Editing Space colonization (section)

====Saturn====
Saturn's radiation belt is much weaker than Jupiter's, so radiation is less of an issue here. Dione, Rhea, Titan, and Iapetus all orbit outside the radiation belt, and Titan's thick atmosphere would adequately shield against cosmic radiation.<ref name=UTSaturn/>

Saturn has seven moons [[planetary-mass moon|large enough to be round]]: in order of increasing distance from Saturn, they are [[Mimas (moon)|Mimas]], [[Enceladus]], [[Tethys (moon)|Tethys]], [[Dione (moon)|Dione]], [[Rhea (moon)|Rhea]], [[Titan (moon)|Titan]], and [[Iapetus (moon)|Iapetus]].

=====Enceladus=====
The small moon Enceladus is also of interest, having a subsurface ocean that is separated from the surface by only tens of meters of ice at the south pole, compared to kilometers of ice separating the ocean from the surface on Europa. Volatile and organic compounds are present there, and the moon's high density for an ice world (1.6&nbsp;g/cm<sup>3</sup>) indicates that its core is rich in silicates.<ref name=UTSaturn>{{cite web |url=https://www.universetoday.com/132413/colonize-saturns-moons/ |title=How do we Colonize Saturns' Moons |last=Williams |first=Matt |date=22 December 2016 |website=[[Universe Today]] |access-date=22 August 2021}}</ref>

On 9 March 2006, [[NASA]]'s ''[[Cassini–Huygens|Cassini]]'' space probe found possible evidence of liquid water on [[Enceladus]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://spacenews.com/nasas-cassini-discovers-potential-liquid-water-on-enceladus/ |title=NASA's Cassini Discovers Potential Liquid Water on Enceladus |publisher=Space News|date=9 March 2006 |access-date=16 April 2025}}</ref> According to that article, "pockets of liquid water may be no more than tens of meters below the surface." These findings were confirmed in 2014 by NASA. This means liquid water could be collected much more easily and safely on Enceladus than, for instance, on Europa (see above). Discovery of water, especially liquid water, generally makes a celestial body a much more likely candidate for colonization. An alternative model of Enceladus's activity is the decomposition of methane/water [[clathrate]]s – a process requiring lower temperatures than liquid water eruptions. The higher density of Enceladus indicates a larger than Saturnian average silicate core that could provide materials for base operations.

=====Titan=====
{{Main|Colonization of Titan}}
Authors like [[Robert Zubrin]] have offered that Saturn is the most important and valuable of the four [[gas giant]]s in the [[Solar System]], because of its relative proximity, low radiation, and excellent system of moons. He named Titan as the best candidate on which to establish a base to exploit the resources of the Saturn system.<ref name="zubrin1999"/>{{rp|161-163}} He pointed out that Titan possesses an abundance of all the elements necessary to support life, saying "In certain ways, Titan is the most hospitable extraterrestrial world within our solar system for human colonization."<ref name="zubrin1999"/>{{rp|163-166}}

To consider a colony on [[Saturn]]'s largest moon [[Titan (moon)|Titan]], protection against the extreme cold must be a primary consideration.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mars vs. Titan: A Showdown of Human Habitability |first=Kasha |last=Patel  |date=1 October 2018 | url=https://www.acs.org/education/chemmatters/past-issues/2018-2019/october2018/mars-vs-titan.html |website=acs.org |access-date=20 April 2025}}</ref> Titan offers a gravity of approximately 1/7 of Earth gravity, in the same range as Earth's Moon. Atmospheric pressure at the surface of the planet is about 1.5x that of the surface of the Earth; there is however, no oxygen present in the environment. The atmosphere is about 95% nitrogen and 5% methane.<ref>{{cite web|title=Titan: Facts|url=https://science.nasa.gov/saturn/moons/titan/facts/ |website=NASA|access-date=21 April 2025}}</ref> Some estimates suggest that abundant energy resources on Titan could power a colony with a population size of the United States.<ref>{{cite web |title=Titan Has Enough Energy to Power a Colony The Size of The US |url=https://www.sciencealert.com/titan-has-enough-energy-to-power-a-colony-the-size-of-the-us |date=10 July 2017 |first=David |last=Nield |website=sciencealert.com|access-date=20 April 2025}}</ref>

The dense atmosphere of Titan shields the surface from radiation and would make any structural failures problematic, rather than catastrophic. With an oxygen mask and thermal clothing protection, humans could roam Titan's surface in the dim sunlight. Or, given the low gravity and dense atmosphere, they could float above it in a balloon or on personal wings.<ref>{{cite web|title=Forget Mars—let’s go colonize Titan! |first=John |last=Timmer – |date= 13 May 2017 |url=https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/05/forget-mars-lets-go-colonize-titan/ |website=arstechnica.com|access-date=26 April 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The tech we need to build a colony on Titan |first=Jamie |last=Carter |date=28 August 2017 |url=https://www.techradar.com/news/the-tech-we-need-to-build-a-colony-on-titan |website=techradar.com|access-date=21 April 2025}}</ref>