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#26 Re: Life support systems » We need a brainstorming session! - Bat around a few ideas. » 2002-01-07 22:15:33
When I said "one large dome", I was refering to the comment
"especially if the dome is meant to cover a large area such as enough to cover a small town." That would be a couple of miles across. I was considering a dome the size of a football field to be a "smaller dome", and several of them interconnected would probably be perfect 
#27 Re: Life support systems » We need a brainstorming session! - Bat around a few ideas. » 2002-01-06 14:13:30
Mars is far enough away from the sun that the light through a transparent dome would probably be more depressing than benificial. Full-spectrum lights designed in a way that would mimic the sun would probably work better, and from a structural viewpoint an opaque dome is much easier to build and maintain.
But I'm glad someone is thinking of the psychological aspects of the colony.
P.S.: One large dome is a rather inefficient design. Maybe several interconnected domes? Or maybe longhouse-style instead of domes?
#28 Re: Life support systems » We need a brainstorming session! - Bat around a few ideas. » 2002-01-05 23:01:48
Hey! We're back!
Found an article about another way to produce breathable oxygen that might work for flight vehicles:
#29 Re: Life support systems » We need a brainstorming session! - Bat around a few ideas. » 2001-10-03 14:06:00
I was thinking that raising the water table would keep the fire from smoldering, thus helping to preserve oxygen. Forest fires have been known to smolder underground for days, only to flare up again at random. I know that water will be precious, that's why it would only make sense to have large stores of it. If done right, the water table could be raised to a few feet above ground, then lowered again without ruining the water for other uses. What's more, most plants are capaple of surviving short floods without damage, some even grow better after such a flood. If done right, the effects on the plants would be the same as a heavy rain.
As for equipment, if the colony is compartmentalized, then the fire and the flood would both be contained in a small area. There should be no need for something that would be destroyed by water to be in the arboretum.
It's nice to have people to talk ideas out with. Thank you.
#30 Re: Life support systems » We need a brainstorming session! - Bat around a few ideas. » 2001-09-27 12:14:13
For the colony itself, there are several measures that can be taken to prevent and stop fires.
1. Wherever possible, use fiber optics instead of electrical wire.
2. Wrap all electrical wire in several layers of Teflon, which has an EXTREMELY high melting point.
3. Compartmentalize whenever possible, so that if fire somhow breaks out it won't spread. It will also take less to put out the fire this way.
4. Use Teflon in the dome layers. It has a high melting point, is flexible down to almost absolute zero, and is not chemically reactive.
5. In the gardens and arboretums, have several sensors around the place rigged to the water table. If a fire is detected, then the water table can be raised to a few feet above ground, smothering the flames without hurting anyone.
Fire needs oxygen, but it also needs fuel. By limiting the available combustables, it is possible to drastically reduce the chances of a fire breaking out.
#31 Re: Life support systems » We need a brainstorming session! - Bat around a few ideas. » 2001-09-08 10:08:07
Actually, the tar would both stop the meteorite AND seal the hole. It's simular to the self-sealing weatherproofing used on cellphone towers, so we wouldn't have to wait for the technology.
#32 Re: Life support systems » We need a brainstorming session! - Bat around a few ideas. » 2001-09-07 13:08:39
I noticed that the design you have assumes a one-layer, transperant dome. But what if we used a multi-layered, opaque dome instead? That way, we could use self-sealing pockets to catch projectiles and prevent punctures. If we used several layers of bulletproof fabric with packets of a tar-like substance in between, and with the innermost layer able to maintain the atmosphere by itself, then repairs could be made by simply replacing the damaged packet and patching the punctured fabric. The people wouldn't have to worry about dying from a tiny meteorite hole.
With the decreased sunlight available on Mars, it might be more efficient to use artificial lighting indoors, anyway. There could be a solar array outside of the building, collecting power for the colony. It would have to be larger than what a simular colony would need on Earth, but it would last a long time.
#33 Re: Life support systems » We need a brainstorming session! - Bat around a few ideas. » 2001-09-06 13:14:02
I have lots of ideas for a permanent Martian colony, and I'd like to hear if anyone else has any.