New Mars Forums

But the Naval doctors had the ability to amputate, seal and sow the wound in the matter of a minute or so. In fact when it comes down to amputations the butchers on those ships where a lot lot faster than the doctors we have. Then again they had the practice, most wounds resulted in amputations.

But it still does not get rid of the problem that any severe injury caused to a crewmember would likely result in not one crew member being permanently unavailable but two. Someone has to look after the sick person.

There is a serious side to the arquements about the deep fried Mars bar. In Scotland we do have a problem of Heart disease caused by inapropiate foods and smoking. Obesity though on the increase is still nothing like as bad as what the USA has to suffer. And frankly the modern way of working increases this risk.

So what are we doing about it and what can be done, The first is a ban on smoking in all public places, resturants, pubs, buses in the street? A serious increase in sports and activities available to the children and what seems to be the most confrontational a public health warning to be put on fast food. This is your mcdonalds, kfc etc.

It is from this that the deep fried mars bar gets its bad rep but then again if it is treated like what it is a luxury food it is not as if people eat it all the time only very occasionly.

And Shaun you are only jealous of Scots as it rains here all the time 

Hah, but in Scotland we tend to get a fish and chip shop to put batter on them and a half a minute in a deep fat fryer and then eat. There certainly is not anything sweeter especially glugging down Irn Bru at the same time.

Certainly reminds me of the last old firm game.

At the moment the EU is certainly an economic creature but I think momentum and a bit of push will make it more a political power. With its plan to create an EU police and army and with the constitution coming up its likely to either go superstate or to break apart.

I reserve comment on which i would prefer

The main asteroid belt is between Mars and Jupiter. At that distance the effectiveness of solar power is much reduced. This is not the case on the Moon where it is possible to make easily made solar cells which though only about 5% minimum effectiveness provide a lot of power.

This constant power is the lifeblood of Mass drivers and it makes them cheap, especially as the solar cells made on the Moon come from easily collectable silicon and are radiation hardened naturally and easy to make.

If such an accident does occur on Mars it will likely prove to be either fatal or completely debilitating to the astronaut. We cannot use prosthetics to help such an astronaut prosthetics apart from the most crude versions require incredibly detailed adjustments to be able to work and be worn with a reasonable level of comfort. Not to mention such an injury so far from home would require endless hours of physiopherapy and aiding of the astronaut to be able to even to function.

One rather nasty but likely possibility is that Martian astronauts will find themselves at risk of frostbite. And this may result in loss of minor appendages ie fingers toes.

Another more dangerous possibility is damage to eyesight due to the effects of super dry martian fines and the risk of having blind astronauts,

Frankly we have to be aware of the risks of being so far from possible intervention and we have to design the mission scenario carefully and to do the research that ensure maximum survivability for amount of useful return. But sending prosthetics is a no go. We cant fit them and we certainly do not want to spare the mass. Id rather send a lot more tubs of petroleoum jelly. Something that will be a godsend to the first Martian astronauts.

It may work it really then just comes down to how much mass can be moved by such a device. And is it really worth it, of course we could always attach a solar power satelite on the top of the chord. Certainly would sort the long Day/Night power problem until a circumfrential power grid and soletta arrays are possibly in place.

NASA operates in a very political way(Yeah, I know im telling the initiated) to get funds, you must be able to gain and trade favours allways remembering that each time you make a decision to cut costs you will find half of the senate on your heels demanding that there special project in there state is saved. And when you are not you have us the space advocates and the press saying what a waste NASA does nothing except make taxes go up.

I really pity the poor man or woman who gets the job.

The main principle behind hydroponics is gravity it is the gentle running water flowing down hill that powers the system with the occasional astronaut pouring the solution in the lower bucket into the top one...simplicity.

Why use such a basic system, basically hydroponics lends itself to using lights etc to stimulate growth. And we will have to use these artificial lights just to top up the poor amount of light available naturally. And we cant really afford to have pumps drawing power as well and it is best to set up a system that requires as little mechanical devices as possible. We can also use hydroponics to break down the water that astronauts use for washing so called grey water into useful systems.

Quote RobS Dec. 07 2004, 19:03

We can be assured that trace rare metals will be spread across the martian regolith there is no soil or condensation to have kept it stuck to the ground and each dust storm will simply move it about. We cannot take the risk of astronauts being affected by the insidious ways that metals poison people. We do know the Regolith fines will get everywhere and pose a danger to a lot of systems. At least with Hydroponics these can be filtered to remove as much as is possible. What we also do know is the Mars has a lot of sulfur. These for plants are extremely dangerous and will damage them. Also the oxygen is bound up in the form of stable iron oxides so reducing two important needed elements to impossible to get at. Iron and free Oxygen. Bluntly the Martian soil is a salty mess with no biomass and it would have to be extensively treated to become useful. You put a worm in the Martian soil and it will become dessicated very very quickly.

It seems that NASA will need a new leader soon it is expected that Sean O'keefe will hand in his resignation soon and take of to become the Chancellor of a university.

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewnews.h … 6]Spaceref article

So who will lead the team taking NASA into the Bush plan?

With Mars we have access to a lot of carbon it is though nitrates that we have a shortage off and human waste tends to be mostly carbon based. So we will need to find Nitrates to add to the mixtures to allow the plants to grow well. Anyone for a trip to the gas giants?

Little history lesson one of the most important materials man had on earth was the Bird droppings of the seabirds and bats. Quano was so important before the modern chemical industry that wars where fought over it.

So we will need to find Nitrates if we want to occupy Mars on mass.

It is actually easier for us to reach NEO asteroids than the Martian moons or even the Moon. As these do in fact pose a threat it makes more sense to actually investigate these as they have what we would call the most dangerous kind amongst there numbers the stony irons etc. We should visit these as it is thought they pose our greatest threat (the next being comets) and see what it would take to move them.

Heh we could always use one if there is a comet on its way to hit us as the first intergalactic white pool ball and so knocking the threat away. (Then again doing it would be so hard and a such a technical nightmare that there is no chance)