Open Questions and Future Directions in Titan Science

Abstract

In this chapter we attempt to distill the very large number of possible future inquiries of Titan into a relatively concise list of twenty high level questions - each of which of would necessarily entail a multitude of more specific investigations and studies. While this list does not encompass all possible open questions, and is divided into topics according to our preference and not in any way uniquely, we believe that it does however span a wide range of the most intriguing topics about Titan, and may form some sort of guide especially for those embarking into Titan studies for the first time. At the end of this chapter we return to explore how these four techniques may be used to answer the large, high-level open questions in Titan science.

75 pages, 5 figures, 1 table

References in corpus (21)

• Geophysical tests for habitability in ice-covered ocean worlds
• GCM simulations of Titan's middle and lower atmosphere and comparison to observations
• Ocean dynamics of outer solar system satellites
• Global circulation as the main source of cloud activity on Titan
• Ethyl cyanide on Titan: Spectroscopic detection and mapping using ALMA
• HCN ice in Titan's high-altitude southern polar cloud
• ALMA measurements of the HNC and HC${}_3$N distributions in Titan's atmosphere
• Clathrate hydrates as a sink of noble gases in Titan's atmosphere
• A theoretical investigation into the trapping of noble gases by clathrates on Titan
• Discovery of lake-effect clouds on Titan
• Titan's past and future: 3D modeling of a pure nitrogen atmosphere and geological implications
• Surface Energy of the Titan Aerosol Analog "Tholin"
• A recent impact origin of Saturn's rings and mid-sized moons
• Equilibrium composition between liquid and clathrate reservoirs on Titan
• Direct Measurement of Interparticle Forces of Titan Aerosol Analogs ("Tholin") Using Atomic Force Microscopy
• Mapping Vinyl Cyanide and Other Nitriles in Titan's Atmosphere Using ALMA
• Upper limits for PH3 and H2S in Titan's Atmosphere from Cassini CIRS
• The Effect of Adsorbed Liquid and Material Density on Saltation Threshold: Insight from Laboratory and Wind Tunnel Experiments
• The 2003 Nov 14 occultation by Titan of TYC 1343-1865-1. II. Analysis of light curves
• Experimental Characterization of the Pyridine:Acetylene Co-crystal and Implications for Titan's Surface
• Vertical compositional variations of liquid hydrocarbons in Titan's alkanofers