What is a reasonable estimate for exploration of Jupiter's moons?

Question

Suppose our country was dedicated to Outer Solar System Exploration and the adavancement of human civilization. Does the technology exist? Is it being produced at a fast rate?

Answer 1

I really doubt it, the moons on Jupiter are mainly inhospitable, there is not only radiation from the sun, but from jupiter itself, there are many changes in the magnetic field that can disrupt electronics, the temperature makes human exploration impossible, let alone colonization.

I think the best bets are on Titan, Saturn's moon, it has a cold temperature all right (i think -50 C or something) but the pressure is almost equal to that of earth, so any tear/oxygen leak can be easily repaired. The gravity there is so low that you can flap artificial wings and fly off the ground, so launches would be cheap and finally the planet's full of organic compounds like methane, like the earth was way before life.

Another bet, less feasible would be making air cities (like bespin (!)) on venus, a segment of the atmosphere resembles earth, balancing weights on the bottom with light gasses on the top can keep a city 'afloat', and again, if any air leak, the pressure is almost equal to earth, so there is no threat. The only problem is loss of weights -> go to space, if loss of the light gases -> down to the surface, both of which result in certain death.

Mars is OK, but its way too dry, until they find some water source (ice, underground lakes or something).

The technology now is mediocre, give it a decade or two for it to be more safer.

Answer 2

The only thing I would add is that the gravity well in the neighborhood of the Gallilean satellites is quite deep. Consider Io; it is almost as far from the center of Jupiter as the Moon is from the center of Earth. (there's a small difference, but very small). But while the Moon takes 29 days to make an orbit about the Earth, Io does the same circuit in about 36 hours.
If I'm calculating right, then any maneuver (for instance, leaving the neighborhood) would take 20 times as much speed as it would in the neighborhood of the Moon.

This is bound to make manned exploration quite a bit more expensive than we'd hope.

Answer 3

Well, honestly, I don't think we have the means as yet to pull off a trip to Jupiter's moons. (Or Mars, for that matter...) However, I believe the Jupiter system would be even more dangerous & hard to explore, due to the proximity of Jupiter itself, and the intense radiation it emits. (I'm assuming manned travel.) But I know that we're most interested in Europa, because it may have a liquid ocean under the surface ice, and Io, as it is so active. The problem with both is they trail through Jupiter's massive radiation belts.

Answer 4

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Answer 5

In Europe a Jupiter's moon the Scientists speculate that the water there, so the interest

Answer 6

Hi. The crude technology does exist to get a probe there and gather data. In 100 years the technology SHOULD be available to do much more. Here is some crude technology, in my opinion. http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/21580.wss

Answer 7

We have the ability to do it now, the manpower is what is holding us back. It would have to be a decades long thing, and no one has stepped up to the plate on that one yet.

Answer 8

http://www.spacedaily.com/news/spacetravel-05v.html