You Can Fly - G. David Nordley
What if we lived on a planet where we could fly? What would be the effects of living on a low-gravity, dense atmospheric planet?
You can fly in low gravity and a dense atmosphere with strap on wings. See Alexander's The Dynamics of Dinosaurs and Other Extinct Giants.
Parrots are close to being intelligent flying creatures. He showed a picture of a parrot with a stick beating a hollow log. The parrot had cut the stick himself.
From Alexander's book:
Lift = constant x area x v^2
Weight = 0.909 x area x vmin
Area = mass x grv x 1.1/vmin^2
Wing area needed to lift a given mass:
Pterandon = 16kg = 2.6 m^2
Lunar Dragon = 1 ton = 15 m wingspan - in lunar gravity.
Troposphere-to-Statosphere = Tropopause.
Volcanos and outgassing replenish what escapes into space.
Low grav worlds usually have greatly expanded depth of atmosphere. The moon should retain an atmosphere, but the solar wind blows it away.
- it needs some mechanism to protect the atmosphere.
- a magnetic field aligned with the spin axis precludes molecular accelleration.
Titan has 1.6 x atmospheric density of Earth, but is very cold. Saturn's magnetic field protects the moon from the solar wind. The rings are part of the magnetosphere.
Red Dwarf stars are the majority of the stars in our galaxy.
M2-M3 red main squence stars (Red Dwarfs) are common.
You could have a habitable low-gravity dense atmospheric world orbiting a Jovian supergiant, in orbital resonance with other moons, and heated by a Red Dwarf and tidal forces.
Red Dwarf's have lower UV radiation. You wouldn't realize you were under a red star. The color shifts are subtle and it would look white from an orbiting planet.
Ross 614B red dwarf sun -- minimum nuclear reaction -- low UV and good heat source.
It is possible to have a planet with a deep atmosphere, cool poles, and hot over most of the planet.
Books: Rocheworld (sp), Forest Between Worlds.
Binary worlds tide-locked to each other -- todal forces warm the planets. Thermal and coriolis heating can warm a planet along with volcanos, etc. Winds can super-rotate to warm the backsides of planets. (he had a diagram of a tide-locked world that I hand-copied. If I can get a reasonable facsimile in a jpg, then I may post that here as well -- Jim)
Atmospheric pressure needed for 288ºK:
Titan - 12 atmospheres
Mars - 2.25 atmospheres (terraformed)
If you want a world easier to fly in, have a denser atmosphere and more distance from the sun. The gravity on Mars is 40% that of Earth. Mountains are two to three times as tall and pressure is less.
Dragons of the East, Book 1: Lord of Change has been submitted.
(early chapters may be read at my forum: http://network54.com/Hide/Forum/74198)
Dragons of the East, Book 2: The Kirin is in progress.
email: Jim@HollyLisle.com
Don't let reality spoil your dreams!