Colonization of Titan

[Cairan]

It seems to me lately that Titan is to become a very important target for the human race in the 21st century, much more so than Mars in my opinion. Abundant nitrogen, water ice, ammonia and methane, the only thing lacking is energy and/or free oxygen. If the winds are strong enough at the surface, then wind generators might be used to generate the electricity needed to convert the chemicals for use by a colony there.

Low gravity, dense atmosphere, it's a dreamworld for exploration with airships or airplanes...

Any thoughts?

 

[Tex]

Low gravity, dense atmosphere, it's a dreamworld for exploration with airships or airplanes...

No need.. the combination of low gravity and atmosphere means a human can fly with simple wings attached to each arm.

Welcome to the forum btw!

 

[Cairan]

Welcome to the forum btw!

Well thanks, I've been lurking around for awhile ever since the infinite improbability database engine crashed at M6 but was mostly kept busy with remote sensing data analysis... Now that I've written the processing code, all I have to do is sit back and read while it runs. :beach:

Great job on the forum and on your videos BTW.

 

[Missioncmdr]

No need.. the combination of low gravity and atmosphere means a human can fly with simple wings attached to each arm.

While that is true, it would not be a very good way to seriously explore. And that person would also be wearing a spacesuit. An airship might be practical for transporting people and equipment.

Titan is certainly one of the most interesting targets for exploration. The main problem is that it is so far away. Any type of manned exploration of Titan would probably require an international endeavor many times greater and more expensive than the International Space Station.

 

[Eagle]

Moon first. That way any emergencies can be handled reasonably quickly.
Mars will probably be the first colony to be self-sufficient.
NEOs will probably be next followed by airless moons.
No idea when Titan will follow, I guess it depends if they can set up an livable environment easier there than on an airless rock.

 

[Andy44]

I say Europa. Explore by submarine and snowcat.
20,000 Leagues Under the (Europan) Sea meets The Thing!

 

[Cairan]

I say Europa. Explore by submarine and snowcat.
20,000 Leagues Under the (Europan) Sea meets The Thing!

I would be tempted by Europa too, if it were not for the insane levels of radiation you get exposed to while getting into orbit and landing in the pre-melted hole bored by unmanned drillers prior to arrival.

I must admit, getting genuine videos on Youtube of a 20 meter wide giant purple glowing radioactive octopus in Europa's waters would beat a smoking kitten.

 

[cjp]

I'd say NEOs.

• Empty space doesn't have enough materials to build colonies
• The moon lacks certain very important elements, and you need a significant amount of delta-v for take-off and landing
• Mars is far away, and needs even more delta-v
• Moon and mars don't have the economical advantage of cheap access to a zero-gravity environment
• Some NEOs have easy-mineable, very valuable metals
• The health-impact from lack of gravity can be avoided by using a wheel-shaped rotating station

I have to say that the moon is also attractive, because of the large number of launch (and rescue) windows, and the short traveling times
, which is useful in case of emergencies. Mars (and Venus?) become attractive as soon as terraforming becomes feasible, which is only a dream for the distant future.

 

[ijuin]

A decent-sized NEO (read: one km or more in diameter) could also be hollowed out to build an impromptu O'Neill cylinder--and incidentally excavate a lot of useful material in the process.

 

[n0mad23]

A decent-sized NEO (read: one km or more in diameter) could also be hollowed out to build an impromptu O'Neill cylinder--and incidentally excavate a lot of useful material in the process.

The problem with the O'Neill cylinder is a physical one. A cigar shaped object like this will want to tumble end over end. It's a problem I've been wrestling with for a while now, as I like the idea of the structure, but I don't see any way out of this problem.

Perhaps a torus would be a better goal.

 

[Tex]

While that is true, it would not be a very good way to seriously explore. And that person would also be wearing a spacesuit. An airship might be practical for transporting people and equipment.

:lol:
...It was just some fun humor.

 

[ijuin]

The problem with the O'Neill cylinder is a physical one. A cigar shaped object like this will want to tumble end over end. It's a problem I've been wrestling with for a while now, as I like the idea of the structure, but I don't see any way out of this problem.

Put a bunch of mass (like the thrusters and fuel, storage tanks for extra water and materials, etc.) on one end of the structure, and that will make it lopsided enough to be gravity-gradient-stabilized, with the "heavier" end pointed toward the dominant tidal source.