New Mars Forums
You are not logged in.
- Topics: Active | Unanswered
Announcement
#1 2021-10-13 17:35:17
- SpaceNut
- Administrator
- From: New Hampshire
- Registered: 2004-07-22
- Posts: 30,123
Mars Airlocks and uses
Make the air lock a double chamber unit for being able to have a sort of mud room and then the exit side. When you come in the first is to decontaminate and remove as much dust as possible while the second allows for the suits to be removed and retained away from the remaining habitat.
The reason is to mitigate crew exposures to mars dust, regolith, atmosphere so that the number of EVA can be controlled with standard access egress for all from day one.
The rules are simple only take risk when no other means can get the information, no other means can be use to go unprotected by a mover (rover) to the place ect...
To minimize contaminations sources are just some of those risk controls.
Dome habitat space is just one use for the crew, a garage is another, plus any other building to manage dust, regolith, atmosphere from entry into living spaces.
Online
Like button can go here
#2 2025-12-26 08:45:01
- SpaceNut
- Administrator
- From: New Hampshire
- Registered: 2004-07-22
- Posts: 30,123
Re: Mars Airlocks and uses
You AI generated content
A Mars airlock for clean entry focuses on planetary protection by minimizing Earth microbe transfer and Martian dust contamination, often using multi-chamber designs with dedicated suit ports (like NASA's MESA concept) for external donning/doffing, specialized dust mitigation (air showers, wiping), and integrated suit/equipment storage to keep the habitat sterile, essentially acting as a "mudroom" to prevent biological and particulate cross-contamination during crew EVAs.
Key Design Principles for Mars Airlocks:
Multi-Chamber System: Instead of one chamber, systems often propose two or three sections (antechambers) to create distinct zones for suit preparation, dust removal, and entry into the habitat.
External Suit Donning/Doffing (MESA Concept): A key innovation is the Mars EVA Suit Airlock (MESA), where suits attach externally to the habitat. The crew enters the suit from the habitat, then exits the airlock for EVA, keeping suit surfaces away from the main living area.
Dust Mitigation:
Air Showers & Wiping Stations: Integrated systems to blast/wipe dust off suits and equipment before entering the main habitat.
Specialized Ports: Airlocks have dedicated ports for suits, allowing them to be docked and maintained externally.
Integrated Storage: Airlocks function as storage for suits, tools, and emergency supplies (water, rations) to keep them outside the primary habitable zone, as discussed in this concept by Jenkins, accessed via newmars.com.
Planetary Protection Focus: The primary driver is preventing terrestrial microbes from contaminating Mars (forward contamination) and potentially harmful Martian materials from entering the habitat (backward contamination).
How it Works (Conceptual Example):
Before EVA: Astronauts don suits within the habitat, pass through the airlock into the external suit port, and detach.
After EVA: Astronauts re-enter the airlock, attach suits, go through decontamination (air/wipes), remove suits in the inner chamber, and enter the habitat, leaving contaminated gear behind.
These designs aim to reconcile human exploration needs with strict planetary protection requirements, making the airlock a critical interface for keeping Mars clean
Online
Like button can go here
#3 2025-12-26 12:15:59
- SpaceNut
- Administrator
- From: New Hampshire
- Registered: 2004-07-22
- Posts: 30,123
Re: Mars Airlocks and uses
Airlocks can and do many functions as desired in a sequence to remove issues that we might find. This is how humans think about problems that might be identified.
So we are going to need many inline locks to do what we require for a full development of a Dome entrance.
Online
Like button can go here
#4 2025-12-26 13:23:35
- SpaceNut
- Administrator
- From: New Hampshire
- Registered: 2004-07-22
- Posts: 30,123
Re: Mars Airlocks and uses
Spacesuits no matter how many you have take time to get them on. They also have expirations dates for how many times they can be used plus more.
Sudden pressurization means you are dead...
Design goes after specifications of requirements are generated and reasons for what is required. That is mechanical and electrical engineering at its simplest form
1. dimension's of height, width, depth still not known...
2. safety interlocks for acceptable use parameters.
3. emergency contingency for crews that are out of air ect...
lots of stuff is required to be discussed long before the actual chamber is designed and for other features that are required. it is not a box with doors and pumps.
You are also ignoring risk management to people...
Online
Like button can go here
#5 2025-12-29 18:01:10
- SpaceNut
- Administrator
- From: New Hampshire
- Registered: 2004-07-22
- Posts: 30,123
Re: Mars Airlocks and uses
A dome Airlock might look like this
Online
Like button can go here
#6 2025-12-30 14:54:55
- SpaceNut
- Administrator
- From: New Hampshire
- Registered: 2004-07-22
- Posts: 30,123
Re: Mars Airlocks and uses
For SpaceNut ...re #4042 ... thanks for taking care of Trebuchet .... the name showed up in display of an older topic.
***
I have a question about your post (twice) https://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.ph … 98#p236698Update: In rereading this post, I realize I sound just like SpaceNut ... imagine that!
What were you thinking when you posted that?
That's a fantasy.
That's an AI generated fantasy, and you posted it in the forum.
An air lock on Mars will most emphatically NOT look like that!
What were you thinking at the time?
That is not an air lock ... that is a dust screen opening into an area that is at Mars pressure.
Where are the real air locks? Those must be curved to accommodate pressure, or enormously strong if they are flat.
Please try to find images that look as though they were on Mars and not the Arizona desert.
GW Johnson has written many posts explaining why pressure vessels must have rounded shapes.
Is the ISS airlock a good model for Mars?
No! The ISS airlock is NOT a good model for Mars.
To my knowledge, NO ONE has designed an airlock for Mars.
All we have are artist renderings based upon Earth experience.
You may be able to find a ** real ** airlock for Mars.
Update: SpaceNut ... the solution is easy ... just change the text !!! Those are mud rooms on Mars! They are not airlocks. The airlocks are out of view inside the mud room. The better name might be "dust room". Folks coming inside from the surface will be covered in dust. All of it must be removed before the human enters the air lock. The airlocks themselves must be large enough for a tall human to enter without bending.
If you want to try having an AI make an image open gemini.google.com and ask it to use nanobanana to create images for you. Be sure to ask it to make images that are 256K in size so you can store them on our Image Server.
(th)
First this is just the outside portion of the airlock which has multiple chambers and it follows with multiple chambers plus more doors. Airlocks are more than 2 doors inside and out....
Yes the outer chamber is going to see mars only and does not require these to be curved plus these unit is most likely coming with more from earth.
Online
Like button can go here
#7 2025-12-30 15:10:42
- SpaceNut
- Administrator
- From: New Hampshire
- Registered: 2004-07-22
- Posts: 30,123
Re: Mars Airlocks and uses
We also need multiple units and for crew and for equipment.
An Airlock Concept To Reduce Contamination Risks During The Human Exploration Of Mars
This is for a crew entrance.
Fig. 2. Schematic floorplan showing the general workflow during EVA preparation and post-EVA clean-up and servicing.
The disinfection cycle inside the airlock is complemented by disinfection cycles inside separate compartments in Anteroom 3 for selected suit parts (e.g., interior of boots, poorly exposed parts of gloves, cuffs, etc.). The airlock is enlarged here for visualization purposes.
Protecting the Martian environment from contamination with terrestrial microbes is generally seen as essential to the scientific exploration of Mars, especially when it comes to the search for indigenous life.
However, while companies and space agencies aim at getting to Mars within ambitious timelines, the state-of-the-art planetary protection measures are only applicable to uncrewed spacecraft. With this paper, we attempt to reconcile these two conflicting goals: the human exploration of Mars and its protection from biological contamination.
In our view, the one nominal mission activity that is most prone to introducing terrestrial microbes into the Martian environment is when humans leave their habitat to explore the Martian surface, if one were to use state-of-the-art airlocks.
We therefore propose to adapt airlocks specifically to the goals of planetary protection. We suggest a concrete concept for such an adapted airlock, believing that only practical and implementable solutions will be followed by human explorers in the long run.
Most likely the microbes are most likely dormant or from human causes.
Fig. 1. Artistic rendering of an airlock module (3.4 m diameter) that would fulfill the requirements described in “Methods”.
The airlock proper is between the two pressure-tight doors. The remaining room is divided into three compartments or anterooms that are separated by airtight doors. From the center of the figure (Mars surface) towards the edges (the other habitat modules), the three compartments are: (1) suit-up area, suit repair, and stowage of EVA suits; possible location of suitports, (2) showers and general hygiene compartment, (3) stowage for undergarments and indoor clothes. Note that most of the functions of the airlock module would need to be present in the habitat anyway, but that the SafeMars concept combines those functions into one module that are helpful for planetary protection. Image by J. Wegner.
An airlock concept to reduce contamination risks during the human exploration of Mars
Planetary protection technologies should, in particular, mitigate the risks posed by extravehicular activities (EVAs). Forward contamination could occur during egress, when aerosols from inside the habitat will be most prone to leaking, and during operations in a potentially contaminated suit. Conversely, backward contamination (the contamination of astronauts, or later of terrestrial ecosystems, by extant Martian life) would be most likely during ingress. Risks are exacerbated by the fact that scientific and maintenance needs of crewed missions to Mars are expected to lead to a much higher frequency of EVAs than in the current ISS program, increased from an average of around 10 EVAs a year to perhaps 3 to 6 a weeks
Very nicely done abstract....
chamber functions require special handling and equipment
Pressure I think is for co2 liquid to gas but thats a guess.
Online
Like button can go here
#8 2025-12-31 15:21:37
- SpaceNut
- Administrator
- From: New Hampshire
- Registered: 2004-07-22
- Posts: 30,123
Re: Mars Airlocks and uses
For SpaceNut ... congratulations on your deep research and for your presentation!
https://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.ph … 20#p236720
In that post you show curved bulkheads. This means the designers understood the principles that GW Johnson has been writing about for years.
It is ** good ** to see those principles expressed in this design document!
However, the emphasis on trying to protect Mars from human contamination is short lived... If the scientists get there first all well and good, but they probably will be in a race with humans who want to see what's there for development purposes.
I hope we live long enough to see who wins that race.
What I see in the science oriented plan are the rudiments of what is needed to prevent contamination of the habitat. As you pointed out yourself, several days ago, the Mars atmosphere presents a risk to humans, and it looks to me as thought the design you found might be capable to protecting the habitat.
(th)
and they also have flat doors also not just the ends. Plus these are 2 systems so that they can be used separately
How many exits and egress are placed around the dome?.
So how many suits?
How many crews are to go on each eva?
Online
Like button can go here
#9 Yesterday 15:18:28
- SpaceNut
- Administrator
- From: New Hampshire
- Registered: 2004-07-22
- Posts: 30,123
Re: Mars Airlocks and uses
bump for new title and content changes
Online
Like button can go here