New Mars Forums

For kbd512 re #18

I'm trying to figure out if we have an information sink on our hands, or if there is a chance we may see a net positive contribution to the forum.

A search of the forum archive with the keywords chemical and engineer would have delivered the ID of Oldfart1939, and perhaps others as well.

A search of the forum archive with the keywords chemical and processing may yield results that include detailed discussion of the procedure.

The forum archive includes thousands of posts, some of which contain little nuggets of information that would (or at least could) be helpful to a person planning a career on Mars itself, or in helping others to succeed in moving to Mars and attempting to survive there.

That said, with the ID of Oldfart1939 revealed, it is now possible for someone interested in the chemistry of urea processing to create a question.

Alternatively, a person ** could ** perform a search of all posts by Oldfart1939, containing the word urea.

Edit#1: This topic is about Apex structures ... a discussion of urea would be valuable and it should continue in a topic better suited for it.

I am interested in making structure from the natural materials that seem to exist where ice slabs are in the temperate regions of Mars.
I am interested in the apex.

Urea is certainly a "natural" material, but to the best of my knowledge it does not currently exist near ice slabs on Mars.

For SpaceNut ... is there a topic you'd recommend for this discussion to continue?

(th)

For jfenciso re #29

The original posts were from 2007 or so ...

You could make a contribution here (if you have time) by updating the topic with current information.

I'm ** pretty ** sure I read a brief report on an attempt to grow lettuce or a similar leafy vegetable on the ISS.

(th)

Portsmouth NH ha Lanza medical manufacturing plant that is Hugh in terms of making medications. So maybe we need some old time herbalists or medicine men for hire to know what to initially grow beyond what medications we will take with us.

Urea is (NH2)2CO which can be done from waste propellant manufacturing as the movie units waste is 2CO and the electrolysis of water and co2 compression would gather the n2 from it.

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Well (th), I was already going to propose that we allow for multiple options for methods.  I am older, so it gets harder to realize that others may still have things to teach me.  Grumpy perhaps to a bit.  I don't mind input, but when I am on a certain track, I guess I should make allowances that someone else may have conceived of something I had not.
So, I propose that the common eliments are a mold, perhaps a pyramid of compacted Martian regolith, and some way to upgrade the strenth and reliability of the more interior parts of the mass.  So I accept the alternatives and wish to be further instructed.
However, my part is remains to support my own proposals, and to listen with consideration, to other alternatives.  Thanks (th)!
I have read a bit about Thermite, interested.   But I should allow others to carry that forward, and I should continue myself with my own vision.  In other words I welcome alternate proposals.  Perhaps they might all have a place.
We are not haveing an argument, we are teaming up on this.
I like this one for my side:
https://www.themarysue.com/astronaut-pee-bricks/
https://www.themarysue.com/astronaut-pee-bricks/
I think it is too much pee for the astronauts to make, poor things.
So Urea and Calcium Chlorate would have to be manufactured for this project.
So, the arguments are mutual.  If you are going to use Thermite or something else, or if you are going to manufacture Urea and Calcium Chloride concentrates, it requires techniques and expending energy in both cases.
So, perhaps equally a problem.
I am not entirely satisfied with my previously proposed method of a form.  I am worried that it would stick inside of the formed mass.  So, I am thinking about a multifacited collapsable version perhaps involving hydrolics, and a significant strength in its interior members/beams.
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I sort of think of placing solar pannels on the south face of the pyramid/berm, and perhaps on the north face some kind of heavy oil, to retard deterioration.  Of course other methods could be considered.
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I am thinking of a sort of continuous if segmented form process, where your process takes in all the raw materials, regoith, and ice and perhaps things from the atmospehre, as if it were a mouth of a creature and forms a continuing extention of it's body.
I have not yet addressed partitioning, and also joining it to lakes, ice caves (For frozen and freeze dried foods, and yes glass domes, greenhouses, and advanced houses that use plastics and ice.  However to join them together would of course be the desire.
Please do post.  What we want is good results, however they can be obtained.
Done.

Seems we are way off topic on building soils to grow food in...

Building fertile soils

Building Soil, Building the Future

Build better garden soils

8 Steps for Making Better Garden Soil

Making Biochar to Improve Soil

other words carbon in the soil is good for plant growth