Terraforming

Terraform jupiter we'll have like 50x as much space! jk =P.

You can't terraform that which has no terra to form, Willkill. Although we don't know Jupiter's mass 100%, all signs indicate that it honestly has no solid mass to it, and given its temperature, some scientists believe that it was a star that simply didn't quite get the mass needed to ignite.

Mj pretty much summed up my feeling exactly, it's really difficult to decide between natural beauty and making ourselves infinitely more comfortable. I suppose the decision to terraform would depend upon what we intend to DO while we occupy the planet and if we truly intended to populate the entirety of it.

I can only hope we'd have learned how to lessen our negative impact on the planets by the time this is a consideration, otherwise we'd just be destroying planets in our wake.

Heh. So many future shows with a scene where a character looks up at the moon and remembers what it looked like before colonization, or looks up at it during a trip to the past and remarks at how pretty it is.

Exactly, this was precisely the type of discussion I was looking for. I suppose it boils down to human progress vs. environment seniments.

Unfortunately, the colonization of the moon is almost inevitable. We need a cheap way to supply space docks for longer range exploration and exploitation. Really, the view of the moon is so polluted by Earth-shine these days, that I don't think it'll makes much difference by the time it'd be noticable.

You can't terraform that which has no terra to form, Willkill. Although we don't know Jupiter's mass 100%, all signs indicate that it honestly has no solid mass to it, and given its temperature, some scientists believe that it was a star that simply didn't quite get the mass needed to ignite. Mj pretty much summed up my feeling exactly, it's really difficult to decide between natural beauty and making ourselves infinitely more comfortable. I suppose the decision to terraform would depend upon what we intend to DO while we occupy the planet and if we truly intended to populate the entirety of it. I can only hope we'd have learned how to lessen our negative impact on the planets by the time this is a consideration, otherwise we'd just be destroying planets in our wake.

I guess you didn't see my "jk =P". Not just that ...even if it retained its current size and it were a rocky planet we would be crushed by the gravity.

I think the possibility for a solid surface deep within Jupiter still exists, though. Not entirely sure about that.

I did some brief studying of Jupiter a few years ago while working on a Sci-fi novel which never actually materialized, and that sounds about right. The outer layer is gaseous and comprised mainly of Hydrogen and Helium, but there is indication of some sort of solid core within based on the gravitational forces present. We just have no way of probing that deeply into the planet.

Actually, according to wikipedia, Jupiter may have a solid core. Interestingly, the acceleration of gravity on the surface of Jupiter may be much less than the acceleration in orbit, since you'd have about 95% of it's mass pretty much evenly distributed arround you and canceling itself out. Not to say that the pressure and heat wouldn't kill you...

Jupiter is theorized to have a small, solid core or a gaseous core of dense materials.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jupiter#Internal_structure

They just don't have all the info to know for sure yet, WW. The temperature near the core is believed to be 36,000 degrees Kelvin and under 3,000–4,500 GPa of pressure. I don't know enough about chemistry to formulate a real guess, but wouldn't the molecules be flying EVERYWHERE under the excitement generated by that insane amount of heat, or would the immense pressure cut down on some of that?

The pressure would cut down on some of that but 36,000 degrees...I don't know. That is a really high temperature.

I'd think it'd be inevitable that there'd be some sort of "solid" core considering the pressures etc. involved but I'm definitely no expert.

I'd think it'd be inevitable that there'd be some sort of "solid" core considering the pressures etc. involved but I'm definitely no expert.

Unless I converted wrong, the interior temp would be ~64,000 degrees Farenheit for something more comparable for those of us who aren't fluent in Kelvin.

I don't think anyone has a true idea of what the interior could be like because the temperature and pressure are so much greater than we could hope to witness the effects of. Can you imagine trying to build a probe that could stand up to those conditions?