Colonization of Pluto

Advantages of Pluto

Based on current theory, Pluto is a potential dwarf planet to colonize because its surface is similar to the rock of Earth and there is water ice in the crust and mantle of the planet. Pluto also has three moons: Nix, Hydra, and Charon. Pluto has an atmosphere of 0.09% of that of Earth's. However, despite the almost total absence of solar radiation, heating would not be necessary, but rather cooling with radiators, because of the high insulation of the vacuum (this is even more true near the sun). Pluto and Charon have rotations synchronized to each other and are in highly circular orbits, raising the possibility of constructing a space elevator to bridge the 17773 km distance between their surfaces. This distance is less than half the 36000 km to geosynchronous Earth orbit and the gravitational fields are much lower. A Pluto-Charon space elevator would not be in orbit but would instead be anchored to Charon.

Disadvantages of Pluto

Surface gravity is only 6% that of Earth. Pluto is also rotating on its axis a slow 6.9 earth days for 1 rotation, and a 248 earth year orbit period around the sun. Travel time from Earth is on the order of about a decade and a half with current technology. Power is another major issue, because solar flux is at most 0.11% of what is available at Earth's distance from the sun solar power is not practical; nuclear power is the only present option. Terraforming Pluto is completely out of the question due to extremely low temperatures.

References

* Asimov, Isaac (1989). "Pluto a Double Planet?". Page 35 side 2.
* www.nasa.gov (Featured Information)