Coverting a Lunar Body into a Burning Sun

[Exsilium]

Hello all,

 

I serendipitously found this science community while searching for info about Jupiter's largest moon, Ganymede. I am a sci-fi writer and I am hoping to learn much from this intellectual community and hopefully offer constructive ideas for your edification, as well.

 

In my current novel, Ganymede has an industrial colony established upon it. I have researched the potential of terra-forming Ganymede and have found complications that will require imaginative solutions - possibly the suspension of some of the laws of physics and thermodynamics. However, in spite of that, as much as I can, I want my speculative fiction to be based on as much sound or innovative theory as possible. So, here are my questions: If we had the technology, would it make sense to convert a local lunar body into a burning sun to heat another nearby moon, such as Io becoming a sun to heat nearby moons, Ganymede, Calisto and Europa? If so what technology is needed to create such a dramatic transformation? What laws of physics and/or thermodynamics might this process involve?

 

If it does not make any sense, then what technology might be needed to create a type of controllable artificial sun around Ganymede? What materials would be needed to create an artifical sun out of cosmic substances?

 

I am also open to any terra-forming ideas anyone would like to share.

 

Thanks for taking the time to read my post and any constructive responses are more than welcome.

[SkepticLance]

I have encountered this idea before, and thought it a bit impractical. Apart from anything else, it is terribly wasteful. Most of the energy is radiated out away from the place where it is most useful. In addition, to set up a self-sustaining fusion reaction would require a much larger object, so that the inward pull of gravity can balance the outward thrust of the ongoing fusion explosion.

 

I have always felt that complete terraforming is probably not needed. Especially on a small moon. For example, how would you screen out the hazards of cosmic radiation, which can induce lethal cancer within 3 years? On Earth we have a thick atmosphere and magnetic fields. Not on a moon.

 

My feeling is that humans do the adapting. Not the moon. We become troglodites, and build underground habitats, or even whole cities underground. We use nuclear fusion power stations for energy. Ten metres of rock and soil overhead will screen out lethal radiation, and the fusion energy is channelled in a much more efficient way into electricity which is used to provide light and heat. Humans are highly adaptable, and could survive and thrive well in that environment.

[Klaynos]

You have to pass a mass limit to create enough pressure to create a selfsustaining fussion reactor.

[Exsilium]

 

My feeling is that humans do the adapting. Not the moon.

 

 

I understand. Thank you. I like this idea better not only because it is simpler, but it speaks of the tough, intelligent "bare-handed" resourcefulness needed when pioneering new frontiers. Well, then this leads me to another question that hopefully you can provide some insight on: If I have humankind establish subsurface colonies on Ganymede - a moon with an iced over rocky crust, a possibly differentiated frozen water and silicate mantle and an iron covered molten core - what will the design and composition of the habitat structures need to be in such an environment? Should structures be established in the crust? The mantle? How might the mantle be used as a resource to sustain human life?

 

Again, thanks for your responses.

 

You have to pass a mass limit to create enough pressure to create a selfsustaining fussion reactor.

 

Okay, so none of the lunar bodies, or planets for that matter, have the mass necessary to be potentially converted into self-sustaining fusion reactors. Now, what do you think about artificial suns? What would we need in terms of a mechanized device that could generate controlled amounts of heat to warm up, let's say, the surface of Mars?

 

Also, if I understand this correctly, the amount of mass within an object determines the amount of gravitational force upon that object. And the greater the gravitational force upon a planetary object, the more likely it can hold an atmosphere. If I am correct so far, Mars is unable to hold an atmopshere like Earth because it is less dense than Earth. So my question is what could be done to artificially increase the density of a planet? If we were able to achieve such a feat, how might that affect other planets and moons?

 

Thanks for your ideas.

[Klaynos]

Well what you'd need to do is have a photon flux density about the same as that at the earth...

 

solar flux at the Earth's distance = the Sun's surface flux × (Sun's radius/Earth's distance)² = 1380 Watts/meter²

 

so make that = (artificial objects surface flux) x (artificial objects radius/Mare's distance from object) and you pick numbers that solve that equation.

 

Mars lost it's atmosphere mainly because it lots it's magnetosphere and it got severly thinned, it still has one though, just very thin.... And no you can't really artifically increase the mass of planet to thicken it's atmosphere, you might be able to defend against the solar wind and drop an atmosphere though, it'd still be thiner then earths not not as thin.

[Mr Skeptic]

You would have better luck turning Jupiter into a sun, but I think even that is too small. A more realistic method would be to use large mirrors to focus sunlight onto a planet.

[SkepticLance]

To excillium

 

The underground habitat has to meet certain requirements, but is fairly flexible if it does so,

 

1. It has to hold atmosphere

2. It has to screen out radiation

3. It has to conserve heat.

 

Atmosphere can be held in with a relatively thin (a few millimetres) of metal sheet. Radiation needs about 10 metres of soil or rock, or ice cover. Conserving heat is achieved by a foam layer. Perhaps three layers are needed to achieve all three points.

 

Conserving atmosphere. What is often forgotten is the time factor. Mars has enough gravity to keep an Earth type atmosphere for many millions of years. Eventually the solar wind would blow a big chunk of it away, but only after millions of years. Even the moon has enough gravity to conserve an atmosphere of about that we have on Earth for up to a million years before it is lost. It is conceivable that a civilisation might break down ice to create an oxygen atmosphere on Ganymede or a similar moon, and keep it for tens of thousands of years. It could be replenished with more ice electrolysed.

[Shadowwalker]

Hello all,

 

I serendipitously found this science community while searching for info about Jupiter's largest moon, Ganymede. I am a sci-fi writer and I am hoping to learn much from this intellectual community and hopefully offer constructive ideas for your edification, as well.

 

In my current novel, Ganymede has an industrial colony established upon it. I have researched the potential of terra-forming Ganymede and have found complications that will require imaginative solutions - possibly the suspension of some of the laws of physics and thermodynamics. However, in spite of that, as much as I can, I want my speculative fiction to be based on as much sound or innovative theory as possible. So, here are my questions: If we had the technology, would it make sense to convert a local lunar body into a burning sun to heat another nearby moon, such as Io becoming a sun to heat nearby moons, Ganymede, Calisto and Europa? If so what technology is needed to create such a dramatic transformation? What laws of physics and/or thermodynamics might this process involve?

 

If it does not make any sense, then what technology might be needed to create a type of controllable artificial sun around Ganymede? What materials would be needed to create an artifical sun out of cosmic substances?

 

I am also open to any terra-forming ideas anyone would like to share.

 

Thanks for taking the time to read my post and any constructive responses are more than welcome.

 

CONVERTING A MOON INTO A LIFE GIVING SUN

If your thinking of in a scientific way you would have to have a way to know the *complete* list of the planatiods make up of elements and how to cause a chemical reaction for the elements for the neuclear reaction and to be able to also place the nessecary elements into the planatoid (in the correct quantities and not over do it and create a black hole) to create the nessecary neuclear reactions as are present in a star of the Earths Sun category(and the complete list of elements that make the Sun the SUN) so in to support life as we know it. I hope this helps you in your writing.

 

you would have to have a method of delivering the elemental material to the center of the planatoid such as a burrowing device that could be made similar to the bunckar buster bombs of today with the outer exploxive being the deadliest one we have today the cobalt bomb that can crack the surface of the earth right down to it's core. then the delivery would be easier to start and the chain reaction faster.

[Exsilium]

Thanks much Shadowwalker for that idea.

[Calabi-Yau]

An orbital light/E source?(less mass, same effect due to proximity), Isolated fusion on jupiter(sketchy), Wormhole(s), for both travel to earth and to allow sunlight?

[Klaynos]

Some quick numbers, to get anything star-like from nuclear fusion you'd have to had a self sustaining deuterium burning system, the smallest of which is a brown dwarf, the mass limit for them is 13 Jupiter masses, a quick wp quote:

 

Jupiter is 2.5 times more massive than all the other planets in our Solar System combined

[CaptainPanic]

In addition to all things that have already been said, I think it is impractical to be yourself in orbit around a body, and have your power source (your "artificial sun") also in orbit.

 

It would slowly overtake you, or you would slowly overtake the sun because the lower the orbit, the shorter the time it takes for a full circle.

 

It would only be reasonable when either the "artificial sun" is very close to Jupiter (a very low orbit), and the terraformed place is very far... Exactly the opposite would also work (you in low orbit around Jupiter, the sun in a high orbit).

 

The average distance to the sun then does not vary too much.

 

For example, the distance Earth - Mars varies by a factor of approximately 5-6 if my data about their orbits around the sun is correct.