Is Saturn doomed?

Question

Did anyone see that video on Youtube where they reckon the planet Saturn could blow up because of a chain reaction from the nuclear material in the space probe? Or was that some kind of joke?

Answer 1

Did the Galileo probe blow up Jupiter?

The second largest planet in the Solar system being blown to smithereens by one teeny little Huygens probe? I think not! Yes, Saturn has a density lower than that of water but it is still 95 times as massive as the earth!

Volume of Saturn: 8.27×10^14 km³ (763 Earths)
Mass: 5.6846×10^26 kg (95.152 Earths)

Mass of Huygens-Cassini probe: 317 kilograms

Size of the probe: Huygens' heat shield was 2.7 metres in diameter; after ejecting the shield, having got to the surface (when it was no longer needed), the probe was 1.3 metres in diameter. Bit small to be blowing up a gas giant planet, wouldn't you say?

The probe part (Huygens) descended by parachute to the surface of Titan, Saturn's moon over two years ago and there it remains to this day (the Cassini orbiter continues to explore several moons of Saturn)

I am afraid I don't quite see how a probe stuck on a rock-and-pebble-strewn Titan shoreline since January 14th 2005 would manage to now blow up Saturn but leave Titan itself untouched.

That rather eludes me. Titan is an average of 1,221,930 kilometres from Saturn (semi-major axis)

Especially considering Huygens' batteries went dead within 3 hours of starting the descent and that is all they were capable of (and what they were designed to do),

Seems to me the writer of this piece of fiction doesn't really know much about this mission and perhaps reading the links below would make his or her journalism better informed!

Answer 2

It's another bit of anti-nuclear paranoia. The only way to power a space probe for the years it takes to fulfil its mission is by a small nuclear generator that uses the heat generated by the radioactive decay of a few kilos of plutonium. This material is non-fissile, in other words there is no way it can sustain a chain reaction of the kind used in nuclear power plants here on Earth or in nuclear bombs. It simply will not explode or create any kind of chain reaction. Further, even if it could the probe measures a few metres across. Using it to ignite Saturn would be like trying to ignite Earth's entire atmosphere by striking a match. But that won't put off the doomsayers, who believe that anything involving nuclear material is bad or eveil. When Cassini was launched a bunch of protesters gathered to shout loudly about the nuclear material in it, despite the fact that the material was non-fissile and was contained in a vessel designed to withstand either atmospheric re-entry or even the complete destruction of a fully fuelled launch vehicle on the pad WITHOUT releasing the nuclear material.

It's ignorance and fear, plain and simple. The same fuss was made by the same ignorant people about the Galileo probe when NASA announced they were going to send it plunging into Jupiter after its mission was completed. Nothing happened then and nothing will happen on Saturn with Cassini.

Answer 3

the probe landed on saturn's moon Titan (triton is the largest moon of neptune incidentally). itsw nuclear material could cause a minor probolem on the moon but even that is unlikely. saturn will not be doomed by anything so small.

in other words it was some kind of joke, maybe you should watch the news instead of relying on youtube

Answer 4

Saturn will out last earth.
When the earth is vaporized by an expanding sun Saturn will go on it's merry way.

Answer 5

Whether Saturn is doomed or not Indian Cricket is

Answer 6

triton...saturns moon is doomed...not saturn

Answer 7

it was a joke ........ I hope if not then grab you popcorn and sit back because it will be one hell of a show

Answer 8

I didn't see that...could someone find it and post a link please. I doubt that is true, though.