NASA scientists eye Titan to produce fuel food building materials
NASA scientists are looking at Titan, Saturn's largest moon, as a future resource hub for deep-space travel.
Thanks to its thick atmosphere and loads of hydrocarbons like methane and propane, Titan could help astronauts make fuel, food, and building materials right on site: no need to haul everything from Earth.
Conor Nixon: Titan promising despite challenges
Titan's stash of hydrocarbons might make it easier to create rocket fuel and plastics than on the Moon or Mars.
Still, there are some big challenges: it's incredibly cold (minus 290 Fahrenheit), gravity is low, and there isn't any oxygen lying around, so astronauts would have to produce it themselves.
Even with these hurdles, lead researcher Conor Nixon says Titan could be a game-changer for long-term space exploration if we design missions that use its unique resources.