Rhea
 Cassini mosaic of Rhea | |||||||||
| Discovery | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discovered by | G. D. Cassini[1] | ||||||||
| Discovery date | December 23, 1672[1] | ||||||||
| Designations | |||||||||
Designation | Saturn V | ||||||||
| Pronunciation | /ˈriː.ə/[2] | ||||||||
Named after | Ῥέᾱ Rheā | ||||||||
| Adjectives | Rhean /ˈriː.ən/[3] | ||||||||
| Orbital characteristics [4] | |||||||||
| 527108 km | |||||||||
| Eccentricity | 0.0012583 | ||||||||
| 4.518212 d | |||||||||
Average orbital speed | 8.48 km/s[lower-alpha 1] | ||||||||
| Inclination | 0.345° (to Saturn's equator) | ||||||||
| Satellite of | Saturn | ||||||||
| Physical characteristics | |||||||||
| Dimensions | 1532.4 × 1525.6 × 1524.4 km [5] | ||||||||
Mean radius | 763.5±0.5 km[6] | ||||||||
| 7337000 km2 | |||||||||
| Mass | (2.3064854±0.0000522)×1021 kg[6] (~3.9×10−4 Earths) | ||||||||
Mean density | 1.2372±0.0029 g/cm3[6] | ||||||||
| 0.264 m/s2 | |||||||||
| 0.3911±0.0045[7] (disputed/unclear[8]) | |||||||||
| 0.635 km/s | |||||||||
| 4.518212 d (synchronous) | |||||||||
| zero | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| 10 [9] | |||||||||
Rhea (/ˈriː.ə/) is the second-largest moon of Saturn and the ninth-largest moon in the Sol System, with a surface area that is comparable to the area of Australia. It is the smallest body in the Sol System for which precise measurements have confirmed a shape consistent with hydro-static equilibrium.[11] It was discovered in 1672 by Giovanni Domenico Cassini.
Primary Outpost
Rhea's primary outpost (RPO) is a product of Belter ingenuity. Initially the site of the first Helium-3 mining operation on Rhea, it is now home to approximately 20,000 people. RPO is mostly insulated ice tunnels while the larger sections are hollowed out rock. Two separate companies with no discernible history have begun projects to expand in the north and south-west. Older RPO buildings were created from hollowing out the walls of the caverns.
Map
Airlocks
- Polaris - The north-most airlock, named for its relative vicinity to the star Polaris.
- Whitaker Dome - Central human accessible airlock. Named after A.J. Whittaker, founder of RPO.
- Combine Repair - Opens directly into a repair garage inside of the Whittaker Dome
- Trellis Dome Airlock - North-western airlock and primary entrance to The Trellis.
- Old Town Airlock - Before this eastern airlock existed, it was just the entrance to Old Town.
- Delta Airlock - The south-most airlock in RPO. This airlock exits at the bottom of the Delta Crater.
Bike paths
Due to its small size, RPO is mostly traversed on foot and by human-powered and small electric vehicles. Bike paths exist to separate pedestrians from faster moving traffic.
- The Viadrome - RPO's highway connecting the north and south. Runs underneath old-town. It has one additional exit between the Redshift District and the Administrative District.
- Two Farm Trail - Connects north-west RPO with north-east RPO. Named for its vicinity to the Northern Autofarm and The Trellis.
- Outside Loop - Referred to as "Outsider Loop" by locals, Outside Loop connects the medical facility with U.N. housing primarily used by Earth doctors who have come to work on Rhea.
- North Star Road - Connects Little Ceres to the medical facility and Polaris air lock.
- Little Ceres Road - Spans from the north-most point of Little Ceres to Crater View Heights and the Delta Airlock.
- Rainbow Road - Traverses the south-most stretch of RPO. Connects Crater View Heights to Old Town Road and The Viadrome. Named for its proximity to Autofarm South, which grows various forms of edible fungus.
- Old Town Road - This path connects the north-east of RPO to the south-east, and runs along Old Town and the Administrative district.
- Inner Passage - Initially intended as an east-west highway, this path connects Old Town to Little Ceres. It stops short of reaching the west edge of RPO due to the encroaching tent encampment.
Old Town
Old town is the first permanent settlement on Rhea. After the initial mining operation, settlers who were mostly comprised of the original maintenance crew began a smaller operation to turn a natural cave into a habitable area beneath Rhea's cold surface. Originally, this neighborhood housed small airlocks at every ingress/egress point. These small airlocks were partially removed when the major RPO airlocks were constructed.
Little Ceres
Little Ceres was the first major settlement formed by new residents to RPO. These residents, who mostly came from Ceres, aided in installing the large airlocks at the ingresses and egresses left by the tunnel boring mining machines, and introducing artificial atmosphere to the entire interior. It contains RPO's largest flea market and it's a hub for much of RPO's arts and culture.
Administrative District
The administrative district is one of the newer developments in RPO. This area contains some of the first standalone buildings in RPO. Prior to its development, any non-public space larger than a kiosk was carved into a wall.
This district houses something resembling a shopping mall, as well as a large parking structure for vehicles. The multi-level parking structure is utilized by the people who work in the Administrative district as well as those in Old Town.
RPO Security, a loose analogue to police, operate primarily out of this area since they outgrew their Little Ceres and Old Town locations. A secret tunnel was created to connect their old location in Little Ceres with this one.
Redshift District
The Redshift District is Rhea's bastion for sex-work and sex shops. Lit mostly in red with an abundance of neon and holograms, it is lined with small windowed rooms where sex-workers pose in hopes of attracting a customer. The windows can become opaque if a customer prefers.
Several business owners in the Administrative district have run a campaign on abolishing the much older Redshift District, but the vicinity of these two neighborhoods did not occur by chance, and none of the campaigns have gained serious traction.
Nova Nexus
The Nova Nexus is a Night Market, Grey Market, and Black Market, in a hidden cave, operated by the inhabitants of the Nexus Commune. The cave contains exits into the commune and Redshift District, both concealed by buildings. One building in the Redshift District and one near The Nexus Commune. The Nexus Communists have an additional living space at the far end of the Nova Nexus cave.
Other Notable Locations
The Trellis
The Trellis is a farm-to-table full-board bed and breakfast, vineyard, and winery housed in the north-east most dome of RPO. In spite of sudden population growth and apparent influx of Earther tourism, residents of RPO insist that Rhea's distance from the inner planets will never allow it to become a hub for tourism, and consequently The Trellis is seen as a misguided concept. Reservation only.
The Hive
The Hive is a combination of short and long term habitations. It is four stories tall and carved from a natural cave with the rough shape of a hexagonal prism. The rooms exist in the interior and exterior walls, and it contains many amenities such as pools, gyms, and restaurants. The Hive is the second most expensive lodging in RPO.
Crater View Heights
This new development is the only non-dome location that receives natural light. These residences contain windows that overlook the Delta Crater. Several empty hexagonal buildings exist with the intention of housing restaurants, shops, and other amenities in the future.
Autofarm North
This dome farm supplies the majority of RPO's plant-based food. It consists of five concentric rings, each of which have several layers of vertical growing space. Although it is primarily managed by robots and machines, a sizeable human population is required for its upkeep.
Autofarm South
This deep farm houses the majority of RPO's edible mushrooms, fake meat, and other mushroom derived proteins. It is a maze-like structure that acts as a substrate for fungus. It is uncommon for people to venture into the farm, and most of the human labor is in processing what is supplied by the robots.
Whittaker Dome
Most of the Helium-3 mining is now done by large autonomous combines that roam the surface. The Whittaker Dome (Named after A.J. Whittaker, founder of RPO.) acts as the primary repair facility for these machines. It houses two airlocks, one for human ingress/egress, and one that enters directly into a garage space for repairing combines.
Tent City
This area, once meant to be an east-west highway, was overtaken by the most destitute members of RPO. Most of the folks who live here were economically displaced when the medical facility began accepting wealthy foreign aid workers from Earth and rents and cost of living began to rise. Many of the residence of Tent City struggle with addiction and mental health problems.
North Development
This is one of RPO's latest developments. The purported goal is to expand the economic activity in the northern region of RPO by providing space for businesses that want to capitalize on future tourism.
South Development
The second of two ongoing developments, the south development purports to wish to expand Little Ceres and provide affordable housing.
Notes
- ↑ Calculated on the basis of other parameters.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Rhea: Saturn's dirty snowball moon
- ↑ Consulmagno, G.; Ryche, H. (Feb 9, 1982). "Pronouncing the names of the moons of Saturn" (PDF). EOS. 63 (6): 146–147. doi:10.1029/EO063i006p00146. Retrieved Nov 30, 2022.
- ↑ Moore et al. (1984) "The Geomorphology of Rhea", Proceedings of the fifteenth Lunar and Planetary Science, Part 2, p C-791–C-794
- ↑ Natural Satellites Ephemeris Service Minor Planet Center
- ↑ Roatsch, T.; Jaumann, R.; Stephan, K.; Thomas, P. C. (2009). "Cartographic Mapping of the Icy Satellites Using ISS and VIMS Data". Saturn from Cassini-Huygens. pp. 763–781. doi:10.1007/978-1-4020-9217-6_24. ISBN 978-1-4020-9216-9.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Jacobson, Robert. A. (1 November 2022). "The Orbits of the Main Saturnian Satellites, the Saturnian System Gravity Field, and the Orientation of Saturn's Pole*". The Astronomical Journal. 164 (5): 199. Bibcode:2022AJ....164..199J. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/ac90c9. S2CID 252992162.
- ↑ Anderson, J. D.; Schubert, G. (2007). "Saturn's satellite Rhea is a homogeneous mix of rock and ice". Geophysical Research Letters. 34 (2): L02202. Bibcode:2007GeoRL..34.2202A. doi:10.1029/2006GL028100.
- ↑ Template:Cite conference
- ↑ Observatorio ARVAL (April 15, 2007). "Classic Satellites of the Solar System". Observatorio ARVAL. Retrieved 2011-12-17.
- ↑ Verbiscer, A.; French, R.; Showalter, M.; Helfenstein, P. (9 February 2007). "Enceladus: Cosmic Graffiti Artist Caught in the Act". Science. 315 (5813): 815. Bibcode:2007Sci...315..815V. doi:10.1126/science.1134681. PMID 17289992. S2CID 21932253. (supporting online material, table S1)
- ↑ http://www.ciclops.org/media/sp/2011/6794_16344_0.pdf Template:Webarchive Template:Bare URL PDF
