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#1 Re: Civilization and Culture » Music on Mars - To what will the Martians jam? » 2005-06-25 03:18:56

"Approaching Pavonis Mons by Balloon" from The flaming Lips springs to mind.

Will a lower atmospheric pressure in the habitat change the way the music sounds?

#2 Re: Terraformation » Antimater core deposition - - re-heating the martian guts » 2005-06-22 10:55:22

I checked out the world's leading producer of anti-matter to see what they said. They confess to creating tens of thousands of anti-hydrogen atoms. So that is, in effect, zero anti-matter production.

After Dan Brown's books "Angels and Demons" they've produced a website whcih explains that this work of fiction is a work of fiction. It also explains briefly why anti-matter con not be used as an energy source.

Their words are at http://public.web.cern.ch/Public/Conten … ...en.html on the internet, which they invented.

#3 Re: Life support systems » Aerogel - don't build - your greenhouse w/o it » 2005-06-22 10:40:26

I read that aerogel has a low refractive index. Ideal for letting in the essential visible and infra-red radiation. This leaves the problem of cosmic rays. How effective would a substance that is effectively not there be at stopping these fast particles?

[Later]

Been thinking about the atmosphere in the greenhouse.

Pressure: the greenhouse guys at Guelph University found Arabidopsis and lettuce can grow in pressure as low as 10kPa (1.45psi) as long as it has plenty of water.

The gas that plants need to grow is carbon dioxide. There's plenty of that available for free on Mars. Perhaps the partial pressure of carbon dioxide could be increased in the greenhouses. As the gas is not poisonous to humans per se, it would be safe to work in this higher pressure environment as long as the partial pressure of oxygen was maintained.

Perhaps this denser atmosphere could be used throughout the entire base. It would increase the boiling point of water (but it still won't be high enough to make a decent cup of tea), and would, I suspect, make the explorers feel more comfortable. Plants could then be grown throughout the complex, releasing oxygen and moisture into the atmosphere, and helping to remove pollutants. I know NASA has done research on the beneficial effects of house-plants. It's amazing what they research.

#4 Re: Terraformation » Antimater core deposition - - re-heating the martian guts » 2005-06-21 07:02:23

Just wondering, but does anyone know how much antimatter has been produced globally?

#5 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » What kind of social system will be on Mars » 2005-06-20 10:17:10

The ideal way of determining a new leader has occured to me. it involves skill, tact, an understanding of human nature, and the boldness to follow your instincts to the end. It is, of course, SPR - Scissors Paper Rock. Best of three just to make it interesting for the spectators.

#6 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » What kind of social system will be on Mars » 2005-06-20 09:48:52

Given the small numbers of people going up at first, Mars' early social structure will be that of a small village. Everybody knows everybody else, and what they're doing.
The authority structure will probably be similar to that on board ship in one the better navies. This will probably be the first part of the structure to change. Once we are permanently established over there, the usual regimes of promotion will become largely redundant - in disciplinary cases, someone may be demoted, and then a replacement can be promoted to take their place. Eventually the role of skipper would be contested. The contest could take the usual popularity contest, or based on skills - after all someone who's good at controlling a mission through space and the setting-up of a base may not be the best to run that base once everything is running smoothly.
That then leaves the problem of what to do with the old skipper.

#7 Re: Life support systems » Nutraffin - Muffins for Astronauts » 2005-06-20 09:21:13

I saw that pic too. Didn't see anything wrong with green pasta in a rich tomato source. You can check out the full article at http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMQTE1DU8E_in … dex_0.html

#8 Re: Exploration to Settlement Creation » Mars Design & Architecture - ...(how do you visualize it?) » 2005-06-20 09:11:34

From the moment we start growing food we will start producing waste materials similar to wood pulp. Mixing this wood pulp with water and freezing it would create a material called Pykrete.

Pykrete has better physical and thermal properties than normal ice. While martian temperatures are still low, and where pressure is sufficiently high, these bricks would be stable and could be used to build more or less any structure. Pykrete could even be poured to create massive structures in the same way as concrete. Build your own ice pyramids.

Imagine building an Igloo 50 metres high. "A stately pleasuredome with caves of ice"

#9 Re: Life support systems » Protein Sources in First Colonies - An idea » 2005-04-29 08:06:33

I think we should follow the chicken idea further. They're small. They can be transported easily in their embryonic state (just put them in an egg-carton at the right temp). They can be fed on scraps and left-overs. They make great fertilizer (though it needs dilution). As well as meat, you get eggs. If we take enough eggs, we should be sure of getting a mix of cocks and hens, and hence more chickens.

Now for the downsides. chickens flapping around in low g would be chaotic. Very funny, but chaotic. Numbers would be limited by the food available. There's no point growing grain just to give it animals. It may be possible to grow fodder quickly and easily, I haven't investigated that yet, but it might be worthwhile.

Of course another animal that has traditionally been fed on scraps is the pig. European cuisine is justly proud that it can use every part of the pig apart from the 'oink'.

So there we have it: egg and bacon for breakfast, sausage sandwich for lunch, omelette for dinner, and that Scottish speciality battered black pudding for supper. Sounds good to me.

Ed

#10 Re: Civilization and Culture » Wacky contests on Mars » 2005-04-29 07:44:11

How about space-hopper races. You could get some distance on those things with reduced gravity.

#12 Re: Civilization and Culture » Should we use an ecological approach? - Creating a Stable Martian Civilization » 2005-04-27 11:14:08

We don't need to start off with a great deal of variety in our creted ecology. A New Scientist article from a few years ago (I'll try to find it later) discussed experiments that had discovered a simple water-bourne ecology that worked in zero-g/microgravity. There was a type of under water plant, an underwater snail, and a breed of fish.

Done on a larger scale this could provide food. Solar radiation on Mars would probably increase mutation rates which would result in faster evolution. So we could start off with a limited range of species, and watch them grow.

See you there,

Ed

#13 Re: Civilization and Culture » Protien Sources for First Colonies - An idea » 2005-04-27 11:03:47

Just a few quick points.

Proteins don't have to come from animals, they just taste better that way.

After a journey lasting several months, there will be large quantities of human waste available. This can be composted, mixed with courser material and used as a growing medium/fertilizer.

Crops can be grown to feed the crew and any animals they have. This, of course leads to the production of more waste products.

Instead of having fish and plants in separate tanks, keep them in the same tank. Fertilizer will need to be added to maintain the mass balance.

All the elements needed to make life are available on Mars, it's "just" a matter of getting them in the right place in the right form. e.g mars has nitrogen and hydrogen the components of ammonia.

This brings us to the whole subject of terraforming.

Cheers,

Ed

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