Humans have colonized the subsurface oceans of Europa - building large cities embedded in the icy crust, hanging beneath it, and resting on the rocky seafloor. These colonists mine metals for construction from the mantle and harvest local fauna for food - but where do they get their air?
- Europa has a thin oxygen exosphere.
- The ocean is mostly water, and it's salty.
- The seafloor is in contact with a rocky mantle composed of mafic rock.
- Hydrothermal vents produced by tidal heating are common, and they release Earth-analogous minerals into the water.
- The ocean is enriched in oxygen due to radiolysis and crustal ice circulation.
- Fusion technology exists, so fusion-associated helium isotopes are available
- Resource can be imported or mined off-world but only if no cheaper alternatives exist
What resources would be most efficient to draw on in order to create air breathable for whole lifetimes inside the colonies? Oxygen seems abundant, but assuming many of the submarines on this world will be pressurized, colonists won't want to risk oxygen toxicity. Thus, other gases need to be mixed in.
What resources can be drawn on most efficiently and combined to make breathable air?
One starting point might be looking at breathing gases.
CLARIFYING EDIT: Oxygen is abundant, as evidenced by the list of resources above. I'm looking for an answer that specifies how to achieve a healthy atmosphere beyond just getting oxygen because just oxygen is poisonous. How can other complimentary gases be harvested?
Wanadamu wametumia bahari za chini ya ardhi ya Europa kujenga majiji makubwa yaliyojengwa ndani ya barafu, yaliyo chini ya barafu, na yaliyo juu ya miamba ya bahari. Wakoloni hao hutengeneza metali za ujenzi kutoka kwenye kifuniko cha ardhi na kuvuna wanyama wa eneo hilo ili wapate chakula - lakini hupata wapi hewa? - Europa ina exosphere nyembamba ya oksijeni. - Bahari ni maji zaidi, na ni chumvi. - sakafu ya bahari ni katika kuwasiliana na mantle mwamba linajumuisha ya mafic mwamba. - Vituo vya maji ya joto vinavyotokezwa na joto la mawimbi ni vya kawaida, na hutokeza madini yanayofanana na yale ya Dunia ndani ya maji. - Bahari ina utajiri wa oksijeni kutokana na radiolysis na mzunguko wa barafu ya tabaka. "Tabibu za fusion zinapatikana, kwa hivyo isotopu za helium zinazohusiana na fusion zinapatikana, rasilimali zinaweza kuingizwa au kuchimbwa nje ya dunia, lakini tu ikiwa hakuna mbadala wa bei nafuu, ni rasilimali zipi zitakuwa na ufanisi zaidi kuunganisha ili kuunda hewa inayoweza kupumua kwa maisha yote ndani ya makoloni?""" Oksijeni inaonekana kuwa nyingi, lakini ikidhani kwamba nyambizi nyingi duniani zitakuwa na shinikizo, wakoloni hawataki kuhatarisha sumu ya oksijeni. Kwa hiyo, gesi nyingine zinahitaji kuchanganywa. Ni vyanzo gani vinavyoweza kutumiwa kwa ufanisi zaidi na kuunganishwa ili kutokeza hewa inayoweza kupumua? Njia moja ya kuanza inaweza kuwa kuangalia gesi za kupumua. Ufafanuzi wa Ufafanuzi: Oksijeni ni nyingi, kama inavyoonyeshwa na orodha ya rasilimali hapo juu. "Ninaangalia jibu ambalo linaelezea jinsi ya kufikia anga yenye afya zaidi ya kupata oksijeni tu, kwa sababu oksijeni tu ni sumu. """ Gesi nyingine za ziada zaweza kuvunwaje?