Guests: John Batchelor, Dr. Linda Spilker, Dr. David Livingston.  Topics:  Saturn's moon Titan's drift rate, volcanic activity, and bright spots leading to dried-up lake beds.  You are invited to comment, ask questions, and discuss the Space Show program/guest(s) on the Space Show blog. Comments, questions, and any discussion must be relevant and applicable to Space Show programming. Written Transcripts of Space Show programs are not permitted without prior written consent from The Space Show (even if for personal use) & are a violation of the Space Show copyright. We do not permit the commercial use of any Space Show program or part thereof, nor do we permit Space Show programs to be edited, placed on YouTube, or other private channels & websites. Space Show programs can be quoted in news articles, papers, academic & research work but must be cited or referenced in the proper citation format. Contact Dr. Livingston for questions about our copyright and trademark policies which we do enforce.  This program is archived on The Space Show website, podcasting, and blog sites with permission from John Batchelor. Please visit the John Batchelor Show website for more information about this fine program, www.johnbatchelorshow.com.  Remember, your Amazon Purchases Can Help Support The Space Show/OGLF (www.onegiantleapfoundation.org/amazon.htm.  Please note that audio and transition issues are a result of copying the John Batchelor broadcast & are not within my control as they originate in the Batchelor studio.

John Batchelor and I welcomed back Dr. Linda Spilker of JPL's Cassini Mission to discuss new information and discoveries regarding Saturn's moon Titan. Our program was a double segment Hotel Mars discussion for about 18 minutes in two segments.  We started our discussion talking about bright spot reflections being seen on Titan and now being thought to be dried-up Methane lake beds.  You can read a good story about this subject at www.smithsonianmag.com for June 19, 2020 by Alex Fox.  Dr. Spilker took us through the bright spot analysis and the dried-up lake bed conclusions, then we switched to discussing possible volcanic activity on Titan.  For more on this story, search for the article titled "Volcanoes on Titan: NASA spies eruption evidence on Saturn's moon 'could continue today.'  Dr. Spilker went through the supporting evidence, answered questions from both John and myself, and indicated that Titan had lots and lots of secrets and mysteries to give up to the researchers over time and for a long time to come.

In the second and final segment of this program, we talked about Titan drifting away from Saturn at a faster rate than previously thought.  Once again, read a NASA JPL News Article on this story from June 8, 2020 titled "Saturn's Moon Titan Drifting Away Faster Than Previously Thought."  Dr. Spilker said this research and information was influencing our understanding of the formation of the solar systems.  She said Titan was moving about a hundred times faster than thought with old theories.  She talked about both old and now current theories. I asked why 4' a year was significant because 4' a year did not sound like much.  I noted that the pen I was using was 6.5" long.  Don't miss how Dr. Spilker responded to my comment.  Before ending, we talked about the upcoming Dragonfly mission to fly a drone on Titan.  Here, we talked about the thick atmosphere of Titan, atmospheric pressure and drones and more.  Read about Dragonfly here:  www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasas-dragonfly-will-fly-around-titan-looking-for-origins-signs-of-life.

You can email Mr. Batchelor or Dr. Spilker through me at drspace@thespaceshow.com.  Dr. Spilker can also be reached through her JPL website.