Nelle ultime immersioni attraverso il pennacchio di ghiaccio d'acqua di Encelado, lo spettrometro al plasma della sonda Cassini ha trovato una popolazione inaspettata di molecole cariche e polveri che rafforzano la possibile presenza di acqua allo stato liquido, ingrediente base per la vita.
Lo spettrometro al plasma di Cassini, originariamente era stato progettato per raccogliere i dati nell'ambiente magnetico di Saturno, misurarne la densità, la velocità di flusso e la temperatura di ioni ed elettroni che entrano lo strumento. Ma dal momento che è avvenuta la scoperta del pennacchio di ghiaccio d'acqua su Encelado, lo strumento ha anche catturato e analizzato con successo campioni di materiale nei getti.
All'inizio della sua missione, Cassini scoprì il pennacchio di vapore acqueo e particelle di ghiaccio su Encelado. Da allora, gli scienziati scoprirono che questi prodotti d'acqua dominano l'ambiente magnetico di Saturno e creano il suo enorme anello E. Ora, gli scienziati hanno trovato ioni negativi nel pennacchio, molti dei quali sono di acqua, ma anche di idrocarburi. I loro risultati, basati sull'analisi dei dati presi in volo dai pennacchi nel 2008, sono riportati sulla rivista Icarus.
Encelado si unisce così alla Terra, a Titano e alle comete, dove è nota l'esisitenza degli ioni caricati negativamente. Gli ioni di ossigeno negativi sono stati scoperti nella ionosfera terrestre, all'alba dell'era spaziale. Sulla superficie della Terra, gli ioni negativi di acqua sono presenti dove c'è l'acqua allo stato liquido è in movimento, come le cascate o le onde dell'oceano. "Anche se non è una sorpresa che ci sia l'acqua, questi ioni di breve durata sono la prova supplementare per sostenere che nella sub superfice di Encelado ci possa essere l'acqua, carbonio ed energia, alcuni degli ingredienti più importanti per la vita", ha detto l'autore Andrew Coates da University College di Londra Mullard Space Science Laboratory. "La sorpresa per noi è stato osservare la massa di questi ioni. Ci sono stati numerosi picchi nello spettro, e quando li abbiamo analizzati, abbiamo visto l'effetto di molecole d'acqua agitarsi insieme una dopo l'altra. "Le misurazioni sono state effettuate quando Cassini si è immerso nel pennacchio di Encelado il 12 marzo 2008.
Su Titano, lo stesso strumento ha rilevato un elevato di ioni negativi di idrocarburi con masse fino a 13.800 volte superiori a quelle dell'idrogeno. E' emerso che, su Titano la più ampia presenza di ldrocarburi o ioni di nitrile sono stati rilevati da Cassini durante i sorvoli a bassa quota (950 km o 590 miglia). Ciò suggerisce che questi grandi ioni sono la fonte della foschia che blocca dalla vista, la maggior parte della superficie di Titano. Essi possono essere campioni rappresentativi di una miscela organica chiamata "tholins" (tolina) da Carl Sagan, quando produsse un composto prebiotico rossastro, nel suo laboratorio, usando gas che si sa essere presenti anche nell’atmosfera di Titano. Le toline prodotte nell'atmosfera di Titano potrebbero cadere sulla superficie e persino formarsi come granuli, dando origine quindi le dune che si osservano nella regione equatoriale di Titano.
I risultati si aggiungono alla nostra crescente conoscenza sulla chimica dettagliata del pennacchio di Encelado e dell'atmosfera di Titano, dando una nuova comprensione degli ambienti al di là della Terra, dove potrebbero esisitere ambienti in grado di sostenere la vita.
traduzione a cura di Arthur McPaul
Link: http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm
Video:
English
Negative Ions a Positive Sign for Liquid Water in Enceladus
Feb. 08, 2010
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With Enceladus nearly in front of the Sun from Cassini's viewpoint, its icy jets become clearly visible against the background. |
The Cassini plasma spectrometer, originally designed to take data in Saturn’s magnetic environment, measures the density, flow velocity and temperature of ions and electrons that enter the instrument. But since the discovery of Enceladus’ water ice plume, the instrument has also successfully captured and analyzed samples of material in the jets.
Early in its mission, Cassini discovered the plume that fountains water vapor and ice particles above Enceladus. Since then, scientists have found that these water products dominate Saturn’s magnetic environment and create Saturn’s huge E ring.
Now, Cassini scientists report they have found negatively charged ions in the plume, many of which are water, but also including other hydrocarbon species. Their findings, based on analysis from data taken in plume fly-throughs in 2008, are reported in the journal Icarus.
Enceladus thus joins Earth, Titan and comets where negatively charged ions are known to exist in the solar system. Negative oxygen ions were discovered in Earth’s ionosphere at the dawn of the space age. At Earth’s surface, negative water ions are present where liquid water is in motion, such as waterfalls or crashing ocean waves.
“While it’s no surprise that there is water there, these short-lived ions are extra evidence for sub-surface water and where there’s water, carbon and energy, some of the major ingredients for life are present,” said lead author Andrew Coates from University College London’s Mullard Space Science Laboratory.
“The surprise for us was to look at the mass of these ions. There were several peaks in the spectrum, and when we analyzed them we saw the effect of water molecules clustering together one after the other.” The measurements were made as Cassini plunged through Enceladus’ plume on March 12, 2008.
At Titan, the same instrument detected extremely large negative hydrocarbon ions with masses up to 13,800 times that of hydrogen. A paper in Planetary and Space Science by Coates and colleagues in December 2009. They found showed that, at Titan, the largest hydrocarbon or nitrile ions are seen at the lowest altitudes of the atmosphere that Cassini flew (950 kilometers, or 590 miles). They suggest these large ions are the source of the smog-like haze that blocks most of Titan’s surface from view. They may be representative of the organic mix called “tholins” by Carl Sagan when he produced the reddish brew of prebiotic chemicals in the lab from gases that were known to be present in Titan’s atmosphere. Tholins that may be produced in Titan’s atmosphere could fall to the moon’s surface and may even make up the sand grains of the dunes that dominate part of Titan’s equatorial region. The findings add to our growing knowledge about the detailed chemistry of Enceladus’ plume and Titan’s atmosphere, giving new understanding of environments beyond Earth where pre-biotic or life-sustaining environments might exist.
This Cassini Science League entry is an overview of a science paper authored, or co-authored, by at least one Cassini scientist. The information above was derived from the following publications:
1) “Negative ions in the Enceladus plume,” A.J.Coates, (Mullard Space Science Lab. University College of London); G.H. Jones, G.R. Lewis, A. Wellbrock (Mullard Space Science Lab and Centre for Planetary Sciences at University College of London); D.T. Young, F.J. Crary (Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio Texas); R.E. Johnson, T.A. Cassidy (University of Virginia, Charlottesville); T.W. Hill (Rice University, Houston, Texas), Icarus, in press, online July 17, 2009
2) “Heavy negative ions in Titan’s ionosphere: Altitude and latitude dependence,” A.J.Coates, A.Wellbrock, G.R. Lewis, G.H. Jones (Mullard Space Science Lab and Centre for Planetary Sciences at University College of London), D.T. Young, F.J. Crary, J.H. Waite Jr. (Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas), Planetary and Space Science, Volume 57, Issues 14-15, December 2009, Pages 1866-1871
3) “Heavy ion formation in Titan's ionosphere: Magnetospheric introduction of free oxygen and a source of Titan's aerosols?” E.C. Sittler Jr., (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Maryland); A. Ali (NASA GSFC and University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland); J.F. Cooper, R.E. Hartle (NASA GSFC); R.E. Johnson (University of Virginia, Charlottesville), A.J. Coates (Mullard Space Science Lab. University College of London) and D.T. Young (Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas), Planetary and Space Science, Volume. 57, Issue 13, November 2009, Pages 1547-1557. 4) “On the amount of heavy molecular ions in Titan's ionosphere,” J.-E. Wahlund (Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Uppsala); M. Galand, I. Müller-Wodarg, J. Cui (Imperial College of London); R.V. Yelle (University of Arizona); F.J. Crary, K. Mandt, B. Magee, J.H. Waite Jr., D.T. Young (Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas); A.J. Coates (Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College of London); P. Garnier (Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Uppsala, University of Toulouse, France, and CNRS, Toulouse); K. Ågren, M. André, A.I. Eriksson (Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Uppsala); T.E. Cravens (University of Kansas); V. Vuitton (Laboratory of Planetology of Grenoble, France); D.A. Gurnett and W.S. Kurth (University of Iowa), Planetary and Space Science, Volume 57, Issues 14-15, December 2009, Pages 1857-1865
5) “Negative ion chemistry in Titan's upper atmosphere,” V. Vuitton (Laboratory of Planetology of Grenoble, France and University of Arizona, Tuscon); P. Lavvas, R.V. Yelle (University of Arizona, Tuscon); M. Galand (Imperial College, London), A. Wellbrock, G.R. Lewis, A.J. Coates (Mullard Space Science Laboratory and Centre for Planetary Sciences, University College of London) and J.-E. Wahlund (Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Uppsala, Sweden) Laboratory of Planetology of Grenoble, France) aboratoire de Planétologie de Grenoble, CNRS, Grenoble, France, Planetary and Space Science, Volume 57, Issues 14-15, December 2009, Pages 1857-1865
Early in its mission, Cassini discovered the plume that fountains water vapor and ice particles above Enceladus. Since then, scientists have found that these water products dominate Saturn’s magnetic environment and create Saturn’s huge E ring.
Now, Cassini scientists report they have found negatively charged ions in the plume, many of which are water, but also including other hydrocarbon species. Their findings, based on analysis from data taken in plume fly-throughs in 2008, are reported in the journal Icarus.
Enceladus thus joins Earth, Titan and comets where negatively charged ions are known to exist in the solar system. Negative oxygen ions were discovered in Earth’s ionosphere at the dawn of the space age. At Earth’s surface, negative water ions are present where liquid water is in motion, such as waterfalls or crashing ocean waves.
“While it’s no surprise that there is water there, these short-lived ions are extra evidence for sub-surface water and where there’s water, carbon and energy, some of the major ingredients for life are present,” said lead author Andrew Coates from University College London’s Mullard Space Science Laboratory.
“The surprise for us was to look at the mass of these ions. There were several peaks in the spectrum, and when we analyzed them we saw the effect of water molecules clustering together one after the other.” The measurements were made as Cassini plunged through Enceladus’ plume on March 12, 2008.
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Looking toward high northern latitudes on Titan, the Cassini spacecraft spies a banded pattern encircling the pole. |
This Cassini Science League entry is an overview of a science paper authored, or co-authored, by at least one Cassini scientist. The information above was derived from the following publications:
1) “Negative ions in the Enceladus plume,” A.J.Coates, (Mullard Space Science Lab. University College of London); G.H. Jones, G.R. Lewis, A. Wellbrock (Mullard Space Science Lab and Centre for Planetary Sciences at University College of London); D.T. Young, F.J. Crary (Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio Texas); R.E. Johnson, T.A. Cassidy (University of Virginia, Charlottesville); T.W. Hill (Rice University, Houston, Texas), Icarus, in press, online July 17, 2009
2) “Heavy negative ions in Titan’s ionosphere: Altitude and latitude dependence,” A.J.Coates, A.Wellbrock, G.R. Lewis, G.H. Jones (Mullard Space Science Lab and Centre for Planetary Sciences at University College of London), D.T. Young, F.J. Crary, J.H. Waite Jr. (Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas), Planetary and Space Science, Volume 57, Issues 14-15, December 2009, Pages 1866-1871
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The Cassini spacecraft peers through the hazy atmosphere of Titan for a close view of light and dark terrain on Saturn's largest moon. |
5) “Negative ion chemistry in Titan's upper atmosphere,” V. Vuitton (Laboratory of Planetology of Grenoble, France and University of Arizona, Tuscon); P. Lavvas, R.V. Yelle (University of Arizona, Tuscon); M. Galand (Imperial College, London), A. Wellbrock, G.R. Lewis, A.J. Coates (Mullard Space Science Laboratory and Centre for Planetary Sciences, University College of London) and J.-E. Wahlund (Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Uppsala, Sweden) Laboratory of Planetology of Grenoble, France) aboratoire de Planétologie de Grenoble, CNRS, Grenoble, France, Planetary and Space Science, Volume 57, Issues 14-15, December 2009, Pages 1857-1865
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