Plastic found in space: Cassini finds propylene on Saturn's moon Titan- the first time it has been discovered in another world



Discovery could help us better understand how chemistry works on Titan

Scientists claim this is similar to how chemistry operated on ancient Earth

Probes had previously failed to identify propylene because its chemical signature was overshadowed by other, much stronger, chemicals



You would expect to find plastic in your lunchbox, not on Saturn’s distant moon Titan.

But that's exactly where Nasa has found an ingredient of plastic - the first time the chemical has been detected on another world.

The Cassini spacecraft found small amounts of propylene, a chemical used to make storage containers on Earth, in the atmosphere of Saturn's largest moon Titan.



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The Cassini spacecraft found small amounts of propylene, a chemical used to make storage containers on Earth, in the atmosphere of Saturn's largest moon Titan. The moon has a radius of about 1,600 miles, is bigger than planet Mercury and is the second-largest moon in the solar system

Titan is among the few bodies in the solar system with a significant atmosphere made up of hydrocarbons.

The discovery could help us better understand how chemistry works on Titan, which many scientists regard as similar to how chemistry operated on ancient Earth before oxygen became significant ingredient.

The small amount of propylene was identified in Titan's lower atmosphere by Cassini's Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS).

It is only present in a few parts per billion, and scientists would need to chain together the molecules to mould it into polypropylene plastic.

SATURN'S GIANT MOON TITAN

Titan is Saturn's largest moon - with a radius of about 1,600 miles (2,574 kilometers), it's bigger than planet Mercury - and is the second-largest moon in the solar system. The atmosphere of Titan is largely composed of nitrogen; minor components lead to the formation of methane and ethane clouds and nitrogen-rich organic smog. The climate -including wind and rain -creates surface features similar to those of Earth, such as dunes, rivers, lakes and seas (probably of liquid methane and ethane), and deltas, and is dominated by seasonal weather patterns as on Earth.

CIRS measured the infrared light, or heat radiation, emitted from Saturn and its moons in much the same way our hands feel the warmth of a fire.

By isolating the same signal at various altitudes within the lower atmosphere, researchers identified the chemical with what they claim to be ‘a high degree of confidence’.

‘This chemical is all around us in everyday life, strung together in long chains to form a plastic called polypropylene,’ said Conor Nixon, a planetary scientist at Nasa's Goddard Space Flight Center.

‘That plastic container at the grocery store with the recycling code 5 on the bottom - that's polypropylene.’

The Voyager spacecraft had previously found propane, the heaviest member of the three-carbon family, and propyne, one of the lightest members. But the middle chemicals, one of which is propylene, were missing

The detection of the chemical fills in a mysterious gap in Titan observations that dates back to Nasa's Voyager 1 spacecraft and the first-ever close flyby of this moon in 1980.

Voyager identified many of the gases in Titan's brownish atmosphere as hydrocarbons, the chemicals that primarily make up petroleum and other fossil fuels on Earth.

It detected all members of the one- and two-carbon families in Titan's atmosphere.

From the three-carbon family, the spacecraft found propane, the heaviest member, and propyne, one of the lightest members.

But the middle chemicals, one of which is propylene, were missing.

It was finally found as a result of more detailed analysis of the CIRS data.

Cassini's mass spectrometer, a device that looks at the composition of Titan's atmosphere, had hinted earlier that propylene might be present in the upper atmosphere

‘This measurement was very difficult to make because propylene's weak signature is crowded by related chemicals with much stronger signals,’ said Michael Flasar, Goddard scientist and principal investigator for CIRS.

‘This success boosts our confidence that we will find still more chemicals long hidden in Titan's atmosphere.’

Cassini's mass spectrometer, a device that looks at the composition of Titan's atmosphere, had hinted earlier that propylene might be present in the upper atmosphere.

However, a positive identification had not been made.