A titanian explorer prepares to release a weather balloon
while another directs a flood lamp to illuminate the activity. On the left
is a supply cart with a portable weather station, featuring an interactive control
panel designed to accommodate hands enclosed in thick gloves. All exposed hardware would
have to function at
temperatures of minus 300° F and below.
With an
atmosphere 10 times denser than the Earth's, weather would be of keen
interest to Titan's visitors. High in Titan's atmosphere wind velocities in
excess of 400 mph have been detected. While not
much is known about winds and weather at Triton's surface, terrain features
resembling dune fields have been observed, suggesting surface winds have
occurred at some locations. Fogs of methane gas would likely be present at
the surface as well.