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Science & Technology to Explore the Seas of Titan | Nathalie A. Cabrol | Talks at Google

3,478 views · Published 4 June 2013 · 1:09:44 · Indexed 8 November 2026

Channel: Talks at Google · 2013 · Education

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Titan is the largest moon in the Saturn system. It is 50% larger than the
Earth's moon, has an atmosphere, and is presumed to have seas filled with
methane and other hydrocarbons. In order for us to explore Titan in the
future, we need exploration systems that are radically different from those
currently used in space. In particular, we need to develop robots that can
accumulate knowledge about their environment; understand mission
priorities, the concepts of nominal and off-nominal environmental
conditions; and make and evaluate observations as events happen in situ,
and not only when receiving commands from Earth.

The goal of the """"Planetary Lake Lander (PLL)"""" project is to develop a new
kind of robot for exactly this purpose. In our work, we are testing a
robotic """"lake lander"""" in a high-altitude lake in Chile where glacier ice is
melting at an accelerated rate. Documenting the deglaciation process will
help us better understand the changes affecting lake ecosystems and may
shed light on how life adapted during past deglaciation periods. In
addition, we are developing and field-testing operational scenarios,
adaptive science algorithms and adaptive sampling that we believe are
needed for future missions to Titan.


Dr. Nathalie A. Cabrol leads projects in planetary sciences and
astrobiology at NASA Ames. She develops science exploration strategies for
Mars and Titan, and designs robotic field experiments. She explores lakes
in the Andes up to 6,000 meters, where environmental conditions are
analogous to early Mars. With her team, she documents, through geologic and
diving expeditions, life's adaptation to extreme environment, the effect of
rapid climate change on lake ecosystems and habitats, its geobiological
signatures, and relevance to planetary exploration.

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