Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site peora.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxn!ihnp4!houxm!mtuxo!mtunh!mtung!mtunf!ariel!vax135!petsd!peora!joel From: joel@peora.UUCP (Joel Upchurch) Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers Subject: Re: what the Visitors came for Message-ID: <1275@peora.UUCP> Date: Fri, 12-Jul-85 12:16:48 EDT Article-I.D.: peora.1275 Posted: Fri Jul 12 12:16:48 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 13-Jul-85 14:00:32 EDT References: <7800020@orstcs.UUCP> Organization: Perkin-Elmer SDC, Orlando, Fl. Lines: 20 >The Idea that an advanced alien race would come to Earth (or >anyhere else for that matter) is not as preposterous as it sounds. >Isaac Asimov wrote a book in which the plot traced an expedition >from Mars to Jupiter to acquire water. This was no small task for the >Martians. For the "Visitors" it would be quite a bit easier. It has also >been suggested that Jupiter would make a nice fuel stop for interstellar >ships leaving or entering the Solar system. Why Jupiter? It would In Asimov's classic story 'The Martian Way' Martain colonists were getting water ice from Saturn's rings instead of from Earth's oceans because of political problems with Earth. It also turned out to be much more economical than hauling water out of Earth's gravity well. The idea of using Jupiter as a refueling station is that you don't have to land, you just skim the edge of the atmosphere and scoop the hydrogen out. The only energy lost is from atmospheric friction. Of course you have haul the fuel you scoop out of Jupiter's gravity well, but you can use part of what you scoop as reaction mass, so you have a net gain.