Abstract
This report follows the presentation originally given in the ESA Phase A Study for the Cassini Huygens Mission. The combination of the Huygens atmospheric probe into Titan’s atmosphere with the Cassini orbiter allows for both in-situ and remote-sensing observations of Titan. This not only provides a rich harvest of data about Saturn’s famous satellite but will permit a useful calibration of the remote-sensing instruments which will also be used on Saturn itself. Composition, thermal structure, dynamics, aeronomy, magnetosphere interactions and origins will all be investigated for the two atmospheres, and the spacecraft will also deliver information on the interiors of both Titan and Saturn. As the surface of Titan is intimately linked with the atmosphere, we also discuss some of the surface studies that will be carried out by both probe and orbiter.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Anders, E. and Grevesse, N.: 1989, ‘Abundances of the elements; Meteoritic and solar’. Geatrium et Cosmochim. Acta 53, 197–214.
Atreya, S. K., Mahaffy, P. R., Niemann, H. B., Wong, M. H.,and Owen, T. C.: ‘Composition and origin of the atmosphere of Jupiter — an update, and implications for the extra solar giant planets’. 2003 Planet Space Sci (in press).
Atreya, S. K.: 1986, Atmospheres and Ionospheres of the Outer Planets and Their Satellites, Berlin: Springer, 224 pp.
Atreya, S. K., Donahue, T. M., and Kuhn, W. R.: 1978, ‘Evolution of a Nitrogen Atmosphere on Titan’, Science 201, 601–613.
Bar-Nun, A., Herman, G., Laufer, D., and Rapport, M. L.: 1985, ‘Trapping and Release of Gases by Water Ice and Implications for Icy Bodies’, Icarus 63, 317–332.
Bézard, B Marten, A., and Paubert, G. 1993, ‘Detection of Acetonitrile on Titan’, Bull. Amer. Astron. Soc 25 1100.
Bird, M. K., Dutta-Roy, R., Asmar, S. W., and Rebold, T. A.: 1997, ‘Detection of Titan’s Ionosphere from Voyager 1 Radio Occultation Observations’, Icarus 130, 426–436.
Brown, M. E., Bouchez, A.-H., Griffith, C. A.: 2002, ‘Direct detection of variable tropospheric clouds near Titan’s south pole’. Nature 420, 795–797.
Cassen, P.: 1994, Utilitarian Models of the Solar Nebula’, Icarus 112, 405–429
Cassen, P., and Chick, K. M.: 1997, ‘The Survival of Presolar Grains during the Formation of the Solar System’, in T. J. Bernatowica and K E Zinner (eds) Astrophysical Implications of the Laboratory Study of Presolar Materials, New York: American Institute of Physics, 697–719.
Combes M., Vapillon, L., Gendron, E., Coustenis, A., Lai, O., Wittemberg, R., and Sirdey, R.: 1997, Spatially resolved images of Titan by means of adaptive optics’, Icarus 129, 482–497.
Conrath, B. J., and Gautier, D.: 2000, ‘Saturn Helium Abundances: A Reanalysis of Voyager Measurements’, Icarus 144, 123–134.
Conrath, B. J., Gautier, D., Hanel, R. A., and Horenstein, J. S. 1984, ‘The Helium Abundance of Saturn from Voyager Measurement’, Astrophys. J 282, 807–815.
Conrath, B.J., Gierash, P. J., and Ustinov, E. A.: 1998, ‘Thermal Structure and Parahydrogen Fraction on the Outer Planets from Voyager IRIS Measurements’, Icarus 135, 590–517.
Conrath, B. J., and Gautier, D.: 2000, Saturn Helium Abundances: A reanalysis of Voyager Measurements, Icarus, 144, 123–134.
Coradini A. et al 1989, ‘Formation of the Satellites of the Outer Solar System: Sources of Their Atmospheres’, in S. K. Atreya, J. B. Pollack, and M. S. Matthews (eds), Origin and Evolution of Planetary Atmospheres,Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 723–762.
Courtin, R., Gautier, D., Marten, A., Bezard, B., and Hanel, R.: 1984, ‘The Compostion of Saturn’s Atmosphere at Northern Temperature Latitudes from Voyager IRIS Spectra: NH3, PH3, C2H2, C2H6, CH3D, CH4, and the Saturnian D/H Isotopic Ratio’, Astrophys. J 287, 899–916.
Courtin, R., Gautier, D., and McKay, C. P.: 1995, ‘Titan’s Thermal Emission Spectrum: Reanalysis of the Voyager Infrared Measurements’ Icarus 114, 144–162.
Courtin, R. et al 2000, ‘The Titan CO Abundance from the 3–0 Band’, in preparation.
Coustenis, A., Salama, A., Lellouch, L., Encrenaz, Th., Bjoraker, G., Samuelson, R., de Graaw, Th., Feuchtgrubert, H., and Kessler, M. E: 1998, ‘Evidence for Water Vapor in Titan’s Atmosphere from ISO/SWS Data’, Astron. Astrophys 336, L85 - L89.
Ehrenfrend, P., Boogert, A., Gerakines, P., and Tielens, A.: 1998, ‘A Polar Ices’, Faraday Discussions 109, 463–474.
Encrenaz, Th., Drossart, P., Feuchtgruber, H., Lellouch, E., Bezard, B., Fouchet, T., and Atreya, S. K.: 1999, ‘The Atmospheric Composition and Structure of Jupiter and Saturn from ISO Observations: A Preliminary Review’, Planet. Space Sci 47, 1223–1240.
Flasar, E M., Samuelson, R. E., and Conrath, B. J.: 1981, ‘Titan’s Atmosphere: Temperature and Dynamics’, Nature 292, 693–698.
Folkner, W. M., Woo, R., and Nandi, S.: 1998, ‘Ammonia Abundance in Jupiter’s Atmosphere Derived from Attenuation of the Galileo Probe’s Radio Signal’, J. Geophys. Res 103, 22847–22856.
Gautier, D.: 1997, ‘The Aeronomy of Titan’, in J. P. Lebreton (ed), Huygens: Mission, Science and Payload, ESA SP-1177, Noordwijk, Netherlands: ESA Publications Division, ESTEC, 191–201.
Gautier, D., and Grossman, K.: 1972, ‘A New Method for the Determination of the Mixing Ratio Hydrogen to Helium in the Giant Planets’, J. Atmos. Sci 29, 788–792.
Gautier, D., and Ip, W. H.: 1984, ‘Project Cassini: A Saturn Orbiter/Titan Probe Mission Proposal’, Origin of Life 14, 801.
Gautier, D., and Owen, T.: 1989, ‘The Comparison of Outer Planet Atmospheres’, in S. K. Atreya, J. B. Pollack, and M. S. Matthews (eds), Origin and Evolution of Planetary Satellite Atmospheres, Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 487–512.
Gautier, D., and Raulin, E: 1997, ‘Composition of Titan’s Atmosphere’, in J. P. Lebreton (ed), Huygens: Mission, Science and Payload, ESA SP-1177, Noordwijk, Netherlands: ESA Publications Division, ESTEC, 359–364.
Gautier, D., Hersant, F., Mousis, O., and Lunine, J. I.: 2001, Enrichments in volatiles in Jupiter: A New Interpretation of the Galileo Measurements, Astrophy. J, 550, L227 - L230.
Grasset, O., and Sotin, C.: 1996, ‘The Cooling Rate of a Liquid Shell in Titan’s Interior’, Icarus 123, 101–112.
Griffin, M. J., et al 1996, ‘First Detection of the 56 km Rotational Line of HO in Saturn’s Atmosphere’, Astron. Astrophys 315, L389 - L392.
Griffith, C. A., Owen, T., and Wagener, R.: 1991, ‘Titan’s Surface and Troposphere, Investigated with Ground-based, Near-infrared Observations’, Icarus 93, 362–378.
Griffith, C. A., Owen, T., Miller, G. A., and Geballe, T.: 1998, ‘Transient Clouds in Titan’s Lower Atmosphere’, Nature 395, 575–578.
Griffith, C. A., and Zahnle, K.: 1995, ‘Influx of Cometary Volatiles to Planetary Moons: The Atmosphere of 1000 Possible Titans’, J. Geophys. Res 100, 16907–16922.
Guillot, T.: 1999, ‘A Comparison of the Interior of Jupiter and Saturn’, Planet. Space Sci 47, 1183–1200.
Guillot, T., Chabrier, G., Morel, P., and Gautier, D.: 1994, Non-adiabatic Models of Jupiter and Saturn’, Icarus 112, 354–367.
Gurwell, M. A., and Muhleman, D. 0.: 1995, ‘CO on Titan: Evidence for a Well-Mixed Vertical Profile’, Icarus 117, 375–382.
Hersant, FG., Gautier, D., and Lunine, J. I.: 2003, Enrichment in volatiles in the giant planets of the Solar System (submitted to Planet. Space Sci.).
Hidayat, T.: 1998, thesis, University of Paris, Paris Observatory.
Hidayat, T., Marten, A., Bézard, B., Gautier, D., Owen, T., Matthews, H. E., and Paubert, E.: 1997, ‘Millimeter and Submillimeter Heterodyne Observations of Titan: Retrieval of the Vertical Profile of HCN and the 12C/13C Ratio’, Icarus 126, 170–182.
Hidayat, T., Marten, A., Bézard, B., Gautier, D., Owen, T., Matthews, H. E., and Paubert, E.: 1998, ‘Millimeter and Submillimeter Heterodyne Observations of Titan: The Vertical Profile of Carbon Monoxide in Its Stratosphere’, Icarus 133, 109–133.
Hourdin, F., Talagrand, O., Sadourney, R., Courtin, R., Gautier, D., and McKay, C. P.: 1995, ‘Numerical Simulation of the General Circulation of the Atmosphere of Titan’, Icarus 117, 358–374.
Hubbard, W. B., Guillot, T., Marley, M. S., Burrows, A., Lunine, J. I., and Saumon, D.: 1999, ‘Evolutionary Models for Saturn’, Planet. Space Sci 47, 1175–1182.
Hunten, D. M., Tomasko, M. G., Flasar, F. M., Samuelson, R. F., Strobel, D. E, and Stevenson, D. J.: 1984, ‘Titan’, in T. Gehrels and M. S. Matthews (eds) Saturn, Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 671–759.
Karkoshka, E., and Tomasko, M.: 1992, ‘Saturn’s Upper Troposphere 1986–1989’, Icarus 97, 161–181.
Kerola, D. Y., Larson, H. R, and Tomasko, M. G.: 1997, Analysis of the Near IR Spectrum of Saturn: A Comprehensive Radiative Transfer Model of its Middle and Upper Troposphere, Icarus, 127, 190–212.
Kostiuk, T. et al 2000, ‘Which Way Does the Wind Blow on Titan?’, Nature (submitted).
Lara, L. M., Lellouch, E., Lopez-Moreno, J. J., and Rodrigo, R.: 1996, ‘Vertical Distribution of Titan’s Atmospheric Neutral Constituents’, J. Geophys. Res. 101, (E10) 23,261–23,283.
Lecluse, C., Robert, F., Gautier, D., and Guiraud, M.: 1996, ‘Deuterium Enrichment in Giant Planets’, Planet. Space Sci 44, 1579–1592.
Lellouch, E., Bézard, B., Fouchet, T., Feuchtgruber, H., Encrenaz, T., and de Graauw, T.: 2001, The deuterium abundance in Jupiter and Saturn from ISO-SWS observations. Astron. Astrophy, 670, 610–622.
Lemmon, M. T., Karkoschka, E., and Tomaska, M.: 1993, ‘Titan’s Rotation: Surface Feature Observed’, Icarus 103, 329–332.
Linsky, J. L.: 1996, ‘GHRS Observations of the LISM’, Space Sci. Rev 78, 157–164.
Lunine, J. T., and Stevenson, D. J.: 1985, ‘Thermodynamics of Clathrate Hydrate at Low and High Pressures with Applications to the Outer Solar System’, Astrophys. J. Suppl 58, 493–531.
Lunine, J. I., Stevenson, D. J., and Yung, Y. L.: 1983, ‘An Ethane Ocean on Titan’, Science 222, 1229–1230.
Lutz, B. L., de Bergh, C., and Owen. T.: 1983, ‘Titan: Discovery of Carbon Monoxide in Its Atmosphere’, Science 220, 1374–1375.
Mahaffy, P. R., Donahue, T. M., Atreya, S. K., Owen, T., and Niemann, H. B.: 1998, ‘Galileo Probe Measurements of D/H and 3He/4He in Jupiter’s Atmosphere’, in N. Prantzos, M. Tosi, and R. von Steiger (eds), Primordial Nuclei and Their Galactic Evolution,Dordrecht: Kluwer, 239–250. Marten, A. et al 1997, IAU Circular 6702, 17 July (paper in preparation).
Marten, A., Hidayat, T., Biraud, Y., and Moreno, M.: 2002, New Millimeter Heterodyne Observations of Titan: Vertical Distributions of Nitriles HCN, HC3N, CH3CN, and the Isotopic Ratio of 15N/14N in its Atmosphere. Icarus, 158, 532–544.
Meier, R., and Owen, T.: 2000, ‘Cometary Deuterium’, in J.Geiss (ed), Proceedings of ISSI Symposium,in press.
Meier, R., Smith, B.A., Owen, T., and Terrile, R. I.: 2000, ‘The surface of Titan from Niemos observations with the Hubble Space Telescope’. Icarus 145, 462–473.
Meier, R., Owen, T., Matthews, H. E., Marten, A., and Gautier, D.: 1997, ‘The (4–3) Line of HC15N on Titan and the Value 15N/14N’, unpublished.
Miller, S. L.: 1955, ‘A Production of Some Organic Compounds under Possible Primitive Earth Conditions’, J. Amer. Chem. Soc 77, 2351–2361.
Mousis, O., Gautier, D., and Bockelee-Morvan, D.: 2002a, An Evolutionary Turbulent Model of Saturn’s Subnebula: Implications for the Origin of the Atmosphere of Titan, Icarus 156, 162–175.
Mousis, O., Gautier, D., and Coustenis, A.: 2002b, The D/H Ratio in Methane in Titan: Origin and Histroy. Icarus, 159, 156–165.
Muhleman, D. O., Grosman, A. W., Butler, B. J., and Slade, M. A.: 1990, ‘Radar Reflectivity of Titan’, Science 248, 975–980.
Niemann, H. et al 1998, ‘The Composition of the Jovian Atmosphere as Determined by the Galleo Probe Mass Spectrometer’, J. Geophys. Res 103 (E10) 22,831–22,845.
Noll, K. S., Geballe, T. R., Knacke, R. F., and Pendleton, Y. J.: 1996, ‘Titan’s 5 µm Spectral Window: Carbon Monoxide and the Albedo of the Surface’, Icarus 124, 625–631.
Noll, K., and Larson, H.P.: 1991, ‘The Spectrum of Saturn from 1990 to 2230 cm-1: Abundances of AsH3, CH3D, CO, GeH4, NH3 and PH3’, Icarus 89, 168–189.
Owen, T.: 1982, ‘The Composition and Origin of Titan’s Atmosphere’, Planet. Space Sci 30, 833838.
Owen, T., Mahaffy, P., Niemann, H. B., Atreya, S., Donahne, T., Bar-Nun, A., and de Pater, I.: 1999
A low-temperature origin for the planeterimals that formed Jupiter’, Nature 402, 269–270. Owen, T. and Bar-Nun, A.: 2000, ‘Contributions of icy planeterimals to the Earth’s early atmosphere’, Origins Life, Evol. Biosphere 31, 435–458.
Owen, T.: 2000, ‘On the Origin of Titan’s Atmosphere’, Planet. Space Sci,in press.
Owen, T., and Bar-Nun, A.: 1995, ‘Comets, Impacts, and Atmospheres’, Icarus 116, 215–226. Owen, T., and Gautier, D.: 1989, ‘Titan: Some New Results’, Adv. Space Res 9, 273–278
Owen, T., Gautier, D., Raulin, F., and Scattergood, T.: 1992, ‘Titan’, in G. Carle, D. Schwartz, and J. Huntington (eds), Exobiology in Solar System Exploration, NASA Special Publication SP 512, 127–143.
Owen, T., Raulin, F., McKay, C., Lunine, J. I., Lebreton, J.-P., and Matson, D. L.: 1997, ‘The Relevance of Titan and Cassini-Huygens to Prebiotic Chemistry and the Origin of Life on Earth’, in Huygens: Mission, Science and Payload, ESA SP-1177, Noordwijk, Netherlands: ESA Publications Division, ESTEC, 231–236.
Owen, T. et al 1983, ‘Outer Planets’, in D. Morrison, N. Hinners, and J. Naugle (eds), Planetary Exploration Through Year 2000. I. A Core Program,Washington, DC: U.S. Gov’t Printing Office, 126–139
Owen, T. et al 1986, ‘The Realm of the Giants’, in D. Morrison, N. Hinners, and J. Naugle (eds), Planetary Exploration Through Year 2000. I. A Core Program,Washington, DC: U.S. Gov’t Printing Office, 126–151).
Pollack, J.B., and Bodenheimer, P.: 1989, ‘Theories of the Origin and Evolution of the Giant Planets’, in S. K. Atreya, J. B. Pollack, and M. S. Matthews (eds), Origin and Evolution of Planetary Atmospheres, Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 564–604.
Prinn, R., and Fegley, B.: 1981, ‘Kinetic Inhibition of CO and N2 Reduction in Circumplanetary Nebulae: Implications for Satellite Composition’, Astrophys. J 249, 308–317.
Raulin, F.: 1997, ‘Titan’s Organic Chemistry and Exobiology’, in Huygens: Mission, Science and Payload, ESA SP-1177, Noordwijk, Netherlands: ESA Publications Division, ESTEC, 219–230. Raulin, E, and Owen, T.: 2002, ‘Organic Chemistry and Exobiology on Titan’, Space Sci. Rev. 104, 377–393.
Roe, H. G., de Pater, I., Macintosh, B. A., and McKay, C. P.: 2003 ‘Titan’s clouds from Gemini and Keck adaption optics imaging’ Astrophys. J. Lett (in press).
Samuelson, R. E., Mayo, L. A., Knuckles, M. A., and Khanna, R. J. 1997, ‘C4N2 Ice in Titan’s North Polar Stratosphere’, Planet. Space Sci 45, 941–948.
Samuelson, R. E., and Mayo, L. A.: 1991, ‘Thermal Infrared Properties of Titan’s Stratospheric Aerosol’, Icarus 91, 207–219.
Samuelson, R. E., Hanel, R. A., Kunde, V. G., and Maguire, W. C.: 1981, ‘Mean Molecular Weight and Hydrogen Abundance of Titan’s Atmosphere’, Nature 292, 688–693.
Samuelson, R. E., Maguire, W. C., Hanel, R. A., Kunde, V. G., Jennings, D. E., Yung, Y. L., and Aiken, A. C.: 1983, ‘CO2 on Titan’, J. Geophys. Res 88, 8709–8715.
Sicardy, B. A. et al 1990, ‘Probing Titan’s Atmosphere by Stellar Occultation’, Nature 343 350353.
Simonelli, D. F., Pollack, J. B., and McKay, C.P.: 1997, ‘Radiative Heating of Interstellar Grains Falling Toward the Solar Nebula: 1–3 Diffusion Calculations’, Icarus 125, 261–280.
Smith, P. H., Lemmon, M. T., Lorenz, R. D., Sromovsky, L. A., Caldwell, J. J., and Allison, M. D.: 1996, ‘Titan’s Surface, Revealed by HST Imaging’, Icarus 119, 336–349.
Strobel, D 1982, Chemistry and Evolution of Titan’s Atmosphere. Planet. Space Sci 30 839–848.
Sromovsky, L. A., Suomi, V. E., Pollack, J. B., Krauss, R. J., Limaye, S. S., Owen, T., Revercomb, H. E., and Sagan, C.: 1981, ‘Titan Brightness Contrasts: Implications of Titan’s North-South Brightness Asymmetry’, Nature 292, 698–702.
Stevenson, D. J.: 1992, ‘Interior of Titan’, in Proceedings Symposium on Titan, ESA SP-338, 29–33. Stevenson, D. J., Harris, A. W., and Lunine, J. I.: 1986, ‘Origins of Satellites’, in J. A. Burns and M. S. Matthews (eds), Satellites, Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 39–88.
Stevenson, D. J., and Salpeter, E. E.: 1977, ‘The Dynamics and Helium Distribution Properties for Hydrogen-Helium Fluid Planets’, Astrophys. J. Suppl 35, 239–261.
Swenson, B. L., Owen, T., and Masey, A.C.: 1987, ‘A Saturn Atmospheric Probe’, AAS/AIAA Astrodynamics Specialist Conference, Paper AAS, Aug. 10–13, 87–488.
Toublanc, D., Parisot, J.P., Brillet, J., Gautier, D., Raulin, F., and McKay, C.P.: 1995, ‘Photochemical Modelling of Titan’s Atmosphere’, Icarus 113, 2–27.
van Dishoeck, E. F.: 1998, ‘What Can ISO Tell Us about Gas-Grain Chemistry?’, in Chemistry and Physics of Molecules and Grains, Faraday Discussions No. 109, London: Royal Soc. Chem., 31–46.
Von Zahn, U., Hunten, D. M., and Lehmacher, G.: 1998, ‘Helium in Jupiter’s Atmosphere: Results from the Galileo Probe Interferometer Experiment’, J. Geophys. Res 103, 22815–22830.
Yung, Y. L., Allen, M., and Pinto, J. P.: 1984, ‘Photochemistry of the Atmosphere of Titan: Comparison between Model and Observations’, Astrophys. J 55, 465–506.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2003 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Owen, T., Gautier, D. (2003). Touring the Saturnian System: The Atmospheres of Titan and Saturn. In: Russell, C.T. (eds) The Cassini-Huygens Mission. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-3251-2_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-3251-2_9
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-90-481-6208-6
Online ISBN: 978-94-017-3251-2
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive