New Mars Forums

I was at the MDRS recently, and was the Crew Engineer for 188. The condition of MDRS is quite rustic, and would benefit greatly from the infrastructure you are discussing. I put together a report while I was there that you can view HERE.

Unfortunately, I got no response from the MDRS Director or Mission Support. It doesn't seem that there is anyone there who is looking into these sorts of initiatives, despite having many people who would like to volunteer their efforts. I'm hoping that something will give, and the MDRS and FMARS can be updated to include automated systems and telemetry for future missions.

I heard Kobie Boykins talk about the wheels just this week. The reason they are thin aluminum is that they mimic rubber tires here on earth. The wheels get more grip, but take more damage.

I've been working on a study of crops from a menu / nutrition point of view. It's very early stages at the moment, but I hope to be able to share it soon. Beyond taste and menu preference, there are certain foods we will need to bring to fill nutritional gaps in our diet. When we speak of fortifying foods, we need to bring the sources that we use to fortify them with.

Is this archived anywhere? The link doesn't work anymore.

Well, it seems that the crew will be a husband a wife team.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story … -tito.html

He's planing on funding the project for 2 years out of pocket. That's plenty of time to draw up studies, find partners and create noise. Especially if you are partnering with Biggalow and SpaceX for support.

It does seem like a tremendous amount of effort to not send a lander to the surface.

There should be a press conference soon, so hopefully there will be more information.

I agree with louis.

What in means is you can greatly reduce the number of Engineers you need insitu. The people on Mars will need to be technically skilled, and an engineering background will be helpful. However, much of the initial design can be done in labs on earth. Crowd source solutions can also be implemented. In addition to lowering the amount of experts needed on the ground, the amount and diversity of objects will increase.

As for an economy, it will shift towards raw materials. For an earth example, you won't go to the shoe store and buy a finished pair of shoes. You will go to the store, buy the materials and pay for time with a specialist to custom fit a pair of shoes and make them in the store. For those who have the skills to make shoes at home, they can simply buy the materials.

The Martian impact will be people will spend their time getting raw resources while using off-planet talent to come up with new designs. Conversely, engineers on Mars can design things using the alien landscape as a test bed that could be novel on earth.

I think a tractor robot would be much more useful. Something like this:
http://opensourceecology.org/wiki/Tract … ct_Ecology
Having a rover base that could dig, drill, push or trench depending on the attachment would prove more useful than one that’s walking around using the same tools a human would. That being said, the torso like NASA is looking at could be very useful as a lab assistant.

In my mind, soil and aquaponics both have their benefits.  Soil is easier to start and maintain. It requires fewer resources to bring from earth.  Aquaponics takes up a smaller footprint, supports a full biological cycle and is more versatile.
As Robert said, we need backups, so why not both? This would be for a settlement of course, not a touch-and-go science mission.
If we consider a 2000 calorie per day diet for our colonists, the soil garden should be able to sustain at least that. Staple crops should be planted in soil, wheat, potatoes, beans and the like. If the aquaponics fails, or is under maintenance or they bio cycle collapses, the garden should provide food to stay alive. The aquaponics system has a greater storage capacity. Plants and fish need to be in the system to keep it running. The caloric value of the storage of food should be enough to keep the colony alive if the garden fails. Say, 60 days on 1000 calories a day until the soil crops will provide food after full replanting.
The aquaponics system can be incorporated into the waste cycle. People have mentioned Tilapia as a the fish of choice, but crayfish and other bottom feeders can be used to help breakdown vegetable and animal protein. The aquaponics system can provide fertilizer for the soil system if it’s calibrated to “run rich”.
Yes, it adds a layer of complications to the design, but moving forward with both proposals is more productive than arguing about what’s better.