Cassini Interdisciplinary Investigations:

Titan's Chemistry and Exobiology (IDS)

IDS: Dr. François Raulin

Interdisciplinary Scientist:

General Description of Interdisciplinary Investigation:

This Huygens Project interdisciplinary scientific investigation is concerned with a study of the organic chemistry in Titan's environment and its implications for exobiology and the origins of life. The investigation will make use of the Cassini/Huygens science data base to determine the nature of the organic chemistry in Titan's atmosphere, on its surface, and in its oceans.

Scientific Objectives of Interdisciplinary Investigation:

• Determine the origin, nature, distribution, and possible evolution of organic compounds in the three parts of Titan's "geofluid," namely its gas phase (atmosphere), its liquid phase (ocean), and its solid phase (sedimentary deposits and atmospheric aerosols).
• Determine the nature and role of chemical couplings between these three parts.

For additional information on the Interuniversity Laboratory for Atmospheric Systems (LISA), directed by F. Raulin, see http://lisa.univ-paris12.fr/default.htm.