Comments on: A large Kuiper Belt object discovered https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/a-large-kuiper-belt-object-discovered/ Wed, 12 Oct 2016 13:23:06 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 By: Localfluff https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/a-large-kuiper-belt-object-discovered/#comment-936629 Wed, 12 Oct 2016 13:23:06 +0000 http://behindtheblack.com/?p=42185#comment-936629 Enceladus at 250 km is round, and a distant object should be made out of icy volatilities. Billions of tons of frozen methane ready to be picked up and used as rocket fuel and in fuel cells for heating and electric power, combined with oxygen from frozen water, which has to be heated to be processed, though. If the rocket engine can use methane that’s not pure, raw ice blocks could be used as fuel. Frozen methane is much easier to handle than liquefied dito. And there should be plenty of frozen nitrogen too, an inert gas useful both in rocket engines and a breathable atmosphere. God created the outer Solar System for exploration!

Btw, the pressure in the center of Ceres (500 km deep) is lower than in the deepest Earth mine in operation today.

]]> By: Localfluff https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/a-large-kuiper-belt-object-discovered/#comment-936620 Wed, 12 Oct 2016 13:02:14 +0000 http://behindtheblack.com/?p=42185#comment-936620 Ceres is a bit short of 1,000 km in diameter and classified as dwarf planet.
It feels as if the Kuiper Belt is growing. It used to be said that Pluto’s orbit spans the entire belt between peri- and aphelion (40-50 AU). But this object goes out to 150 AU and several objects even much further out have been found. There are protostellar disks which are even much larger still. Maybe the local interstellar space isn’t as empty as has been believed? This could facilitate future interstellar travel.

]]> By: Matt in AZ https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/a-large-kuiper-belt-object-discovered/#comment-936443 Tue, 11 Oct 2016 23:54:57 +0000 http://behindtheblack.com/?p=42185#comment-936443 Pluto’s diameter is about 2,374km, so the quoted size range is rather smaller.

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