I knew I'd get a story idea out of it eventually.

[browngirl]

We've been watching the History Channel series The Universe, which is pretty good for popular science, and full of lovely visuals (yay CGI!). I was thinking of the moons of Saturn on my way to work today, and had a story idea.

"Telescope Pals". Two young people, both colonists around Saturn, are pen-pals and use their telescopes to look at each other's settlements. (Worldbuilding thoughts: one on a natural satellite and one on a space station? What would be an appropriate name for a space station orbiting Saturn, an artificer/smith/whatnot linked to the Titans? What would be a good satellite for a settlement? Titan is too gooey.) The kid on the space station sends their friend pictures of the rings (which the kid on the moon can barely see).

I need to resist the temptation to set this on the Galileans instead; Jupiter's magnetosphere would microwave human settlers, wouldn't it?

Still. *makes notes*

Comments

[whuffle.livejournal.com]

an artificer/smith/whatnot linked to the Titans

Oh that's easy, its Hephaestus! Though I suppose you could also use Prometheus since he was a Titan that stole fire from the gods and was chained to the Caucasus mountains by Hephaestus' indestructible chains.

[eudociainboston.livejournal.com]

I like Hephaestus. It is less known than the name Prometheus.

[wcg.livejournal.com]

What would be an appropriate name for a space station orbiting Saturn

Saturn station one. (The people who name these things are deliberately quite prosaic.)

What would be a good satellite for a settlement?

Enceladus? At least it'd have plenty of water. The settlement would have to be something like a giant ice-fishing shack sitting out on the ice.

Titan is the only moon of Saturn with an appreciable atmosphere.

You're right about Jupiter's magnetosphere. It might be possible to survive it on Callisto, but certainly not on Ganymede or anything closer. Callisto is an awfully barren old rock.

[sparkymonster.livejournal.com]

*adds to tivo*

[katarik.livejournal.com]

Oooooooh! I'd love to read this, when you've time to get it down.

♥

[sage]

that would be awesome.

Also, I'm voting for Saturn. :D

[danachan.livejournal.com]

I love your brain. (And the rest of you, too.)