Lakes on Titan! (Pics)

What are you talking about? "They" have been saying that there are methane lakes and/or oceans on Titan for two decades now.

Right. They have been saying, now they are confirming.

They have also recently discovered liquid water on Enceladus, (unlike Europa, where liquid water is theorized to exists vs. discovered).

I understood this to be a theory still. However, as you haven't bothered to share such information as a source, I can find no update since the last report. Both NASA and another source report that it is still a theory. This was in March of this year so if you have an update to this, please share it. Here is what I know...

NASA's Cassini Discovers Potential Liquid Water on Enceladus - 03.09.06
NASA's Cassini spacecraft may have found evidence of liquid water reservoirs that erupt in Yellowstone-like geysers on Saturn's moon Enceladus. The rare occurrence of liquid water so near the surface raises many new questions about the mysterious moon.

Source - NASA

Astrobio report the same thing, as does Planetary.org, all around the same time. Again, if you have an update, please share.

"They" haven't insisted that our solar system is dead.

OK, but there is no confirmed anything anywhere. No water, no microbes or bacteria, nothing. You would be led to believe that unless you terraform to change a body to being able to support life as we know it, the solar system is dead, the only thing we MIGHT find is the odd single cell organism. This is the conclusion you would draw if you think that all our science and data regarding the solar system is correct and nothing is being kept from the public. I don't believe we are told the truth.

In fact, there is a working theory explaining how life can exist on Venus, Mars, Enceladus, Titan, Europa, Io, all four gas giants, Triton and even Pluto and KBO's.

Are you talking about terra forming, microbes or little green men? Again, no links to any theories, I would have been interested to read them.

Why on earth would the people of Earth need to be slowly introduced to the existance of extraterrestial life?

Because it might just be that reality is considerably different to our current understanding.

PS - I'm happy to trade information with you, that's how we learn. Lose the 'tude, dude.

[edit on 3/8/06 by Prote]

Originally posted by Prote


I understood this to be a theory still. However, as you haven't bothered to share such information as a source, I can find no update since the last report. Both NASA and another source report that it is still a theory. This was in March of this year so if you have an update to this, please share it. Here is what I know...

www.planetary.org...
7.30.06

"Once UVIS saw the CIRS data, they confirmed they saw warmer water coming out. From the UVIS data they could be seeing something 140 or even greater. And it’s probably cooling as it comes up the crack, so we’re probably not seeing the hottest temperature."


science.nasa.gov...

Icy fountains shoot out of Saturn's moon Enceladus...

"As Cassini approached Saturn, we discovered the Saturnian system is filled with oxygen atoms. At the time we had no idea where the oxygen was coming from," said Candy Hansen, Cassini scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena. "Now we know Enceladus is spewing out water molecules, which break down into oxygen and hydrogen."

Scientists will always say "may," so as to be careful. However, it is quite clear what is happening on Enceladus.

"They" haven't insisted that our solar system is dead.

OK, but there is no confirmed anything anywhere. No water, no microbes or bacteria, nothing. You would be led to believe that unless you terraform to change a body to being able to support life as we know it, the solar system is dead, the only thing we MIGHT find is the odd single cell organism. This is the conclusion you would draw if you think that all our science and data regarding the solar system is correct and nothing is being kept from the public. I don't believe we are told the truth.


That is not the conclusion that a draw at all from the science that is known to the public. Really, it is the public that is involved in astrobiology, not the government. The scientific data that we havd about our known solar system does suggest that life did at one time, or does exist on Mars. I think that everyone is pretty much familiar with Martian life theories, so I will move on.

It is widely theorized that if oceans do exists on Europa, that life does exist. Perhaps not intelligent life, but most likely complex ocean life that resembles life on Earth. My guess is that fish on Europa look a lot like fish on Earth. Why not? Nature creates the most efficiant designs, no?

Are you talking about terra forming, microbes or little green men? Again, no links to any theories, I would have been interested to read them.

Sure, I am not going to do some deep research, but I will produce some basic links. I have seen 3D models both in college and on TLC that show theoretical models for life created by astrobiologists. Fortunately for me, ASU has one of the top (and one of the only) astrobiology programs in the US.

Life on Europa: unisci.com... news.bbc.co.uk...

Life on Callisto: science.nasa.gov...

Life on Venus: www.space.com...

Life on Enceladus: news.bbc.co.uk...

Life on gas giants can exist in the form of microbes or squid like animals if they can survive the winds.

Triton has volcanic activity, and a nitrogen atmasphere. It could have subsurface pools of biochemicals capible of supporting life, as could a KBO.

Because it might just be that reality is considerably different to our current understanding.

It really isn't. And even if it is, how could that do anything but good for society?

Titan is proving to be a fascinating place. I read an article on Wikipedia about a book written by a qualified space enthusiast who feels Titan should be our main target of colonization. It seems that in many ways Titan is the most hospitable extra-terrestrial body in the solar system.

As for with-holding alien life...

Give me a good reason why anyone would keep it secret.

"The public is not ready?"

Hell, surveys show that the majority of Americans already believe the government has covered up the existance of intelligent aliens. So why bother playing the game? It makes no sense to me. Besides, as far as I know the Catholic Church has already spoken about the possibility of alien life and their stance is that it does not contradict the Bible.

So again... why keep up the conspiracy?

I lost this thread somehow

RevPaine, thank you for those links, interesting.

Twin Lakes found and photographed on Titan...

This incredible photograph taken by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft shows two lakes on the surface of Saturn’s moon Titan, attached by a thin channel. The image was taken during Cassini’s most recent flyby, when it passed by on September 23, 2006. On Earth, they’d be filled with water, but it’s just too cold on Titan; so these lakes contain a mixture of methane and ethane.

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