expanded manned space program

[jon louis mann]

I don't think that "organic" necessarily means "from life", but means
chemicals based on Carbon.

Organic usually means related to life. The word Organic is also used to
describe a branch of chemistry which deals with carbon-related
compounds.  (Coal is made of complex organics, Diamond is a crystal of
a single element, and is not a compound at all.)

Exploiting the hydrocarbons on Titan is about as economically feasible
as walking to Nigeria every time you want a candy bar. It isn't. There
is no oxygen about, so you you'd need to bring it with you -- or else
haul these hydrocarbons all the way back to earth. Not to mention the
environmental catastrophes that would be caused if we tried to burn
this stuff in our atmosphere. Burning our own oil has been proven to be
quite bad enough, without importing thousands of times more from
distant planets.

The origin of these organic compounds is not fully understood. There
are some chemical reactions that occur naturally in the presence of
ultraviolet radiation and/or other wavelengths, that turn simple
organic molecules into more complex ones. It could be that something
like this is happening. Or it could be that there is indeed some kind
of life on the surface there.

I don't know what IANAC means either, but I got a chuckle from "I Am
Not A Crook!"
Curtis.

thanks, curtis, it also occurred to me that transporting petrochemicals
all the way from titan and down the gravity well to the planets surface
would have environmental consequences.  IMHO, as man begins to colonize
the solar system, the environmental consequences of space industry and
the refining of volatiles and other natural resources in a vacuum would
be minimal.  it seems unlikely to me that the organic compounds on
titan could come from life.
jon


      ____________________________________________________________________________________
Be a better friend, newshound, and 
know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile.  Try it now.  http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ