Re: Titan, the interplanetary gas station

"Jim Wilkins"  wrote in message news:[email protected]...

The nuclear reference is in the original article.
https://www.techno-science.net/en/news/titan-the-interplanetary-gas-station-N28973.html
"Compared to the Moon or Mars, Titan offers far more resources, but its
distance requires nuclear propulsion."

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The gravity slingshot maneuver gives an alternative path to the outer 
planets with current rocket technology.
https://evanstonroundtable.com/2016/08/24/slingshot-to-saturn-how-gravity-helps-solar-system-travelers/

"Ms. Miller explains that a conventional spacecraft launched from Earth with 
NASA’s most powerful rockets would not have enough energy to reach Saturn 
because of the Sun’s gravitational pull."

Tapping other planets for their orbital velocity gave missions to and beyond 
Saturn the added boost our rockets couldn't. That could work coming back, 
too, but the risk is that a failure such as a stuck valve could turn the 
payload into an asteroid on a collision path.
https://spacenews.com/boeing-and-nasa-continue-to-investigate-starliner-valve-problem/

Nitrogen tetroxide oxidizer self-ignites on contact with fuel (hypergolic), 
removing igniter failure as a dangerous cause of mishap, but it can swell 
and deform Teflon, the only valve material it doesn't corrode. A valve seal 
has to be slightly flexible which rules out other inert substances like 
glass. Valves for corrosives in chemistry lab equipment are made from glass 
and Teflon, in the ancient Roman stopcock geometry.
https://medilabexports.com/product/ptfe-key-stopcock-3/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Observer
"The likely reason for the spacecraft failure was the leakage of fuel and 
oxidizer vapors through the improperly designed PTFE [Teflon] check valve to 
the common pressurization system."