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 22 2006, 02:00 AM
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Member Group: Members Posts: 903 Joined: 30-January 05 Member No.: 162 |
From the Titan chapter in The New Solar System, I see we might expect besides the nitrogen, methane and argon, to find methyl radicals (CH3), ethane, acetylene, ethylene, polyacetylene, cyanide, and various breakdown products of several of them. I suspect Cassini will be casting a far better understanding of the atmospheric constituents.
It may be possible there is still some ammonia extant there too, perhaps most of the nitrogen in the atmosphere is from dissassociated ammonia after all, and it might be clatharated with the water ice. I'm still thinking it will be stinky there. |
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