Have you ever wondered what it would be like to visit Saturnthe second largest planet in the world solar system? Unfortunately, that’s a journey we can’t take, at least not with current technology.
This is because Saturn is a very different planet from Earth and, furthermore, it presents several challenges for any manned mission.
Why can’t we land on Saturn?
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See some of the main reasons why we were unable to land in Saturn:
- Saturn does not have a solid surface. It is made up mainly of gases, such as hydrogen and helium, and has a very deep rocky core. There is no way to land on Saturn, only fly through its atmosphere;
- Saturn has an extreme climate. Its average temperature is -178 °C, but it can reach 11,700 °C in the core. Its atmospheric pressure is more than a million times greater than Earth’s, which would crush any spacecraft or astronaut. Its rotation is very fast, around 10 and a half hours, which generates winds of up to 1,800 km/h;
- Saturn has a powerful magnetic field. It interferes with the communication and navigation of spacecraft, in addition to generating intense radiation that can damage equipment and the health of astronauts.
To date, only a few unmanned probes have come close to it, such as Pioneer 11, Voyager 1 and 2 and Cassini, which orbited Saturn for 13 years and returned incredible images of the planet and its moons. One of them, Titan, was explored by the Huygens probe, which landed on its icy surface in 2005.
Saturn is an inhospitable and dangerous planet for humans. If you want to learn more about this planet, but without taking risks, one option is the game “Starfield”, which allows you to explore fictional planets inspired by the solar system.
“Starfield” is a science fiction game that promises an immersive and fun experience for astronomy fans. You can see what Saturn would be like if it had a habitable surface, or venture to its exotic moons.
