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posted by n1 on Monday May 15 2017, @02:25AM   Printer-friendly
from the new-colonial-era dept.

John Timmer at Ars Technica reports:

So, why Titan? The two closer destinations, the Moon and Mars, have atmospheres that are effectively nonexistent. That means any habitation will have to be extremely robust to hold its contents in place. Both worlds are also bathed in radiation, meaning those habitats will need to be built underground, as will any agricultural areas to feed the colonists. Any activities on the surface will have to be limited to avoid excessive radiation exposure.

Would anyone want to go to a brand-new world just to spend their lives in a cramped tunnel? Hendrix and Wohlforth suggest the answer will be "no." Titan, in contrast, offers a dense atmosphere that shields the surface from radiation and would make any structural failures problematic, rather than catastrophic. With an oxygen mask and enough warm clothing, humans could roam Titan's surface in the dim sunlight. Or, given the low gravity and dense atmosphere, they could float above it in a balloon or on personal wings.

The vast hydrocarbon seas and dunes, Hendrix and Wohlforth suggest, would allow polymers to handle many of the roles currently played by metal and wood. Drilling into Titan's crust would access a vast supply of liquid water in the moon's subsurface ocean. It's not all the comforts of home, but it's a lot more of them than you'd get on the Moon or Mars.


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  • (Score: 4, Interesting) by kaszz on Monday May 15 2017, @04:57AM (4 children)

    by kaszz (4211) on Monday May 15 2017, @04:57AM (#509769) Journal

    I found the answer in Solar System Astrophysics: Planetary Atmospheres and the Outer Solar System (2014) [google.com] by AvEugene F. Milone,William J.F. Wilson on page 560. Which states that:

    Constituent                       Amount
    N2             (Nitrogen)         80 - 98%
    CH4            (Methane)          0.1 - 20%  [2.2% at 850 km]
    Ar             (Argon)            <1%
    CO             (Carbon monoxide)  29 - 52 ppm
    H2             (Hydrogen)         [20 ppm]
    C2H6           (Ethane)           1 - 15 ppm
    C2H4           (Ethylene)         0.01 - 15 ppm
    C2H2           (Acetylene)        2-5 ppm
    C3H8           (Propane)          0.04 - 0.7 ppm
    CH3C2H         (Methylacetylene)  0.004 - 0.5 ppm
    HCN            (Hydrogen cyanide) 0.05 - 0.5 ppm
    HC3N           (Cyanoacetylene)   <= 0.002 - 0.03 ppm
    CO2            (Carbon dioxide)   0.001 - 0.04 ppm
    C2N2           (Cyanogen)         <= 0.002 - 0.006 ppm
    H2O            (Water)            4 ppb

    And as for toxicity:

    Hydrogen cyanide: LClo 107 ppm (human, 10 min)
    Cyanoacetylene: LDlo? LD50?
    Cyanogen: Recommended exposure limit, 10 ppm
    Ethane: Suffocation risk only, ie replacing oxygen
    Ethylene: Daily exposure limit, 200 ppm
    Acetylene: Recommended exposure limit, 2500 ppm

    It actually seems the atmosphere might be alright from a acute toxicity point of view. Though no MSDS for cyanoacetylene..

    Starting Score:    1  point
    Moderation   +2  
       Interesting=1, Informative=1, Total=2
    Extra 'Interesting' Modifier   0  
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    Total Score:   4  
  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Dunbal on Monday May 15 2017, @05:04AM (3 children)

    by Dunbal (3515) on Monday May 15 2017, @05:04AM (#509774)

    The problem is not necessarily in the atmosphere. At these temperatures (-179 C) a lot of the above compounds will be in solid form so they won't be "in the atmosphere". But you thought bringing slush covered muddy boots into the house was bad, wait until you get melting/boiling cyanide and all those other toxics all over your little moonbase carpet...

    • (Score: 2) by kaszz on Monday May 15 2017, @05:26AM (2 children)

      by kaszz (4211) on Monday May 15 2017, @05:26AM (#509783) Journal

      I think you can scrub those compounds away. And it can be handled like on Mars where the outside of the suit never enters the habitat due to dust.

      Can't find any data on what the soil consists of. But atmospheric gases are unlikely to solidify on a shoe that has a higher temperature than the surrounding atmosphere.

      • (Score: 2) by mhajicek on Monday May 15 2017, @06:08AM (1 child)

        by mhajicek (51) on Monday May 15 2017, @06:08AM (#509799)

        Just to a flash burnoff in your airlock / decon room.

        --
        The spacelike surfaces of time foliations can have a cusp at the surface of discontinuity. - P. Hajicek
        • (Score: 3, Interesting) by kaszz on Monday May 15 2017, @06:13AM

          by kaszz (4211) on Monday May 15 2017, @06:13AM (#509804) Journal

          Don't need to fill the airlock with oxygen. It can be filled with room tempered nitrogen instead which will vaporize most stuff. While not enabling any burning. The Titan atmosphere is full of N2.