There goes the water rationing narrative in The Expanse...
Nah, kopeng mi; inyalowda, dey stole da owkwa from beltalowda!
Planet Ceres is an 'ocean world' with sea water beneath surface, mission finds
31–40 of 264 posts
Re: Planet Ceres is an 'ocean world' with sea water beneath surface, mission finds
#32Ceres is one of the more interesting candidates for life in our solar system. Ceres is in the habitable zone for our solar system (although just barely), it's surface temperature is -30 F (eq. to winter in Greenland), and it's detected that the water on the surface is 20% carbon by mass (though that can mean a lot of things).
I always wondered why we are overly focused on the conditions that created life on earth. Arguably it makes sense to see similar conditions lead to life. But do we really know enough to assume that's only way?
water and carbon a both uniquely suited to self assembling complex stuff, so its bot crazy to assume those are likely involved
Re: Planet Ceres is an 'ocean world' with sea water beneath surface, mission finds
#33spaceX when? 2048?
Somewhat related I saw it’s going to take NASA’s new Perseverance rover about 7 months to get to Mars and it’s traveling at something like 25,000 MPH. Since NASA had to take the planetary orbits and launch timing, etc. into account I’m assuming that’s the fastest ideal velocity for the rover but not necessarily the fastest possible. So I guess my question is, given that Ceres is so much further away than Mars, what’s…
Nuclear propulsion. I think a development program could be started from a planetary protection standpoint then hardened for standard missions.
Re: Planet Ceres is an 'ocean world' with sea water beneath surface, mission finds
#34What provides the heat to keep it liquid?
Re: Planet Ceres is an 'ocean world' with sea water beneath surface, mission finds
#35Ceres is one of the more interesting candidates for life in our solar system. Ceres is in the habitable zone for our solar system (although just barely), it's surface temperature is -30 F (eq. to winter in Greenland), and it's detected that the water on the surface is 20% carbon by mass (though that can mean a lot of things).
I had to stand around waiting for a bus in 0 F for a few years of my life. Did not detect any life around that bus stop.
Are you an android?
Re: Planet Ceres is an 'ocean world' with sea water beneath surface, mission finds
#36Is this actually H2O water? I read the article but I am still unclear.
I am often excited to hear that water was discovered on some planet or moon but its always a disappointment to learn that its liquid methane or some other liquid that is not actually H2O water.
Re: Planet Ceres is an 'ocean world' with sea water beneath surface, mission finds
#37What provides the heat to keep it liquid?
Magmatic activity in the mantle, obviously.
Re: Planet Ceres is an 'ocean world' with sea water beneath surface, mission finds
#38Earlier quoted context omitted.
The book(s) acknowledges it's made of ice. You can't drink your entire habitat.
All the water on Earth was drunk at some stage wasn't it?
I suspect that isn't true, but it is an interesting question. There is a lot of water on the planet, some of it spends long periods locked up out of reach of drink ability.
I would guess that at most water has been drunk multiple times, but that there is some miniscule a fraction that moved between icecap, permafrost and deep water table and has avoided being consumed by an animal since it arrived on earth.
I would be interested to read a mathematical estimate of how many 9s of water on earth has been drunk at some point.
Re: Planet Ceres is an 'ocean world' with sea water beneath surface, mission finds
#39Ceres is one of the more interesting candidates for life in our solar system. Ceres is in the habitable zone for our solar system (although just barely), it's surface temperature is -30 F (eq. to winter in Greenland), and it's detected that the water on the surface is 20% carbon by mass (though that can mean a lot of things).
What of the lack of atmosphere and lack of active mantle/core? Solar energy has little chance of staying within the system.
Isn't surface temperature a good proxy value of the amount of energy inside the system?
Re: Planet Ceres is an 'ocean world' with sea water beneath surface, mission finds
#40Is this actually H2O water? I read the article but I am still unclear. I am often excited to hear that water was discovered on some planet or moon but its always a disappointment to learn that its liquid methane or some other liquid that is not actually H2O water.
Ceres is by and large H2O (by volume).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceres_(dwarf_planet)#Internal_...