Second Chance Solar System: Titan Under a Red Sun

所有的恒星都有有限的寿命。大约50亿年后，太阳将开始上升到红巨星的分支上，标志着末日的开始，并不断膨胀，直到它吞噬了水星、金星，可能还有地球。所有已知的生命将不复存在。随着内太阳系变成一片烧焦的荒地，外行星天体进入了迟来的宜居地带。土卫六是太阳系中唯一一颗拥有相当大大气的卫星，大气中含有氮气(95%)和甲烷(5%)。卡西尼-惠更斯任务揭示了大气中的光化学反应产生了被认为是生命化学前体的“索林”--一种复杂的有机分子。有机的“阴霾”被认为反映了早期地球的阴霾，但人们对它的形成知之甚少。这项多学科的调查将在土卫六变暖时评估其未来的宜居性。新的行星模型将估计土卫六何时何地最适宜居住，而多相大气模拟室内将制造“土卫六索林”，以确定其作为微生物能源的代谢特性。最终，该项目将系统地合成卡西尼-惠更斯带回的原始数据，以总结关于这颗独特的冰冻卫星的发现。

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.