WEBVTT - What can we learn about ourselves from epic space missions?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff from how Stuff Works, Hey, brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>It's Christian Sager here before meeting its fiery demise in

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<v Speaker 1>Saturn's atmosphere on Friday September, NASA's groundbreaking Cassini mission to

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<v Speaker 1>Saturn had spent thirteen years redefining our view of the

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<v Speaker 1>beautiful ringed gas giant, but its discoveries went well beyond

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<v Speaker 1>pure science. Like the long duration space missions that came

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<v Speaker 1>before it, the Galileo mission to Jupiter, the Twin Voyager probes,

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<v Speaker 1>and more recently, the European Rosetta mission, Cassini irrevocably changed

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<v Speaker 1>our perspectives, becoming ingrained in the lives of the people

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<v Speaker 1>who worked with the mission and had tangible impacts on society.

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<v Speaker 1>Cassini's scientific accolades are nothing short of revolutionary. With the

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<v Speaker 1>help of the European High Jen's Lander, it explored the

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<v Speaker 1>stunning lee dynamic atmosphere of Titan, discovering vast lakes of

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<v Speaker 1>liquid methane and uncovering a vast subsurface ocean of liquid water.

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<v Speaker 1>Close up examinations of the planet's rings revealed stunning detail

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<v Speaker 1>and the intricate relationship with its moons. Cassini tracked changes

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<v Speaker 1>in Saturn's atmosphere as its seasons progressed, a feat that

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<v Speaker 1>could only be achieved by putting a long duration probe

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<v Speaker 1>in orbit about the planet for more than a decade.

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<v Speaker 1>And then there's end cell Aduce, a small icy moon that,

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<v Speaker 1>until Cassini arrived in two thousand four, hit a secret

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<v Speaker 1>and ocean with the potential for life. Thanks to end

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<v Speaker 1>sell Aduce, it doesn't look as if you need a

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<v Speaker 1>planet with liquid water on its surface like Earth. Unlike

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<v Speaker 1>our world, moons like en Celaduce, Titan, possibly Dione, Jupiter's Europa,

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<v Speaker 1>and nept Tunes Triton hide their liquid water underneath their surfaces,

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<v Speaker 1>and these moons are abundant dynamic places in our solar system.

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<v Speaker 1>Io has volcanic plumes and Europa has a liquid ocean

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<v Speaker 1>with seas, rain rivers, and volcanoes. Geysers come out of

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<v Speaker 1>Neptune's moon Titan. Though these places are extremely cold and

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<v Speaker 1>water cannot exist as a liquid. Other chemicals with lower

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<v Speaker 1>freezing points step in to become their lubricants, and in

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<v Speaker 1>the case of Titan, its methane and all kinds of hydrocarbons.

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<v Speaker 1>In the case of insuladuce it's liquid water heated by

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<v Speaker 1>tides all the way out to Neptune, where the lubricant

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<v Speaker 1>is nitrogen. This could mean that we might discover a

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<v Speaker 1>similar rich diversity in other star systems. Space exploration has

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<v Speaker 1>a knack for putting our place in the universe into perspective,

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<v Speaker 1>but this goes beyond onto the science. It has an

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<v Speaker 1>impact on society, like the famous pale blue dot photograph

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<v Speaker 1>of a distant Earth captured by the Voyager one spacecraft

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<v Speaker 1>as it was speeding into the unknown frontiers of our

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<v Speaker 1>Solar system. Too, Cassini's own portrait of Earth during the

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<v Speaker 1>Wave at Saturn event. Space exploration can give the world

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<v Speaker 1>a sense of togetherness. These images from space also act

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<v Speaker 1>as a catalyst. These images from space also act as

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<v Speaker 1>a catalyst to give people optimism considering beauty beyond the

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<v Speaker 1>strife here on Earth. Today's episode was written by Ian O'Neill,

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<v Speaker 1>produced by Tristan McNeil, and for more on this and

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<v Speaker 1>other topics, please visit us at how stuff works dot com.