Samuel Chiltern answered
Saturn is predominantly made from hydrogen (approximately 96%), which is the most abundant element in the Universe.
In terms of hydrogen's usefulness to humans, this is not something worth making the trip out there to collect.
However, most of the remainder of Saturn's composition is accounted for by helium, which is now running scarce on Earth. Only recently, scientists in the UK have hit out at the sale of cheap party balloons filled with the gas.
This valuable gas is used to super-cool substances under study in research institutions, and it seems that research projects are being cancelled owing to its being in short supply. So it would be useful if there was a way for us to harvest helium from Saturn, although I suspect this idea would present significant technological challenges.
Besides hydrogen and helium, Saturn is made up from methane, ammonia, hydrogen deuteride and ethane. Both methane and ethane are harmful emissions, caused by burning fossil fuel on Earth, so I don't believe any of these other substances would have much value to us.
Could There Be Valuable Natural Resources on Saturn's Moons?
Saturn has 52 known moons in total, and since these are solid, rather than gaseous, it's possible they might contain useful resources, and possibly even support primitive life.
Enceladus is a small moon which orbits Saturn. It's believed that it might have a liquid ocean beneath its icy surface, and that this might have the potential to support basic life.
Enceladus has geyser-like eruptions emanating from its south polar regions, which generate a lot of heat and organic chemicals.
In terms of hydrogen's usefulness to humans, this is not something worth making the trip out there to collect.
However, most of the remainder of Saturn's composition is accounted for by helium, which is now running scarce on Earth. Only recently, scientists in the UK have hit out at the sale of cheap party balloons filled with the gas.
This valuable gas is used to super-cool substances under study in research institutions, and it seems that research projects are being cancelled owing to its being in short supply. So it would be useful if there was a way for us to harvest helium from Saturn, although I suspect this idea would present significant technological challenges.
Besides hydrogen and helium, Saturn is made up from methane, ammonia, hydrogen deuteride and ethane. Both methane and ethane are harmful emissions, caused by burning fossil fuel on Earth, so I don't believe any of these other substances would have much value to us.
Could There Be Valuable Natural Resources on Saturn's Moons?
Saturn has 52 known moons in total, and since these are solid, rather than gaseous, it's possible they might contain useful resources, and possibly even support primitive life.
Enceladus is a small moon which orbits Saturn. It's believed that it might have a liquid ocean beneath its icy surface, and that this might have the potential to support basic life.
Enceladus has geyser-like eruptions emanating from its south polar regions, which generate a lot of heat and organic chemicals.
