: I vote for molten metal. If you've ever seen molten lava (easy to do if you
: visit Hawaii), you'll notice how quickly it cools. Molten lava doesn't
: stay molten very long. The reason is that is't composed primarily of
: silica, which has a low heat capacity and is naturally insulating. Lava
: exposed to air usually forms a grayish crust very quickly and, because it
: is an excellent insulator, heat from the molten material underneath
: doesn't reach the surface. Most metals, however, have a fairly high heat
: capacity and will not solidify so quickly. Indeed, liquid sodium (a metal
: in its elemental state) is sometimes used as an engine coolant or a heat
: transfer medium in place of water, but this can only be done in a closed
: system, as it is volatile and reacts violently with oxygen. Other molten
: metals, however, are fairly stable when exposed to air and could serve as
: an excellent coolant or heat transfer medium provided heat-resistant
: containers and pipes could be fabricated - a liklihood at the time of the
: construction of the Marathon. Because engines are more efficient when they
: run at higher temperatures, molten metal actually makes sense as a
: replacement for water in interplanetary space vehicles. So there may be no
: reason to apologize for Bungie after all.
At least not for Marathon 1... but what about all the lava lying aroud Lh'owon? Maybe all the missions with lava happen to be in places that are volcanically active at the time?
