Methane on Titan

Comments and questions about the APOD on the main view screen.
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RichardTedford
Asternaut
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Joined: Wed Sep 21, 2005 5:17 pm

Methane on Titan

Post by RichardTedford » Wed Sep 21, 2005 5:26 pm

If the liquid we see on Titan is liquid Methane, are we considering Methane powered spacecraft? We would be able to use Titan as a waystation of sorts. Are there any thoughts of "mining" Titan for an alternate power source for Earth?

I'm also guessing that the reason the free flowing methane doesn't burn is because there is no Oxygen on Titan?
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."

S. Bilderback
Science Officer
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Post by S. Bilderback » Fri Sep 23, 2005 12:08 am

There are far more practical ways of harvesting energy than an 8 year one way trip to Titan for methane, then an oxidizer would also be needed answering you second question, free oxygen is in short suppy in that corner of the universe.

Good try, I once thought of turning Io and it's molten sulfer into a moon-sized solar charged battery - it could work.

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