Which moon is most favourable as a refuelling station?
My hypothetical gas giant has five major moons. Three of those moons are icy bodies with abundant water ice and volatiles. Any of these could provide fuel for translunar spacecraft, or for spacecraft headed further afield.
However, not all of these moons are created equal. One of them is much deeper into the gas giant's gravity well, and the furthest out is very small.
Considering proximity to the host planet and to the other moons, which of the three icy moons is the best place to establish a refuelling station?
The System:
Planet mass - 187.36 Earth Masses
Moon A (Icy) - Mass: 1.93 × 1021 kg, Surface Gravity: ~0.223 m/s2, Semi-major axis: 597,520km, Period: 3.8863 days
Moon B (Unsuitable) - Mass: 93% Mars, Semi-major axis: 747,800km, Period: 5.4408 days
Moon C (Unsuitable) - Mass: 88% Earth, Semi-major axis: 1,188,200km, Period: 10.8724 days
Moon D (Icy) - Mass: 1.6 × 1023 kg, Surface Gravity: ~1.428 m/s2, Semi-major axis: 1,883,220km, Period: 21.7446 days
Moon E (Icy) - Mass: 4.28 × 1019 kg, Surface Gravity: ~0.064 m/s2, Semi-major axis: 3,588,200km, Period: 57.1901 days
0 comment threads