Space/Science — HabitableZone

Space/Science » in reply to re: Of course...

no impact craters means increased chance of life?

Lorenz's book, Lifting Titan's Veil, estimated something like 16,000 impact craters on Titan with a diameter greater than 1 km. The first flyby saw 0 craters on 1% of the surface imaged by radar; the second flyby was poorly reported so I don't know what they saw.

If the lack of craters means significant turnover of the surface from shallow, underlying liquid water, that suggests an energy source for life and a connection to the surface chemistry that's even better than Europa. Titan could be a better astrobiology target than Europa, not least because it's easier to place a lander there and survive there without getting nuked from radiation.

Sagan thought life might be possible there, I haven't seen recent speculation by people who know what they're talking about (as opposed to me, who doesn't).

Log in or register to post.

The whole thread (17 posts)