New Mars Forums

Perhaps "sold" should be replaced with "licensed" for a better long term return on investment.

Excited about this article, but still with reservations. 3D printing transparent glass.

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/5409 … s-barrier/

Okay, my view is probably not all that popular but here it is.

Republicans tend to go to war and funnel money to the military industrial complex. They went from having a surplus under Clinton to trying to loot Social Security to fund the Gulf War. The Republican party is largely for people who earn a great deal of money, not Middle Class (and Mitt Romney and Obama agreed "Middle Class" BEGINS at $250,000 a year....I have no idea if that is starting from the bottom going up or top going down) There are a large portion of people who vote against their best financial interests because the Republicans represent their religious views (largely Christian conservatives.)

Democrats funnel money into the health care industry the way Republicans funnel it into the military. Big Pharma uses the govt. as a subsidy to offer lower priced drugs over seas and "remain competitive". This is basically done through Medicare as the majority of people using drugs are seniors. However, Democrats represent the economic interests of the poor by increasing the taxes of the wealthy and redistributing it to the poor as public services.

Democrats get bashed for taxing and placing burdens on business. This is especially harmful to small business and can cause them to fail. "They are punishing the 'job creators'." And for the small business this is absolutely true. But for mega-corp, who out sources their jobs to India, China, Philippines, etc.. The extra taxes are a nuisance that bite into the quarterly bonus of their management, so they like to push the publicity of the small business damaged by taxation.

Also, I do believe in higher taxation for the wealthy. If you have more stuff you want to protect but you don't ever have to send any of your kids into war to protect it...you better be writing checks like there is no tomorrow and be happy that you can spare their lives by doing so.

In the end politics should be about voting in your own best interest whatever that may be.

Anyway, like I said, probably not the most popular view, but that's it.

So, in the Martian economy, based on supply and demand economics, beer would be the drink of the elite. At least until a 12 year Martian scotch comes into being.

Well, the "Spider" video was done not by a company but as part of a university challenge. The cement printing, I didn't find that particular company but here is a link to another company.
http://www.totalkustom.com/

Companies that do the styrofoam formed cement construction,
http://www.quadlock.com/
http://reddiform.com/
http://www.smartblock.com/

The Hoberman sphere and B.Fuller domes have been around for...what 50 years? Both genius BTW. Those are the kinds of things most of the rest of us can only aspire to.

This is pretty cool looking.

It splits the difference between the dome and subterranean ideas. Canyon walls can provide some protection from storms and could even extend out into subterranean extensions. Compartmentalized (most likely.)

It is a nice example of things that don't have to be either/or.

Domes small and large, compartmentalized, redundant systems. Subsurface facilities are also a must. I'm thinking those lava tubes need to be used to house inflatable structures that get reinforced.

To the comment earlier in the thread "adversity breeds camaraderie", I think that only applies to perceived peers. Any elitist would more than likely default to a sense of entitlement and competition for resources kicks in. This is probably not a consideration for a NASA mission in which crew is screened and groomed, but in reference to Elon Musk's idea of tourism this is almost guaranteed to be a given.

Saw this pic today....this looks like it should be on Mars. (Valencia Science Center, Spain)

I dislike the legal maneuvering behind modified seeds/crops. Pushing these on the farmers of Iraq is as ugly as predatory lending practices of the World Bank who seize water rights in underdeveloped countries.

And the logic eludes me in the proposition that if modified crops pollinate a neighboring crop of non-modified crops, the owner of said non-modified crops is subject to legal action. WTF? If you do something on your property that goes airborne and contaminates my crops/property YOU should be the one libel for damages. (By my way of thinking anyway.)

While beer is wildly popular, I think wine, cider, and perhaps vodka of rice or potatoes might be a better yield of crops and diversity of use.

And we might yet want to revisit mead as bees could be useful for honey and crop pollination purposes.

I'm all about the cave or lava tube usage idea.

I see where the maps of the lava tubes cite collapse points, so reinforcement is probably prudent. I've been obsessed with this idea of using the lava tube as an exo-structure and the assembling an interior  structure of a somewhat smaller scale that is pressurized and then fill the void between the two structures with a reinforcement matrix and an aerated concrete.

I read an article online about an experiment to produce concrete from CO2.
http://phys.org/news/2016-03-carbon-dio … .html#nRlv

Soil providing protection of sandstorms, radiation, etc... all great. I am relatively new to all of this. Has there been any data on the average temp of Mars sub-surface? Like the earth homes maintain a 70 degree temp easily by raising the earths 50 avg temp (below the frost line from what I gather).

And if there are lava tubes, what is the prognosis on using thermal energy sources?