Comments on: An Ambitious Frontier for Flying Drones: Saturn's Earth-Like Moon, Titan http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2012/02/02/an-ambitious-frontier-for-flying-drones-saturns-earth-like-moon-titan/ Mon, 22 Apr 2013 21:34:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: Anthy Hellmers http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2012/02/02/an-ambitious-frontier-for-flying-drones-saturns-earth-like-moon-titan/#comment-31498 Anthy Hellmers Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:32:38 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/?p=34627#comment-31498 Yes, exciting about the drone flying in that gravity structure. However, what can live in a methane atmosphere? Isnt' methane oozing out of the Mariana Trench; giving us the colorless, giant, polymorphic fish and aquatic life that many marine biologists have discovered? Yes, exciting about the drone flying in that gravity structure. However, what can live in a methane atmosphere? Isnt’ methane oozing out of the Mariana Trench; giving us the colorless, giant, polymorphic fish and aquatic life that many marine biologists have discovered?

]]> By: robert http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2012/02/02/an-ambitious-frontier-for-flying-drones-saturns-earth-like-moon-titan/#comment-31497 robert Sun, 05 Feb 2012 15:39:58 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/?p=34627#comment-31497 A few years back, I saw an interesting proposal that used the atmosphere of Titan as the fuel for an exploration craft. The ship would land on titan gather the atmosphere, process it into fuel and then fly to another location. It could do this over and over repeatably. Perhaps a combination of the drone idea, the titan processing fuel idea, and maybe a hybrid of the failed Russian tethered balloon exploration vehicles for mars would make a great exploration vehicle. Unfortunately, we won't see anything in our Lifetime from the USA. Exploration of the solar system is pretty much canned now. The most we can hope for is a scaled down Apollo program to send 4 men to a small rock near to the Earth. And then, only if we get the true Space powers; the Russians and the Chinese to help us. A few years back, I saw an interesting proposal that used the atmosphere of Titan as the fuel for an exploration craft. The ship would land on titan gather the atmosphere, process it into fuel and then fly to another location. It could do this over and over repeatably.

Perhaps a combination of the drone idea, the titan processing fuel idea, and maybe a hybrid of the failed Russian tethered balloon exploration vehicles for mars would make a great exploration vehicle. Unfortunately, we won’t see anything in our Lifetime from the USA. Exploration of the solar system is pretty much canned now. The most we can hope for is a scaled down Apollo program to send 4 men to a small rock near to the Earth. And then, only if we get the true Space powers; the Russians and the Chinese to help us.

]]> By: Wayne A. Bolton http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2012/02/02/an-ambitious-frontier-for-flying-drones-saturns-earth-like-moon-titan/#comment-31496 Wayne A. Bolton Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:14:33 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/?p=34627#comment-31496 This is quite a big + for NASA, providing that "ODUMBA" will let us continue our exploration of space!!!!!!!!! Just hope that ahole keeps his nose out of NASA'S way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is quite a big + for NASA, providing that “ODUMBA” will let us continue our exploration of space!!!!!!!!! Just hope that ahole keeps his nose out of NASA’S way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

]]> By: Chris http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2012/02/02/an-ambitious-frontier-for-flying-drones-saturns-earth-like-moon-titan/#comment-31495 Chris Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:59:38 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/?p=34627#comment-31495 Part of me would feel a little more comfortable with a dirigible on Titan. Planes have a history of crashing. And yes I know the Hindenburg, but no oxygen so we don't have to worry about explosions. Part of me would feel a little more comfortable with a dirigible on Titan. Planes have a history of crashing. And yes I know the Hindenburg, but no oxygen so we don’t have to worry about explosions.

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