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[[Titan (moon)|Titan]], the largest [[Moons of Saturn|moon of Saturn]], is the only known moon with a significant atmosphere. Data from the [[Cassini–Huygens]] mission refuted the hypothesis of a global [[hydrocarbon]] ocean, but later demonstrated the existence of [[Lakes of Titan|liquid hydrocarbon lake]]s in the polar regions—the first stable bodies of surface liquid discovered outside of Earth.<ref>[http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/050913_titan_life.html SPACE.com – Scientists Reconsider Habitability of Saturn's Moon<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/060728_titan_lake.html SPACE.com – Lakes Found on Saturn's Moon Titan<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/image-details.cfm?imageID=2214| title=Lakes on Titan, Full-Res: PIA08630| date=2006-07-24}}</ref> Analysis of data from the mission has uncovered aspects of atmospheric chemistry near the surface which are consistent with—but do not prove—the hypothesis that [[Life on Titan|organisms there]] are consuming hydrogen, acetylene and ethane, and producing methane.<ref name=methlife>{{cite web|title= What is Consuming Hydrogen and Acetylene on Titan?|publisher=NASA/JPL|year=2010 |accessdate=2010-06-06|url=http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2010-190}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=Molecular hydrogen in Titan's atmosphere: Implications of the measured tropospheric and thermospheric mole fractions|author=Darrell F. Strobel|journal=Icarus|volume=208|chapter=In press|page=878|year=2010|doi=10.1016/j.icarus.2010.03.003|bibcode=2010Icar..208..878S|issue=2}}</ref><ref name=mckay>{{cite journal|journal = Icarus|volume= 178|issue = 1|pages = 274–276|year= 2005|doi = 10.1016/j.icarus.2005.05.018|title = Possibilities for methanogenic life in liquid methane on the surface of Titan|author = McKay, C. P.; Smith, H. D.|bibcode=2005Icar..178..274M}}</ref> |
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[[Titan (moon)|Titan]], I love planets the largest [[Moons of Saturn|moon of Saturn]], is the only known moon with a significant atmosphere. Data from the [[Cassini–Huygens]] mission refuted the hypothesis of a global [[hydrocarbon]] ocean, but later demonstrated the existence of [[Lakes of Titan|liquid hydrocarbon lake]]s in the polar regions—the first stable bodies of surface liquid discovered outside of Earth.<ref>[http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/050913_titan_life.html SPACE.com – Scientists Reconsider Habitability of Saturn's Moon<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/060728_titan_lake.html SPACE.com – Lakes Found on Saturn's Moon Titan<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/image-details.cfm?imageID=2214| title=Lakes on Titan, Full-Res: PIA08630| date=2006-07-24}}</ref> Analysis of data from the mission has uncovered aspects of atmospheric chemistry near the surface which are consistent with—but do not prove—the hypothesis that [[Life on Titan|organisms there]] are consuming hydrogen, acetylene and ethane, and producing methane.<ref name=methlife>{{cite web|title= What is Consuming Hydrogen and Acetylene on Titan?|publisher=NASA/JPL|year=2010 |accessdate=2010-06-06|url=http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2010-190}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=Molecular hydrogen in Titan's atmosphere: Implications of the measured tropospheric and thermospheric mole fractions|author=Darrell F. Strobel|journal=Icarus|volume=208|chapter=In press|page=878|year=2010|doi=10.1016/j.icarus.2010.03.003|bibcode=2010Icar..208..878S|issue=2}}</ref><ref name=mckay>{{cite journal|journal = Icarus|volume= 178|issue = 1|pages = 274–276|year= 2005|doi = 10.1016/j.icarus.2005.05.018|title = Possibilities for methanogenic life in liquid methane on the surface of Titan|author = McKay, C. P.; Smith, H. D.|bibcode=2005Icar..178..274M}}</ref> |
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An alternate explanation for the hypothetical existence of microbial life on [[Titan (moon)|Titan]] has already been formally proposed<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4819370.stm |title=Earth could seed Titan with life |publisher=BBC News |date=March 18, 2006 |accessdate=2007-03-10 | first=Paul | last=Rincon}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | author = Gladman, Brett; Dones, Luke; Levinson, Harold F.; Burns, Joseph A. | title = Impact Seeding and Reseeding in the Inner Solar System | year = 2005 | journal = Astrobiology | volume = 5 | pages = 483–496 |doi=10.1089/ast.2005.5.483 | pmid = 16078867 | issue = 4 | bibcode=2005AsBio...5..483G}}</ref>—hypothesizing that microorganisms could have left Earth when it suffered a massive [[asteroid]] or [[comet]] [[impact event|impact]] (such as the impact that created [[Chicxulub crater]] only 66 [[mya (unit)|mya]]), and survived a journey through [[space]] to land on Titan. |
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An alternate explanation for the hypothetical existence of microbial life on [[Titan (moon)|Titan]] has already been formally proposed<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4819370.stm |title=Earth could seed Titan with life |publisher=BBC News |date=March 18, 2006 |accessdate=2007-03-10 | first=Paul | last=Rincon}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | author = Gladman, Brett; Dones, Luke; Levinson, Harold F.; Burns, Joseph A. | title = Impact Seeding and Reseeding in the Inner Solar System | year = 2005 | journal = Astrobiology | volume = 5 | pages = 483–496 |doi=10.1089/ast.2005.5.483 | pmid = 16078867 | issue = 4 | bibcode=2005AsBio...5..483G}}</ref>—hypothesizing that microorganisms could have left Earth when it suffered a massive [[asteroid]] or [[comet]] [[impact event|impact]] (such as the impact that created [[Chicxulub crater]] only 66 [[mya (unit)|mya]]), and survived a journey through [[space]] to land on Titan. |