Re: Space Elevator/Pipeline for Titan
- From: Erik Max Francis <max@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:31:53 -0700
Space Cadet wrote:
Suppose you build a beanstalk/Space Elevator/Tower on Titan, suppose
its like a giant hollow airtight tube. Put one end in a ethane/
propane/hydrocarbon lake, open the other end to vacuum or a tank that
is at vacuum, would difference it pressure be enough to drive it up
the tube?
Yes, like a barometer, but not far. Consider that a millimeter of mercury is a unit of measure indication pressure; a vacuum will cause a pool of mercury to rise up 760 mm in a vacuum tube. That isn't anything to cough at, but it's not impressive for really moving things around.
Titan surface pressure looks to be about 150 kPa (higher than Earth's, actually), so assuming densities similar to water, you could get them to go up about 15 m in the tube. Again, it would look neat standing next to it, but not all that impressive for getting things done.
More black arts from my dimensional analysis program:
>>> rho = 13.6e3*si.kg/si.m**3 # density of Hg
>>> mmHg = 760e-3*si.m # 760 mm
>>> (rho*mmHg*g_0).convert(si.Pa) # that's 1 atm
<Quantity @ 0x-480ac694 (101361.5344 Pa)>
>>> P = 150e3*si.Pa # Titan's surface pressure
>>> rho = 1e3*si.kg/si.m**3 # density of water
>>> (P/rho/g_0).convert(si.m)
<Quantity @ 0x-481006d4 (15.2957431947 m)>
How tall of space elevator would you need for Titan?
With Saturn and the other moons, tugging at it would a Space
Elevator be stable without a lot of station keeping?
Titan apostationary radius would be about 76.6 Mm, but its sphere of influence is only 43.3 Mm. So some significant amount of stationkeeping would be required. And that's only considering its relationship with Saturn, not its neighboring moons.
--
Erik Max Francis && max@xxxxxxxxxxx && http://www.alcyone.com/max/
San Jose, CA, USA && 37 18 N 121 57 W && AIM, Y!M erikmaxfrancis
Time is a storm in which we are all lost.
-- George Bernard Shaw
.
- Prev by Date: Re: Space Elevator/Pipeline for Titan
- Next by Date: The infamous internally mirrored sphere!
- Previous by thread: Re: Space Elevator/Pipeline for Titan
- Next by thread: The infamous internally mirrored sphere!
- Index(es):
Relevant Pages
|
