|    Destino Magnus     |     TOC     |     Credits    |    
   Introduction
   Destination
   Propulsion
   Structure
   Damage Repair
   Thermal Protection
   Radiation Protection
   Environment
   Energy
   Robotics
   Water Management
Waste Management
   Industry
   Government
   Economy
   Employment
   Social Systems
   Transportation
   Communication
   Entertainment
   Recreation
   Model
   Artwork
   Conclusion

Ganymede, our destination


Every settlement needs a destination to go to find resources and to keep us safe. Our destination for our settlement will be the largest moon of Jupiter, Ganymede. It is also the largest moon in our solar system. There is a picture on the side of a painter's perspective of Ganymede. Here are some of its characteristics that make our settlement want to have this specific place as our primary base:

The age of this planet is about 3 to 3.5 billion years old. The average diameter of this moon is 5262.4 km. The surface area of this planet is 87 km-squared. The mass is 1.4819 times 10 to the 23 power. The volume is about 7.6 times 10 to the 10th power kg cubed.The mean density is 1.942 g/cm cubed. There is no axial tilt. The surface gravity is 1.43 m/s squared. And the atmosphere is 100% oxygen. The surface temperature of the moon is -164 degrees Celsius (109 Kelvin or -263.2 degrees Fahrenheit.) These are some of its physical characteristics.

Also the moon is composed of silicate rock and water ice, with an ice crust floating over a slushy mantle that may contain a layer of liquid water. It is a 3 layer structure: the core is either small molten iron or iron/sulfur, a rocky silicate mantle with an icy shell on top surrounds the core and an outer layer of ice, shown towards the side. This will allow us to collect minerals and other resources for our settlement. This moon is very similar to earth because it seems like it used to have tectonic plates. Its crust appears to be divided into separate plates, which like Earth's tectonic plates are able to move independently and interact along fracture zones producing mountain ranges. There is not necessarily life; it is thought that the oxygen is produced when water ice on Ganymede's surface is split into hydrogen and oxygen by radiation and then the hydrogen is lost due to its low atomic mass. We will collect the hydrogen and use it as our fuel for our propulsion.

Lastly Ganymede has its own magnetosphere field embedded inside Jupiter's huge one, as shown on the side. This is probably generated in a similar fashion to the Earth's: as a result of motion of conducting material in the interior. This magnetosphere will greatly help with protection.

            We have chosen this moon because it has a good amount of resource we could use. For example, the surface is ice, supplying us with water. A rocky mantle supplying us with minerals and other resources. Also we will be protected from radiation from a magnetosphere field, which is the only known moon that has one of it. Lastly it has breathable air of an atmosphere of all oxygen, but it is still very thin. This moon is not a permanent settlement, we will just settle here for a source of oxygen and other resources. There will be other moons to use such as Europa.

 

 

 

 

By Emerson Shiang

painting courtesy Novaspace Galleries

Planetary Photojournal

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