CHRONUS SATELLITE

MISSIONBy: Laurence, Leslee, Kassie, and Jessica

WHERE DO WE GO AND WHAT DO WE DO?

Our first decision was to go to Saturn and to it’s biggest moon Titan. That alone will cost $350 million. Our next decision was to do a lander mission which means we’re going to land on Saturn. Landing has a risk factor of 5 and an additional $200 million.

Type of mission

Additional Cost

Risk Factor

Fly-by (none) 1

Orbiter $100 million 2

Lander $200 million 5

EQUIPMENTInstrument Explantion Cost

Microscopic camera

Combination of a microscope and a digital camera ;provides detailed images of the targets rock and soil

$3 million

Spectrometer 1

Measures the properties of different colors and types of light; determines the composition of the target (rocks, atmosphere)

$1 million

Magnetometer

Measures basic properties of magnetic fields, the space environment, and thej solar wind

$.5 million

Seismometer Monitors quakes on the target world

$.5 million

EQUIPMENT (CONT.)Instrument Explanation Cost

Meteorology Instrument Suite

Monitors weather by measuring temperature

$1 million

Geologic Exploration Tool

Powerful grinder that can drill into rocks on the target’s surface to provide close-up observations and analysis

$2 million

Life Experiment Suite

Laboratory experiments designed to look for signs of life

$2 million

HOW MUCH TIME WILL IT TAKE It will take an average of 3 years to get

to Saturn and 3 years back. We plan to explore Saturn for 2 years. We plan to explore 2 years to explore Titan. All in all, it will take about 10 years for our mission to be completed. This also adds $10 million and a risk factor of 3.

Reason Cost (million)

Going to Saturn $350

Lander mission $200

Instruments $10

10 years $10

Total= $570 million

Risk Factor

8

FACTS ABOUT SATURN Solar wind ions strike Saturn’s magnetic

field and atmosphere making glowing lights, similar to the northern lights and southern lights on earth. The magnetic field concentrates much of the glow at the poles.

Most of Saturn is atmosphere. While it is mostly hydrogen and helium, the atmosphere does contain some trace elements that can interact to form ammonia, phosphate, methane, and other compounds. Like earth, Saturn has clouds, rain, snow, lightning, and storms.

Gases in the Atmosphere of Saturn

HydrogenHeliumOther Gases

MORE FACTS ABOUT SATURN At the center of Saturn is a dense core

of rock, ice, and other compounds made solid by intense pressure and high heat. Next is a layer of metallic hydrogen and then liquid hydrogen. The liquid hydrogen gradually transforms into a gas, which, along with helium, makes up most of the planet.

The temperature of the interior is between 18,000 to 27,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The core radius is about 3,700 miles.

Interior of Saturn

FACTS ABOUT TITAN Titan is Saturn’s biggest moon, and the

second largest in our solar system. Titan has a substantial, active

atmosphere and Earth-like processes that shape its surface. The moon is covered by an orange haze.

The spacecraft Cassini has revealed that Titan’s surface is shaped by rivers and lakes of liquid ethane and methane, which form clouds and occasionally rain from the sky as water does on Earth.

MORE FACTS ABOUT TITAN Titan is the only known moon with a

dense atmosphere. The pressure at the surface is slightly higher than on earth.

The temperature of Titan is -290 degrees Fahrenheit. The water is rock hard and Methane flows as a liquid. The icy landscape includes mountains, river channels, and methane/ethane lakes as well as large areas of the surface covered by fields of dark hydrocarbon sand dunes.

THANK YOU

Special thanks to http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/science/index.cfm?SciencePageID=73