Anybody got a bottle rocket that can make it

[JP-era]

That would be cool huh?

 

Seriously, one of the cheesy Star Trek flick talked about the genesis rockets that kick start life on planets.

 

Any reason that we couldnt convert some of those ethane lakes into oxygen through combustion or something else? Wouldnt the atmosphere then "trap" the oxygen? Surely lakes of burning ethane would provide enough heat to warm up the planet.

 

Titan needs oxygen and warmth to be habitable right?

 

Take it easy on me, I dont claim to know to much about Chemistry. I could have broken some of the "rules" in my questions.

[sweet baboo]

for starters, you need oxygen for combustion

and the combustion of ethane results in carbon dioxide and water

 

i could be wrong...but i don't have any of my chem books on me now to check

 

i also don't see why we should be trying to kick start life in the galaxy

[JP-era]

for starters, you need oxygen for combustion

and the combustion of ethane results in carbon dioxide and water

206321[/snapback]

 

 

YEah but those 2 things are good right?

 

Cant water than be converted to oxygen through evaporation?

 

And doesnt magnesium combust WITHOUT oxygen?

[JP-era]

for starters, you need oxygen for combustion

and the combustion of ethane results in carbon dioxide and water

 

i could be wrong...but i don't have any of my chem books on me now to check

 

i also don't see why we should be trying to kick start life in the galaxy

206321[/snapback]

 

 

Hey because, were doing a great job f_king up THIS planet. Why not become interstellar mooches and just jump from planet to planet as we crud up the universe?

[TheMadCap]

 

Titan needs oxygen and warmth to be habitable right?

 

206320[/snapback]

 

 

Not necessarily. There are psychrotrophic bacteria that thrive at cold temps, and can resist warmer temperatures. And oxygen is not needed for anaerobic lifeforms. Who says life, if it exists on Titan, or may one day exist, has to be like us?

[sweet baboo]

gah...you'd think a chemical engineer would know his chemistry

i'm pretty sure all combustion requires oxygen

and in order to get oxygen out of water, i think you need to use electrolysis (or maybe that's just one of the ways i remember learning about in fuel cells)

[TheMadCap]

YEah but those 2 things are good right?

 

Cant water than be converted to oxygen through evaporation?

 

And doesnt magnesium combust WITHOUT oxygen?

206323[/snapback]

 

 

Evaporation is just change of pysical state of liquid water to gas, no chemical change is initiated.

 

Magnesium combustion has been explored in microgravity using CO2, which contains oxygen.

 

Hydrolysis is indeed one way to produce oxygen and hydrogen from water...

[IDBillzFan]

i also don't see why we should be trying to kick start life in the galaxy

206321[/snapback]

Don't quote me on this, but I'm fairly certain that if we could, in fact, create new life in the galaxy, maybe JP-Era would have another place from which to tap a life source which would clearly be a better option at quarterback than Bledsoe.

[JP-era]

Don't quote me on this, but I'm fairly certain that if we could, in fact, create new life in the galaxy, maybe JP-Era would have another place from which to tap a life source which would clearly be a better option at quarterback than Bledsoe.

206330[/snapback]

 

 

An excellent idea. I could probably get ahold of an incubator and grow my own super QB!

 

Or better yet clone myself

[TheMadCap]

Expanding on the hydrolysis question, there is a proposed human mission to Mars offered by Robert Zubrin where an initial supply of hydrogen is taken to Mars and reacted with the natural carbon dioxide via the Sabateur reaction, producing methane and water. The water is then split using hydrolysis, regenerating the hydrogen and oxygen. The chemical equation is as follows:

 

CO2 + 4H2 = CH4 + 2H2O

 

The problem with the Mars Direct plan, as it is called, is that it is a bare bones mission, NASA would never approve a plan without several levels of backup.

 

The idea is to produce all the fuel needed for a return to Earth flight for the astronauts on Mars itself, since most missions have to lug all that fuel with them, launching it from the Earth, increasing the weight and cost.

[TheMadCap]

If anyone is interested in this type of discussion, on a vastly more educated scale, check out this forum page:

 

http://www.newmars.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard/ikonboard.cgi

 

There are folks there who know a great deal about rocketry and pysics who can explain things much better than I...

[JP-era]

Expanding on the hydrolysis question, there is a proposed human mission to Mars offered by Robert Zubrin where an initial supply of hydrogen is taken to Mars and reacted with the natural carbon dioxide via the Sabateur reaction, producing methane and water. The water is then split using hydrolysis, regenerating the hydrogen and oxygen. The chemical equation is as follows:

 

CO2 + 4H2 = CH4 + 2H2O

 

The problem with the Mars Direct plan, as it is called, is that it is a bare bones mission, NASA would never approve a plan without several levels of backup.

206338[/snapback]

 

 

OK, so we start this reaction on another planet. Then say, the oxygen supports combustion of methane, the little probe has a short and creates a spark that then lights off methane which lights off more methane, Mars basically explodes propelling chunks of itself into the Sun and surrounding planets. The sun then explodes and torches off planet after planet or simply burns out. The earth approaches absolute zero or melts, and all life is lost.

 

OOPS, kinda sounds like something my jackass brother would do. Maybe we should send him there instead!

 

Ever heard of the Butterfly effect?

[PromoTheRobot]

One of the Huygens probe instruments detects the presesnce of lightning. The early earth had a similar make up as Titan: a hazy hydrocarbon world, but probably much warmer. Scientists theorize lightning was the catalyst to form amino acids from the organic goo.

 

Mmmmmm...organic goo!

 

PTR

[TheMadCap]

One of the Huygens probe instruments detects the presesnce of lightning.  The early earth had a similar make up as Titan: a hazy hydrocarbon world, but probably much warmer.  Scientists theorize lightning was the catalyst to form amino acids from the organic goo.

 

Mmmmmm...organic goo!

 

PTR

206344[/snapback]

 

 

Very true, this experiment has been performed on Earth with similar orange brown goo being produced using electricity (lightning) and the basic amino acids as found on Titan...

[TheMadCap]

OK, so we start this reaction on another planet. Then say, the oxygen supports combustion of methane, the little probe has a short and creates a spark that then lights off methane which lights off more methane, Mars basically explodes propelling chunks of itself into the Sun and surrounding planets. The sun then explodes and torches off planet after planet or simply burns out. The earth approaches absolute zero or melts, and all life is lost.

 

OOPS, kinda sounds like something my jackass brother would do. Maybe we should send him there instead! 

 

Ever heard of the Butterfly effect?

206343[/snapback]

 

Most of the atmosphere of Mars is Carbon Dioxide, there simply isn't enough methane there, or that we could produce, that would do anything that extreme...

[JP-era]

Most of the atmosphere of Mars is Carbon Dioxide, there simply isn't enough methane there, or that we could produce, that would do anything that extreme...

206348[/snapback]

 

 

Dude, I wasnt serious.

 

The only serious part is not completely thinking through the potential ramifications of our actions on an untouched planet.

[TheMadCap]

Dude, I wasnt serious.

 

The only serious part is not completely thinking through the potential ramifications of our actions on an untouched planet.

206357[/snapback]

 

Interesting point. Much debate in scientific circles deals with the potential contamination of new worlds with terran life. Kind of like the observer, who by observing, changes the conditions of the experiment..

[The Poojer]

if what you are really trying to say is that Drew sucks and shouldn't start next year and Lohsman should, then common man give it a rest already!

 

 

That would be cool huh?

 

Seriously, one of the cheesy Star Trek flick talked about the genesis rockets that kick start life on planets.

 

Any reason that we couldnt convert some of those ethane lakes into oxygen through combustion or something else? Wouldnt the atmosphere then "trap" the oxygen? Surely lakes of burning ethane would provide enough heat to warm up the planet.

 

Titan needs oxygen and warmth to be habitable right?

 

Take it easy on me, I dont claim to know to much about Chemistry. I could have broken some of the "rules" in my questions.

206320[/snapback]