Titan Lake Simulation Chamber

We will modify the existing Titan Lakes Simulation System (TiLSS), currently designed to study the composition of Titan’s lakes in equilibrium with the atmosphere, to allow for more detailed analysis of Titan fluid physical and chemical properties.  The system will be upgraded to enable the testing of fiber optic instruments designed to perform chemical analysis of Titan lake fluids, and to enable visual observation of the fluid for studies of bubble and particle motion.

These experiments will demonstrate the use of the Titan chamber as a platform for the testing of various technologies related to lake lander design and in situ chemical analysis of lake fluids.  The fiber optic probes will be tested entirely under relevant Titan surface conditions (94 K, 1.5 bar), increasing TRL for this component to 5.  The addition of a visual observation capability will allow for experiments on the exsolvation of dissolved gases (such as nitrogen) on heating of Titan lake fluids.  The nitrogen exsolvation experiments will provide critical information necessary for design of lake landers and sampling systems.