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?

Carolyn Porco: Kan det finnes liv på en av Saturns måner?

Filmed:
1,054,733 views

Carolyn Porco deler oppsiktsvekkende funn fra romsonden Cassinis siste forbipassering av en av Saturns måner, Enceladus. Prøver hentet fra månens is-geysirer tyder på at et hav under overflateisen kan inneholde liv.
- 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.

00:18
Two yearsår agosiden here at TEDTED
0
0
2000
Her på TED, for to år siden,
00:20
I reportedrapportert that we had discoveredoppdaget
1
2000
2000
rapporterte jeg at vi hadde funnet
00:22
at SaturnSaturn, with the CassiniCassini SpacecraftRomskip,
2
4000
3000
med romsonden Cassini, ved Saturn,
00:25
an anomalouslyanomalously warmvarm and geologicallygeologisk activeaktiv regionregion
3
7000
3000
en unormalt varm og geologisk aktiv region
00:28
at the southernsør- tipTips of the smallliten SaturnineSaturnine moonmåne
4
10000
3000
på sydpolen til den lille Saturn-månen
00:31
EnceladusEnceladus, seensett here.
5
13000
2000
Enceladus, vist her.
00:33
This regionregion seensett here for the first time
6
15000
2000
Denne regionen ble sett for første gang
00:35
in the CassiniCassini imagebilde takentatt in 2005. This is the southsør polarpolar regionregion,
7
17000
5000
på bilder tatt av Cassini i 2005. Dette er sydpol-regionen.
00:40
with the famousberømt tiger-stripeTiger-stripe fracturesfrakturer crossingkryssing the southsør polestang.
8
22000
3000
Med de berømte tigerstripene som krysser sydpolen.
00:43
And seensett just recentlynylig in latesent 2008,
9
25000
4000
Og sett sist ganske nylig i 2008,
00:47
here is that regionregion again,
10
29000
2000
her er den regionen igjen,
00:49
now halfhalv in darknessmørke because the southernsør- hemispherehalvkule
11
31000
3000
nå halvveis i mørke fordi den sydlige halvkule
00:52
is experiencingopplever the onsetutbruddet of AugustAugust
12
34000
3000
opplever begynnelsen av august
00:55
and eventuallyetter hvert wintervinter.
13
37000
2000
og etterhvert vinter.
00:57
And I alsoogså reportedrapportert that we'dvi vil madelaget this mind-blowinghalsbrekk discoveryoppdagelse --
14
39000
3000
Og jeg rapporterte også at vi hadde gjort et helt utrolig funn --
01:00
this once-in-a-lifetimegang discoveryoppdagelse
15
42000
2000
denne en-gang-i-livet oppdagelsen
01:02
of toweringruvende jetsjets
16
44000
2000
av enorme jetstrømmer
01:04
eruptingutbrudd from those fracturesfrakturer at the southsør polestang,
17
46000
3000
som brøt ut av sprekkene ved sypolen,
01:07
consistingbestående of tinyliten watervann iceis crystalskrystaller
18
49000
2000
og består av små vannkrystaller
01:09
accompaniedledsaget by watervann vapordamp
19
51000
3000
sammen med vanndamp
01:12
and simpleenkel organicorganisk compoundsforbindelsene like carbonkarbon dioxidedioksid and methanemetan.
20
54000
4000
og enkle organiske stoffer som karbondioksid og metan.
01:16
And at that time two yearsår agosiden
21
58000
2000
Og på den tiden for to år siden
01:18
I mentionednevnt that we were speculatingspekulere
22
60000
2000
nevnte jeg at vi spekulerte i
01:20
that these jetsjets mightkanskje in factfaktum be geysersgeysirer,
23
62000
2000
at disse jetstrømmene faktisk kunne være geysirer,
01:22
and eruptingutbrudd from pocketslommer
24
64000
2000
som brøt ut fra lommer
01:24
or chamberskammer of liquidvæske watervann underneathunder the surfaceflate,
25
66000
2000
eller vannkammer under overflaten.
01:26
but we weren'tvar ikke really sure.
26
68000
2000
Men vi var ikke helt sikre.
01:28
HoweverMen, the implicationsimplikasjoner of those resultsresultater --
27
70000
3000
Men implikasjonene av oppdagelsen
01:31
of a possiblemulig environmentmiljø withininnenfor this moonmåne
28
73000
3000
av et mulig miljø på denne månen
01:34
that could supportBrukerstøtte prebioticprebiotiske chemistrykjemi,
29
76000
2000
som kunne opprettholde organisk næringsstoff,
01:36
and perhapskanskje life itselfseg selv --
30
78000
3000
og kanskje liv i seg selv,
01:39
were so excitingspennende that, in the interveningintervenere two yearsår,
31
81000
2000
var så spennende at i de påfølgende to årene
01:41
we have focusedfokusert more on EnceladusEnceladus.
32
83000
2000
har vi fokusert mer og mer på Enceladus.
01:43
We'veVi har flownflydd the CassiniCassini SpacecraftRomskip
33
85000
3000
Vi har flydd Cassini romsonden
01:46
by this moonmåne now severalflere timesganger,
34
88000
2000
forbi denne månen flere ganger nå.
01:48
flyingflying closernærmere and deeperdypere into these jetsjets,
35
90000
3000
Passert nærmere og dypere inn i disse jetstrømmene,
01:51
into the densertettere regionsregionene of these jetsjets,
36
93000
2000
inn i de tettere regionene av disse jetstrømmene,
01:53
so that now we have come away with some
37
95000
2000
slik at vi nå har noen
01:55
very precisenøyaktig compositionalkompositoriske measurementsmålinger.
38
97000
2000
meget presise målinger av stoffene.
01:57
And we have foundfunnet
39
99000
2000
Og vi har funnet
01:59
that the organicorganisk compoundsforbindelsene comingkommer from this moonmåne
40
101000
3000
at de organiske stoffene som kommer fra denne månen
02:02
are in factfaktum more complexkomplekse than we previouslytidligere reportedrapportert.
41
104000
3000
faktisk er mer komplekse enn vi tidligere rapporterte.
02:05
While they're not aminoamino acidssyrer,
42
107000
2000
De er ikke aminosyrer,
02:07
we're now findingfunn things like
43
109000
2000
men vi finner ting som
02:09
propanepropan and benzenebenzen,
44
111000
2000
propan og benzen,
02:11
hydrogenhydrogen cyanidecyanid, and formaldehydeformaldehyd.
45
113000
2000
hydrogencyanid og formaldehyd.
02:13
And the tinyliten watervann crystalskrystaller here
46
115000
3000
Og de små frosne vannkrystallene her
02:16
now look for all the worldverden
47
118000
2000
ser virkelig ut som
02:18
like they are frozenfrossen dropletsdråper of saltysalt watervann,
48
120000
3000
om de er frosne dråper av saltvann.
02:21
whichhvilken is a discoveryoppdagelse that suggestsantyder
49
123000
2000
Som er en oppdagelse som foreslår
02:23
that not only do the jetsjets come from
50
125000
2000
at ikke bare kommer disse jetstrømmene fra
02:25
pocketslommer of liquidvæske watervann,
51
127000
2000
vannlommer,
02:27
but that that liquidvæske watervann is in contactkontakt with rockstein.
52
129000
3000
men at vannet er i kontakt med stein.
02:30
And that is a circumstanceforholdet
53
132000
2000
Og det er en omstendighet
02:32
that could supplyforsyning the chemicalkjemisk energyenergi
54
134000
2000
som kunne tilføre den kjemiske energien
02:34
and the chemicalkjemisk compoundsforbindelsene neededbehov for to sustainopprettholde life.
55
136000
3000
og de kjemiske stoffene som trengs for å opprettholde liv.
02:37
So we are very encouragedoppmuntret by these resultsresultater.
56
139000
3000
Så vi er blitt veldig motivert av disse funnene.
02:40
And we are much more confidentSelvsikker now than we were two yearsår agosiden
57
142000
3000
Og vi er mye mer sikre nå, enn vi var for to år siden
02:43
that we mightkanskje indeedfaktisk
58
145000
2000
på at vi faktisk har
02:45
have on this moonmåne, underunder the southsør polestang,
59
147000
3000
på denne månen, under sydpolen,
02:48
an environmentmiljø or a zonesone that is hospitablegjestfri to livingliving organismsorganismer.
60
150000
4000
et miljø eller en sone som er gjestmild for levende organismer.
02:52
WhetherOm or not there are livingliving organismsorganismer there, of coursekurs,
61
154000
3000
Hvorvidt det er levende organismer der, eller ikke,
02:55
is an entirelyfullstendig differentannerledes mattersaken.
62
157000
2000
er selvfølgelig en helt annen sak.
02:57
And that will have to awaitventer the arrivalankomst,
63
159000
2000
Og det må vente til vi ankommer
02:59
back at EnceladusEnceladus,
64
161000
3000
Enceladus
03:02
of the spacecraftsspacecrafts, hopefullyforhåpentligvis some time in the nearnær futureframtid,
65
164000
3000
med romfarkoster, forhåpentligvis en gang i nær framtid,
03:05
specificallynærmere bestemt equippedutstyrt to addressadresse that particularbestemt questionspørsmål.
66
167000
4000
som er spesialdesignet for å kunne svare oss på det spesielle spørsmålet.
03:09
But in the meantimemellomtiden I inviteinvitere you to imagineForestill deg the day
67
171000
3000
I mellomtiden inviterer jeg dere til å se for dere dagen
03:12
when we mightkanskje journeyreise to the SaturnineSaturnine systemsystem,
68
174000
3000
da vi reiser til det Saturnianske systemet,
03:15
and visitbesøk the EnceladusEnceladus interplanetaryinterplanetariske geyserGeysir parkparkere,
69
177000
4000
og besøker den interplanetariske geysir-parken på Enceladus,
03:19
just because we can.
70
181000
2000
rett og slett fordi vi kan.
03:21
Thank you.
71
183000
2000
Takk.
03:23
(ApplauseApplaus)
72
185000
1000
(Applaus)
Translated by Martin Hassel
Reviewed by Joachim Grønhaug

▲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

Data provided by TED.

This site was created in May 2015 and the last update was on January 12, 2020. It will no longer be updated.

We are currently creating a new site called "eng.lish.video" and would be grateful if you could access it.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to write comments in your language on the contact form.

Privacy Policy

Developer's Blog

Buy Me A Coffee