>I suppose I, like many others, have been infected with the idea that the
various bodies of the solar system are all potential resource mines,
promising huge fortunes in whatever it is that would compel people to go
there. If the conditions are just too cost extravagant, however, then are
we
humans destined to spend eternity on our little terrestial abode?<
This is an infection of epidemic proportions that has inhabited sf writers
for as long as I can remember, and that's a long time! It's kind of like the
"bottom of the well" gimmick: The hero is stuck at the bottom of a deep well
seemingly with no way out. The next chapter begins with "...when he got out
of the well..."
SF writers do it this way: We skip over the ruminations of the Bruce Moomaws
of the world, and, with a shrug of our shoulders, assume that mankind has
developed a fantastically powerful and incredibly cheap propulsion system
with the structural strength to handle it. Problem solved! Warp drive? No
problemo! So with this propulsion system and strong vehicle, we can just
load it up with whatever valuable material we find and ship it off to the
highest bidder.
So here it is: The material? Water. The location? Europa. The customer? A
species from a planet in dire need of water. The propulsion system? Why, the
usual, of course.
Watch the skies!
:-)
----- Original Message -----
From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Tuesday, February 27, 2001 4:17 PM
Subject: Re: Europa submersible hypothetical
>
> In a message dated 2/27/2001 8:22:07 AM Alaskan Standard Time,
> [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
>
> > As for burning sulfur for fuel: keep in mind that you have to burn it
WITH
> > something, and Europa is singularly short on free oxygen (although it
does
> > have a little, thanks to the breakdown of water ice by Jupiter's
> radiation).
> > I don't know what happens when you react sulfur with hydrogen peroxide
> > (which Europa does have in considerable amounts).
>
> Hmm... it appears that the only reason, from Bruce's response, to go to
the
> Jovian moons is to satisfy a scientific reason, and that may not be
> compelling enough to justify the costs.
> Is Jovian gravity so strong that it would significantly impact operations
on
> Europa or Io? Couldn't Jovian radiation be avoided by sending in remote
> probes and machines, operated from a more distant orbit?
> I suppose I, like many others, have been infected with the idea that the
> various bodies of the solar system are all potential resource mines,
> promising huge fortunes in whatever it is that would compel people to go
> there. If the conditions are just too cost extravagant, however, then are
we
> humans destined to spend eternity on our little terrestial abode?
>
> On a lighter note: considering Europa's surfeit of water, sulfa, and
> hydrogen peroxide, if a speculative astronaut ever got a cut on his little
> star-faring finger, he would have plenty of local antiseptic.
>
> -- John Harlow Byrne
> ==
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