[X] My Assistant

[Guest_BruceMoomaw_*]

http://www.agu.org/cgi-bin/sessions5?meeting=sm06&sec=P

Actually, the haul this time struck me as rather disappointing. But there were some interesting revisionist papers on the heterogeneity of Mars' surface basalt composition:
http://www.agu.org/cgi-bin/SFgate/SFgate?&...t;P31A-06"
...the earliest geological evolution of the lunar surface:
http://www.agu.org/cgi-bin/SFgate/SFgate?&...t;P41B-02"
...and the real nature of the Europan chaos features:
http://www.agu.org/cgi-bin/SFgate/SFgate?&...t;P33A-03"
...plus Robert Carlson's latest notes on his studies into the effect of Jovian radiation on various Europan surface chemicals, including organics:
http://www.agu.org/cgi-bin/SFgate/SFgate?&...t;P23A-01"
...in which he says that "Work is continuing to establish useful biosignatures that may persist in the complex mass spectra [even] of irradiated microorganisms."

But most of the interesting stuff seems to revolve around Saturn's moons. First, that paper by Dennis Matson et al on how they fit Iapetus' Belly Band into their theory of that moon's early evolution is at http://www.agu.org/cgi-bin/SFgate/SFgate?&...t;P33A-04" .

Second, Ralph Lorenz -- in an otherwise nonfresh bit on future Titan exploration techniques -- confirms that "The Huygens probe data indicate the presence of heavy organics (including benzene) in the surface material at the landing site":
http://www.agu.org/cgi-bin/SFgate/SFgate?&...t;P24A-01" .

Finally, there are three interesting Enceladus items. First, Matson, Castillo et al reiterate their belief that Enceladus may keep its south pole hot due to continued tidal dissipation in a big chamber of magma inside the moon's rocky core, which was initially heated by Al-26 at the moon's start -- and they repeat an LPSC abstract in which they state that tidal-dissipation friction may also be allowing the Loki lava lake on Io to keep ITSELF perpetually warm, with no need for any other heat source for it:
http://www.agu.org/cgi-bin/SFgate/SFgate?&...t;P33A-07" . (Their LPSC abstract on Loki is at http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2006/pdf/1767.pdf ).

Second, Gerald Schubert proposes a model of Enceladus' interior that calls for substantial early melting of Enceladus' ice, current complete differentiation of the moon into a rocky core and an ice shell 65 to 105 km thick, and a strong possibility of current subsurface liquid water:
http://www.agu.org/cgi-bin/SFgate/SFgate?&...t;P33A-06"

And finally, R.A. Baragiola repeats again that he thinks ammonia MAY be mixed with the water coming out of Enceladus'plumes, but that Saturn's radiation may destroy it almost instantly:
http://www.agu.org/cgi-bin/SFgate/SFgate?&...t;P24A-02" .

(I repeat, though, that this idea got pooh-poohed at the Europa Focus Group meeting on the grounds that a majority of the plume would have to be NH3, and that almost all of it would have to be totally destroyed during the brief 15 minutes or so before the vapor got from Enceladus' surface to the INMS on Cassini.)

Note: If I've offended Alex by trying to provide the rest of you with a summary of the AGU papers that I think you might find especially interesting, I'm EVER so sorry.

[The Messenger]

Emily said in her blog Ralph Lorenz hinted we may be seeing some altitude data soon:

"Ralph laughed and said "There's a story developing but that's all I can tell you. The guys are basically doing things that we've got no right to get away with doing with SAR data but the results may be worth sticking our necks out for."