ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Carolyn Porco - Planetary scientist
As the leader of the Imaging Team on the Cassini mission to Saturn, Carolyn Porco interprets and shares the pictures coming back from this fascinating planet, its rings and its moons.

Why you should listen

Planetary scientist Carolyn Porco studies and interprets the photos from NASA space missions like the renowned Voyager mission to the outer solar system in the 1980s and the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn. She leads a team of scientists from the US and Europe that has been analyzing the images Cassini has sent back since it left Earth in 1997. At Saturn, they have found new phenomena everywhere they've turned their cameras … in the planet’s atmosphere, within its rings and on the surfaces of its many moons. And they've produced spectacular images and animations of these marvels in the process.

Back in the early-1980s, while still working on her doctorate, Porco was drafted onto the Voyager imaging team to assist in crunching the mountains of data coming back from Voyager’s fly-by of Saturn. Her work on the planet's rings and their relation to its moons cemented her connection with Saturn. After Voyager had flown by Neptune and was nearing conclusion, she worked together with Carl Sagan in planning Voyager’s celebrated Pale Blue Dot picture of Earth.

Her ongoing work at the Cassini Imaging Central Laboratory for Operations (CICLOPs) has two goals: to process, interpret and archive Cassini’s images for other scientists, and to make sure the images -- in all their breathtaking poetry and mystery and sheer Save-Image-As-Desktop awesomeness -- connect with the general public. She is an advocate for the exploration and understanding of planetary space, and her frequent talks (as well as her "Captain's Log" memos on the CICLOPS website) speak to everyone, scientist and nonscientist alike. Her advocacy extends to Hollywood, where she was the character consultant on the 1997 movie “Contact,” and a consultant on the 2009 Paramount Pictures re-boot of “Star Trek.” In 2012, she was named one the 25 most influential people in space by TIME magazine.

Finally, in a twist on the Pale Blue Dot theme, it was she who conceived the idea to invite the people of the world to smile while Cassini imaged the Earth on July 19, 2013 in an event called “The Day the Earth Smiled.”

For more information: 

Solar System Portrait: Earth as 'Pale Blue Dot'

BBC: Saturn snapped as Earth smiled

The Atlantic: The Carl Sagan of Our Time Reprises the 'Pale Blue Dot' Photo of Earth

The Day the Earth Smiled: Image

Library of Congress: Portraits of the Solar System: Talking with Carolyn Porco About Carl Sagan  

More profile about the speaker
Carolyn Porco | Speaker | TED.com
TED2009

Carolyn Porco: Could a Saturn moon harbor life?

Karolīna Porko: Vai Saturna pavadonis spētu uzturēt dzīvību?

Filmed:
1,054,733 views

Karolīna Porko atklāj aizraujošu atklājumu no „Cassini” zondes nesen iegūtajiem paraugiem uz Saturna pavadoņa Encelāda. No pavadoņa ledainajiem geizeriem ievāktie paraugi liecina, ka okeāns zem planētas virsmas varētu uzturēt dzīvību.
- Planetary scientist
As the leader of the Imaging Team on the Cassini mission to Saturn, Carolyn Porco interprets and shares the pictures coming back from this fascinating planet, its rings and its moons. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

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Two yearsgadiem agopirms here at TEDTED
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Pirms diviem gadiem šeit, TED, ziņoju,
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I reportedziņots that we had discoveredatklāts
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ka ar Cassini zondes palīdzību
pie Saturna esam atklājuši
00:22
at SaturnSaturn, with the CassiniCassini SpacecraftKosmosa kuģi,
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an anomalouslyanomalously warmsilts and geologicallyģeoloģiski activeaktīva regionreģionā
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neparasti siltu
un ģeoloģiski aktīvu apgabalu
00:28
at the southerndienvidos tippadoms of the smallmazs SaturnineDrūmais moonmēness
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netālu no šeit redzamā, mazā
Saturna pavadoņa Encelāda dienvidpola.
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EnceladusEncelāds, seenredzējis here.
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00:33
This regionreģionā seenredzējis here for the first time
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Apgabals pirmo reizi ieraudzīts
Cassini 2005. gadā uzņemtā attēlā.
00:35
in the CassiniCassini imageattēls takenņemti in 2005. This is the southuz dienvidiem polarpolārs regionreģionā,
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Lūk, dienvidpola apgabals
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with the famousslavens tiger-stripetīģeris svītru fractureslūzumu crossingšķērsošana the southuz dienvidiem polepole.
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ar slavenajām tīģersvītru plaisām
pāri dienvidpolam.
00:43
And seenredzējis just recentlynesen in latevēlu 2008,
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Un, lūk, šis apgabals pavisam nesen,
2008. gada nogalē.
00:47
here is that regionreģionā again,
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Tagad tas ir pustumsā,
00:49
now halfpuse in darknesstumsa because the southerndienvidos hemispherepuslode
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jo dienvidu puslodē
iestājas augusts, kas ievada ziemu.
00:52
is experiencingpiedzīvo the onsetSākums of AugustAugusts
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00:55
and eventuallybeidzot winterziema.
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00:57
And I alsoarī reportedziņots that we'dmēs gribētu madeizgatavots this mind-blowingprātam neaptverams discoveryatklāšana --
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Es arī ziņoju, ka veicām
prātam neaptveramu atklājumu,
01:00
this once-in-a-lifetimevienreiz-in--mūža discoveryatklāšana
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mūža atklājumu,
01:02
of toweringstiprs jetssprauslas
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proti, strūklas, kas izšļācas
no plaisām pie dienvidpola
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eruptingizvirda from those fractureslūzumu at the southuz dienvidiem polepole,
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01:07
consistingkas sastāv of tinysīks waterūdens iceledus crystalskristāli
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un sastāv no sīkiem ūdens ledus kristāliem
kopā ar ūdens tvaikiem
01:09
accompaniedkopā by waterūdens vaportvaiks
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01:12
and simplevienkāršs organicorganisks compoundssavienojumi like carbonogleklis dioxidedioksīds and methanemetāns.
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un vienkāršiem organiskiem savienojumiem
kā oglekļa dioksīds un metāns.
01:16
And at that time two yearsgadiem agopirms
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Tolaik, pirms diviem gadiem,
teicu, ka mūsu minējumi ir,
01:18
I mentionedminēts that we were speculatingspekulācijas
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01:20
that these jetssprauslas mightvarētu in factfakts be geysersgeizers,
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ka šīs strūklas patiesībā
varētu būt geizeri,
01:22
and eruptingizvirda from pocketskabatas
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ko izšļāc ar šķidru ūdeni pildītas
pazemes kabatas vai kameras,
01:24
or chamberskameras of liquidšķidrums waterūdens underneathzem tā the surfacevirsma,
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01:26
but we weren'tnebija really sure.
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bet mēs nebijām īsti droši.
01:28
HoweverTomēr, the implicationssekas of those resultsrezultātus --
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Tomēr šie secinājumi,
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of a possibleiespējams environmentvide withiniekšpusē this moonmēness
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ka uz šī pavadoņa, iespējams, pastāv vide
kas varētu uzturēt pirmsbiotisku ķīmiju,
01:34
that could supportatbalsts prebioticPREBIOTIC chemistryķīmija,
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01:36
and perhapsvarbūt life itselfpati par sevi --
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un, iespējams, pat dzīvību,
bija tik aizraujoši,
ka nākamos divus gadus
01:39
were so excitingaizraujoša that, in the interveningstarplaikā two yearsgadiem,
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01:41
we have focusedkoncentrēta more on EnceladusEncelāds.
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Encelādam pievērsāmies vairāk.
01:43
We'veMēs esam flownnolicis the CassiniCassini SpacecraftKosmosa kuģi
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Cassini zonde šim pavadonim
vairākas reizes ir aplidojusi apkārt,
01:46
by this moonmēness now severalvairāki timesreizes,
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flyinglido closertuvāk and deeperdziļāk into these jetssprauslas,
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pielidojot tuvāk un dziļāk šajās strūklās,
01:51
into the denserbiezajiem regionsreģioni of these jetssprauslas,
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blīvākos strūklu apgabalos,
01:53
so that now we have come away with some
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tā ka mēs nu esam ieguvuši dažus
ļoti precīzus sastāva mērījumus.
01:55
very preciseprecīzs compositionalsastāva measurementsmērījumi.
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01:57
And we have foundatrasts
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Un mēs esam atklājuši,
01:59
that the organicorganisks compoundssavienojumi comingnāk from this moonmēness
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ka organiskie savienojumi,
kas paceļas no šī pavadoņa
02:02
are in factfakts more complexkomplekss than we previouslyagrāk reportedziņots.
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ir daudz sarežģītāki,
nekā iepriekš ziņojām.
02:05
While they're not aminoamino acidsskābes,
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Kaut arī tās nav aminoskābes,
mēs tagad atrodam tādas vielas
kā propānu un benzolu,
02:07
we're now findingatrast things like
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propanepropāns and benzenebenzols,
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hydrogenūdeņradis cyanidecianīds, and formaldehydeformaldehīds.
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ūdeņraža cianīdu un formaldehīdu.
02:13
And the tinysīks waterūdens crystalskristāli here
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Un sīkie ūdens kristāli
02:16
now look for all the worldpasaule
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tagad izskatās nu gluži
kā sasalušas sālsūdens pilītes.
02:18
like they are frozensaldēti dropletspilieni of saltysāļa piegarša waterūdens,
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02:21
whichkas is a discoveryatklāšana that suggestsiesaka
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Šāds atklājums vedina uz domām,
02:23
that not only do the jetssprauslas come from
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ka strūklas ne vien nāk
no šķidra ūdens krātuves,
02:25
pocketskabatas of liquidšķidrums waterūdens,
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bet arī ka šis šķidrais ūdens
ir saskarē ar iežiem.
02:27
but that that liquidšķidrums waterūdens is in contactkontakts with rockakmens.
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02:30
And that is a circumstanceapstākļi
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Un tie ir apstākļi,
02:32
that could supplypiegāde the chemicalķīmiskā viela energyenerģija
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kas varētu radīt ķīmisko enerģiju
02:34
and the chemicalķīmiskā viela compoundssavienojumi neededvajadzīgs to sustainuzturēt life.
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un ķīmiskos savienojumus
dzīvības uzturēšanai.
02:37
So we are very encouragedmudināja by these resultsrezultātus.
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Mūs šie rezultāti ļoti iedrošina.
02:40
And we are much more confidentpārliecināts now than we were two yearsgadiem agopirms
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Un mēs esam daudz drošāki
nekā pirms diviem gadiem,
02:43
that we mightvarētu indeedpatiešām
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ka zem šī pavadoņa dienvidu pola
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have on this moonmēness, underzem the southuz dienvidiem polepole,
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02:48
an environmentvide or a zonezona that is hospitableviesmīlīgi to livingdzīvo organismsorganismiem.
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patiešām varētu būt vide vai zona,
kas spēj uzturēt dzīvus organismus.
02:52
WhetherVai or not there are livingdzīvo organismsorganismiem there, of courseprotams,
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Vai tajā ir dzīvi organismi,
protams, ir pilnīgi cits jautājums.
02:55
is an entirelypilnīgi differentatšķirīgs matterjautājums.
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02:57
And that will have to awaitgaida the arrivalierašanās,
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Lai to noskaidrotu, būs jāgaida,
kad uz Encelāda ieradīsies kosmosa zonde,
cerams, tuvākajā nākotnē,
02:59
back at EnceladusEncelāds,
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03:02
of the spacecraftsspacecrafts, hopefullycerams some time in the nearnetālu futurenākotne,
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03:05
specificallykonkrēti equippedaprīkots to addressadrese that particularīpaši questionjautājums.
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kas būs īpaši aprīkota
šī jautājuma izpētīšanai.
Bet tikmēr aicinu iedomāties dienu,
03:09
But in the meantimestarp citu I inviteuzaicināt you to imagineiedomājieties the day
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03:12
when we mightvarētu journeyceļojums to the SaturnineDrūmais systemsistēma,
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kad mēs varētu ceļot uz Saturna sistēmu
03:15
and visitapmeklējums the EnceladusEncelāds interplanetarystarpplanētu geysergeizers parkparks,
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un apmeklēt Encelāda
starpplanetāro geizeru parku,
03:19
just because we can.
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tāpēc vien, ka to varam.
03:21
Thank you.
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Paldies.
(Aplausi)
03:23
(ApplauseAplausi)
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Translated by Raimonds Jaks
Reviewed by Kristaps Kadiķis

▲Back to top

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Carolyn Porco - Planetary scientist
As the leader of the Imaging Team on the Cassini mission to Saturn, Carolyn Porco interprets and shares the pictures coming back from this fascinating planet, its rings and its moons.

Why you should listen

Planetary scientist Carolyn Porco studies and interprets the photos from NASA space missions like the renowned Voyager mission to the outer solar system in the 1980s and the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn. She leads a team of scientists from the US and Europe that has been analyzing the images Cassini has sent back since it left Earth in 1997. At Saturn, they have found new phenomena everywhere they've turned their cameras … in the planet’s atmosphere, within its rings and on the surfaces of its many moons. And they've produced spectacular images and animations of these marvels in the process.

Back in the early-1980s, while still working on her doctorate, Porco was drafted onto the Voyager imaging team to assist in crunching the mountains of data coming back from Voyager’s fly-by of Saturn. Her work on the planet's rings and their relation to its moons cemented her connection with Saturn. After Voyager had flown by Neptune and was nearing conclusion, she worked together with Carl Sagan in planning Voyager’s celebrated Pale Blue Dot picture of Earth.

Her ongoing work at the Cassini Imaging Central Laboratory for Operations (CICLOPs) has two goals: to process, interpret and archive Cassini’s images for other scientists, and to make sure the images -- in all their breathtaking poetry and mystery and sheer Save-Image-As-Desktop awesomeness -- connect with the general public. She is an advocate for the exploration and understanding of planetary space, and her frequent talks (as well as her "Captain's Log" memos on the CICLOPS website) speak to everyone, scientist and nonscientist alike. Her advocacy extends to Hollywood, where she was the character consultant on the 1997 movie “Contact,” and a consultant on the 2009 Paramount Pictures re-boot of “Star Trek.” In 2012, she was named one the 25 most influential people in space by TIME magazine.

Finally, in a twist on the Pale Blue Dot theme, it was she who conceived the idea to invite the people of the world to smile while Cassini imaged the Earth on July 19, 2013 in an event called “The Day the Earth Smiled.”

For more information: 

Solar System Portrait: Earth as 'Pale Blue Dot'

BBC: Saturn snapped as Earth smiled

The Atlantic: The Carl Sagan of Our Time Reprises the 'Pale Blue Dot' Photo of Earth

The Day the Earth Smiled: Image

Library of Congress: Portraits of the Solar System: Talking with Carolyn Porco About Carl Sagan  

More profile about the speaker
Carolyn Porco | Speaker | TED.com

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