[extropy-chat] SPACE: new planet?

Harvey Newstrom mail at HarveyNewstrom.com
Fri Feb 20 23:20:49 UTC 2004


Robert J. Bradbury wrote,
> Harvey offered some comments on my comments about Kuiper Belt 
> objects, from which I will extract:
> 
> > These are older worlds that formed before our planets.
> 
> That really isn't clear.

All of the references I read on Kuiper Belt objects state that they are
primitive left-overs from the early solar system formation, before the
planetesimals in the inner solar system formed or combined into planets.  I
don't know of any theories that form planets first and Kuiper Belt objects
later.

> > About 10% of them have spawned moonlets which cause tidal 
> > forces that very well may heat up their cores to form a
> > liquid internal ocean.
> 
> While I will grant that this is possible I haven't seen any 
> papers suggesting that tidal forces between planets and moons 
> will provide sufficient heat.

There is some evidence that Pluto itself may have a liquid core due to its
moon Chiron.

See <http://www.planetary.org/html/UPDATES/Pluto/plutoeuropa.html>.  It
states that these objects are the oldest in the solar system.  It also
describes hints that Pluto might have an internal liquid ocean like Europa.

> Of course Harvey and I may differ on whether we will 
> "colonize" these planetoids or dismantle them but that is a 
> minor difference of opinion in the grand scheme of things.  
> The primary thing to note is *where* the carbon on the solar 
> system is likely to be and the value of that carbon (from an 
> economic or developmental standpoint).

I doubt that all KBOs will be disassembled before one is colonized, or that
all will be colonized before one is disassembled.  Therefore, it seems
obvious that both options will occur.

-- 
Harvey Newstrom, CISSP, CISA, CISM, IAM, IBMCP, GSEC
Certified IS Security Pro, Certified IS Auditor, Certified InfoSec Manager,
NSA Certified Assessor, IBM Certified Consultant, SANS GIAC Certified GSEC
<HarveyNewstrom.com> <Newstaff.com> 





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