Titan Mission

[squidbones]

If you haven't read Titan by Stephan Baxter, a crew of five people gets to Titian by using Class C Space Shuttle (stripped down shells of space shuttles with more cargo room) to assemble a space ship made of One Orbiter, Two Apollo CMs, A ISS Hab module, fuel tanks and a greenhouse. When they get to Titan they get in the CMs and land on the surface after the Orbiter flies down on Autopilot. Because the mission was never designed to return they take apart their ships and build a space colonly. Do you think that the mission could be pulled off?

 

[squidbones]

I posted this and didn't get any responses<br />If you haven't read Titan by Stephan Baxter, a crew of five people gets to Titian by using Class C Space Shuttle (stripped down shells of space shuttles with more cargo room) to assemble a space ship made of One Orbiter, Two Apollo CMs, A ISS Hab module, fuel tanks and a greenhouse. When they get to Titan they get in the CMs and land on the surface after the Orbiter flies down on Autopilot. Because the mission was never designed to return they take apart their ships and build a space colonly. Do you think that the mission could be pulled off? <br /><br />

 

[CalliArcale]

Today? No. There are a variety of reasons for this, but one of the biggest is that I have no confidence in any present technology to produce an indefinitely self-sustaining breathable atmosphere in a base on Titan. The greenhouse would also have issues; sunlight is a great deal weaker out by Titan than it is here. Earth plants would not get enough sunlight to thrive, even without Titan's smog, so you'd have to provide them with illumination. Power generation, of course, would pretty much have to be done with a nuclear reactor if we stick with current tech. There are also issues with the long duration spaceflight; it will take many years to reach Saturn with that technology.<br /><br />However, I do think it could be pulled off within our lifetimes, provided there were sufficient determination to develop the neccesary technologies and build all of the very expensive things needed to do it. And of course even if it weren't possible, it would still be a fascinating subject for a book. Long duration spaceflight and then permanent colonization of another world will make for interesting situations. If I manage to get through enough of my reading list, I'll have to look for "Titan". It sounds fascinating. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[squidbones]

The book it's self was OK. It showed how crazy people can go during a long mission and end up going nuts. They did bring a nuclear Topaz reactor and the green house didn't use the sun, it used electric lights.

 

[squidbones]

It took six years to get there and they used a bycycle/centrafuge to keep the bones strong.

 

[mattblack]

Their mission was one-way and open-ended. They were supposed to be resupplied by Earth, but that all turns to mud. They have a nuclear reactor in the story and even after 6 years, it still had plenty of power. The novel implies that people will break down before the technology will.<br /><br />I think the book is very moving, though the ending is somewhat gloomy and it's not how I would have done it. The world of 2004 in it (written in 1996) is strangely and a bit depressingly like that of today.<br /><br />http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0061057134/qid=1114603543/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/002-5844866-7056008<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p>One Percent of Federal Funding For Space: America <strong><em><u>CAN</u></em></strong> Afford it!!  LEO is a <strong><em>Prison</em></strong> -- It's time for a <em><strong>JAILBREAK</strong></em>!!</p> </div>

 

[JonClarke]

I found it very implausible and also a very poor story from a literary point of view. Everybodies dies, the worlc come to an end.. This would be bad enough, but there is a pointless coda at the end which just confuses the whole thing.<br /><br />Jon <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars</em>  Arthur Clarke</p> </div>