Amalthea is an irregular moon orbiting Jupiter. It is also known as Jupiter V. It is the third moon in order from Jupiter. Terraforming is not a possibility due to the moon's irregular shape. The moon may be colonized and turned into a mining outpost and contain a small trading and transportation base.
Colonization[]
Any colonies set up on Amalthea will most likely be placed underground due to the amounts of radiation it receives from Jupiter. Settlement building supplies will have to withstand radiation to keep settlers safe and protected.
The colony would be an outlying colony or more of an outpost settlement. It would mainly focus on mining efforts. There would be a small transport and trading base located in or near the main colony.
The gravity on Amalthea is not strong and presents a challenge for settlers. One solution would be to speed up the rotation of the moon increasing the gravitational pull of the satellite. This process could be done by throwing a smaller asteroid into the moon to speed up its rotation.
Parks, courtyards, and other recreation centers will be installed to benefit the general health of settlers and visitors. There would be local businesses to provide colonist with basic needs. Along with a hospital, police corps, fire department, and other social services to keep the colony in order.
The main source of energy would be a nuclear reactor. This will provide all the energy for the colony, station, and mines. If needed, another reactor could be added to supply the colony. The reactor could also be the heat source for the colony. Solar panels could be used but would hardly be of any use due to the distance from the sun and nighttime hours and when the moon orbits behind Jupiter and is blocked from the sun.
A food source could also be grown on the moon to provide colonist with fresh food. Rooms or buildings could be constructed to house farming locations where many food items could be grown or produced. Food will also be transported in from other worlds where food is easier to maintain and produce.
The colony would most likely be under Jovian control, either by one of the Galilean moons or by Jupiter itself. It would be an economical supporter of whatever other government it is under control of. It is highly impractical, but not entirely impossible for Amalthea to become its own independent government. If this happens its main source of income would be mining and trading.
Mining[]
Mining would be the main reason a colony would be established on Amalthea. Amalthea is a fairly large rock floating through space and has the room for very large mines to be set up and extract minerals for the development of humanity.
The minerals that are extracted could be used on the home colony or will be sent to the Galilean moons or to Jupiter. The minerals could also be sent to other planetary colonies and be used in colonization, terraformation, or exploration efforts.
The trading outpost located on Amalthea will mainly focus on the transportation of these minerals to other worlds.
Transportation[]
A transportation base will be crucial to the development of the colony and the survival of the citizens. The base will mostly send everything to the major station located on Himalia. From there it will be sent out into the solar system to where it is needed.
The main export of the base will be minerals that were extracted from the mines. These minerals will be easy to transport and store. They do not require oxygen or any kind of gasses and can be kept at any temperatures that will not result in the minerals melting. These shipments will be sent to Himalia or Jupiter where they will be dispersed from there on.
Major imports will be water, food, textiles, tools, technology, air source, building materials, and other supplies to live a basic lifestyle. These items will be imported from Himalia or Jupiter.
Food that is transported will be fairly easy to transport. Most of it could be processed and frozen where it could be stored for long amounts of time and not be heated. Containers will have to have closed tops to keep food from flying into space due to the low gravity. Containers carrying food will have to be able to protect it from radiation, so the food is safe to consume.
The base will also have to be able to unload and load travelers. Immigration ships will visit the base to bring new settlers. They may also bring travelers that are visiting the moon for short periods of time.
Most ships will come from Himalia or Jupiter. There may be times that ships will arrive from other small moons in the Jovian system with supplies or travelers.
Trivia[]
Amalthea is the reddest object in the Solar System. It gets less heat from the Sun than it emits.