Colonizing the Solar System: Jupiter

https://medium.com/@20jupias/colonizing-the-solar-system-jupiter-30eea375ebaa

When looking to the outer solar system one of the most interesting and mind-blowing places would be the Jovian system. Jupiter, our solar system’s largest planet, is a gas world covered by massive storms and winds stronger than any hurricane on Earth could make.

Io

Besides Jupiter’s stormy surface, the gas giant also has several moons which are as equally as interesting and have been the subject of many debates over their potential colonization by humans. Its closest moon, Io, is a blasted surface of sulfur and lava rock. Being so close to Jupiter, the moon is under constant tidal stress. It is under so much stress that there are constant volcanic eruptions and earthquakes on its surface. Over 150 active volcanos are on Io’s surface. So, Io is out of the picture for long term colonization, but maybe it could be reserved for short visits and sulfur mining, but nothing much else.

Colonization rating: 1/10

Callisto

The 4th of Jupiter’s main moons, Callisto is a moon covered in massive craters. Unlike its sister moons, Callisto is far enough away from Jupiter that is does not feel the constant pull of its tidal forces. This absence of tidal pull means that craters on its surface can remain there for an indefinite amount of time. Callisto appears to have no signs of any subsurface activity, besides the occasional earthquake caused by an asteroid impact. Callisto’s distance is also what makes it the most livable of Jovian moons. Callisto orbits just outside of Jupiter’s Van Allen belts, which means that, unlike Io, Europa, and Ganymede, Callisto does not receive nearly as much radiation on its surface. Its orbits far enough to be outside of the Jupiters inner Van Allen belt, but close enough to still be within the protection of Jupiter’s Magnetic sphere. It only receives 0.01 rem of radiation per day, which means that with proper shielding, a person could stay on its surface for upwards to 28 years. Callisto is also believed to, like Europa and Ganymede, have massive amounts of water ice on its surface and even potentially liquid water oceans below its surface. Callisto could serve, much like Ganymede, as a long term colony and fuel production base for spacecraft. One might say that Callisto’s low surface gravity of 0.126 g would make it the ideal place for a spaceport of sorts.

Colonization rating: 9/10

Manganese Nodule

Manganese nodules are usually located at depths below 4000m and are composed primarily of manganese and iron and elements of economic interest, including cobalt, copper, and nickel and make up a total of around 3% by weight (Margolis and Burns, 1976).

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/manganese-nodule

In the 1970s and 1980s, development and testing of systems for mining manganese nodules were undertaken by four international consortia made up of companies from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Federal Republic of Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, France, and Japan. Three government-sponsored entities from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, India, and China also developed and tested systems for mining manganese nodules. The basic elements of these systems are a propelled or towed nodule collector and a lifting system (Fig. 21) (ISA Technology Brochure, http://www.isa.org.jm/en/documents/technical/ENG7.pdf). Nodules are collected from the ocean floor and crushed to make a seawater slurry which is then pumped to the surface through a riser pipe. Both pump-lift and air-lift systems have been developed (Fig. 22).