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tahanson43206

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Registered: 2018-04-27

Posts: 19,433

Tundra Schooner Habitats for Northern Canada-Alaska-Russia-etc

This topic is a branch from a topic about Underground Utilities....

The premise of this topic is that is both practical and desirable to expand human habitation on the surface of the Earth, using habitat structures designed to "float" on tundra, and able to deal not only easily but comfortably with the freeze-thaw cycle of the region.

The connection to Mars ** should ** be apparent, but for those who are new to the Mars Settlement project, I'll offer a few points of similarity:

1) Habitat must be resistant to the forces in the environment that would make it unlivable
2) Habitat must be comfortable for humans who take shelter
3) Habitat must be supported by a constant, reliable, simple supply of energy
4) Habitat must be capable of supporting high density digital communications for work, education, shopping and amusement/entertainment

More features can be added to this list as NewMars members think of them.

Anyone who is NOT already a member of NewMars, who would like to take part in developing this topic is welcome to read the Recruiting Topic.

***
The opening location for the first community based upon this concept is proposed for Canada.

It is proposed that the community to be located in this setting will be economically self-supporting via Internet connections for Teleoperation, as well as traditional digital livelihoods.

Update:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tundra

The lengthy Wikipedia article above appears (to me at least) to be a reasonable starting point for learning about tundra.

The risk of fires (mentioned in the article) would NOT be a concern on Mars.

It appears that wind may be available during part of the year, in some locations.

Update: Here is a web site which offers insight into considerations for design of hulls for ice breakers.

https://www.brighthubengineering.com/na … -breakers/

The hull for a Tundra Schooner need not be as sturdy as that needed for an ocean (or lake) going ice breaker, but the rounded shape that seems to be favored would (presumably) help such a hull to resist the freeze/thaw cycle of tundra.

Coating such a hull with a material that resists adherence by water molecules would be helpful, if such a material exists.

(th)

tahanson43206

Moderator

Registered: 2018-04-27

Posts: 19,433

Re: Tundra Schooner Habitats for Northern Canada-Alaska-Russia-etc

tahanson43206,
Oh, now I understand. I thought you meant something else, not an actual sea-going ship parked on land. I don't think anyone has tried it, but it should work. Sea ice moves with currents, has a nasty habit of crushing ships. On tundra a ship should sink until it's at a level where it would float in water. The problem is permafrost melting. I could blather on about wet mud having a higher specific gravity than clean water, resulting in buoyancy when the ship sits higher than it would in either fresh water or salt water. However, permafrost is nasty stuff. Most likely the ship would sunk until it achieves buoyancy at the same level as fresh water. But it should stop sinking at that point.

Crushing would still be an issue. Ground close to the surface undergoes seasonal freeze/thaw cycles. The ship would have to be strong enough to withstand wet mud surrounding the ship freezing solid. Ice has greater volume than liquid water, resulting in lower density which is why it floats. But that also means wet mud expands as it freezes. Where I live, fence posts must be dug 4 feet deep to prevent the the freeze/thaw cycle from pushing the post up out of the ground. It's only a little each year, but the fence post can be "spit out" over a number of years. In the 1950s some house builders tried to construct houses with just a concrete pad, no basement. The result was corners of the house "heaved" when ground under that corner froze. Ground will freeze sooner and to a greater depth under a corner than a flat side of the house, because cold is exposed from two sides. A house will always "heave" unevenly. When it does, twisting will break open cracks in exterior walls. Cracks can be so large you can see daylight through. Weather right now at 11:14am is -29°C (-20°F), so a crack in the exterior wall will create a very cold draft!

So house construction requires a basement where there is no permafrost. Where there is permafrost, construction requires piers or some other support to keep it just enough above ground that cold air can blow beneath the structure.

Documents I read from the Core of Engineers when building in Alaska, permafrost can be as strong as concrete. Permafrost is not just permanently frozen ground water, there's mud and gravel mixed in. The colder it is, the harder it is. It's nasty stuff! The team for NASA's Mars InSight lander should have tested their penetrater in permafrost in Alaska. They could hope that the ground on Mars was dry, but "oops" it wasn't.

Carried over from Underground Utilities on 2023/02/02

(th)

Mars_B4_Moon

Member

Registered: 2006-03-23

Posts: 9,776

Re: Tundra Schooner Habitats for Northern Canada-Alaska-Russia-etc

I'm going to post some news which might be relevant to the Schooner Habitation post.

Also keeping people working and moving 'mental activity' and having a community going places even if its just an exercise or routine it seems to be good for morale

What types of Vehicles and Habitat designs would be considered Rack Schooner and Vehicle?

There’s a Massive Antarctic Exploration Vehicle Lost Somewhere at the Bottom of the World
https://www.thedrive.com/news/33433/the … -the-world

The South Pole Traverse (McMurdo–South Pole highway) is approximately 1,450 km (900 mi) long and links the United States McMurdo Station on the coast to the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station. It was constructed by leveling snow and in crevasses, but is not paved. There are flags to mark the road. Also, the United States Antarctic Program maintains two ice roads during the austral summer. One provides access to Pegasus Field on the Ross Ice Shelf. The ice road between Pegasus Field and McMurdo Station is about 23 kilometres (14 mi). The other road provides access to the Ice Runway, which is on sea ice. The road between the Ice Runway and McMurdo Station varies in length from year to year depending on many factors, including ice stability. These roads are critical for resupplying McMurdo Station, Scott Base, and Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station. In 2005, a team of six people took part in the Ice Challenger Expedition. Travelling in a specially designed six wheel drive vehicle, the team completed the journey from the Antarctic coast at Patriot Hills to the geographic South Pole in 69 hours. In doing so they easily beat the previous record of 24 days.
https://web.archive.org/web/20061128092 … ger.co.uk/

Antarctica's only harbour is at McMurdo Station. Most coastal stations have offshore anchorages, and supplies are transferred from ship to shore by small boats, barges, and helicopters. A few stations have a basic wharf facility. All ships at port are subject to inspection in accordance with Article 7, Antarctic Treaty. Offshore anchorage is sparse and intermittent, but poses no problem to sailboats designed for the ice, typically with lifting keels and long shorelines.

A number of tour boats, ranging from large motorized vessels to small sailing yachts, visit the Antarctic Peninsula during the summer months (January–March). Most are based in Ushuaia, Argentina. In 2021, an Airbus A340 aeroplane operated by Portuguese charter airline Hi Fly landed in Antarctica for the first time.
https://www.aviationpros.com/airlines/p … antarctica

Ingenuity helicopter aces 43rd Mars flight, its longest in 10 months
https://www.space.com/mars-helicopter-i … net-flight

Study finds caribou have been using same Arctic calving grounds for 3,000 years
https://phys.org/news/2023-02-caribou-a … years.html

A Guide to Svalbard | Norway Travel Guide
https://norwaytravelguide.no/best-of-no … o-svalbard

Antarctic Snow Cruiser was a vehicle designed from 1937 to 1939 under the direction of Thomas Poulter, intended to facilitate transport in Antarctica during the United States Antarctic Service Expedition (1939–41). The Snow Cruiser was also known as "The Penguin," "Penguin 1" or "Turtle" in some published material.
https://web.archive.org/web/20090314053 … _1980.html

Canadian Arctic tundra
Tour of the Tundra Buggy Lodge -Churchill, Manitoba
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADTWECSOY84

Tundra Greenhouse | Life Below Zero
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8Uedd_h9cg

Hibernation: Winter Survival by Chilling Out
https://www.unionleader.com/nh/outdoors … d43ff.html
Mammals and birds are endotherms, which means they generate their own body heat through relatively high metabolic rates

Last edited by Mars_B4_Moon (2023-02-18 09:26:56)

Mars_B4_Moon

Member

Registered: 2006-03-23

Posts: 9,776

Re: Tundra Schooner Habitats for Northern Canada-Alaska-Russia-etc

A month on ‘Mars’: Get to know the Haughton-Mars Project
https://futurenews.tech/2022/08/17/a-mo … s-project/

The frontier of Alaska could be one for testing samples, a wild untamed Frontier but Top Dozen or so Active Alaska Volcanoes for Tourist trips

Fogo Island the Portuguese word for "Fire" is the largest of the offshore islands of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.

Raman-IR spectroscopic, and XRD analysis of selected samples from Fogo Island, Cabo Verde: Implications for ancient Martian volcanology
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/a … 7723000273

Chã das Caldeiras eruptions as analogue for ancient Mars.

Mars_B4_Moon

Member

Registered: 2006-03-23

Posts: 9,776

Re: Tundra Schooner Habitats for Northern Canada-Alaska-Russia-etc

Inside The Small World of Simulating Other Worlds
https://undark.org/2023/09/20/inside-th … er-worlds/
A niche research community plays out what existence might be like on, or en route to, another planet.