Space Flight Originating from Saturn's Moon Titan

[Steve Langford]

Saturn's moon Titan is unique among similar-sized objects in the solar system in that it has a significant atomosphere. Is this atmosphere a blessing or a curse for astronauts attempting to leave a future base on the surface of Titan?

The atmospheric pressure at Titan's surface is about 1.5 times the pressure at the earth's surface, and it extends about seven times higher than the earth's atmosphere. One could perhaps "fly" to an altitude of 100 km or so. The atmosphere contains a few percent methane. Hopefully one could carry an oxidizer and burn methane--just the opposite to what airplanes do on earth. The surface gravity of Titan is similar to that of the moon, suggesting that experienced space travellers may find it easy to adjust to.

On the other hand, it might be cheaper for space travelers to put their base on a rock without an atmosphere. Ideas?

[K6-III]

Why must cost be considered at all???

With the construction of a lunar magnetic launcher....the problem won't be mass....but rather how many resources you are expending.....

Until we have functioning fusion reactors, there won't be any trips to Titan for humans anyway.....

....but the infrastructure could be sent up via a lunar magnetic launcher...

[Impalaplaya]

Is there any other planets that have an atmosphere that we can live on???

[K6-III]

The moon has an atmosphere too....technically.

It was temporarily doubled during each Apollo flight due to rocket exhaust gases....

But seriously...even if there aren't, we can burrow beneath the surface to much the same effect...

....such will be the strategy for the moon, anyhow...

[Steracide]

i don´t understand what the people want on the moon. okay it´s a good and cheap way to launch spacecrafts in future, but in my opinion it is unnecessary to create an atmosphere up there. all investigations concerning the moon surface and under it won´t take so long as it takes to build an atmoshpere.

[K6-III]

You don't need an atmosphere on the moon to live there. On the moon, you burrow below the surface...

[Steracide]

so we could do that with mars too...!?

[K6-III]

Indeed. That is why the moon's proximity to the earth makes it a near-perfect training ground for Mars...

[Steracide]

that´s right...
but i think the opinions of people will spread here....did you ever read the book "The Timemachine" (H.G. Wells)?...eventhough the content is different...the effects could be pretty much the same.

but i think the main problem would be the missing of the mental effection, that the sun has on us...

hey, but my opinion is...let´s go for it....and please let me be the first to do it on mars:)

[K6-III]

I am convinced that going to mars is indeed a necessity. Furthermore, I am convince that we could bring more people there with the same amount of resources by developing a lunar magnetic launcher....

[timeshifter]

the only problem with mag launchers is the heat shields needed to repel such heat at such speeds.
the shields we have now can withstand a 3000 mph reentry, but that is using the earth's gravity to pull us in.

going out would need about ten times that speed, and that would disintegrate any shields we have now.

also, one would need to take into account the angles of which you launch. if you launch with such speed at the wrong angle, you would not have enough feul left to successfully land on mars, let alone take off again.

[K6-III]

Which is why I'm saying the magnetic launcher should be on the moon, where the problem of heat shields need not be brought up....

[irizarry]

This is an interesting concept. What would be the ratio of oxidizer to methane for a methane breathing engine? If it were really efficient maybe a tether could be constructed from the surface of Titan to a space port-counterweight. Then again Titan holds the potential for life. In which case we will have to ask the occupants permission to use their airspace.