Prometheus 2006

Prometheus 2006
Year	2005-06
Mission Destination	Titan
Mission Dates	28-02-2006 to 4-03-2006
Habitat Commander	Stephen Smith
Mission Control Commander	Crystal Xiao
Simulator Commander	Kevan Adlard

Mission Purpose

The primary purpose of this mission was to test if life exists, could exist, or has existed on Titan. This was carried out by first testing for the presence of various organic compounds needed for life, and/or exclusively produced as a byproduct of life (see "proposed experiments"), and ultimately testing for signs of life on Titan.

Astronauts

• Stephen Smith (Habitat Commander)
• Jonathan Scothorn (Pilot)
• Steven Mair (Co-Pilot)
• Stefan De Young (Engineer)
• Brian Foo (Payload Specialist)
• Nevin Hotson (Able Crewman)

Proposed Experiments

Main article: Mission Prometheus Experiments

Another experiment that was proposed (although the astronauts planned to bypass it with a granola bar cartel) was to have the astronauts become self-sufficient by growing their own duckweed from their grey water, and live off that for the last half of the mission.

Data on Titan

Main article: Titan

Titan is one of the moons orbiting Saturn. It is fairly large for a moon, and is comparable in size to some of the inner terrestrial planets. Its atmosphere is composed mostly of N₂ gas. Of particular interest during the mission was Titan's mantle. The leading theory as to the composition of Titan's mantle is that it is not molten rock but liquid water - one of the most vital elements needed for life.

Mission Results

We have life!

The experiments for the mission have been concluded, and alhough a formal report is still being generated, the Payload Specialist has been able to draw many conclusions about the prospects of life on Titan. We have been able to confirm the presence of nitrates, ammoniates, carbohydrates (sugars) and lipids (fats) on the surface of Titan. The presence of these complex organic molecules points towards the existance of life. Further evidence was obtained when sealed samples of liquid from Titan fermented and produced copious ammounts of alcohol. This behavior was observed in several samples, and rules out any possibility of this being an isolated case of contamination.

Mission Patch

The mission patch for Prometheus 2006 was developed by Eva Demers-Brett and was rendered by her, quite stunningly, in Adobe Photoshop. Unfortunately, the embroidered versions of the patch were unable to correctly reproduce all of the colours in the digital version. As a result, all of the patches appeared faded and slightly blurry.

Firsts

• Prometheus marked the first time a mission had been given a specific name, rather than just the destination and year.

Previous Mission	This Mission	Next Mission
Mars 2005	Prometheus 2006	Coronis 2007