All Questions
12 questions
6votes
1answer
334views
Why use plutonium when sunlight is everywhere? Any proposals to use concentrated solar power instead of Pu238 as a heat source for TGs?
Why use plutonium when sunlight is everywhere? The case for powering thermoelectric generators (TG) with concentrated solar rather than plutonium: Spacecraft operating in the inner Solar System ...
- 33k
4votes
1answer
172views
Radiation Challenges of Crewed Gas Giant Missions
I was thinking about how easy it would be to perform a crewed tour of the Jovian/Saturnian moons, given the low DeltaV, and the abundant opportunities for potential ISRU. Then, I remembered with that ...
- 1,195
1vote
0answers
60views
Arctic underwater analogue?
Just want to know if the underneath of the arctic ice sheet is a viable analogue for underwater habitation on the larger moons of the gas giants? (Galilean, large Saturnian) I feel like it would be a ...
- 1,195
1vote
0answers
83views
Why do Saturn's rings have the most ice in them?
From what I've read, Saturn's rings are the most visible because they have an icy structure that makes it so the light is more reflective. Why is that the case, and why do other rings of the gas ...
- 11
9votes
1answer
791views
Why did Pioneer 11 use a gravitational assist to swing above the ecliptic plane... twice?
This answer to What do the shaded vertical lines in the animation of Gravity assists of space probes, mean? shows that the Pioneer 11 trajectory brought it close to both Jupiter and Saturn, and at ...
- 153k
3votes
2answers
211views
How does the dynamics of the Jupiter and Saturn system make them be well suited for low-energy transfer?
Many papers mention that the compact and complex dynamics of the Jupiter and Saturn systems makes them ideal low energy transfer. My question is how? How does the dynamics of the Jupiter and Saturn ...
- 1,427
4votes
2answers
241views
Have gravitation multipoles of Jupiter and Saturn beyond J2 been measured or at least estimated? At least the zonal harmonics?
This excellent answer has me wondering if there are any measurements or estimates of gravitational multipole moments of Jupiter or Saturn beyond J2. Here is what I found for J2 (in unitless form) in ...
- 153k
1vote
1answer
1kviews
3-5% lightspeed?
I recently saw a documentary about Project Orion - nuclear pulse engine - that would reach a staggering 3-5% of the speed of light. How long would a ship take to get to Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn at ...
- 363
3votes
0answers
165views
Could electrodynamic tethers power long-term unmanned satellites around the Sun, Jupiter, or Saturn?
Assuming you have the budget to research electrodynamic tether powered unmanned satellites, and you had a cheap way of getting them in to earth low earth orbit, would they be able to use electricity ...
- 157
6votes
1answer
249views
What is the intensity of radio noise around Jupiter and Saturn?
What is the intensity of radio noise around Jupiter or Saturn on various frequencies compared to Earth? Does it significantly affect bandwidth for communication of satellites around Jupiter/Saturn ...
- 675
16votes
3answers
4kviews
If Saturn or Jupiter were in Earth's orbit, would any of their moons be habitable for humans?
The majority of exoplanets found so far are comparable in size to Jupiter or Saturn. Which, as we know, are problematic for human habitation. But their moons have a lot of potential. Some of these ...
- 27.2k
25votes
1answer
5kviews
Can I harvest diamonds from the rain of Saturn and Jupiter?
A recent news article on BBC News indicates that 1,000 tonnes of diamonds a year are being created on Saturn This is like science fact that screams it must be Science Fiction! Assuming the ...
- 27.2k
