I am working on the second ESA/JAXA story at the moment, that will continue the story started with the Thor Heyerdahl.
Without spoiling too much, ESA/JAXA want to build up a station in close orbit around Saturn. At the moment I would put this station into the little moon Pan, a ~ 30km block of ice within the rings of Saturn. The ice would make a good shielding (and help to keep the supply of air and water), and its easy to "cut" without handwaved tools (at least as long as you have a fusion reactor for energy).
I know that the rings of Saturn are "tabu" for any kind of ice mining, but would this also prevent a station on this moon? Its not that they are planning to carry the water away, so it should be no danger for the rings.
Without spoiling too much, ESA/JAXA want to build up a station in close orbit around Saturn. At the moment I would put this station into the little moon Pan, a ~ 30km block of ice within the rings of Saturn. The ice would make a good shielding (and help to keep the supply of air and water), and its easy to "cut" without handwaved tools (at least as long as you have a fusion reactor for energy).
I know that the rings of Saturn are "tabu" for any kind of ice mining, but would this also prevent a station on this moon? Its not that they are planning to carry the water away, so it should be no danger for the rings.