Titan & Europa Essay Contest - Videos
Watch all five videos to get a sense of why scientists are interested in exploring Titan and Europa, then decide which potential mission interests you most. Astrobiologists are interested in exploring Titan and Europa. Your job is to learn more about these moons, think what it would be like if you worked on designing and flying one of these missions, and write about either the Titan or Europa mission as if you were part of the science or engineering team for the mission. What would you hope to learn by sending a mission to either Titan or Europa? Good luck!
 Contest video #1:
What is Astrobiology?Carl Pilcher, director of NASA Astrobiology Institute, gives a brief introduction of astrobiology, the search for the origins, history, and future of life on Earth and beyond. + View the video
(QuickTime, 3 min. 14'') |
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 Contest video #2:
Scientific Case for TitanPostdoctoral researcher Morgan Cable talks about why astrobiologists are interested in exploring Saturn's moon Titan with an orbiter and touch-and-go balloon mission. + View the video
(QuickTime, 4 min. 7'') |
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 Contest video #4:
Scientific Case for EuropaGraduate student Paula Carnevali talks about why astrobiologists are interested in exploring Jupiter's moon Europa with an orbiter and lander mission.
+ View the video
(QuickTime, 3 min. 01'') |
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Videos
Watch the videos above to learn more about the contest.
The topic of the essay is either a mission to Saturn's moon Titan or to Jupiter's moon Europa. Both of these missions would study a world that is exciting for astrobiologists(*).
Your assignment is to decide which of the proposed missions would be more interesting and why. Be creative, be original, and ask good questions that you hope the mission would answer.
The Titan mission would include a Titan orbiter and a Titan balloon. The Europa mission would include a Europa orbiter and a Europa lander. The orbiters, balloon, and lander would each have science instruments to study either Titan or Europa.
In your essay, you can include information about what science instruments you would put on the orbiter and balloon or lander, if you wish, based on what you hope to find on Titan or Europa.
(*) Astrobiologists are scientists that study the origins, evolution, future and distribution of life in the universe. The main question astrobiologists are trying to answer is: is there life beyond Earth?
