HR: 11:40h
AN: U22A-05 INVITED     [Abstracts]
TI: Titan
AU: * Lunine, J I
EM: jlunine@lpl.arizona.edu
AF: The University of Arizona, 1629 E University Blvd., Tucson, AZ 85721 United States
AB: Titan's surface remains enigmatic after the T0 observations, in part because of the large distance of the Cassini spacecraft from Titan (the VIMS effective spatial resolution was no better than the latest ground-based Adaptive Optics observations), the high altitude scattering haze layer, and the surface's potential intrinsic complexity in composition and topography. The Ta observations of late October should have established, at some level, the extent to which Titan's surface is like that of other large icy satellites, or unique in being hydrocarbon-rich. Much of the seemingly self-contradictory nature of Titan's surface can be resolved by recognizing that large variations in composition and geology are likely over very small scales. I will focus on confronting new and traditional models with the data available, and forecast what might be in store as Cassini moves into its period of repeated close flybys of Titan. Ethane liquid, fogs and hazes, shiny polyacetylene deposits, and the role of ammonia in Titan's interior will all be considered in light of the new Cassini data expected this autumn.
DE: 5407 Atmospheres--evolution
DE: 5455 Origin and evolution
DE: 5470 Surface materials and properties
DE: 5475 Tectonics (8149)
DE: 5494 Instruments and techniques
SC: Union [U]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting