What's Consuming Hydrogen, Acetylene on Saturn's Moon

ScienceDaily (June 7, 2010)
www.sciencedaily.com...

Planet Europa


If this Does Prove that there is Life in Europa that is if the TPTB Allows
a Discovery like this Exposed to the Public

All of the People that have the (James Cameron's) Avatar Blues will have Hope