Would You Want To Live On Saturn's Titan?

Of all the worlds that have danced around the Sol star, none of them have, or will ever rival our home world Earth. Unparalleled in beauty, the view from a thousand miles away is enough to take one's heart away.

With a world requiring little, if any technology for human habitation, why would any one consider moving towards a moon shrouded in clouds that is over a billion kilometers from the Sun?

Unlike many of the lunar and planetary spheres that float around our Sun star, Saturn's Titan is blessed with an atmosphere that allows humans to walk upon its presence without the need of a standard vacuum suit.

Although early pioneers will need to be well equipped with a "warm suit," such technology may be easier to construct than clothing oneself with material that can withstand zero atmosphere.

Titan's atmosphere is approximately 1.5 times that of Earth. Although the denser air pressure may make walking on Titan feel as if you were at the bottom of a swimming pool, the "heavy" air does have some advantages.

Residents upon this orange world would easily be able to transport themselves around the planet with a pair of "artificial wings," something that would make Leonardo De Vinci proud to hear. This could lead towards Titan being crowned as the solar capital for air sports (such as sky diving, surfing, etc.) and might even lead towards a futuristic "aerial Olympics."

Despite the fact that Titan's clouds block out most (if not all) of the sky, those gifted in the arts may also find Titan's "burnt orange" horizon a welcoming backdrop compared to the pinkish sky on Mars or the blue sky on Earth. Astronomers aside, living within the orange skyline may become a solar attraction, setting the world apart from rivals within the star system.

But if residents are not attracted by either the view of living on a foreign moon or the aerial sports, they will be inspired by the tunes created by the musicians living there. With Titan's denser atmosphere, residents will be able to enjoy a richer symphony of music that will rival--if not surpass--the sounds heard on Earth (provided they can create and play them in the frigid temperatures).

(Video: What music would sound like on Earth, Titan, and Venus. Credits: Edward Willett)

Despite the fact that it will be Titan's methane lakes and scattered ice rocks that will finance and enable future inhabitants upon Saturn's favorite moon, respectively, its artistic beauty and unique environment may keep the masses from moving off world.

SpaceDev To Host The Internet On The Moon?

Although there are many companies out there attempting to return humanity towards the heavens that surround us, it seems as if one company called SpaceDev, Inc. is attempting to not only get us there, but also enable us to browse the world lunar wide web.

(Space Fellowship) SpaceDev (OTCBB: SPDV) announced today that it has been awarded a contract to develop a prototype lunar lander vehicle for the International Lunar Observatory Association (ILOA). Since 2003, SpaceDev has performed four design and feasibility studies addressing various aspects of the ILO. The ILO will be a spacecraft to conduct optical and radio astronomy from the surface of the Moon, and potentially engage in commercial activities involving not only astronomy, but also photography, communications, and internet hosting. The prototype will achieve smooth landings via precision-controlled throttling of its hybrid rocket motors.

(Note: Emphasis is of the editor)

While some may wonder why a company would attempt to enable internet browsing upon the lunar surface, one only has to look at how the world wide web has changed out planet in order to understand.

The internet has fostered a communication system unparalleled within our human history. By expanding that power off world scientists, engineers, and even future lunar businesses would be able to quickly acquire the necessary information in order to run their laboratories, warehouse's and offices.

Carnival Of The Space Geeks (17th Edition)

(Image: Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, via Answers.com)

The 17^th Carnival of Space was hosted on the Planetary Society Blog, which only a handful of individuals participated in.

A few interesting posts included:

• Louise RioFrio of A Babe in the Universe discusses (with video) about Pulsar's in the Galactic Halo (with some interesting discussion in the comment section).


• Paul Gilster of Centauri Dreams talks about using dark matter for faster than light travel (a dream of every Trekie).


• Brian Wang of Advanced Nanotechnology gives his spin on the next 50 years of the future space economy and the technologies that will bring us there.


• The mysterious author of Space Files informs everyone about the Russia's plans of landing on the Martian moon of Phobos, with a video (in Russian) to explain it all.

Thursday's Carnival will be hosted over at Out of the Cradle, a quote that should be familiar with those who are familiar with Konstantin Tsiolkovsky.

Note: This week I should be able to finally submit a post to the Carnival, and if you would like to join the fun (instead of waiting on the sidelines) then simply read these instructions in order to join the fun.

Martian Rovers Survive Red Planets Wrath

(Hat Tip: Space Pragmatism)

Not too long ago NASA's rovers Spirit and Opportunity found themselves fighting to survive a global dust storm on the red, barren planet.

It was unknown whether or not the rovers would persevere through the storm, but after facing the worst from father Mars, it seems as if the rovers may yet continue to roll on after all.

(JPL/NASA News Release) After six weeks of hunkering down during raging dust storms that limited solar power, both of NASA's Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, have resumed driving. [...]

"Weather and power conditions continue to improve, although very slowly for both rovers," said John Callas of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif, project manager for the rovers. With the improved energy supplies, both rovers are back on schedule to communicate daily. Opportunity had previously been conserving energy by going three or four days between communications.

Despite the fact that this is definitely great news to hear for NASA, the fact that the rovers were able to survive the red planet's fury gives humanity hope that they can one day survive upon the brutal crimson landscape.

Scientists are already learning a lot about Martian weather, and hopefully that data can be applied to future Martians (of the human kind) who will one day call this desert world home.

Radiation Proof Space Camera's?

(Image: Radiation hardened camera's could help locate oceans on Europa. Credit: NASA via MSNBC)


Carbon based life forms are not the only ones to fear deadly radiation. Apparently, our cybernetic friends loathe the energetic particles just as much, although they lack the will of HAL to do anything about it.

Previously whenever scientists sent camera's into the radiation depths of the Jovian giant Jupiter, by degrading the circuits over time. A new invention however may enable these cameras to withstand the fury of Jupiter's radiation tantrums.

(MSNBC) The technology driving the new detector is a capturing system that immediately converts electromagnetic signals into digital information, pixel by pixel. The method bypasses the standard pathway traveled by analog signals from sensors to the point where the signal is converted to digital data.

High-energy radioactive particles in space degrade these circuits, or pathways, over time and add to noise in the data by making pixels appear artificially bright. [...]

"Our detector converts the analog signal to a digital number within the pixel," Figer told LiveScience. "Radiation does not have time to affect the signal. And once the data is digitized it's essentially impossible to pick up noise."

This technology should help aid future colonists, especially if they consider establishing outposts on Europa or colonizing Ganymede.

This also might aid scientists in observing the turbulent weather that dominates the Sol star's largest planet within its system.

Video: Can SpaceX Build A Reliable Rocket Ship?

(Image: The first flight-ready Merlin engine on display at the DARPATech event in Anaheim CA, August 2007, before shipment to Texas for qualification testing. Credit: SpaceX)

While many rocket companies within the NewSpace arena focus on thrust for power or cheaper prices, it looks as if SpaceX, led by Elon Musk is seeking to build a world class, reliable rocket ship.

(SpaceX Press Release) More than anything else, the Falcon 9 design is absolutely focused on reliability. This is one of the few launch vehicles in the world designed to the higher safety and reliability standards required for manned spaceflight. Before carrying astronauts to the International Space Station, the Falcon 9 will undergo an intense NASA safety review and will be required to have far higher structural safety margins and ability to tolerate sub-system failure than are needed simply to launch satellites.

A significant advantage of the Falcon 9 is the ability to lose any engine on the first stage and still safely complete the mission, much as a Boeing 747 can lose an engine and still be ok. Like jet engines, each of our Falcon 9 Merlin engines is wrapped in a Nomex and Kevlar flak jacket, so that even a worst case fire or explosion is contained and cannot affect other engines or the stage itself. In the event of an engine failure, it just means that the first stage will fire for a little longer than would otherwise be the case.

Only time will tell whether or not SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket will raise the standard within the industry. If the Falcon 9 is successful, SpaceX will probably find itself in the unique position of having too many customers desiring to launch their cargo aboard their rockets.



(Video: Merlin 1C engine firing on the vertical test stand. The blast extends dozens of feet and is ducted out to the side in a long trench. Credit: SpaceX)

Russia And Europe To Team Up For Manned Mars, Moon Mission

With the United States determined to maintain its place in the cosmos, it seems that Russia has struck a unique partnership with Europe that may enable both of them to secure their place among the heavens.

(RIA Novosti) The Russian and European space agencies will develop a manned transport spaceship for flights to the International Space Station, the Moon and Mars, the head of the Russian agency said Tuesday.

"We agreed today with Jean-Jacques Dordain, the head of the European Space Agency, to form a working group to deal with developing a piloted transport system to fly to the International Space Station, the Moon and Mars," Anatoly Perminov said after talks with Dordain on the sidelines of the MAKS-2007 air show in Zhukovsky, near Moscow.

While a partnership between the two may strike some as strange, both Russia and Europe could potentially benefit from relying on each others strengths. Russia currently lacks the funds for a lunar landing while Europe lacks the expertise.

Russia previously was attempting to partner with NASA for a lunar mission, although NASA was not too thrilled with that idea and seems to have chosen England instead.

Hopefully the nation that originally brought humanity to the cosmos is able to regain is "solar honor," as it would be embarrassing for future historians to refer to Russia as a "former space power."