New Mars Forums

Regarding Venus, Shaun: The comparison with Earth and threat might kind-of instructive, but its terribly slow rotation makes it an unconvincing example to use for your commendable purpose.
   And Byron: Glaciation might be prevented by our own selves, spreading soot about on persistant snow accumulations to force them to melt entirely each summer. Not original, I admit...but, are we not the first humans on Earth to recognize the threat, with the capability of spreading soot from the sky to prevent the warm sunlight from being reflected back out into space-- and thus break the cycle of recurring ice-ages. We're very good at spreading dirt around, you'll admit.
   Asteroid or comet impact: Now there's a real good reason for inhabiting more than one place in the Solar System!

Thanks, Shaun, I needed that bit of positivity. Gets the old thinker going when someone "out there" responds...especially by adding something to the offering!

How about Stirling engine power?
   I'm struck by tha absence of suggestions for the use of Stirling Engines (of the appropriate sort) for propulsion of surface vehicles on Mars--or even the Moon.
   The existence of adjacent "hot" (solar exposure) and "cold" (shadow exposure) on Mars should make it a natural, I would think.   
   There's loads of internet background material about the history and principles involved, but nothing on the internet I can find about extraterrestrial applications. Why not...?

I have to interject: Ants at times sprout wings and fly, so their impression of surface features can't be all that limited! We fly, and the relation of our size to ants and relative heights above terrain could be arguably comparable. My tiny point is: awareness of surface features and distances must be enhanced by heights above. Intelligence then takes over. Merely talking about it, without experiencing eg. Earth from a distance, is probably futile. Which is why I long to see on some TV channel (interspersed with commercials, if need be) a continuous image of the whole Earth.... I leave the extrapolation for the moment to you, but will think further on the concept as a do-able means of conveying what you wish to your dad, et al.

Reminds me of that big old carrier that roamed the desert in the first Star Wars film (Episode IV).

But...would, where craters are, be where we would wish to establish the first colony...with respect to all the obvious: water, minerals, atmospheric pressure, shelter from winds, access to eg. launch rails (my own "hobby horse") up the sides of Tharsis volcanos, etc. As my real estate agent keeps telling me: location, location, location!

With respect, not only "because it's there," but because we're only here, and we'd better be there as well, before it's tool ate!

Agreed, that roofing over canyons would be 2nd generation habitat construction...but with the water "discoveries" much more inspiring! Very welcome reaction(s).

   
   A kilometre span, at least, should be feasible on Mars, over kilometre-plus deep canyons. However, a water-jacket of any useful thickness wouldn't be sufficiently transparent to visible and infrared wavelengths to provide light and warmth--a cold, blue valley habitat would result.
   The idea of covered canyons, which could be lengthened as required, might be a way of of "upstaging" terraforming, as another alternative to permit mass-habitation because the roofing-over tributary valleys, capable of supporting millions of folks, is do-able with with existing construction techniques. And it would provide us with diverting, day-to-day news we back on Earth could identify with--using remote interactive presence, as virtual pioneers, for example--instead of the ho-hum space news we are being offered at present.

   I am strongly opposed to a space elevator for Mars, since it would necessitate the elimination of Phobos and Deimos, which are "God-given" platforms of inestimable value for future LMO operations. The much-to-be-desired alternative, of kilometres-long launch rails up the slopes of Olympus Mons, in any direction, would seem the ideal solution to reach any LMO. It should eliminate, besides, the need of boosters for inanimate payloads, such as surface manufactured space-platform modules and/or consumables. Launched Eastwards, the lesser acceleration to gain LMO might even permit boosterless astronaut shuttle operations. Single-stage boosters could be added to shuttles carrying non-astronauts, or where acceleration by rail alone might turn out be too great  even for astronauts, to reach polar LMO for instance.
   But for goodness sakes, don't propose anything that will do away with the natural moons of Mars!

By anchoring a translucent roof above a suitable canyon tributary, and constructing cantilevered living quarters along the sides, many advantages over a domed structure, as a follow-on habitat, might be obtained. With a "droop" to the canyon floor at either end to seal the ends, webbed netting (in the manner of gas balloons on Earth) the roof-envelope could be restrained from blow-outs by means of diagonal guy-wires anchored to "hard points" at the ends of struts driven into the canyon sides. 
   Warmth trapped from sunlight would  then permit liquid water to be collected in lakes (eventually streams) along the canyon floor as atmospheric pressure buids up. Cantilevered-balcony cliff dwellings above the canyon floor would avoid flooding within the habitat, as well as provide an "instant" water-world lifestyle, greatly in advance of possible terraforming.
   Post-occupation tunnelling into the cliffsides, would give easy access to potential below-surface mineral and water resources, provide expanding living space and protection from meteorites, solar flares, UV and cosmic radiation.
   As for electrical power: Vertical wind-tunnels using Martian atmosphere in stretches of unpressurized tributary,  with multistage turbo-electric generators at their bases, driven by the flow of solar-heated Martian "air" from beneath low transparent roofs, with guy-wires from high canyon tributary sides to stay the kilometre-high "chimneys."
   With enough area-coverage surrounding the base(s), the accumulated warmth could be sufficient even to supply electricity during nighttime. East-west canyon alignment would of course be advisable, and alternative (eg. fuel-cell) power during sandstorms provided for.

Having read: Red Mars and Green Mars and began reading but couldn't finish Blue Mars, I was struck by the cavelier treatment of those two handed-to-us-on-a-platter satellites, which would be so useful in the human exploration and settlement of Mars, not to mention later exploitation(s) I am sure will be apparent.... The "space elevator" proposition would of course place them in jepardy, so my thought it: scrape the elevator, as too vulnerable (see said Mars books) and substitute electromagnetic acceleration ramps on the volcanos, instead.