Why we Love Jupiter

Jupiter, being inhabitable and really far away, may not seem to be a big help to Earth, but it is.  Comets coming from the distant Kuiper Belt may sometimes be on a direct path for Earth.  With a collision, life as we know it might cease to exist.  This has happened before, about 65 million years ago.  An asteriod collided with Earth causing the 5th mass extinction of Earth life.  Fortunately for us, we have Jupiter.  With Jupiter's strong gravitational pull, it is able to bring in, or at least re-direct most comets that would head towards Earth.  In 1994, as the world watched, the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 crashed into Jupiter, possibly saving life as we know it on Earth. Comets re-directed from Jupiter may be what makes up the majority of the Oort Cloud, the farthest part of or solar system.  This cloud is so far away that it extends halfway to the nearest stars.  Most experts agree that if it were not for Jupiter, comet collisions with Earth would be much more common.  I guess it is more than just a giant gas ball...

Diamonds from outer space

Did you know not all diamonds were created here on earth? There is a type of diamond called carbonado that is created in space, and is deposited here by asteroids hitting the earth. Carbonado diamonds are found in South America and Africa. There are things called presolar grains in meteorites that have little diamonds in them. These diamonds are thought to be created in super novas. Scientists have found that there are crystallized carbon nuclei in the core of white dwarfs. The largest found one was named Lucy after the Beatles song, "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"

Where does DINOSAUR come from?

Throughout the past few weeks in class, we have been studying the presence, the evolution, and finally the dying out of dinosaurs. However, why the term “dinosaur?” Why did the scientists who first discovered evidence of giant creatures dominant in the Triassic period come up with this name?

The term "dinosaur" was coined in 1842 by Sir Richard Owen and derives from Greek words meaning "terrible, powerful, wondrous” and “lizard.” In the first half of the 20th century, most of the scientific community believed dinosaurs to have been sluggish, unintelligent cold-blooded animals. Most modern day research, however, has supported what has since become the scientific consensus view: that dinosaurs were active animals with elevated metabolisms and numerous adaptations for social interaction.

Since the first dinosaur fossils were recognized in the early nineteenth century, dinosaurs have become a part of popular culture. As a result, the word "dinosaur" has entered our every day language.

(9/30/09) K-T Boundary Event

Today in class was basically two things: finishing up the dinosaur lab (which Melina did a stellar job describing yesterday) and reading the article about the "K-T Boundary Event." The "event" that's referred to is the large asteroid that potentially collided with Earth, killing the dinosaurs off forever. Geologists figure that the Yucatan Peninsula is the home of the massive crater that was left by this said asteroid. As to why the dinosaurs died off was very hazy up until the 1970s/1980s, when Walter Alvarez and his father, Luis Alvarez, found clay infested with large amounts of iridium, an element only existing in extraterrestrial objects. This iridium was beginning to pop up all over the K-T Boundary. This turned out to be very impressive evidence that an asteroid did, in fact, collide with out planet millions of years ago, killing off most everything that lived.

But enough about that. Tomorrow's scribe will be none other than Brett. Have fun with the 35 minute period!

Dinosaur or Chicken?

A Canadian paleontologist, Hans Larsson, has a revolutionary vision! He claims that he can change the genetic material of a chicken embryo so that this chicken is born a dinosaur.  His plan is to manipulate the genes of the embryo and replicate the anatomy of prehistoric animals.  Although they would be relatively small, compared to actually dinosaurs, everything but the size of them would almost exactly resemble a dinosaur.  Why a chicken?  Many birds today have evolved from bird-like dinosaurs from prehistoric times.  Because their skeletons are so closely related, or at least more so than say a dog, the skeleton of a chicken would not have to be manipulated as much as other animals would.  This makes turning a chicken into a dinosaur not AS difficult.  Although this creation would be revolutionary and extremely original, the research is not very far along.  This manipulation could take several years to even experiment with, so he wants to get as much research as he can before he dives into the actual experiment.

The Carboniferous Period Life

Stethacanthus

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I am also not sure if this is correct.

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To help study for the time periods videos, here are some of the major things that happened in the Carboniferous Period:

- The Carboniferous Period is divided in two: The Mississippian and the Pennsylvanian.
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- The Carboniferous lasted from about 354-290 mya
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- Many things made their first appearance in the carboniferous:

1. First reptiles

2. First spiders

3. First amphibians

4. First conifers

5. First synapsids

- In the oceans:

1. Giant fish with jaws ruled

2. The shark family was very prominent,

one shark being the Stethacanthus

3. Ammonites were very common

- On land:

1. Giant insects flourished because the atmosphere had

much more oxygen than it does today

2. Amphibians were venturing onto land

3. Large reptiles that were more than 2 meters long ruled the land.

- One of the most important events in the Carboniferous period was the creation of the amniote egg. The amniote egg is what modern day birds and reptiles use. The egg allowed animals to venture further inland because they didn't have to lay their eggs in the water (like amphibians and fish).

- There was one smaller extinction that mostly consisted of marine invertebrates which was due to climate changes caused by glaciers.

"Sue" Killed by Sore Throat

Sue, the biggest 65 million year old dinosaur to have been found that now "lives" at the Field Museum, has been recently examined and found to have scars from a fatal sore throat. Originally, the tiny holes in Sue's jaw were thought to be battle scars. However, scientists have determined that a tiny single-celled parasite attacked Sue's throat and caused swelling that made her eventually die of starvation. This parasite (called trichomonosis) is still around today and has caused deaths of carnivorous birds like eagles, hawks, and osprey. Other dinosaur skulls have been examined, and similar holes have been found in a few. This disease is spread by eating the infected flesh of prey. Based on the holes in the other dinosaurs' skulls, the parasite that caused Sue's death had been around even earlier than Sue had been alive.

http://dailyme.com/story/2009092900003391/parasite-killed-sue-t-rexes.html

Geologic Time Scale!

So in the geologic time scale there are four main divisions, Eon, Era, Period and Epoch (ranged from longest to shortest in length). The two major eons in world's history so far are the precambrian and phanerozoic. The Precambrian makes up 7/8 of world's history! Also the precambrian eon is divided into two eras, the archean (4.6-2.5 billion years ago) and the proterozoic (2.5 billion years-544 million years ago). The phanerozoic eon is divided into three major eras; the paleozoic, mesozoic and cenozoic. Within the paleozoic era there are 6 different periods beginning with the cambrian (544-490 million years ago), the ordovician (490-433 mya), the silurian (443-418 mya), and the devonian (418-362 mya). The fifth period the carboniferous is actually split into two parts: the mississippian (362-323 mya) and the Pennsylvanian (323-290 mya). The final period in the paleozoic era is the permian (290-251 mya). The second era in the phanerozoic eon is the mesozoic which had three periods in it, the triassic (251-206 mya), the jurassic (206-142 mya) and the cretaceous (142-65 mya). The final era in the phanerozoic eon is the cenozoic, which is actually the era we are in right now! The cenozoic had two periods in it, the tertiary and quaternary. The tertiary period actually had two different parts in it, the paleogene (65-24 mya) and the neogene (24-1.6 mya). The period we are in right now is called the quaternary, which has lasted from 1.6 mya to the present!

Sinking Deltas

Deltas are densely populated and heavily farmed. Because of that out of the 33 deltas chosen to be studied, 85% of those deltas suffered severe flooding. The reason for this flooding is because the over population and immense farming is removing oil, gas and water from the delta's underground sediments. The estimation for increased flooding is nearly 50%, which means more than 90% of the deltas will become severely flooded.

http://www.nature.com/ngeo/journal/v2/n10/abs/ngeo629.html

Tiny dinosaur feet!

On the coast of South Korea scientists have just discovered the smallest dinosaur tracks ever recorded, each three-toed print is about the size of a penny! The tracks were found in 100-120 million year old rocks preserved in sediments along a riverbank. The prints included claw marks and a record of the pads of the dinosaur's feet. Although, scientists haven't yet discovered a small dinosaur capable of making these tracks, after observing the features of the tracks they believe the dinosaur was a theropod which was usually a carnivore. The tracks were discovered by Jong-Deock Lim of the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage in South Korea. The footprints range from 1.27-1.51 centimeters in length. Lim and his team estimate that the creature was 10 centimeters tall. Also in the region prints of 6 cm in length have been discovered, leading the paleontologists to believe that the newly found tracks are that of a hatchling.

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/47897/title/Fish_death%2C_mammal_extinction_and_tiny_dino_footprints

Sydney's Dust Storm Seen from Space!

Australia is an extremely dry continent that regularly experiences dust storms due to droughts, but usually these dust storms don't reach the cost. On September 23, Sydney, Australia was engulfed in a massive dust storm that turned the skies orange and had the residents wearing masks to go outside (if they dared venture outside at all). Many residents took pictures of the dust storm themselves, but the storm was so big that it could be seen from space and NASA's Terra satellite managed to get pictures. The wind was blown from nearby dry farmand by gale force winds into the air and then into Sydney. International flights had to be diverted to other places, other short/medium-haul flights were sent back to where they came from and emergecy services got many calls about difficulty breathing. No one was hurt in the dust storm but it caused a lot of chaos in Sydney.

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/09/sydney-dust-storm-from-space/

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-aussie-duststorms24-2009sep24,0,418657.story

Tsunami In South Pacific

Jon Pearl

A large tsunami created by an earthquake ripped through the islands of Samoa on wednesday. 99 people have been estimated dead so far, with more injured and a great deal of property damage done.

The earthquake, which registered as high as 8.3 on the Richter scale, originated about 120 miles south of the islands. Waves from 15 to 20 feet high hit the shore, sending the islanders running for cover.

In the city of Pago Pago, the streets were flooded with ocean water and debris, and some people coulod be without power for over a month.

A tsunami is a series of water waves, caused by the movement of large amounts of water. The name translates to "harbor wave" in Japanesse. Usually triggered by earthquakes, landslides, and things of the sort, tsunamis are very common in the south Pacific, and are known to cause great destruction.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/as_pacific_earthquake

New Bird-like Dinosaur Found

This past week, a research team in China has found a fossil of a previously unknown dinosaur that is supposed to be instrumental in the transition from dinosaurs to birds, which is hard to figure out because of the lack of well-preserved fossils from that time period. It was on earth approximately 160 years ago, making it older than the oldest known bird, the Archaeopteryx. The description of the Anchiornis huxleyi is that it had 4 wings, feathers all over its body, and was approximately the size of a chicken. It is a precursor to many modern birds.

http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSTRE58R1ST20090928

Precambrian Eon

The precambrian eon took place from 4.5 billion to 540 million years ago, it is not a unified time period because it makes up 7/8 of the earths history. At the beginning of the precambrian period the earth was only forming. About 2.5 bya oxygen was introduced into the atmosphere which gave way for life to evolve. Around 1.6bya eukaryotic cells appeared. Later in the earths history eukaryotic cells would make up fungi, plants, protests and modern animals. However, during the precambrian period only bacteria, stromatalites and multicellular algea were formed. Stromatalites are rocky mounds of microorganisms that use light energy and produce oxygen through photosynthesis. Vast amounts of stromatalites covered the earths surface and cleared co2 from the air, changing the earth dramaticaly. Prior to the formation of stromatalites the earths plates began to shift and the first super continent rodinia was formed. Eventually, 650 mya a mile thick sheet of ice covered the earth. At the end of the precambrian period, volcanic activity split the continent apart and co2 caused the ice sheets to draw back.

Review Thing!

Ok I don't know if I'm doing this right, but instead of having to go to blackboard and re-reading that article on mass extinctions, I guess I'll just put the big 5 right here:

Cretaceous-Paleogene (65 MYA):
-60% of all life extinct
-caused by asteroid impact near Mexico
-dinosaurs major group that died
-Birds + mammals took off

Triassic-Jurassic (200 MYA)
-76% of all life extinct
-caused by volcanism associated with the Pangea breakup; sea-levels rising; climate drying; potential asteroid collisions
-Conodonts died out
-dinosaurs took off

Permian-Triassic (252 MYA)
-90% of marine life, 70% of vertebrates died
-caused by Siberian volcano launching sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere causing acid rain to form sulfuric acid in the waters
-Trilobites died out
-Bivalves took off

Late Devonian (376 MYA)
-70-82% of all species died out
-caused by potential global cooling caused by volcanism; asteroid collisions; low "oceanic oxygen levels"
-coral reef systems died out
-Hexactinellids (glass sponges) took off

Late Ordovician (445 MYA)
-85% of all species
-caused by potential rapid retreat of glaciers; sea level changes; global circulation
-NO MAJOR GROUPS WENT EXTINCT
-Brachiopods and Crinoids took off


I hope I did this right and apologies for the weird font and boldness and italics. This is confusing.

What does dinosaur mean and how are dinosaurs named?

In 1842, Sir Richard Owen came up with the name dinosaur which means "fearfully great lizard" in Greek. Newly discovered dinosaurs can either be named by the discoverer, or the paleontologist who recognizes that the dinosaur is a new species. A dinosaur is often given a name that represents something unique about its body, head or feet. Dinosaurs are also often named after the place they were discovered, a particular behavior, their size or can even be named in someone's honor. To become official, a dinosaurs name must be approved by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature.

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/dinosaurs/questions/faq/Names.shtml

Picture: Dinosaurs of the mesozoic.. September 29th 2009.

Sept. 28 - Oct. 2

How many hearts does a squid have???

Tiny T. Rex

Comparision of the tyrannosaurs rex to the raptorex

The infamous Tyrannosaurs rex is referred to as "Jaws on fast-running legs." Its defined characteristics including enormous jaws, resulting with a large head, it's 2.5 ton weight, and puny arms makeup the terrifying predator. Yet the creature wasn't always this large. A team of American and Chinese scientists just announced the discovery or a 125 million year old animal with the same distinctive features as the T. rex but about 1/100 of the weight. They have named this new dinosaur a Raptorex. Through an exploration of the fossils scientists are able to conclude that the Raptorex lived in a very competitive area using their mouths as their primary weapon, similar to t. rex's.

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1924478,00.html

09/29/09; Dinosaur Lab

What Were Dinosaurs Really Like?
Through an exploration of different aspects regarding dinosaurs we were able to piece together a more accurate picture of dinosaurs.
In class we received a packet to correspond to eight different lab stations mimicking tasks that paleontologists perform by examining evidence of dinosaurs.

Station 1; Examination of the Egg
By comparing the egg shells of two dinosaurs; a Saltasaurus and a Troodon, you were able to see differences between the shells of carnivores and herbivores. I discovered that carnivores had a more smooth texture and a thinner shell than an herbivore.
Additionally, we viewed bird and reptile shells under a microscope. The bird shell was similar to one of a dinosaur's egg cell due to its texture and thickness.

Station 2; Examination of Bone

Many paleontologists have the difficult task of deciphering between stone and bones. Dinosaur bones had to be buried in moist ground so that the mineral-carrying waters would quickly replace lost tissue, and then fossilization would result. Finally, the fossilized remains had to be uncovered by the erosive forces of wind and water. (Packet from class).

Station 3; Comparison of Tyrannosaurus Rex vs. Stegosaurus

By comparing these two dinosaurs you are essentially acknowledging the differences between an carnivore and herbivore. To do so you need to pay close attention to each characteristic of the body including; eyes and nose placement, brain capacity, forearms, body balance and physical protection from prey.

Station 4; Assembling an Archaeopteryx

This creature is of special interest to paleontologists because it is considered a transitional species from reptile to bird. By assembling the skeletal body of the creature you are able to notice the teeth and bony tail (corresponding with a reptile) and the other features relative to a bird. (Packet from class.)

Station 5; Comparison of Amber vs. Meteorite
Amber can ooze down trees, as well as fill in fissures, trapping debris such as seeds, leaves, feathers and insects. You can assume how helpful this is in preservation of such things.
Meteorites can be dated back to the formation of Earth and the other seven planets. When the solar system was young it was said that thousands of small planets orbited the sun and over time collided with each other resulting in the planets. However, at times the collisions resulted in fragmentation and the pieces are still orbiting the Earth. (Packet from class.)

Station 6; Examination of Other Evidence

A very small amount of evidence of dinosaurs exists so paleontologists turn to other resources to determine their existence.
Tracks; helps determine the lifestyle, and size of the dinosaur
Gastroliths; stomach rocks to help determine diet
Coprolites; waste products of dinosaurs to help determine the size and diet of the dinosaur

Station 7; Inferences

Inferences make guessed of judgments or draw conclusions based on observations. They can help researches decide how the dinosaurs looked, moved, ate, and their interaction with their environment. These are different from observations which simply report what one sees or measures. (Packet from class.)

Station 8; Comparison of Dinosaurs Skeletal Frame vs. Pictures
Dinosaurs were divided into two primary groups; Saurischia ("lizard hips") and Ornithischia ("bird hips"). The group divisions are mainly based off the pelvic structure. In the saurischian dinosaurs the three pelvic bones radiate in different directions from the hip socket, as occurs in most other reptiles. In the pelvis of the orithischian dinosaurs the pubis is parallel to the ischium, a feature seen in birds. (Packet from class.)

We will be given more time in class to complete the data charts, and the analytical questions.

Andrew, you're up!

Mars May Be Red For A Different Reason

Surprising theory on Mars’ hue arises

Wind erosion, not liquid water, produced ruddy color, researchers think

By Clara Moskowitz
==============
ANDREW HEISLER

According to this MSNBC article, turns out Mars isn't red because of liquid water rusting. That's what I had previously thought, at least for that last several years, but now I just read that it could be potentially from something else. Clara Moskowitz says that it is a result of "simple grinding down of rocks from erosion could produce a red mineral that stains the dust on Mars, the new thinking goes" (Moskowitz 1). The scientists concluded that their original theory couldn't be right because when they sent Spirit and Opportunity (the Mars Rovers), the rovers detected minerals that would've been washed away during erosion with liquid water. I thought this was really cool because I always enjoy seeing scientists disprove themselves and put in a better theory instead. Even though I know we're making strides in the field of science, it's always nice to hear about it as a regular person. I don't know if that makes sense to anyone else, but scientific breakthroughs are always really cool to hear about.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32957601/ns/technology_and_science-space/

Sept. 21-Sept 25

In what geologic time period are we currently in?

Adventure to Europa

I’m off to Europa, one of Jupiter’s many moons. Approximately 2.5 years after takeoff I have finally arrived. The surface, made entirely of ice, made it extremely hard to land. Good thing my landing module was equipped with ice gripping legs, allowing me to land safely. My space suit has been specially designed to withstand temperatures of up to -300 degrees, a little lower than Europa’s surface temperature. My suit is equipped with little blades resembling ice skates, allowing me to move quickly about the surface. My suit also contains removable weights so I don’t have to worry about falling off the moon. After exploring the moon and it’s many craters, I attempted to drill into the surface. Many people believe there is an ocean 100 km below the surface. By drilling deep enough, I found liquid water and maybe even life. All in all, my day on Europe was really exciting, as I became the man who discovered water on an planet other than Earth.

Adventure to Triton

Landing on Neptune’s Triton I felt almost weightless even in my heavily insulated space suit necessary for the frigid -400 F weather. Preparing for this trip I wondered what new sports I could enjoy on this frozen tundra. Thankfully my colleagues fitted my space suit with ice skates. As I first stepped on the ice I glided with ease and as I jumped I could spin like an Olympic figure skater. The very low gravity, 1/12 of Earth’s, allows jumping over the cracks in the ice easy. Enjoying the low gravity way too much, I became careless and fell right down a geyser. After the pressure built up it launched me 5 miles into the air, as high as Mount Everest. Finally I landed safely back on Triton and after being sent into orbit I was more than ready to go home. In the mass chaos of inventing a sport and getting launched by a geyser I had forgotten to take samples. I scooped up samples of the ice to be tested for any signs of life and boarded back on the space ship for the long trip home.

Seven Years Later…

Today I finally returned home from my one-day adventure to Triton I was 24 when I left and now I am 38 years old. But, it was totally worth it. There were single celled aliens on Triton living in the ice and I get to name them. Any ideas send them my way.

Trip to the Moon

Preparations for my lunar vacation began with my putting on a space suit, to help compensate for the lack of oxygen and atmosphere on our moon. I also pack equipment for collecting samples, and load up a rover to cruise around in. When we finally reach the surface, I take a long look at planet earth and take a picture- a twin of the famous "Earthrise" taken on a much earlier space mission. I step out and glance at the landscape, unchanged for most of its existence. Off in the distance, I can make out what seems to be another mission of astronauts. I find a suitable looking boulder and, making use of the extremely low gravity, launch it at what appears to be Brett Joseph. That taken care of, I have some fun hopping around the surface of our one and only natural satellite. Now its time to break out the moon rover. Outfitted with jet propulsion, it can move in quick bursts to the front, back, sides, and even jump straight up, which makes for great fun in the low gravity. After a trip around the surface while attempting to avoid floating out of orbit, I return to the ship to collect some rock samples for NASA. This done, my work is complete, and we return successfully to Earth.

Jay Blackman Trip to Titan

As I approached Saturn’s massive moon of Titan I was already encountering my first challenge it was finding my way through the incredibly thick nitrogen atmosphere. But once I was able to get through the orange smog of an atmosphere I landed on an icy rocky area that looked like a lot like earth. As I got out of my space ship I was wearing a special suit that could handle the extreme cold weather. The suit had to be able to keep me warm in temperatures lower than -290 degrees Fahrenheit. My suit was also an anti radiation suit just in case, even though that was a small worry of mine since the atmosphere should keep Saturn’s radiation out. I brought with me a vehicle that would be able to trek across the massive amounts of land and also double as a boat that would be able to cross the methane lakes. The vehicle would be powered purely but the methane lakes so no energy would be required and that energy would also help me get home. When I wasn’t in the vehicle I brought for myself a pair of lightweight wings to help me glide through the air. This is possible because of the light gravity caused by the thick atmosphere. And finally I brought with myself all the necessary objects to collect samples and preserve them to be analyzed back home at earth. As I started to explore this untraveled moon I was distracted by how much it reminded me of earth. But I forced myself to regain focus and remember that I was here to look for possible signs of life. As I started to drive across the icy rock I came across something I was not expecting to find was a mountain range 150km long covered in methane snow. I was expecting Titan to be relatively flat. That is why once again I was stunned when I came across massive impact craters 440km wide. I was once again stunned at how much this planet looks like what earth must have looked like in its early stages of life. I had to travel far across a methane ocean to find a spot where I thought it was suitable to dig for samples. I set up my station with a nuclear drill that I brought and had it dig 200km deep into the surface and collect samples and bring them up. Once had my samples my mission was complete but I still wanted to one more thing. So I put on my light weight wings took a camera I brought and started to do something no man has ever done before fly just by using his own strength and a pair of wings. I took hundreds of pictures and returned to my vehicle and started back to my ship with some extra methane for my trip home. I can’t wait to get back and examine the samples I have and hopefully find signs of life.

95 Worlds; Titan

Mission Control: Go ahead, Melina
Melina: O.K., Robert, I have just landed on Titan.
Mission Control: We copy that. Good luck with your research.

In order to penetrate Titan’s thick atmosphere my space ship needs to be very aerodynamic and fast. The atmosphere is primarily made up of nitrogen. Fortunately, there is no trace of oxygen because if mixed with even a small spark the whole moon could burst into flames. This does mean though, that I need to carry a large supply of oxygen with me. Upon landing on Titan immediately the pressure difference should have effected me. Fortunately,, my space suit was like a vacuum. With many layers of nylon and Kevlar for protection. Titan is the only moon with clouds and a dense atmosphere. Because of the atmosphere and Titan’s orbit being so far from the sun, there is very little light. Additionally, due to the lack of sun it is much colder than Earth, with an average temperature of -289° Fahrenheit. My space suit includes a very advance thermal control to maintain normal body temperature. Titan’s mass is less than Earth’s resulting with less gravity, therefore I find it most effective to have springs in my shoes; considering skipping is one very effective mean of transportation. However, a more favorable way to explore Titan is flying. Due to the thick atmosphere this is possible with only a set of wings ten feet long. Titan’s surface is shaped by physical landforms similar to Earth’s. There are many rives and lakes of liquid ethane and methane. In order to explore these bodies of liquid I'm using a manpowered machine (to avoid any fire sparks.) I choose to use something similar to a water bike. These rivers and lakes can lead to the formation of methane clouds. The droplets would be larger than raindrops and fall at a similar pace as snow. Fortunately, this only occurs once every few decades. Also, there are vast deserts with dunes. Hydrocarbons form grains that make up the “sand”. The rocks look similar to those on Earth but are formed by water ice. In order to see these though I need to use very bright flashlights.

Titan Statistics
Discovered by	Christiaan Huygens
Date of discovery	1655
Mass (kg)	1.35e+23
Mass (Earth = 1)	2.2590e-02
Equatorial radius (km)	2,575
Equatorial radius (Earth = 1)	4.0373e-01
Mean density (gm/cm^3)	1.88
Mean distance from Saturn (km)	1,221,850
Rotational period (days)	15.94542
Orbital period (days)	15.94542
Mean orbital velocity (km/sec)	5.58
Orbital eccentricity	0.0292
Orbital inclination (degrees)	0.33
Escape velocity (km/sec)	2.65
Visual geometric albedo	0.21
Magnitude (Vo)	8.28
Mean surface temperature	-178°C
Atmospheric pressure (bars)	1.5

Europa

Well, i chose to go to the moon Europa. To me, this is the most interesting moon. This moon has the most hopes as far as finding life other than the life we know on Earth and it also has actual water, just like here on Earth! If i was traveling to the moon Europa i would probably need to bring a space suit that was also a wet suit because i would want to go swimming in the undeground oceans that Europa has. I would also probably need to bring something to shield me from the radiation of Jupiter. Maybe a radiation shielded suit or a car of some sorts. I would also want to bring a camera so I could take pictures of all the many wonderful things I would find on Europa. I would obviously also need to bring oxygen because there really is none on Europa. After i landed on Europa I would jump out of my spaceship (hopefully in a radiation proofed suit) and jump around since there is a lower gravity than Earth on Europa. After i was done having fun jumping around a bit I would go look for a place to jump underground into the water to check around. After I would hopefully find one I would go scuba diving around the unknown in Europa's oceans. I would hope to find unknown life down there and possibly take some samples and some pictures to bring back home to Earth. Well, I hope that NASA approves my plan to travel to Jupiter's moon Europa because it sounds so amazing!

Will Reedy's trip to the moon

At last I get to set foot on the moon I can see almost every night. When people ask me, "why go to our boring old moon?" and "you can go to any moon, why ours?" I simply tell them that why would we go to other moons before we look at ours more. I also want to look up at the sky each night and know that i was one of the few lucky people to set foot on somewhere other than Earth. To embark on this mission I need some special equipment.including a M space suit for exploring the moon. i am also using a newer version of the landing craft they used on the previous moon missions. Lucky for me, we have already been to our moon so we know what is going to happen when i get there.
the journey to get there were the longest three days of my life. i couldn't wait to set foot on the moon. when i arrived, and stepped on the surface, my foot sunk about half an inch into the dust before hitting solid ground. i was so excited i couldn't believe what i was doing. i was actually walking on the moon! as soon as i let go of the ladder and was actually standing on the moon, i decided to see what it was like to move around. this was something i had wanted to do ever since i was a kid. i tried jumping and immediately felt the lack of gravity. i felt like i was going to fall into space when the low gravity took over, and pulled me back to solid ground again. after my thrilling brush with low gravity i decided it was time for exploring. so i started hoping around the gray landscape. i saw all the old footprints of the men before me and felt the thrill that they must have felt. it was amazing. as i am writing this i have just returned to the ship and am journaling. without exaggeration, it was the greatest experience of my life.

95 Worlds

09/09/09 at 0900 hours- Jacqueline Sutherland's journey to Jupiter's Moon Europa:So I'm pretty psyched to be visiting a moon, which has such a high promise of hosting life. However, because it is a whole two years away by space shuttle, my suitcase is looking a little large. I sure hope that spaceships don't charge additional money for bags weighing over 50 pounds like United...Because Europa has such a thick layer of ice covering its surface, I am packing ice skates to increase my range of mobility. My team and I are also bringing a state of the art drill to drill through the over 1,000 mile deep icy crust…once we have reached the bottom, we plan to put on our snorkels, masks, and fins, not to mention our SUPER DUPER WET SUITS, and emerge ourselves in the largest ocean in the solar system. We are also bringing underwater cameras and video cameras to document our unbelievable experience, which may very well include the first photographs of life outside Earth. Because sunlight is a readily available source of energy, my team and I have designed a revolutionary scientific tool to harness and contain the heat of the sun, and then transfer that heat into pads which we will insert into our spacesuits. This will keep us at a comfortable temperature to ensure we keep our concentration and energy focused. I am very anxious and excited to reach Europa...only 4 more months until we reach our destination!!!

95 Worlds- Dillon Joffe

Just closing in on Europa, one of Jupiter's moons. I am getting pretty pumped. In preparation to explore, I have a special spacesuit that is going to protect me from some of Europa's harsh conditions. Right now, it is a very nice -180 degrees Celsius outside, but I know it can get much colder. This suit is able to keep the temperature on the inside and a comfortable 64 degrees Celsius. I also cannot forget about the extreme radiation coming from Jupiter. Since Europa has a ridiculously thin atmosphere, I need to protect myself. This suit has been proved by NASA to block out 99.99432 percent of all radiation. I hope that is enough. I am also going to be attached to a personal supply of air, as Europa has none. I cannot forget that Europa is basically a giant ice ball, so I am going to have to be careful where I step. I am attaching a video camera to my inner helmet so you can one day see what I see. Walking around for the first time, I am going to want to just enjoy land for a little while. After all, it has been years since I was last on Earth. I can see ice, as far as my eyes can reach. I also witness what I think are volcanoes that spew liquid water, due to the extreme cold. After a long while of exploring the ice and volcanoes, I feel the drilling might be complete. I return to the area where the ship landed, and success. Liquid water is present on the planet. I am not a strong swimmer, but I decide to take a dip anyway, swimming on anywhere besides Earth is quite a story to tell. Looking around, it looks a lot to me like an area you would see on Earth. At the very bottom, I can make out the images of some sort of bug looking creature, but you never know. My companions agree. There is definitely life on this planet. Well I am running out of air. Time to return to the ship. That was really cool. Now the long trip back to Earth.

95 Worlds- Triton

Today, after an extremely long voyage, I landed on Neptune’s largest moon, Triton! Triton is the coldest object in the solar system; the average surface temperature is -391 degrees Fahrenheit. Because of the freezing temperature on Triton, I needed to pack an extremely thick, insulated space suit. The space suit also needed to have electric heaters running through each section of the body so that I could keep warm. The space suit is really heavy; it was necessary to have a battery pack in the back so that the heaters can stay working. On top of this I needed oxygen tanks because on Triton the atmosphere is very thin and none of the atmosphere is composed of oxygen. (It’s composed of Nitrogen and Methane). The space suit was also designed with jets on its feet. On Triton there are many deep cracks and things I would need to avoid, like the geyser eruptions that spew nitrogen gas and dust particles into the sky. Triton’s gravitational pull is about 1/12 that of Earth’s, so it wasn’t too hard to hop around the planet with my heavy space gear. I brought a big saucer with me so that I could wait for a geyser to explode and ride with the gas being shot in the air. From as high up as the gas is shot, I could see Neptune just around the corner. I also noticed that Triton is huge! It was fun to fly over the deep cracks that scar Triton’s surface. At the end of the day, I almost forgot to bring back some of the ice samples for NASA to analyze on Earth. I shoveled up some of the frost that had collected on top of the icy ground and headed back into my rocket. My trip to Triton was fun and exciting, but I was happy to be getting back to the more temperate and less desolate Earth!

95 Worlds

My Day on Titan I feel extremely lucky to be one of the first humans to ever get to visit Saturn’s moon, Titan. Earlier this morning, our spaceship passed through the dense atmosphere that surrounds the entire planet. The other “tourists” and I were becoming nervous because we couldn’t see anything through the fog. We were required to wear spacesuits to protect us from the methane and ethane gases (and the colder temperature), but I was still worried something should happen that they wouldn’t be enough protection. However, all of my fears vanished when I stepped off the spaceship; it’s amazing how similar Titan looks to Earth! There were sand dunes, shorelines, and I could see mountains in the distance. It was also sunny and there was a pleasant breeze and clouds in the sky (I wonder if that was what made it so difficult to see as we were landing..). The first thing I decided to do was jet-ski and swim in the nearest body of water. It looked like a regular ocean, but we needed to continue to wear our spacesuits; there was a chance that there might be liquid methane in the water. I felt so light-weight that I was able to jump out of the water extremely easily. After a quick lunch back on the spaceship, I decided to spend the afternoon hiking to the top of a smaller mountain and catching a hot air balloon ride down. The hike up was a bit difficult because of Titan’s rocky terrain, but it didn’t take long. We were able to have the balloon because of the winds that blow on Titan that are much like those on Earth. Unfortunately, it began to rain shortly after I reached the bottom of the mountain in the balloon. The other tourists and I were disappointed to have our day cut short, but felt extremely excited to tell everyone back on Earth about our vacation on another planet!

95 Worlds: Phobos

Phobos, one of Mars’ two moons, is named after the Greek god Phobos. This name means “fear” in Greek. But fear was definitely not one of the many emotions I felt while landing on this tiny moon the size of Houston. Luckily, the landing was easy and safe. This can be credited to Phobos’ very low gravity. It was unbelievable stepping on this moon and being the weight of a mouse. I proceeded to float, not walk, across its surface. I was not careful; however, and I kicked up some of the fine layer of dust that rests on the ground. It caused quite a mess and I could not see around me for almost ten minutes. I could not let this damper my good spirits! I continued to float around the surface over many craters and enjoyed the beautiful view of Mars. The sun rises and sets every eight hours on this moon, and the nearly unbearable temperatures in the dark shocked me. It got to nearly -170 degrees! Luckily, I had an excellent space suit specially designed by NASA. Once it became light again I threw a ball, waited twenty-five minutes, and watched in amazement as it returned from the other side of the moon! I wish I had some of my friends with me so we could play quite a game of baseball. It then occurred to me the multitude of activities I could do. Doing what a champion weightlifter could only dream of, I lifted a rock the size of a jumbo jet! As a gesture of victory, I proceeded to do three thousand somersaults in the air. Take that Shawn Johnson! My traveling companion got a little carried away. He jumped too high and went into orbit. Now he is a moon of Mars!
After having way too much fun on the surface, I decided to explore the inside of Phobos. Phobos is quite a survivor after being blasted by an asteroid. This is easily apparent by its giant crater. The effect of the collision was that shockwaves were sent throughout the moon. I found a variety of caves perfect for spelunking. Aside from being perfect for engaging in extreme sports, the caves served as protection when a meteor storm occurred halfway through the day. It would also be the ideal place to stay if I decided to live here. But unfortunately my adventure on Phobos lasted only a day, thanks to this economy it is all NASA could sponsor. I did have an amazing time and recommend it for space lovers and sports enthusiasts alike!

95 Worlds- Brett Joseph

As I landed on Earth's moon, it occurred to me that I was the first to set foot on this barren rock in almost 40 years. Before I stepped out in my space suit, I paused to reflect on this monumental occasion. The first thing I felt when I reached the rocky surface was a brief sense of floating before slamming into the ground. Then I remembered that the moon has 1/6 the amount of gravity of Earth. Knowing that, I decided to jump around for the rest of the day thinking that it was not only entertaining, but I would be able to get around much easier. I spoke into my headset and told my co-pilot to come down onto the surface, but before he could, I heard yelling in my ear to duck. I did and not a second later, I heard a meteor fly over my head and slam into the surface about 50 feet away. The co-pilot came out of the shuttle with our collection equipment and we went around the surface collecting rock samples to bring back for inspection by NASA. After we were done, we headed back to Earth, making sure to take one final glimpse of our moon.

95 Worlds;Trip to Europa-Lindsay Okrent

Trip to Europa: Day 1After two years of traveling, I have finally made to one of Jupiter’s many moons; Europa. Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t just “another moon”; it is actually Jupiter’s most well known moon. Europa is the only other place in our Universe, besides Earth and possibly our moon, that scientists are fairly certain could hold some form of life. Therefore, Europa is the next place scientists are looking to travel, and since they’ve already gone to our moon, Europa is next! (I’ve always been ahead of science and technology, so I made it up here on my own before anyone else in the world got a chance to, shhh!) Day 1, hour 1 on Europa…and I’m already bored. It seems like a fascinating place, and I can’t wait to begin exploring, but I have been so lonely for two years now, that it is getting boring! Because no one trusts getting into a spaceship to travel to a moon that not even professional scientists have gotten a chance to travel to, no one came with me. Not even my own family! So I’m alone on Europa. When I first arrived here during what seemed like Europa’s “morning” (not that I could really tell because it is almost always dark out here), I immediately jumped off my ship to begin exploring. Right when I hit the icy ground, I began taking off my oxygen helmet, but immediately stopped myself. When I realized what I had almost done, I ran back into the spaceship. Not quite ready for exploring if I can’t remember the most important survival skill of being up here: never take off your helmet! Because Europa’s oxygen atmosphere is 1,000,000,000 times thinner than on Earth, I would have instantly suffocated after removing my helmet. Good thing I remembered! Well, maybe I’ll try going out there again…Okay, this time it was a success! I stepped outside into the -360 degree Farenheit weather, and this time got a chill of actual coldness instead of nervousness. This time I was actually excited and ready to explore Europa! As I began walking away from my ship I noticed two things. Number one, I was walking on solid ice. Europa’s entire surface is one thick layer of ice that goes down so deep it would take my entire trip to dig through it and reach the water (if there is any; I’m crossing my fingers!) So, naturally, I raced back to my ship and grabbed my ice skates! One great thing about skating up here is that the ice is untouched, unlike the scratched up and dented ice at ice rinks on Earth. Number two, I noticed how incredibly cold it was. I knew it was going to be cold but I had no idea it would be this cold! Based on the constant darkness that only seems to be getting darker, I assume it is around 6 P.M. on Earth, and I am getting hungry. I am going to take a quick skate around part or Europa’s surface, and then come back to the ship for some canned meat (which is what I will be eating my whole time here).That was very cool! I saw some of the deepest valleys and biggest mountains that I’ve ever seen in my life. Compared to Europa, Mt. Everest is nothing! After I finish my dinner, which I am getting sick of eating over and over again, I think I’ll do more exploring. I am forced to eat the same thing every day and night because if I had brought any vegetables or fruit to grow it wouldn’t have lasted a single day due to lack of sunlight and oxygen. Since I am used to spending all day and night sleeping in my ship, today has seemed like one busy day! I know I was planning on exploring, but I am way too tired, so I’m going to get some rest. Maybe tomorrow I will start digging into the ice, and by the end of my trip I will hopefully reach some water! If I find any life on this planet I won’t feel so lonely, and it would be a great discovery! We’ll see what happens!

95 Worlds

9/9/09
Today I'm exploring Mars, the red planet. I figure it's the closest to home while still being something I don't see every day so why not? Using my nuclear rocket provided by NASA it has only taken me 4 months to reach my destination, which is relatively good considering space travel times are usually in years. As I step onto Mars I already feel lighter, considering that there's very little gravity here, compared to Earth. It's nice to take a load off seeming as I'm wearing a very heavy spacesuit. There's practically no atmosphere here. I was expecting something completely extraterrestrial but Mars is pretty much like I thought it would be: cold and red. The temperature must be somewhere around -60C. I see a large volcano and start to walk over to it, but I keep tripping on the rocky surface of the planet. There are canyons and volcanoes everywhere which make travel difficult, but luckily none of the volcanoes are active. Actually nothing on Mars is very active at all. The skies are clear, the ground is sturdy, and the for now there are no dust storm on the horizon. Mars is the ultimate lonely planet but I better get off of it before night comes or even worse, a dust storm. They start out small but eventually Mars hosts dust storms that consume the entire planet and I wouldn't want to be stuck in the middle of that. As I get in to the spaceship and head back home I think that my trip on Mars has been successful. I knew that I wasn't going to find anything and that I would be cold and alone but now I can go back home saying that I was the first person to step foot on Mars!

Journey to Earths Moon 9/08/09

Exploring the moon we see everyday, but never dream of reaching was incredible. After a three-day journey our high tech rocket landed safely on the moon. The sky was black and the stars were clearly visible. In order to leave the spacecraft I had to put on my space suit to protect me from the heat and cold. I also had to attach a very heavy oxygen tank in order to breath. Even with a lot of heavy equipment walking on the moon was an easy task with the weak force of gravity. In fact, I preferred hopping on the moon to walking.

For fun I tried to jump as high as I could and went much higher then I ever would have on Earth (I probably reached around 12 feet off the ground). Then I decided to play a game of golf and found that my skills had greatly improved, boosting my self-confidence. After playing golf, I started exploring and I noticed the vast amount of craters covering the moon. Meteoroids coming in contact with the moon must have formed the craters over an extremely long period of time. During the day the surface of the moon reached temperatures hotter then boiling water, but when it became night the surface was colder then anyplace on Earth has ever been. At the end of the day I had to head back to my rocket, so I carefully gathered some samples to bring back to Earth. Tired from an amazing day I prepared for the three day journey back to Earth. This has been a day I will never forget!

95 Worlds

Maren Magill said...

I am one of the first humans ever in the history of our universe to walk on Jupiter’s moon Europa! Our spaceship has just landed on this icy giant and it is bitterly cold, the surface temperature is actually -262 degrees Fahrenheit to be exact. Glowing in the distance is the gas planet Jupiter, which seems to take up the entire sky and as we tilt our heads back we take in the grand multitude of stars that is the Milky Way. Although, we can see nearby Jupiter it is impossible to view our home planet Earth because of the distance. Because of the extreme conditions my fellow adventurers and I are wearing warm space suits to protect us from the dangerously cold weather. Also, in order to successfully traverse the moon my team and I are wearing crampons, shoes which sharp spikes on the soles, which enable us to safely climb around. Furthermore, because of this moons lack of oxygen we have brought along countless bottles of oxygen to ensure our safety. The ice on this planet is kilometers thick so thankfully we do not have to worry about dropping into the ocean deep below. My team and I are now just about ready to begin our adventure across this barren moon. Slowly, we begin to traverse the icy landscape. The ice is fairly smooth so we have conveniently brought along sleds to allow us to go down the mountain’s sides faster. My team and I have just climbed to the top of a hill and are able to look out onto an area of Europa. Unlike our volcanoes at home Europa’s ice volcanoes do not appear especially dangerous. My team and I begin to slowly climb up one of the moon’s large volcanoes. After a long hike we reach the top and are able to peer into the volcano. The volcano shoots up what looks like gray icy lava. It is an extraordinary site. Also, besides sleds my team and I have brought along ice skates because the moon is covered in smooth ice. As we are skating across Europa we encounter a strange site, we assume that it is either Thera or Thrace. The reddish jumbled area stretches as far as the eye can see. For this portion of the area we have to take off our ice skates and once again wear our crampons. After we cross the jumbled terrain we safely sled back down to our spaceship. Our journey on Europa has been very successful! Unfortunately, we are unable to attempt to drill through the kilometers of sea ice to see if there is an ocean underneath. We have collected and seen many extraordinary things for NASA to examine when we return home to Earth!

95 Worlds

Once in a lifetime experience...Three days in a spacecraft with two other people is not my idea of a party. But, now that we have finally landed on Earth’s moon, I am here to tell you that it is totally worth it! With two feet on the moon I scan across the horizon. It appears to go on forever, but realistically it is about the size of Russia, Canada, and the US combined. Enormous craters are visible everywhere I turn. They are the result of asteroids and comets colliding with the Moon’s surface. The ground has the consistency of snow, and to move around I have to hop from place to place to avoid falling. I am overwhelmed by the smell of gunpowder at first, but now I have adjusted. I cannot wait to start exploring, but first I should double check that I brought everything necessary for this expedition. I first check my body suit. Because the moon has no atmosphere I need to protect myself from other gasses, and things my body has not adapted to withstand. My body suit has to cover every part of me, nothing can be left exposed. But I am reminded that I wanted to move around, as I admire the flexibility of this body suit. This suit will regulate my body temperature to prevent me from getting too hot, or too cold, as the temperatures on the moon change very rapidly. I will also need a constant supply of oxygen, which I have access to by a long tube that stretched from the spacecraft to me. I am planning on collecting samples of the soil while I am on the moon, so I make sure that I have my soil sample containers. These must protect the soil from any outside contamination. But, I also want to have a little fun on the Moon! So I brought a Frisbee, because the gravity is less than Earth’s ultimate Frisbee was more extreme than ever! This has been one of the most exhilarating days of my life. I hope I get to journey back to the Moon soon!

Greg's Day One

Day one of my journey to Mars is pretty boring, sitting alone in a spaceship without much to do, so I think I'll write. NASA has assignment to go on an exploration of Mars, they had already packed all the necessities such as food and water, thank god. But they allowed for me to bring whatever else I wanted. being a professional, I thought I should bring some lab supplies, though I can't imagine there will be much electricity so I'll have to make do with batteries. I've also brought along a camera to tape as much activity as possible. Most likely it will just be of me doing small tests, and recording data. It will be a pretty difficult planet to traverse because of all the canyons and rocks, plus I have to be super careful of the massive dust storms that are bound to happen. It's a good thing to have a sturdy residence to stay in during those storms. Hopefully it doesn't make my mission short, or worse consume. Though the planet does have its nature storms and what not, I think the coldness/lonelyness is what will really get to me. With temperatures reaching -50C, I'm glad I've packed my highly insulated suit. Hopefully if I return I'll be able to tell my story of how i was the very first person to actually step on another planet. Plan to hear more of my exciting adventure!

95 Worlds

9-8-09
Today I am finally going to land on Saturn’s Moon, Titan. The things I need are included; a space suit with intense insulation and varying pressure adapter so that I can adjust the pressure of the suit when needed. I also need special insulation because the average surface temperature is -290°F. In my suit I have included some sort of thermostat that will allow me to adjust the temperature inside my space suit, but it has limitations so that I can’t freeze. I am also bringing my camera because I love photography, but I have commissioned somebody to create a special shell so that my camera will be safe in the freezing temperatures. The final thing I need on my journey is my mini fold out lab station. It folds into a small briefcase with a handle for easy travel, but folds out into a small lab table with four legs, and all of my equipment that I need to bring home samples of everything to be tested. Now that we have finally landed on Titan, my co-pilot is helping me suit up for my big decent…out of the space shuttle. As I stepped out of the rocket, I didn’t feel like I was floating, such as the astronauts on the moon did. Of course the fist thing I did was plant a big American flag in the soil because I am the first human to set foot on this moon. Titan and Earth have a very similar atmosphere so I was able to walk around easily, no skipping. I found my way over to an impact crater where I set up my little lab table. After that I started walking around with my camera around my neck and a small basket in my hand so that I could collect samples. Titan has a diameter almost 50% larger than earth, and is 80% more massive, so I hope it is easily inferred that I did not walk around the entire planet during my one-day stay. Even though I have my space suit on, I can tell that the air around me is freezing. The whole environment just looks cold and frozen. There is visible ice, and lots and lots of rocks. The only known stable body of surface liquid on Titan, and the only other ones except for earth known in the solar system are the hydrocarbon lakes in the Polar Regions. After walking around for 16 hours, working for two, discovering one of the lakes, and analyzing a crater hole, I started to head back to the rocket so that we could begin our trip home. During the time I spent on Titan, I got 103 samples to test back in the laboratories, and filled my camera (435 pictures) with an experience that I may never have the chance to do again.

95 Worlds

Europa....After a very long trip in my rocket ii finally arrived on and Europa. my first impression of the planet before i got out was that it was very flat and didn't have much of any distinct craters or mountains. I strapped my oxygen tanks and opened my bag of gear. I has snow shoes and an ice pick for navigating the hash icy land, and and i brought my Ultra warm radiation protecting Patagonia parka. And as long as i have unlimited money i through in some U.V protecting Oakley sunglasses. I also had in my bad some scuba gear to search Europa's vast oceans. Just in case there was anything dangerous down there i brought my super alien spear gun. If things got to dangerous i could use my rocket ship as a submarine. finally i had a shrink ray so i can fit all of this stuff in my backpack. Fully prepared i took my first step on to Europa.

Backpack in hand i walked wit my spiky snow shoes to an nice spot where i could start digging in the ice. A month later, with some determination and courage i finally made it to the water. Slipping my heated scuba dry suit on, and grabbing my alien spear gun i jumped into the water. the ocean was so massive i felt vulnerable and small, so i took the sub out of my backpack and used the shrink ray to make it big again. the sub had leather heated seats and cup holders.(I do have unlimited money)Exploring the depths i saw something in the distance, it was huge. I didnt quite get a good look at it before i got to scared and quickly returned to my rocket and went home. I did see something that day on Europa, and whatever it was its worth another look.

Andrew's TripTo Eurpoa (95 Worlds Assignment)

I’m heading off for Jupiter’s Europa. I’m just lookin’ at my packing list here. I got to make sure I got everything or else I’m going to die and I’m pretty sure I don’t want that to happen. I got my brand new ice skates (thanks research grant!) because Europa’s surface is practically an ice rink. I also have my ice volcano radar, and my space suit that blocks out radiation (Jupiter’s radiation is insane). Europa, or so I’ve heard, has volcanos that shoot out liquid ice! Whoa. I can barely wrap my mind around that. Oh, yeah, of course I got my camera. It’ll probably freeze but I’ll think of something. It’ll take me a couple years to get there, so I’m going to be sure to bring a comfy pillow for my hypersleep! Once I get there, first and foremost, I have to try my best to make a land plot of it. Considering we have the technology to get to Europa, it’ll be smart to start making a map of the place ASAP. Following coloring time, it’s time to explore. I got to be sure to bring my own air because Europa has a ridiculously thin atmosphere, but then I’d get to skating, looking and mapping the gigantic crevices. I definitely would not want to fall into one of those because apparently, if you were to dig deep enough into the ice sheets you are walking on, there’s a gigantic ocean, the biggest in the solar system? I wanted to go to Europa because of all the planets and moons, this one has one of the highest chances of life. Microorganisms, even more extreme than extremophiles, could be living here. That’s pretty cool if you ask me.

Saturn's Moon: Titan

Today I landed on Titan. It took a while to navigate my way through the dense atmospheric gases and at first I thought I would have to abort the mission and that I would never land, but I finally did and it is amazing. I may have to stay here more than 1 day! Titan looks eerily like Earth, with rock formations and liquid-filled lakes; the problem is that those lakes aren’t filled with H2O – they’re filled with the flammable liquid hydrocarbon. Luckily, I knew this from the findings of the Cassini-Huygens mission that was conducted in 2004 and I brought along supplies that didn’t need explosions or fire to get them running or that had a solid enough material surrounding the burning that heat wouldn’t set any of the lakes or gas on fire. I came to do research, so I brought with me a lot of test tubes, beakers, containers, etc. to put all my samples of hydrocarbon, rock, soil and all the other materials that I can find on this moon so that I can bring them back to NASA for testing. But I also thought I’d have a little fun while I was here, so I brought along a specially made diving suit that can withstand liquid hydrocarbon while keeping the pressure and gases of earth there for me (like a regular astronaut’s suit) and keeping me warm (the temperature is -179°C) so that I can go diving in the lakes on titan and see if I can find anything interesting in the liquid and at the bottom of the lakes. Who knows, I may even find some life in the form of plants, animals or bacteria! I also brought along a boat and a jet ski with the engine contained in a substance that won’t let the heat escape so that I can cruise along the lake, collecting samples, without having to worry about exploding the whole moon.

∙ ∙ ∙

I’ve been trekking around Titan in my special suit, and I found some amazing rock formations along with some massive craters! I’m guessing that these craters were made by asteroids hitting the moon in its early years, but boy are they huge. I also found some dunes (like the ones on Earth) made up of some dark material – I think it’s dark-coloured sand, but I don’t really know so I’ve taken some samples to be tested back at NASA. After looking around for a while, I also found some rocks that have signs of erosion, which meant there were moving liquids at some point on this moon. I also found, with the help of previous findings about Titan that the atmosphere protects Titan from the harmful UV rays coming off of Saturn and its surrounding planets. I have hypothesised, from these two things and other things that I’ve found on Titan, that it is possible that there’s life on this planet since there are perfect conditions for some form of life to be living here, but before I can conclude that, I’ll have to find some concrete evidence while on Titan or I’ll have to wait before NASA can analyse what I’m bringing back.

∙ ∙ ∙

My day on Titan has been great and I hope that I can come back soon and also that NASA can find some cool things out about Titan and its possibilities for life from the samples I’m bringing back with me. And now I will leave the moon as fast as I can before I accidentally make it explode and so that I can get through the atmosphere before it gets dark. Bye Titan!

Europa

Well, i chose to go to the moon Europa. To me, this is the most interesting moon. This moon has the most hopes as far as finding life other than the life we know on Earth and it also has actual water, just like here on Earth! If i was traveling to the moon Europa i would probably need to bring a space suit that was also a wet suit because i would want to go swimming in the undeground oceans that Europa has. I would also probably need to bring something to shield me from the radiation of Jupiter. Maybe a radiation shielded suit or a car of some sorts. I would also want to bring a camera so I could take pictures of all the many wonderful things I would find on Europa. I would obviously also need to bring oxygen because there really is none on Europa. After i landed on Europa I would jump out of my spaceship (hopefully in a radiation proofed suit) and jump around since there is a lower gravity than Earth on Europa. After i was done having fun jumping around a bit I would go look for a place to jump underground into the water to check around. After I would hopefully find one I would go scuba diving around the unknown in Europa's oceans. I would hope to find unknown life down there and possibly take some samples and some pictures to bring back home to Earth. Well, I hope that NASA approves my plan to travel to Jupiter's moon Europa because it sounds so amazing!

Jupiter's Moon Europa

09/09/09 at 0900 hours- Jacqueline Sutherland's journey to Jupiter's Moon Europa:

So I'm pretty psyched to be visiting a moon, which has such a high promise of hosting life. However, because it is a whole two years away by space shuttle, my suitcase is looking a little large. I sure hope that spaceships don't charge additional money for bags weighing over 50 pounds like United...Because Europa has such a thick layer of ice covering its surface, I am packing ice skates to increase my range of mobility. My team and I are also bringing a state of the art drill to drill through the over 1,000 mile deep icy crust…once we have reached the bottom, we plan to put on our snorkels, masks, and fins, not to mention our SUPER DUPER WET SUITS, and emerge ourselves in the largest ocean in the solar system. We are also bringing underwater cameras and video cameras to document our unbelievable experience, which may very well include the first photographs of life outside Earth. Because sunlight is a readily available source of energy, my team and I have designed a revolutionary scientific tool to harness and contain the heat of the sun, and then transfer that heat into pads which we will insert into our spacesuits. This will keep us at a comfortable temperature to ensure we keep our concentration and energy focused. I am very anxious and excited to reach Europa...only 4 more months until we reach our destination!!!

95 Worlds and Counting...

Congratulations! You have just received a research grant and the technology to visit any moon or planet in our solar system. Think about the items you would need to bring with you in order to survive for the day (food and water are provided so you do not need to include meals). You are required to provide a detailed account on your day’s journey to NASA. As you describe your experience, make sure to include any obstacles you face (like volcanic eruptions, low gravity, dust storms, how you “walked” around, etc) and the features and environmental conditions of the moon or planet.  Good luck and safe travels!!  And remember, creativity, pictures, and what ever else you can think of are encouraged.