this post was submitted on 25 Jan 2024
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[–] [email protected] 9 points 9 months ago (2 children)

So, we should fly on Jupiter instead, right?

[–] [email protected] 34 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Next flight is scheduled for Titan, which is a lot easier. The gravity is lower, but there's a lot more atmosphere, which means our helicopter can be nuclear powered!

[–] [email protected] 13 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Or leg powered. The gravity is so low and the atmosphere so thick a pilot could pedal power a Cessna Skyhawk. Until he froze to death.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 9 months ago

That can be solved with some good leg warmer.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I mean flying on Titan would be so easily theoretically a guy with really big wings could reasonably flap himself around

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago

Run out and find me a guy with really big wings, I've got a job for him.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (3 children)

Is that even possible? I mean… with how volatile and exotic the atmosphere is, wouldn’t what a craft would be doing be more akin to how a submarine travels under water? Would “flying” even be the correct term? Wouldn’t it be more like navigating violent torrents of differently-dense gaseous layers? Some of which are (sometimes) liquid?

What would one even call that?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago

What would one even call that?

Fucking awesome.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Atmospheric pressure changes based on altitude, so there's probably some point where Jupiter's atmosphere that's a similar pressure and temperature to earth.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 9 months ago (2 children)

I looked it up, and the region of Jupiter's atmosphere at 1 bar is -100C. So you theoretically you could fly a modified Earth plane, it would just be a bit chilly.

Interestingly, though, Venus does have a zone with Earth-like temperature and pressure.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago

Thanks! I did a quick search and couldn’t find it but I know that with this crowd I’ll get an answer!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

What makes cold temperatures a problem on earth is ice forming frombwater wapour in the atmosphere. No idea what you're likely to get on titan, but probably not that.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago