Quote:
Originally posted by qraal@Dec 17 2004, 12:12 AM
The plot of Titan's atmosphere - or our current model - is interesting in light of plans by JP Aerospace for slow rising ion-powered airships to reach orbit. I am not sure if such would ever work on Earth since orbital velocity is so high, drag would overwhelm any lift. Yet Titan's orbital velocity is a much lower 1675 m/s at an altitude of 625 km - combined with the low gravity surely Titan is the world for Orbiter airships.
Yet perhaps they aren't needed beyond the first forays. The Saturn-Titan Lagrange 1 and 2 points aren't very far away at all - 52,400 km inwards and outwards from Titan with respect to Saturn. A Space Elevator could very easily be built with the centre of mass parked at L1/2 and it would be shorter than the proposed elevator for the Moon. Such a system would open up Titan to colonisation or at least advanced exploration by humans.
Ultimately the immense amounts of nitrogen in Titan's atmosphere could be exported to Mars - if terraforming is ever a serious option for that planet. Immense spheres of gas could be haulled into space and released at the right height for a swingby of Saturn and a plunge in towards Mars.
qraal
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Here is a website exclusively devoted to Titan:
www.titanexploration.com