NASA Scientist for a Day - Kaipūtaiao NASA mō te Rā

It is 2039; I’m retreating from Oberon, the tidally locked outermost satellite in the Uranian system. My journey coincided with an equinox. 

Using the gravity assist from Jupiter, I achieved research before my heat energy wore out from radioactive decay. 

I obtained measurements from my atmospheric probe with Oberon orbiting outside the magnetosphere. The low bond albedo investigation was intriguing.

Voyager’s images allowed 25% of the surface to be geologically mapped. My photos show evidence of cryovolcanic activity , where liquid and vapour material trapped under the surface has escaped and become frozen.

What inspired me on this journey was using my dust detector to gather more data on the red material on the hemispheres. Impact events and charged particle bombardment eject dust from surfaces into orbit, which slowly moves inward. A combination of solar wind and micrometeorite impacts create dust. Oberon being furthest out, encounters the red cloud before it moves inwards, not escaping Uranus gravity.

One hope was that I would find information on the chasmata, the deep, elongated depressions that cross the landscape. My data on the dark patches at the craters’ base will allow NASA to answer the debate.  Did these patches come from volcanic activity or from impact events that have surfaced dark material from below the ice? 

Likewise, the data will help NASA explore the likelihood of a subsurface ocean in the icy mantle and the rocky core.  This insight is possible because my magnetometer detected salt particles in the water and conduction, creating a magnetic field. I have followed contamination protocols as part of my astrobiology exploration .

Ehara Taku toa it te toa takitahi,engari he toa takitini.

My strength is not as an individual but as a collective.

Congratulations, NASA, on assigning me to the remote location to ensure Oberon is understood.

Through the evolution of space science, humans have been intrigued by the possibility of extraterrestrial life past or present. With this continuous interest driving aerospace projects, NASA should direct the robotic spacecraft exploration to Titania.

Scientists are currently investigating the theory of potential oceans positioned beneath the surface of Uranus’s largest moons including Ariel, Titania, and Oberon. These moons have displayed evidence of cryovolcanism - a volcanic phenomenon whereby it erupts volatiles such as liquid water, methane, ammonia, or sulfur dioxide - further supporting the subsurface ocean hypothesis. 

There are several limiting factors of Uranus’s moons’ that greatly affect the probability of sustaining life. Oberon has an extremely weak magnetic presence with only three nanoteslas; therefore identifying any further information about the moon’s hypogean properties would be difficult. Additionally, there are drastic temperature fluctuations that could result in an inaccurate analysis of the planetoids. For example, Ariel’s temperature alters dramatically depending on the location of the sunrays. Due to Ariel’s unique positioning, the satellite is one of the coldest moons in the entire Solar System with an average surface temperature of negative 213 degrees Celsius.

Titania is a geographically active planetoid composed of carbonaceous material and organic compounds, resulting in little temperature variation. Scientists have already discovered that the moon Titania is comprised of an equal ratio of ice and rock, suggesting a presence of water - a necessity for life. The planetoid also has a variety of other topography, meteorology, and temperature-related factors that should be further analyzed. As evidenced, Titania has the most characteristics that not only support the subsurface oceans theory but also exemplify a variety of other life-sustaining qualities. Clearly, this moon is one of the greatest wonders in our solar system that needs to be appropriately analyzed and further examined for the benefit of astronomical science.

It’s me, Uranus. I have observed my moons for many years. Longer than everyone on your planet has been alive. Out of my 27 followers, I find Ariel quite interesting. Since I am incapable of looking around the planet for myself, I am trusting you and your civilization to find some groundbreaking discoveries on this moon made of water ice and silicate rock.

Some background information, I know you discovered Ariel in 1851 by a human named William Lassel and since then you have made other remarkable discoveries. Ariel is the second closest major moon to me and orbits with the same side always facing towards me. When I look over them all I wonder why you haven’t flung a space pod over here to check it out.

Ariel has a rather smooth surface, except for multiple valleys here and there. The smooth surface implies that there is some sort of geological based reason for it, otherwise the moon would be covered in craters. The valleys suggest geological activity like earthquakes. Ariel's tectonic plates have probably drifted and separated from one another making huge valleys all over the moon.

Speaking of geological activity, Ariel, out of all of my moons, has had the most recent activity. If you go we might find out what difference this moon has to others that cause it to have more recent geological activity. This could be groundbreaking and helpful for other discoveries.

I think Ariel is strange, I’d like for you to have a look at all of the things I have listed and get back to me later about everything you know and have figured out after you visit Ariel. You might find out that it has water, how other moons are formed or something completely unexpected!

Discovered by William Lassell in 1851, Ariel is the second closest major moon to Uranus. Like the other 4 main Uranian moons, Ariel comprised roughly equal amounts of water ice and dense rock. It is a candidate for astrobiological life in the solar system and may provide valuable information in the ongoing search for non-terrestrial lifeforms.

The potential presence of a now-frozen underground ocean at the core-mantle boundary is the most cogent and compelling reason to conduct further analysis of the icy moon. The existence of such an ocean is circumscribed by the necessary conditions for one. Although little is known about Ariel and it’s history, evidence suggests that liquid water has been on the moon before.

When Voyager 2 flew by Ariel in 1986, it captured 40% of its surface. These images also showed extensive scarps, ridges, and canyons, implying that Ariel is, or once was a geologically active moon. Ariel’s surface is less cratered than its other Uranian counterparts, suggesting an endogenic resurfacing, probably earlier in its history when its orbit was more eccentric and it’s temperature was higher.

Photos gathered from the Voyager 2 spacecraft showed extensive plains, indicating cryovolcanism of a viscous substance, probably ammonia, an antifreeze. An ammonia-water solution may lower the freezing point of water down to 176°K. The core temperature of Ariel is thought to be higher than this temperature for billions of years, long enough for primitive life to form. This heat could be resultant from:

• Tidal forces
• Radiogenic heat
• Historical orbital resonances with other Uranian moons

A hypothetical probe; preferably a Uranus orbiter, should endeavour to map the surface of Ariel with cameras, detect the signs and products of life, and explore the moon’s geologic history. This could provide valuable information for the largest question of the universe: “Are we alone?”

Hello it's me Triton. I was the moon you flew by on your final mission with Voyager 2 in 1989. I strongly believe you should send another spacecraft because I have lots to show you and if you don’t in approximately 3.5 billion years the pull of Neptune will split me up and I will become a ring system.

The first reason your visit would excite me is because I would like to show you more about my reflective surface. My craters are surrounded by volcanic planes. Icy lava flows over my rough surface creating ice shows by forcing nitrogen and methane into the atmosphere. This nitrogen then condenses to form nitrogen snow as it drifts back down.

I am unique because I have a retrograde orbit and I orbit the opposite way from Neptune.. When you had Voyager fly by, my South Pole was facing the sun and I was part way through the season of spring. Hard to believe I’m so far from the sun and yet the sun's heat can cause these seasons.

I would also like to show you how my frost is formed from frozen nitrogen and methane. I’m a cold moon, with a temperature of -235 degrees Celsius, so the gases freeze. You might even see my nitrogen ice clouds. This is all part of my thin atmosphere. In fact I’m 70,000 times less dense that your Earth!

If you return you should try to find my interior ocean. This has been formed by the ice in my core melting due to the heat from Neptune taking some of my energy. The traces of ammonia may be linked to why my ocean doesn't freeze.

You may think I am lonely but you are probably wrong. I have a young surface and I know you know this because you have noticed I only have a few craters. Also my nitrogen gas plumes are probably caused by the ocean so all these clues maybe mean life could exist here.

I see from your trident mission video that you may aim to visit me in 2038 with a launch date of 2025. If you want to compare new data with what you saw on your first visit, this time slot is very important due to my long seasons. You need to bring a plasma spectrometer that helps sample particles on my surface and in my plumes. You will be able to fly a lot lower, you can therefore get a better understanding of magnetic fields. You should include a radio science instrument as this would help you figure out if I do have an ocean and how deep it actually is and if there is any life. On your flight you only got about 40% of my surface so don't forget a variety of cameras because you need to capture images from a distance and up close as well as my other side facing Neptune.

I really hope I see you in 2038!

Being the largest moon of Neptune, Triton has attracted the interest of humans, from professional scientists to astronomy enthusiasts since it was discovered by the British astronomer William Lassell in 1846.

Triton is a main astrobiological target in the search for alien life. It was identified as the prime candidate in the Roadmaps to Ocean Worlds study in 2019. Trident was proposed to the NASA Discovery Programme in 2019, whose proposal includes a thorough analysis of Triton and why a mission to Triton would be important.

The possible existence of a sub-surface ocean is the most compelling feature of Triton, which would if confirmed, drag the habitable zone to approximately 29AU. While conditions necessary for an internal ocean prevails, it remains for a future mission to prove the existence of one.

Crater counts suggest that Triton’s surface is the second youngest planetary body in the solar system, with less than 10Ma of age. Images of Triton’s southern sub-Neptune hemisphere were taken by Voyager 2, on its journey to the Kuiper Belt in 1989. By applying photogeology to these images, scientists have concluded that Triton has an endogenic interior with a network of tectonic structures, several cryovolcanic landforms, extensive cantaloupe terrain and several particulate plumes and associated deposits. This establishes Triton as a geologically active planetary body.

Scientists suggest that Triton has enough heat to maintain an internal ocean. Heat sources include,

• Radiogenic heat
• Heat preserved from being captured to Neptune’s orbit – Triton is confirmed as a captured Kuiper Belt Object
• High axial tilt
• Tidal activity

Triton’s atmosphere consists mainly of nitrogen, in addition to carbon monoxide and methane. A polar cap, probably containing nitrogen, was observed. The presence of methane facilitates the production of organic materials, especially if it comes into contact with liquid water, which supports life.

While Triton’s atmosphere is exceptionally thin, scientists suggest that it is sufficient to be a major sink for volatile substances and dynamic enough to support movement.

Equipment to be included in a mission should strive to detect internal oceans and their properties, observe changes, map the surface, to detect liquid particles in Triton’s plumes and to detect energy outputs to its atmosphere. Wide and narrow angled cameras, magnetometers, infrared spectrometers and a radar system would be some examples for equipment able to perform those functions. Trident suggests using a plasma spectrometer to investigate the ionosphere and radio science, while Roadmaps to Ocean Worlds mentions UV spectroscopic imaging to study Triton’s plumes.

The main objective of a mission to Triton would be to confirm the existence of a sub-surface ocean that could host life. Trident identifies explanations on Triton’s young geological age and intense ionosphere as factors to be explored while investigating the geyser plumes of Triton would also be beneficial. Finding answers to these questions as well as extra information would lead to more specific and accurate hypotheses on one of the most sought-after suspicions of mankind: Does alien life exist in our solar system?