Callisto is the second largest Galilean satellite of Jupiter, after Ganymede. Because of its rather decent distance from the giant planet, and hence reduced the deadly level of radiation, the moon is considered the most potential candidate for creating one of the first space bases in the vicinity of Jupiter. What else can be interesting Callisto?
Jupiter’s moon Callisto might be of great scientific interest for future generations of earthlings
Is it possible to build a colony on Jupiter?
Until recently, Callisto was one of the most poorly known of the satellites of Jupiter: the laurels of the most were divided between Europe, with its huge ice-ocean, IO, famous for their volcanic character and Ganymede, which is known as the largest moon of our solar system. Meanwhile, the hour of Callisto, it seems, here-here will come: it is known that because of its considerable distance from his master Jupiter, the radiation levels on the moon smaller than the earth in as much as 7 times!
See also: How much water is needed for life elsewhere in the Solar system?
Other satellites of the giant planet such a measure can not boast because of their close proximity to Jupiter. Most radiation is considered a satellite of the planet IO, where the level of lethal radiation a thousand times greater than earth’s. In second place on the level of radiation is Europe, whose global ice-ocean may contain hypothetical extreme life under the condition that the ice can contain the pressure of radiation. The surface of Ganymede is also suffering from high radiation background, which only Callisto is a completely safe ice world, completely covered with craters.
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The Galilean satellites of Jupiter: Ganymede, Callisto, Europa and IO
The diameter of Callisto is approximately 5,000 kilometers, which makes it very similar to the size of such planets as mercury. In addition, the similarity with the mercury, indicates a huge number of ancient craters on the surface of this satellite of the Jupiter. The most prominent crater on Callisto is a giant crater Valhalla with a diameter of about 530 kilometers, whose neighborhood is surrounded by unusual concentric rings, reaching a radius of about 2,000 kilometers.
Valhalla crater on Callisto
Planetary scientists believe that such education could occur as a result of collision of the Jupiter with a rather large body, which, crashing into the icy surface of Callisto, provoked something similar to what we see at the moment of contact of the stone with the surface of the water. This statement once again proves that beneath the surface of Callisto may hide a huge reservoir of liquid water.
Flight to Callisto, using modern speeds it may take about 5 years
Taking into account that Jupiter is 8 times farther from Earth than is known to all the planet Mars, by simple calculations one can understand that the system of moons of Jupiter people have to fly about 5 years. So big time can be offset by large reserves of water resources Callisto, which guarantee the possibility of establishing a permanent research station, thanks to which it would be possible to start the observation and study of other satellites of the giant planet. So, with the help of certain technologies, the researchers could get a unique opportunity to study the more advantageous from the economic point of view the satellites of Jupiter in real time and to move in the direction of other studies of the outer planets of the Solar System.