Comments on: In Titan's Southern Hemisphere, Scientists See an "Indian Summer" http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2009/06/04/in-titans-southern-hemisphere-scientists-see-an-indian-summer/ Mon, 22 Apr 2013 21:34:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: Nick http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2009/06/04/in-titans-southern-hemisphere-scientists-see-an-indian-summer/#comment-9090 Nick Fri, 05 Jun 2009 01:54:40 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2009/06/04/in-titans-southern-hemisphere-scientists-see-an-indian-summer/#comment-9090 Methane = hydrocarbon = fuel source. What if we could drop a probe that could harvest methane and power itself (though we don't know how to combust without oxygen - but some reactions produce their own oxygen by pulling it from whatever source it's bonded with, maybe something like that exists at the surface of Titan), or maybe a high-altitude balloon with a nuke power source that could stay aloft by a jet that pushed methane instead of nitrogen/oxygen like we have here on earth. Though I guess simulating the atmosphere of Titan here at home for testing might be difficult. Methane = hydrocarbon = fuel source. What if we could drop a probe that could harvest methane and power itself (though we don’t know how to combust without oxygen – but some reactions produce their own oxygen by pulling it from whatever source it’s bonded with, maybe something like that exists at the surface of Titan), or maybe a high-altitude balloon with a nuke power source that could stay aloft by a jet that pushed methane instead of nitrogen/oxygen like we have here on earth.

Though I guess simulating the atmosphere of Titan here at home for testing might be difficult.

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