Manned Landing On Titan, Issues & Answers? |
Manned Landing On Titan, Issues & Answers? |
Oct 19 2006, 09:08 PM
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Merciless Robot Group: Admin Posts: 8784 Joined: 8-December 05 From: Los Angeles Member No.: 602 |
Just got to thinking about some of the problems that may have to be addressed if & when we ever try to visit Titan in person.
The first thing that comes to mind is what might happen if some Titanian air gets inside an oxygen-rich manned spacecraft, say from minor airlock residue. I imagine that the explosive potential of some of the trace gasses is pretty high, and there's probably also a significant risk of poisonous compounds as well. So, here are some tenative requirements: 1. REALLY efficient air-scavenging airlocks. 2. Surface suits that can't trap external gasses in creases, folds, etc. 3. Spark-proof electrical/electronic everything. 4. Smoking is strictly forbidden (with apologies to the entire 1950s SF movie genre!) Gotta be more...any ideas? -------------------- A few will take this knowledge and use this power of a dream realized as a force for change, an impetus for further discovery to make less ancient dreams real.
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Oct 20 2006, 01:15 PM
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#2
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 3516 Joined: 4-November 05 From: North Wales Member No.: 542 |
I would love to go, but I'd prefer to be inside some submarine-like object rather than any kind of body suit.
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Oct 20 2006, 01:28 PM
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#3
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 3648 Joined: 1-October 05 From: Croatia Member No.: 523 |
I find it compelling that you could go around on Titan, pick up "rocks" you find interesting and when you get back to the ship, all those rocks just melt away under earthly temperatures. There's something about the fact that entire mountains, everything you see there would just melt if you held it in your hands long enough. Provided you had big enough hands...
An ocean world in out mindset, yet rock solid... Not to mention even more extreme cases like Triton! -------------------- |
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Oct 21 2006, 02:28 AM
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#4
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Member Group: Members Posts: 599 Joined: 26-August 05 Member No.: 476 |
I find it compelling that you could go around on Titan, pick up "rocks" you find interesting and when you get back to the ship, all those rocks just melt away under earthly temperatures. There's something about the fact that entire mountains, everything you see there would just melt if you held it in your hands long enough. Provided you had big enough hands... An ocean world in out mindset, yet rock solid... Not to mention even more extreme cases like Triton! If the surface is not very rocky (rocks or water ice rocks), perhaps cross-country skis might be a viable transport mechanism. Adjust heat flow from suit radiators into the skis to avoid freezing in place. On worlds further out, e.g., more distant TNO's, where the surface is frozen gas, allowing heat radiators in uncontrolled contact with the surface might cause the gas to boil off violently. |
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