Question

Each of the following gives a statement that a future explorer might someday make. In each case, decide whether the claim seems plausible in light of current knowledge. Explain clearly; because not all of these have definitive answers, your explanation is more important than your chosen answer. New spacecraft images show lakes of liquid water on both Pluto and its moon Charon.

Short answer

Lakes of liquid water on Pluto and Charon are implausible due to extreme cold and thin atmospheres.

Step-by-step solution

Review Current Knowledge

To assess the plausibility of finding lakes of liquid water on Pluto and Charon, we start by reviewing what we know about these celestial bodies. Both Pluto and Charon are located in the Kuiper Belt, far from the Sun, leading to extremely low surface temperatures, typically around -229°C (-380°F), which is far below the freezing point of water.

Understanding Conditions Required for Liquid Water

Liquid water requires specific conditions, such as adequate atmospheric pressure and temperature, to remain in a liquid state. Given the severe cold and thin atmosphere on Pluto and Charon, liquid water on the surface is highly unlikely under current conditions.

Consideration of Alternative Water States

While surface lakes of liquid water are implausible, subsurface water or alternative states such as water-ice, or possibly subsurface liquid water insulated by ice and pressure, could exist. However, this is speculative and requires evidence from future exploratory missions.

Conclusion Based on Current Knowledge

Based on the extreme conditions present on Pluto and Charon, the existence of surface lakes of liquid water is implausible according to current scientific understanding. The absence of sufficient atmospheric pressure and the frigid temperatures make this scenario unlikely.

Key concepts

Liquid water in the solar system

Liquid water is a crucial factor when we search for potential life beyond Earth. In our solar system, liquid water doesn’t necessarily mean vast oceans. Because of varying conditions on different celestial bodies, it can exist in various forms and locations.

What do we need for water to remain liquid? A few key conditions are required for water to stay in liquid form:

• Adequate temperature: Water needs temperatures between 0°C and 100°C (32°F to 212°F) to be in a liquid state.
• Sufficient pressure: This prevents water from boiling into gas or freezing into ice at unexpected temperatures.

While Earth fulfills these conditions effortlessly, other celestial bodies might have liquid water in unexpected places such as beneath layers of ice where pressure is higher and temperatures might be warmer due to geothermal heat.

Scientists speculate liquid water could exist underneath the icy crusts of moons like Europa or Enceladus. Such discoveries fuel our hope of finding life beyond Earth, as water is a universal solvent crucial for the chemistry of life.

Kuiper Belt

The Kuiper Belt is a vast region in our solar system that extends beyond the orbit of Neptune. It's like a distant cosmic frontier packed with exciting phenomena. Known for its icy nature, the Kuiper Belt consists mainly of small icy bodies and dwarf planets.

Here’s why the Kuiper Belt is important:

• It's home to Pluto and Charon, among other celestial bodies.
• It's a relic from the early solar system, offering clues about its formation and evolution.

The cold, distant location means most objects in the Kuiper Belt remain frozen. The icy nature suggests that these bodies are composed of a mixture of frozen water, methane, and other volatile compounds. This cold collection of ancient remnants helps scientists understand the building blocks of planets and the processes from the solar system’s youth.

Studying the Kuiper Belt is key to piecing together the history of our solar system, and missions to this region, like New Horizons, provide valuable data about these intriguing outer worlds.

Exploration of Pluto and Charon

Exploring Pluto and its moon Charon has offered new insights into the distant reaches of our solar system. These worldlets, residing in the Kuiper Belt, have intrigued scientists for decades.

Here's what makes exploration so fascinating:

• Discoveries include mountains made of ice and surface colors hinting at complex organic molecules on Pluto.
• Charon showed evidence of past tectonic activity, indicating a dynamic history.

The New Horizons mission, launched by NASA, marked the first close-up study of Pluto and Charon, revealing a surprisingly complex and diverse environment with vast icy landscapes, towering mountains, and expansive plains.

This mission has been vital in understanding these frozen bodies and their potential for holding secrets about our solar system's past. Even if liquid water on the surface is unlikely, these missions help explore other possibilities, such as hidden subsurface oceans or the impacts of subsurface liquid water insulated by thick ice layers.