Chapter 7: Among The Moons Of Saturn

Question 0

Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 84

Characteristics of Organic Molecules?

Answer 0

Organic Molecules
•building blocks of all
terrestrial life
•based on carbon

Question 1

Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 84

What is Earth’s oldest known fossil?

Answer 1

Earth’s oldest known fossil 3.6 billion years old

Question 2

Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 84

What are most important classes of Organic Molecules?

Answer 2

Organic Molecules(most important) Classes

1. Amino Acids
   building blocks of protein
2. Nucleotide Bases
   building blocks of nucleic
   acids

Question 3

Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 85-86

Whose Planet does Titan orbit?
How big is Titan relative to Earth?
How similar is its atmosphere to Earth’s?

Answer 3

Titan 
        •Biggest  moon of Saturn
        •1/2 size of Earth
        •Closest replica of primitive
          Earth's atmosphere of all the
          worlds

Question 4

Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 86-86b

What are some key features of Titan’s atmosphere?

Answer 4

Titan Key Atmospheric Features
•methane(CH4)
•nitrogen (N2)
• -180°C

Question 5

Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 85-86c

Titan’s Key Organic Molecules?

Answer 5

Titan Key Organic Molecules
•hydrocarbons
-composed of carbon
and hydrogen only

    •nitriles 
         -carbon and nitrogen 
          attached in a particular
          way

Question 6

Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 85-86d

Examples of Titan’s Key Organic Molecules? (Hydrocarbons)

Answer 6

Titan Key Organic Molecules
•hydrocarbons
natural gas, petroleum
waxes

           -Methane(CH4) most
             abundant hydrocarbon

           -Ethane(C2H6) next most
             abundant hydrocarbon

Question 7

Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 85-86e

Examples of Titan Key Organic Molecules? (Nitriles)

Answer 7

Nitriles 
           hydrogen cyanide(HCN)

Question 8

Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 85-86f

What are Spectrometric Observations of Titan’s Tholin Particles?

Answer 8

Satellite Observations(Spectrometer)
Of Titan’s Orange-Brown Haze Particles (Tholin)
•which colors of light they
like to absorb

       •which colors that pass 
        through

       •how much they bend light

       •how big the orange-brown
        haze particles are (cigarette
        smoke)

Question 9

Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 93

What are the hypothetical Oceanic
makup belonging to Titan?

Answer 9

Titan features
             • oceans of water is 
              impossible 
             •oceans of hydrocarbons 
              are not impossible

Question 10

Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 96

When did Cassini launch?
Joint program between 2, who?
Gravity Assists details?

Answer 10

Cassini
spacecraft sent to Titan 1997, joint program between NASA/ESA.

GRAVITY ASSISTS
2 flybys of Venus
1 of earth
1 of Jupiter