[Idea] could settling a Gas Giant planet work?

[astralFitz]

Like, the vague idea that sprung to mind is making some manner of aerostat base in the upper atmosphere, presumably using some combination of mechanics for space platforms and Aquilo's iceberg building.

Offhand I don't actually know what useful materials would prompt building there, but I have no doubt reasons could be found.

[BraveCaperCat]

Like, the vague idea that sprung to mind is making some manner of aerostat base in the upper atmosphere, presumably using some combination of mechanics for space platforms and Aquilo's iceberg building.

Wow, great idea!

Offhand I don't actually know what useful materials would prompt building there, but I have no doubt reasons could be found.

Likely Hydrogen, Helium, and a few other gases.

[astralFitz]

To be clear, I have no idea how to go about doing this, mechanically. I just wanted to put the idea out there in case it otherwise never occurred to people here who would know.

[thankbob]

I think it would play quite similar to aquillo in terms of resources.

If I were to make a mod for it it would be a little rock to begin with. I think the atmosphere would be hydrocarbons and sulphur compounds. You would scrub the atmosphere using various bits you can get from a space platform. The platform could be expanded using low density structures. Trains and other vehicles couldn't be placed. most transport would be don't by pipe pumps and bots and barrels/containers.

The research would be bot related optimisations. Gas canisters/bigger barrels for fluids would be another research idea.

[Ironmonk]

I have been thinking of this recently and with Star Wars Empire Strikes Back as the starting point I kinda came up with a nice solution:

- Use a similar platform lifted by balloons that functions exactly as the Glass Dome in the mod Maraxsis... so, no proper foundation tiles, but a base will be composed by a bunch of "nests" or in this case platforms lifted by balloons.

- Like in Maraxsis, transportation use the "Spidetron Patrols" mod with a new vehicle (no trains), the Airship (and there is even a airship model from Industrial Revolution 3.. that perhaps could be used if the author is ok with it)

- On the matter of resources:
--- Gases: Hydrogen, Helium and Helium-3 (Fusion Thruster?) could be the best options, maybe even Petroleum Gas could be extracted from the atmosphere...
--- Liquids: Water could be collected from Rain Collector? Atmosphere De-Humidification...
--- Solids: Detritus could be collected from the atmosphere (asteroids crashing in the atmosphere leaves solids ground into powder), and by combining a certain quantity, you can form Ores (random) or Asteroid Chunks?... also a type of lightweight solid material should probably be added, maybe graphene (requiring carbon fiber in the recipe?).
--- Other options: Metallic Hydrogen?

- On the matter of energy: Wind Turbines would be the main source (or hydrogen power generators?) and we could also have Lightning Collectors from Gleba as secondary power source.

- On the rewards: Integrate one of the mods that add a air scrubber building to remove pollution/spores from the air... some vehicles like the Airship and Aircrafts... maybe a Advanced Centrifuge that allows to process Helium into Helium-3 and uranium recipes with +50 base productivity... plasma turret? plasma rifle?

Well, if anyone want to pick this as a starting point to make a mod out of it, be my guest.

[BraveCaperCat]

- Use a similar platform lifted by balloons that functions exactly as the Glass Dome in the mod Maraxsis... so, no proper foundation tiles, but a base will be composed by a bunch of "nests" or in this case platforms lifted by balloons.

This bit actually (somewhat) matches what me, the RCU team (not rocket control unit, those were removed, remember?) and the RCU community came up with. (RCU is a factorio mod) The only difference is that instead of balloons, you'd use fans or just... not lift your atmospheric platform up, then instead of nests, just regular platform-like objects. Other features (would) include having a "surface" made out of atmospheric gas tiles (similar to space tiles) and player-built platforms. Some of those platforms could then dive into the atmosphere (the specific bit that you came up with is most similar to this) and collect atmospheric gases as well as producing science, power, etc. while travelling, at a much more efficient rate than platforms on the surface. Pressure and gravity would increase as you fall as well, with some recipes being craftable at certain pressures inside the gas giant(s).

- On the matter of resources:
--- Gases: Hydrogen, Helium and Helium-3 (Fusion Thruster?) could be the best options, maybe even Petroleum Gas could be extracted from the atmosphere...
--- Liquids: Water could be collected from Rain Collector? Atmosphere De-Humidification...
--- Solids: Detritus could be collected from the atmosphere (asteroids crashing in the atmosphere leaves solids ground into powder), and by combining a certain quantity, you can form Ores (random) or Asteroid Chunks?... also a type of lightweight solid material should probably be added, maybe graphene (requiring carbon fiber in the recipe?).
--- Other options: Metallic Hydrogen?

The gases you've mentioned here are quite accurate for materials harvestable from jupiter, so I assume the type of gas giant you're talking about would be a jupiter-like in factorio.
The mentioned liquid also makes sense, though water would probably be found in atmospheric form. The idea is that water vapor is itself extracted from the atmosphere which can then be condensed into water.
Asteroids in the atmosphere also make sense, just not as much for a jupiter-like gas giant.

Metallic hydrogen is actually found in the core of jupiter and likely in jupiter-like gas giants as well. It would probably be a late-game material due to the high electrical disturbance caused by metallic hydrogen and the pressures required to reach metallic hydrogen layers, as well as the immense pressures required for the material to stay metallic.

- On the matter of energy: Wind Turbines would be the main source (or hydrogen power generators?) and we could also have Lightning Collectors from Gleba as secondary power source.

I think you mean fulgora... Wind Turbines would be a good source of power inside gas giants, as well as hydrogen power generators. Batteries might also be necessary. In the lower atmosphere, lightning collectors would become less and less effective until you reach the layer(s) at which metallic hydrogen form, as metallic hydrogen causes a large amount of electrical disturbance, which is directly harnessed by the lightning collectors. At this level, various electronic devices would start to malfunction.

- On the rewards: Integrate one of the mods that add a air scrubber building to remove pollution/spores from the air... some vehicles like the Airship and Aircrafts... maybe a Advanced Centrifuge that allows to process Helium into Helium-3 and uranium recipes with +50 base productivity... plasma turret? plasma rifle?

Atmospheric Science Packs would be my first answer to the rewards of entering a gas giant's atmosphere, though I'm not sure what exactly it would unlock, other than improvements to entering a gas giant's atmosphere more, such as better power efficiency, max depth, electronic shielding, etc.

Well, if anyone want to pick this as a starting point to make a mod out of it, be my guest.

You should be an ideas person for RCU.