I think titan is the next best thing to earth for habitability.

>>8009536
*The atmosphere rotates faster than the *moon*.

also I want to mention that vehicles could explore the surface easier, easier to keep warm than just a suit alone.

The titan surface exploration suits wouldnt need to protect the wearer from pressure since the atmosphere is dense - just from freezing/suffocating. Antarctica would be a great testing ground.

Titan has a weaker magnetic field, but Saturn protects titan within its giant field.

>>8009536
The main problem with colonizing another space bodies is the time it takes to get there. I guess that's why Mars is the easiest one right now, maybe in 80 years Titan might be colonizable.

>>8009676
took 7 years for cassini using almost 20 year old tech

>>8009691
How much has tech evolved since then? Now it might take 5 years, but that is too much time for a human being. Unless we can make humans to live 1000 years, then it would be a feasible proposal.

>>8009696
Using robots is necessary to build the early portion of the base. Not just any robots, automated ones. Current AI is intelligent enough to cover remedial tasks like building wind turbines near the polar regions and drilling an underground shelter. Humans could not sustain labor on titan after 5 years in space.

The reason it has to be automated is because saturn is too far for remote control.

I think drones would be effective at detecting regions where wind is most chaotic, and would be able to safely fly into the planets atmosphere. If you swapped the engine in a cessna with pedals you could probably take off flying. Drones would be great for surveying and dispensing labor bots.

After exiting the asteroid belt and getting a cleaner signal, the crew that follows the automated robots would take control of remote controlled robots on the journey there. Using VR and Anthropomorphic robots which can better sustain the hostile environment.

Once the settlers arrive with the base, hook it up to the turbines for heat generation and life support - drilling for water and gravity rehabilitation can occur in titans weaker feild, enough to eventually work towards the end goal of a artificial gravity hyperloop for earthlike gravity or more.

>>8009769
>using VR
I don't believe it.
VR relies on less than a hundred milliseconds latency, which barely exists as it is with wired protocols.
You're not going to get this remotely, much less with an atmosphere and maybe a storm in between you.

Hell, even the video stream may be too much.

>>8009536
>colonizing a -180 C ice ball
Why not Antarctica? It's 100 C warmer and has oxygen. Penguins to eat too.

>>8009786
it would be very slow at first, but over time it would get quicker and quicker as they neared saturn.

if propulsion technology could get the flight time down to a year or two it could be feasible to have multiple manned flybys just to control the bots from space for a few months and slingshot back. This would take longer but it could allow for more preparation before the surface is colonized.


>>8009790
Well you answered your question, it isnt cold enough. Antarctica would be a great testing ground though. The whole reason the idea to colonize titan was probably due to thinking of creating an underice bunker colony in Antartica to escape laws/war... power is harder to generate in Antarctica in some ways than it is on Titan.

Why titan though? Because its the only other place in the solar system besides venus that has an atmosphere that can support mechanical flight, and does it better than both earth and venus. Its deeper in the solar system making it a prime candidate for a space exploration hub. It also has the best chemical composition to create a self sustaining colony after earth. Many years from now when earth gets too hot for life from the Sun's expansion - titan will heat up, and its greenhouse gases will warm the moon to a more comfortable temperature.

>>8009786
also on regards to the atmosphere, you could try as cassini did with huygens, but i recon a drone transmitting between the surface and the orbiter would be most reliable.

The drone could require 2-4 times less energy to maintain flight than on earth, acting as a lower atmosphere satellite.

>>8009536

>Titan
>Aerogel
>Suspected water ocean
>Sustainable power for free

Popsci: the post

>>8010722
>greentexting
>more greentexting
useless banter

conveniently overlooking its fucking far as hell from earth
And cold as shit

>>8010789
>banter

fuck off normie

>>8010796
you're so insightful

Investment required: fucking trillions
Potential return on investment: fucking zero

Not going to happen. Reality is not star trek. Deal with it faggots.

Humans are stuck on Earth and restricted to space stations. Deal with it.

>>8010050
>Its deeper in the solar system making it a prime candidate for a space exploration hub.

I think any benefit derived from lower delta-v to the orbit of the Ice "shit all out here" Giants would be offset by the delta-v required to get out of Saturn's gravity well in the first place.

>>8010856
l could do this on my own with 10b, so probably 20b realistically. Id pay twice that if I could to get away from the rest of you.

Like really if this is star trek to you or just about financial gain and youre on a science board - theres not much hope for this rock.

>>8010898
https://what-if.xkcd.com/30/

>>8010050
You can fly fine on Mars. Probably about half the payload/flight time but you can still fly. The air density may be lower but so is the gravity.

>>8010856
>Reality is not star trek.
That doesn't mean we shouldn't try to make reality into star trek. It's sure as shit nothing will happen if nobody tries.

If by some slim chance I ever come to have billions of dollars I'd be spending every waking moment finding the most capable people on the planet, hiring them, and pouring my cash into making human spacefaring and colonization a commonality. Anything else I could be dropping cash and time on is practically worthless in comparison with regard to how much impact it'll have.

>>8011388
Problem is "we" is a few autists on the web. Most peopel don't want to spend money on space therefore your dreams willd ie with you. Do you know why space flight even got as far as it did? Because it's a useful testing bed for ICBMs and satellites have military value. Every so often NASA or JAXA or whatever succeds in begging their government for a few million but it's strictly for science, not having people floating around in space for fun. SpaceX may change this but that depends on their market predictions being correct. Personally I don't think enough people are interested in deep space for it to be cost effective. LEO which is way cheaper is enough to satisfy most people.

>>8011411
As true as all of that is I still see no benefit in being a defeatist on the subject. Historically kicking around ideas has been a great way to keep the spark alive through dark times in any field and I think that applies to space travel as well. It may come to pass, it may not. Either way it doesn't hurt to discuss and refine ideas.

>>8011425
Depend what ideas you kick around and who you kick them at. I try to drum up interest in multirotor based electric flying cars, virtually everyone will just laugh and scoff no matter how much I say the technology to do it is nearly there therefore I keep it to myself now and instead talk about the slightly more palatable (but still heavily mocked) idea of delivery drones. Same technology just less advanced.

So in your case there's really no point in talking about Titan bases when even a Moon base is heavily controversial. Best to drum up support for a Mars base for once that is set up the contrarians who mocked your Titan base idea no-longer have a leg to stand on.

As for the second point, who you kick the ideas at, just like I found that trying to discuss flying cars with a bunch of angry, edgy unqualified teens, you're wasting your time posting such far out ideas here. Try nasaspaceflight or a SpaceX forum if such a thing exists, even a Reddit space subforum is better than this place, here if people don't understand they would just laugh at you

I too have a burning passion to see bases in outer space and I know the technology mostly exists but I accept that economics and politics are the deciding factor. No point in getting frustrated over it, at least be glad that Mars bases are finally being taken seriously thanks to Musk.

>>8009676
Mars is easier, yes. Titan however has enough hydrocarbons til sink the Middle East into irrelevance, war and anarchy. Energy independence is something many nations would be willing to pay a LOT for.

>>8011411
I'm sure you could find thousands of people wiling to pay 50k for a month or two in orbit

>>8011522
Yeah orbit, not Titan. Now say are you getting to Titan for 50k. And even 50k for LEO is wildly optimistic seeing as currently it costs 50 million. Musk will reduce costs yes but he'll never be the Ford of space travel because the market will never be big enough. Back in the 20s everyone could do with a car, nobody needs to go to space and there are other exciting holidays one could take for a fraction of the cost. In fact more people in space will probably kill off the market. Space is actually shit, it's the fact that it's "unobtainable" that makes rich people spend millions on going there . The rocket launch is scary and hurts, once you're there you're disorientated, puffy, cramped, the food is shit. It's not actually fun. Only people who have scientific interest or want a challenge would be into it. When I talked to people about Virgin's sub-orbital plans even to that most people said "nah fuck that, too scary" . Space travel has a very strong image of being hard and dangerous, lowering prices alone won't get everyone rushing to do it.

In short, yes there will be lots willing to sign up to go but not enough to drop prices to 50k

File: gravity_wells_large.png (468KB, 2160x934px) Image search: [Google]

468KB, 2160x934px

>>8010856
>Potential return on investment
How much have we paid the Arabs for oil? Money that they now pour into a war that is destabilizing Europe and much of the rest of the West.

>>8010870
>stuck on Earth
"The meek shall inherit the Earth, the rest of us shall go to the stars."

>>8010898
>delta-v required to get out of Saturn's gravity well
Pic related.

>>8011575
Why do people say going to Mercury is hard. Looks like you could simply drop a ball there.

>>8011586
Because you have to lose a lot of orbital energy (or expend a lot of delta v) to match up. Otherwise you would smash into it at huge velocities. You have to read the diagram properly, it is not like a ladder and snakes game.

>>8011717
that's gay man, who made the solar system?