We present a White Paper with a science theme concept of ocean world evolution and habitability proposed in response to ESA’s Voyage 2050 Call with a focus on Titan and Enceladus in the Saturn system. Ocean worlds in the outer Solar System that possess subsurface liquid water oceans are considered to be prime targets for extra-terrestrial life and offer windows into Solar System evolution and habitability. The Cassini-Huygens mission to the Saturn system (2004–2017) revealed Titan with its organic-rich evolving world with terrestrial features and Enceladus with its active aqueous environment to be ideal candidates to investigate ocean world evolution and habitability. Additionally, this White Paper presents a baseline for a multiple flyby mission with a focused payload as an example of how ocean world evolution and habitability in the Saturn system could be investigated building on the heritage of the Cassini-Huygens mission and complementing the recently selected NASA Dragonfly mission.

Exploration of Enceladus and Titan: investigating ocean worlds’ evolution and habitability in the Saturn system

Mastrogiuseppe, Marco;
2022-01-01

Abstract

We present a White Paper with a science theme concept of ocean world evolution and habitability proposed in response to ESA’s Voyage 2050 Call with a focus on Titan and Enceladus in the Saturn system. Ocean worlds in the outer Solar System that possess subsurface liquid water oceans are considered to be prime targets for extra-terrestrial life and offer windows into Solar System evolution and habitability. The Cassini-Huygens mission to the Saturn system (2004–2017) revealed Titan with its organic-rich evolving world with terrestrial features and Enceladus with its active aqueous environment to be ideal candidates to investigate ocean world evolution and habitability. Additionally, this White Paper presents a baseline for a multiple flyby mission with a focused payload as an example of how ocean world evolution and habitability in the Saturn system could be investigated building on the heritage of the Cassini-Huygens mission and complementing the recently selected NASA Dragonfly mission.
2022
Enceladus
Ocean worlds
Titan
Voyage 2050
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14085/27866
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