Second Chance Solar System: Titan Under a Red Sun

所有的恒星都有有限的寿命。在大约50亿年后，太阳将开始上升到红巨星的分支上，标志着结束的开始，它的大小将不断膨胀，直到吞噬水星、金星，可能还有地球。所有已知的生命都将不复存在。当内太阳系变成一片焦土时，外行星进入了迟来的宜居带。土卫六是太阳系中唯一有大量大气的卫星，由氮气（95%）和甲烷（5%）组成。卡西尼-惠更斯号揭示了大气中的光化学反应会产生“索林”——一种复杂的有机分子，被认为是生命的化学前体。人们认为有机“雾霾”反映了早期地球的情况，但人们对它的形成知之甚少。这项多学科研究将评估土卫六变暖后的宜居性。新的行星模型将估计泰坦何时何地最适合居住，而多相大气模拟室将制造“泰坦托林”，以确定它们作为微生物能源的代谢特性。毫无疑问，这个项目将系统地综合卡西尼-惠更斯带回的原始数据，总结关于这颗独特的冰冷卫星的发现。

All stars have a finite lifespan. In ~5 billion years the Sun will begin its ascent onto the red giant branch, signalling the beginning of the end, and swelling in size until it has consumed Mercury, Venus, and possibly Earth. All known life will cease to exist. As the inner solar system is transformed into a scorched wasteland, the outer planetary bodies move into the belated habitable zone. Titan is the only moon in the solar system with a considerable atmosphere, consisting of nitrogen (95%) and methane (5%). The Cassini-Huygens mission revealed that photochemical reactions in the atmosphere produce 'tholins' - complex, organic molecules thought to be the chemical precursors to life. The organic 'haze' is believed to mirror that of an early Earth, yet its formation is poorly understood. This multidisciplinary investigation will assess the future habitability of Titan as it warms. Novel planetary models will estimate when and where Titan will be most habitable, while multiphasic atmospheric simulation chambers will manufacture 'Titan tholins' to identify their metabolic properties as a microbial energy source. Definitively, this project will systematically synthesise the raw data brought back by Cassini-Huygens to summarise what has been discovered about this unique icy moon.