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NASA NTRS2005

Solar Electric and Chemical Propulsion for a Titan Mission

Systems analyses were performed for a Titan Explorer Mission characterized by Earth-Saturn transfer stages using solar electric power generation and propulsion systems for primary interplanetary propulsion, and chemical propulsion for capture at Titan. An examination of a range of system factors was performed to determine their effect on the payload delivery capability to Titan. The effect of varying launch vehicle type, solar array power level, ion thruster number, specific impulse, trip time, and Titan capture stage chemical propellant choice was investigated. The major purpose of the study was to demonstrate the efficacy of applying advanced ion propulsion system technologies like NASA's Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT), coupled with state-of-the-art (SOA) and advanced chemical technologies to a Flagship class mission. This study demonstrated that a NASA Design Reference Mission (DRM) payload of 406 kg could be successfully delivered to Titan using the baseline advanced ion propulsion system in conjunction with SOA chemical propulsion for Titan capture. In addition, the SEPS/Chemical system of this study is compared to an all- chemical NASA DRM mission. Results showed that the NEXT- based SEPS/Chemical system was able to deliver the required payload to Titan in 5 years less transfer time and on a smaller launch vehicle than the SOA chemical option.

Cupples, Michael↗
NASA NTRS2005

Titan Explorer: The Next Step in the Exploration of a Mysterious World

The Titan Explorer Mission outlined in this report is a proposed next step in the exploration of Titan, following the highly successful Huygens Titan probe of 2005. The proposed Titan Explorer Mission consists of an Orbiter and an Airship that traverses the atmosphere of Titan and can land on its surface. The Titan Explorer Mission is science driven and addresses some of the fundamental questions about the atmosphere, surface and evolution of Titan, which will add to our understanding of the origin and evolution of life on Earth and assess the likelihood of life elsewhere in the Solar System.

Levine, Joel S.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Origin and Evolution of Nitrogen on Titan, Enceladus, Triton, and Pluto

Nitrogen, together with carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulfur (CHNOPS), plays a central role in life as we know it. Indeed, molecular nitrogen is the most abundant component of the terrestrial atmosphere, and second only to carbon dioxide on Mars and Venus. The Voyager and Cassini-Huygens observations show that copious nitrogen is present on Titan also, comprising some 95% by volume of this moon's 1500 millibar atmosphere. After water vapor, it may be the most abundant (4%) of the gases around tiny Enceladus, as revealed by the recent Cassini observations. A thin nitrogen atmosphere is found even on the coldest of the solar system bodies, Triton and Pluto. The available evidence on nitrogen isotopes and the heavy noble gases suggests that Titan acquired its nitrogen largely in the form of ammonia. Subsequent chemical evolution, beginning with the photolysis of NH3 on primordial Titan, led to the nitrogen atmosphere we see on Titan today. This is also the scenario for the origin of nitrogen on the terrestrial planets. Contrary to Titan, the colder outer solar system objects, Triton and Pluto, neither had the luxury of receiving much arnmonia in the first place, nor of photolyzing whatever little ammonia they did receive in the planetesimals that formed them. On the other hand, it is plausible the planetesimals were capable of trapping and delivering molecular nitrogen directly to Triton and Pluto, unlike Titan. The origin of nitrogen on Enceladus is somewhat enigmatic. A scenario similar to Titan's, but with a role for the interior processes, may be at work. In this paper, we will discuss the source and loss of nitrogen for the above objects, and why Ganymede, the largest moon in the solar system, is nitrogen starved.

Atreya, S. K.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Cassini/CIRS Observations of Water Vapor in Titan's Stratosphere

The Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) on the Cassini spacecraft has obtained spectra of Titan during most of the 44 flybys of the Cassini prime mission. Water vapor on Titan was first detected using whole-disk observations from the Infrared Space Observatory (Coustenis et al 1998, Astron. Astrophys. 336, L85-L89). CIRS data permlt the retrieval of the latitudinal variation of water on Titan and some limited information on its vertical profile. Emission lines of H2O on Titan are very weak in the CIRS data. Thus, large spectral averages as well as improvements in calibration are necessary to detect water vapor. Water abundances were retrieved in nadir spectra at 55 South, the Equator, and at 19 North. Limb spectra of the Equator were also modeled to constrain the vertical distribution of water. Stratospheric temperatures in the 0.5 - 4.0 mbar range were obtained by inverting spectra of CH4 in the v4 band centered at 1304/cm. The temperature in the lower stratosphere (4 - 20 mbar) was derived from fitting pure rotation lines of CH4 between 80 and 160/cm. The origin of H2O and CO2 is believed to be from the ablation of micrometeorites containing water ice, followed by photochemistry. This external source of water originates either within the Saturn system or from the interplanetary medium. Recently, Horst et al (J. Geophys. Res. 2008, in press) developed a photochemical model of Titan in which there are two external sources of oxygen. Oxygen ions (probably from Enceladus) precipitate into Titan's atmosphere to form CO at very high altitudes (1100 km). Water ice ablation at lower altitudes (700 km) forms H2O and subsequent chemistry produces CO2. CIRS measurements of CO, CO2, and now of H2O will provide valuable constraints to these photochemical models and - improve our understanding of oxygen chemistry on Titan.

Bjoraker, Gordon L.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Synergism of Saturn, Enceladus and Titan and Formation of HCNO Exobiological Molecules

Saturn as a system has two very exotic moons Titan and Enceladus. Titan with energy input from Saturn's magnetosphere, solar UV irradiation, and cosmic rays can make HCN based molecules as discussed in earlier paper by [1]. Space radiation effects at both moons, and as coupled by the Saturn magnetosphere could cause an unexpected series of events leading to the evolution of biological models at Titan composed of HCNO with oxygen as the new ingredient. The "Old Faithful" model by [2] suggests that Enceladus, highly irradiated by Saturn magnetospheric electrons, has episodic ejections of water vapor driven by radiolytic oxidation gas products into Saturn's magnetosphere. At Titan Cassini discovered 1) that keV oxygen ions, evidently from Enceladus, are bombarding Titan's upper atmosphere [3] and 2) the discovery of heavy positive and negative ions within Titan's upper atmosphere [4]. Initial models of heavy ion formation in Titan's upper atmosphere invoked polymerization of aromatics such as Benzenes and their radicals to make PAHs [5], while a more recent model by [6] has raised the possibility of carbon chains forming from the polymerization of acetylene and its radicals to eventually make fullerenes. Laboratory measurements indicate that fullerenes, which are hollow carbon shells, can trap the keV oxygen and with the clustering of fullerenes and possible mixture with PAHs, some with nitrogen molecules, can make the larger aerosols with oxygen within them. Then with further ionizing irradiation from cosmic rays deep in the atmosphere "tholin" molecules are produced with all the molecular components present from which organic molecules can form. Among the molecular components are amino acids, the fundamental building blocks of life as we know it. This process maybe a common chemical pathway, both at the system level and at the molecular level, to form prebiotic and perhaps even biotic molecules. Such processes can be occurring throughout our universe, such as molecular clouds in the ISM.

Sittler, Edward C., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Titan's Aerosol and Condensation Cloud Properties in the Far-IR Between 2005 and 2010

Analyses of far-IR spectra between 20 and 560 cm(exp -1) (500 to 18 micron) recorded by the Cassini Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) yield the spectral dependence and the vertical distribution of Titan's photochemical aerosol and ice clouds. Titan's aerosol appears to be well mixed between the surface and an altitude of 300 km, with a spectral shape that does not change with latitude or time. The aerosol exhibits an extremely broad emission feature with a spectral peak at 140 cm(exp -1) (71 micron), which is not evident in laboratory simulated Titan aerosols (tholin). This low- energy aerosol emission feature may arise from low-energy molecules such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and/or nitrogenated aromatics. Unlike the vertically well-mixed aerosol, Titan's condensate clouds are located in highly restricted altitudes in the lower stratosphere, ranging between 60 and 100 km at low and moderate latitudes, to between 150 and 165 km at high northern latitudes during northern winter. Such clouds are located at altitudes where nitrile vapors are expected to condense and appear to be dominated by HCN and HC3N, which are the two most abundant nitriles in Titan's atmosphere. Associated with this ice cloud is a broad emission feature that spectrally peaks near 160 cm(exp -1) (62.5 micron). This ice composite appears to chemically change with altitude and latitude, probably as a result of differences in vapor abundance and condensation temperature, and the ice cloud appears to be global in extent. Both CIRS and the Huygens Descent Imager and Spectral Radiometer (DISR) show evidence of cloud layering in Titan's lower stratosphere. The 15 km difference in cloud altitude indicated by the two instruments suggests a difference in ice composition. CIRS also indicates a second ice cloud that exists at isolated latitudes and is consistent with hydrocarbon condensation above the tropopause. This cloud exhibits an emission feature that spectrally peaks near 80 cm(exp -1) (125 micron), possibly due to C2H6 ice or dominated by an ethane-acetylene composite ice, given that CzH6 then C2H2 are the two most abundant hydrocarbons next to methane in Titan's atmosphere.

Anderson, Carrie↗
NASA NTRS2012

Titan Aerosol Analogs from Aromatic Precursors: Comparisons to Cassini CIRS Observations in the Thermal Infrared

Since Cassini's arrival at Titan, ppm levels of benzene (C6H6) as well as large positive ions, which may be polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). have been detected in the atmosphere. Aromatic molecules. photolytically active in the ultraviolet, may be important in the formation of the organic aerosol comprising the Titan haze layer even when present at low mixing ratios. Yet there have not been laboratory simulations exploring the impact of these molecules as precursors to Titan's organic aerosol. Observations of Titan by the Cassini Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) in the far-infrared (far-IR) between 560 and 20/cm (approx. 18 to 500 microns) and in the mid-infrared (mid-IR) between 1500 and 600/cm (approx. 7 to 17 microns) have been used to infer the vertical variations of Titan's aerosol from the surface to an altitude of 300 km in the far-IR and between 150 and 350 km in the mid-IR. Titan's aerosol has several observed emission features which cannot be reproduced using currently available optical constants from laboratory-generated Titan aerosol analogs, including a broad far-IR feature centered approximately at 140/cm (71 microns).

Trainer, Melissa G.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Titan's Cold Case Files - Outstanding Questions After Cassini-Huygens

The entry of the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft into orbit around Saturn in July 2004 marked the start of a golden era in the exploration of Titan, Saturn's giant moon. During the prime mission (2004-2008), ground-breaking discoveries were made by the Cassini orbiter including the equatorial dune fields (flyby T3, 2005), northern lakes and seas (T16, 2006), and the large positive and negative ions (T16 & T18, 2006), to name a few. In 2005 the Huygens probe descended through Titan's atmosphere, taking the first close-up pictures of the surface, including large networks of dendritic channels leading to a dried-up seabed, and also obtaining detailed profiles of temperature and gas composition during the atmospheric descent. The discoveries continued through the Equinox mission (2008-2010) and Solstice mission (2010-2017) totaling 127 targeted flybys of Titan in all. Now at the end of the mission, we are able to look back on the high-level scientific questions from the start of the mission, and assess the progress that has been made towards answering these. At the same time, new scientific questions regarding Titan have emerged from the new discoveries that have been made. In this paper we review a cross-section of important scientific questions that remain partially or completely unanswered, ranging from Titan's deep interior to the exosphere. Our intention is to help formulate the science goals for the next generation of planetary missions to Saturn and Titan, and to stimulate new experimental, observation and theoretical investigations in the interim, before such missions arrive again at Titan.

Nixon, C. A.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Resolution of Orbit Determination Prediction Instabilities at Titan During Cassini's Solstice Mission

The Cassini spacecraft has been in orbit about Saturn since 2004. Exploration of the Saturn system is driven by gravitational flybys of the moon Titan which alter the spacecraft trajectory. The Cassini Navigation Team receives regular updates to the Saturn satellites ephemeris from JPL's Solar System Dynamics group. The difference between subsequent ephemeris deliveries can be hundreds of meters in the position of Titan at the time of a flyby. Errors in Titan's position propagate downstream to the next flyby through the estimated spacecraft trajectory. Prior to 2013, the Cassini Orbit Determination Team estimated the Saturn satellite ephemeris parameters and used the a posteriori states and covariance of an operations arc as a priori inputs to subsequent estimation arcs. Since 2013, the OD Team has only been considering errors in the ephemeris and not estimating a correction to the satellite positions. The T119 Titan flyby exhibited a 3D miss distance of 2.44 km and the following T120 flyby yielded a smaller miss of 1.06 km at the 2.9s error level. These discrepancies between pre-flyby prediction and post-flyby trajectory reconstruction were due to errors in the Titan ephemeris. In order to improve the targeting of Titan in future flybys, the team restarted the satellite ephemeris estimation process for orbit determination solutions. Subsequent flybys had target misses of less than 1 km at the sub-3 error level. This paper describes the method of scaling the a priori satellite ephemeris covariance in the orbit determination process to allow larger corrections to the satellite system and improve the prediction of the spacecraft’s Titan-relative position at the time of encounters.

Boone, Dylan↗
NASA NTRS2019

Titan's Neutral Atmosphere Seasonal Variations up to the End of the Cassini Mission

In this paper we report new results concerning the seasonal atmospheric evolution near Titan's poles and equator using the Cassini Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS). In previous papers (Coustenis et al. 2016 and 2018), after the 2010 equinox, we have monitored Titan's stratosphere since the beginning of the mission and reported recently on the observed strong temperature decrease and compositional enhancement above Titan's southern polar latitudes since 2012 of several trace species such as complex hydrocarbons and nitriles, which were previously observed only at high northern latitudes. This effect followed the transition of Titan's seasons from northern winter in 2002 to northern summer in 2017, while at that latter time, the southern hemisphere was entering winter. From 2013 until 2016, the northern polar region has shown a temperature increase of 10 K, while the south has shown a more significant decrease (up to 25 K) in a similar period of time. The stratosphere over the south pole of Titan shows a change in shape with a steeper positive slope and an increase in temperature in 2017 with respect to 2014, by 10-50 K in the 0.5 mbar-0.05 mbar pressure range, the larger 2017 temperatures observed in the higher atmospheric levels around 0.05 mbar, while in average the 70°S values return closer to the warmer ones found in 2012. While the south polar region is continuously enhanced since 2012, the chemical content in the north is showing a clear depletion for all molecules only since 2015 (Coustenis et al., 2018). We present here a complementary analysis of nadir spectra acquired by Cassini/CIRS at high resolution during the last year of the Cassini mission in 2017 and describe the temperature and composition variations near Titan's poles and at the equator over almost two Titan seasons. The 2017 data we have acquired and analyzed here are important because they are the only nadir ones afforded since 2014 close to the south pole at high resolution. They show no significant changes in the north with respect to 2016, but a large temperature increase in the southern polar stratosphere and a change in the temperature profiles shape while the South is also finally showing a related significant decrease in most of the abundances.

Coustenis, A.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

P52D-1583 - Further Improvements to Constraints on Titan’s Atmospheric n-Butane, via Ground-Based Observations

We have acquired high spectral resolution ground-based observations of Titan in the mid-infrared from NASA Infrared Telescope Facility’s Texas Echelon Cross Echelle Spectrograph instrument , designed to constrain the abundances of new molecules within Titan’s atmosphere. The target molecule for this work, n-butane (n-C H ), though predicted by photochemical models of Titan’s atmosphere , has never been detected. Using the NEMESIS radiative transfer code , we retrieved a disk-averaged temperature profile for Titan by modeling CH emission in the 1248 cm region. Using this temperature profile, we then retrieved disk-averaged profiles of ethene (C H ), propane (C H ), and propene (C H ) in the 956 and 965 cm regions, which are also home to the strong and vibrational features of n-butane. We used an n-butane pseudoline list from JPL in order to systematically introduce a range of n-butane mixing ratios into the model, to constrain the molecule’s abundance based on the model’s changing fit to the data. We derive 3-confidence upper limits at an altitude of 150 km of 48 and 31 ppb for n-butane, via the and bands in the 956 and 965 cm regions, respectively. These are significantly tighter upper limits when compared to the ~300 ppb upper limit found in our recent work which used the same methodology but on much lower resolution limb data collected by the Cassini spacecraft. Upper limits on gas abundances are important for continued improvement of photochemical models of Titan’s atmosphere, which is understood to be an important analog for the prebiotic Earth atmosphere . They are also important for understanding the composition of Titan’s lakes and seas, which are likely to contain these larger hydrocarbons . Finally, as larger molecules like C ’s are thought to be able to serve as formation sites for building haze particles, constraining their abundances is important for understanding the process of haze formation at Titan and at Earth Ref: [1] J. H. Lacy, et al., PASP, 2002. [2] Y.L. Yung, et al., ApJS, 1984. [3] M. Dobrijevic, et al., Icarus, 2021. [4] P. G. J. Irwin et al., JQSRT, 2008. [5] K. Sung, et al., JQSRT, 2020. [6] B. L. Steffens, et al., PSJ, 2022. [7] Clarke & Ferris, Origins Life Evol. Biosphere, 1997. [8] D. Cordier, et al., ApJ, 2008. [9] D. B. Curtis, et al., JPCA, 2005.

Brendan Steffens↗
NASA NTRS2011

A Survey of Titan Balloon Concepts and Technology Status

This paper surveys the options for, and technology status of, balloon vehicles to explore Saturn's moon Titan. A significant amount of Titan balloon concept thinking and technology development has been performed in recent years, particularly following the spectacular results from the descent and landing of the Huygens probe and remote sensing observations by the Cassini spacecraft. There is widespread recognition that a balloon vehicle on the next Titan mission could provide an outstanding and unmatched capability for in situ exploration on a global scale. The rich variety of revealed science targets has combined with a highly favorable Titan flight environment to yield a wide diversity of proposed balloon concepts. The paper presents a conceptual framework for thinking about balloon vehicle design choices and uses it to analyze various Titan options. The result is a list of recommended Titan balloon vehicle concepts that could perform a variety of science missions, along with their projected performance metrics. Recent technology developments for these balloon concepts are discussed to provide context for an assessment of outstanding risk areas and technological maturity. The paper concludes with suggestions for technology investments needed to achieve flight readiness.

balloon↗
NASA NTRS2015

Probing Titan's Complex Atmospheric Chemistry Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array

Titan is Saturn's largest moon, with a thick (1.45 bar) atmosphere composed primarily of molecular nitrogen and methane. Atmospheric photochemistry results in the production of a wide range of complex organic molecules, including hydrocarbons, nitriles, aromatics and other species of possible pre-biotic relevance. Titan's carbon-rich atmosphere may be analogous to that of primitive terrestrial planets throughout the universe, yet its origin, evolution and complete chemical inventory are not well understood. Here we present spatially-resolved maps of emission from C2H5CN, HNC, HC3N, CH3CN and CH3CCH in Titan's atmosphere, observed using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in 2012-2013. These data show previously-undetected spatial structures for the observed species and provide the first spectroscopic detection of C2H5CN on Titan. Our maps show spatially resolved peaks in Titan's northern and southern hemispheres, consistent with photochemical production and transport in the upper atmosphere followed by subsidence over the poles. The HNC emission peaks are offset from the polar axis, indicating that Titan's mesosphere may be more longitudinally variable than previously thought.

Titan↗
NASA NTRS2014

Miniature Cryogenic Valves for a Titan Lake Sampling System

The Cassini mission has revealed Titan to be one of the most Earthlike worlds in the Solar System complete with many of the same surface features including lakes, river channels, basins, and dunes. But unlike Earth, the materials and fluids on Titan are composed of cryogenic organic compounds with lakes of liquid methane and ethane. One of the potential mission concepts to explore Titan is to land a floating platform on one of the Titan Lakes and determine the local lake chemistry. In order to accomplish this within the expected mass volume and power budgets there is a need to pursue the development for a low power lightweight cryogenic valves which can be used along with vacuum lines to sample lake liquid and to distribute to various instruments aboard the Lander. To meet this need we have initiated the development of low power cryogenic valves and actuators based on a single crystal piezoelectric flextensional stacks produced by TRS Ceramics Inc. Since the origin of such high electromechanical properties of Relaxor-PT single crystals is due to the polarization rotation effect, (i.e., intrinsic contributions), the strain per volt decrease at cryogenic temperatures is much lower than in standard Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) ceramics. This makes them promising candidates for cryogenic actuators with regards to the stroke for a given voltage. This paper will present our Titan Lake Sampling and Sample Handling system design and the development of small cryogenic piezoelectric valves developed to meet the system specifications.

Piezoelectric Devices↗
NASA NTRS2019

Detailed infrared study of amorphous to crystalline propionitrile ices relevant to observed spectra of Titan's stratospheric ice clouds

We have conducted a comprehensive study of propionitrile (C2H5CN) ice from the amorphous to crystalline phase in order to provide detailed information on this specific cyanide, which may potentially contribute to the chemical composition of the Haystack ice cloud observed in Titan’s stratosphere by the Cassini Composite InfraRed Spectrometer (CIRS). Infrared transmission spectra of thin films of pure propionitrile ices deposited at low temperature (30 – 160 K) were collected from 50 cm-1 to 11,700 cm-1 (200 – 0.85 μm). The far-infrared spectral region was specifically targeted to compare with CIRS far-infrared limb spectra. The temperature and time evolution of C2H5CN ice was thoroughly investigated to better understand discrepancies reported in previously published laboratory studies on the crystalline phase of C2H5CN. Specifically, we observe peculiar temperature and time-driven ice phase transitions, revealed by significant spectral variations in the ice, which stabilizes once a complete crystalline phase is achieved. From these results, the crystalline phase of propionitrile ice was identified at deposition temperatures greater than or equal to 135 K and less than 140 K. Our findings corroborate previous studies that ruled out pure propionitrile ice as the sole chemical identity of Titan’s observed Haystack emission feature. As a result, we have initiated co-deposition experiments that incorporate mixtures of Titan-relevant organics, many of which have corresponding vapors that are abundantly present in Titan's stratosphere. In this paper, we present one example of a co-deposited trinary ice mixture containing 16% hydrogen cyanide (HCN), 23% C2H5CN, and 61% benzene (C6H6). Although this co-condensed ice mixture is a poor spectral match for the Haystack, it reveals an intriguing result: the strong lattice mode of pure C2H5CN ice is drastically altered by the surrounding molecules as a result of mixing in a co-condensed phase. The laboratory results reported here on propionitrile ice may help to further constrain the chemical identification of Titan’s stratospheric Haystack ice cloud, as well as improve on the current state of knowledge of Titan's stratospheric ice cloud chemistry.

Ices↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Mapping the seasonal variability of Titan’s upper atmospheric gases using ALMA

We present a study of the impact of seasonal effects on the spatial distribution of Titan’s atmospheric gases HNC, CH3CN, and HC3N over a timescale of less than a Titan month (9 Earth months). These molecules are synthesized primarily in the upper and middle atmosphere as a result of CH4 and N2 photochemistry, and are redistributed around Titan’s globe as a result of diffusion and zonal and meridional circulation. With observations from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) obtained in August 2016 [1] and May 2017 [2], we produced high-resolution, spectrally and spatially resolved maps of the emission from these gases. These observations are contemporaneous with the end of the Cassini mission (around the time of the northern summer solstice), allowing for studies of seasonal variations in Titan’s organic chemistry through analysis of the production, destruction, and transport of complex molecules. We observed a strong reduction of 41% ± 4% in the HC3N flux coming from the north pole, while CH3CN and HNC remained relatively stable (within errors) over the 9 month period of our observations. In the south pole, CH3CN presented a 31% ± 10% increase, while HNC saw a reduction of 20% ± 8%, and HC3N remained fairly stable (within errors). The HNC emission comes primarily from the highest (thermospheric) altitudes, and is distributed more uniformly about Titan’s limb than HC3N and CH3CN; the latter two molecules show strong polar enhancements due to meridional circulation. The steep decline in the HC3N north polar concentration is consistent its short photochemical lifetime (compared to HNC and CH3CN), combined with a reduction in meridional transport of gases produced at lower latitudes, towards the northern (summer) pole. The loss of emission of HC3N in the northern hemisphere is also consistent with the breakdown of Titan’s northern polar vortex during the onset of the northern summer, leading to a loss of confinement of these species [3].

Titan↗
NASA NTRS1973

A Saturnian gas ring and the recycling of Titan's atmosphere

Atoms which escape Titan's atmosphere are unlikely to possess escape velocity from Saturn and can orbit the planet until lost by ionization or collision with Titan. It is predicted that a toroidal ring of between 1 and 1,000 atoms or molecules per cubic centimeter exists around Saturn at a distance of about 10 times the radius of the visible rings. This torus may be detectable from earth orbit and detection or nondetection of it may provide some information about the presence or absence of a Saturnian magnetic field, and the exospheric temperature and atmospheric escape rate of Titan. It is estimated that, if Titan has a large exosphere, 97% or more of the escaping atoms can be recaptured by Titan, thereby decreasing the effective net atmospheric loss rate by up to two orders of magnitude. It is shown that, if Saturn has a magnetic field comparable to Jupiter's the magnetospheric plasma can supply Titan with hydrogen at a rate comparable to the loss rates in some of the models of Trafton (1972) and Sagan (1973).

Mcdonough, T. R.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Experimental basis for a Titan probe organic analysis

The recent Voyager flyby of Titan produced evidence for at least nine organic compounds in that atmosphere that are heavier than methane. Several models of Titan's atmosphere, as well as laboratory simulations, suggest the presence of organics considerably more complex that those observed. To ensure that the in situ measurements are definitive with respect to Titan's atmosphere, experiment concepts, and the related instrumentation, must be carefully developed specifically for such a mission. To this end, the possible composition of the environment to be analyzed must be bracketed and model samples must be provided for instrumentation development studies. Laboratory studies to define the optimum flight experiment and sampling strategy for a Titan entry probe are currently being conducted. Titan mixtures are being subjected to a variety of energy sources including high voltage electron from a DC discharge, high current electric shock, and laser detonation. Gaseous and solid products are produced which are then analyzed. Samples from these experiements are also provided to candidate flight experiments as models for instrument development studies. Preliminary results show that existing theoretical models for chemistry in Titan's atmosphere cannot adequetely explain the presence and abundance of all trace gases observed in these experiments.

Mckay, C. P.↗