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http://ioppublishing.org/news/a-mission … echnology/
Quote:
A mission to Mars could make its own oxygen, thanks to plasma technology
A mission to the Red Planet could create its own oxygen supply. Picture credit: NASA JPL/Malin Space Science Systems
Plasma technology could hold the key to creating a sustainable oxygen supply on Mars, a new study has found.
It suggests that Mars, with its 96 per cent carbon dioxide atmosphere, has nearly ideal conditions for creating oxygen from CO2 through a process known as decomposition.
Published today in the journal Plasma Sources Science and Technology, the research by the universities of Lisbon and Porto, and École Polytechnique in Paris, shows that the pressure and temperature ranges in the Martian atmosphere mean non-thermal (or non-equilibrium) plasma can be used to produce oxygen efficiently.
Lead author Dr Vasco Guerra, from the University of Lisbon, said: “Sending a manned mission to Mars is one of the next major steps in our exploration of space. Creating a breathable environment, however, is a substantial challenge.
“Plasma reforming of CO2 on Earth is a growing field of research, prompted by the problems of climate change and production of solar fuels. Low temperature plasmas are one of the best media for CO2 decomposition – the split-up of the molecule into oxygen and carbon monoxide – both by direct electron impact, and by transferring electron energy into vibrational excitation.”
Mars has excellent conditions for In-Situ Resource Utilisation (ISRU) by plasma. As well as its CO2 atmosphere, the cold surrounding atmosphere (on average about 210 Kelvin) may induce a stronger vibrational effect than that achievable on Earth. The low atmospheric temperature also works to slow the reaction, giving additional time for the separation of molecules.
Dr Guerra said: “The low temperature plasma decomposition method offers a twofold solution for a manned mission to Mars. Not only would it provide a stable, reliable supply of oxygen, but as source of fuel as well, as carbon monoxide has been proposed as to be used as a propellant mixture in rocket vehicles.
“This ISRU approach could help significantly simplify the logistics of a mission to Mars. It would allow for increased self-sufficiency, reduce the risks to the crew, and reduce costs by requiring fewer vehicles to carry out the mission.”
Plasma generated life support.
I don't understand this at all, but apparently some people think that Mars is vertually ideal for using a plasma method to split CO2 into Oxygen and Carbon Monoxide.
I don't know if this topic has been listed on this site Spacenut. Any idea? If so, then this could be deleted, and I could participate there.
The two issues are how does it work really. I have read some notions, I just havn't got it down well yet. The other one is that this would be a very useful base process for deriving multiple chemicial and biological benefits for a population on Mars.
Things you could do:
If you have an energy source, then you could create the chemicals to support a dark biosphere under ice. This would save you the trouble of filtering the light spectrum and so not require you to manufacture glass and glass with UV protection methods.
I am not saying that there should be no glass greenhouse methods, rather that this method would allow you to massively expand your ability to do chemical/biological processes.
For my part in this case, I would go over to solar concentrator devices that could also serve as thermal radiators to the Martian sky to generate electricity.
This is not to say that solar cells are out. Rather, by the designs I have in mind solar concentrators would focus light on a high temperature solar pannel which would also be hollow, during the day a fluid would be boiled with the waste heat. That hot steam or fluid would be pumped through a heat exchanger in an ice covered lake. The electricity from this process would be used to do the plasma process in cold thin Martian air. Electricity might come only from the solar cells, or if the project is large enough the Ammonia would push a turbine to also generate electricity while also dumping heat into the lake. The products, Oxygen and Carbon Monoxide would also be pumped into the lake.
So, the daytime Ammonia process would heat the lake, and also, if you had micro-organisms in the lake, of a extreme type, ones that can eat Carbon Monoxide and breath Oxygen, then their motabolism would also heat the lake.
These would likely be cold fresh water impoundments. Ice covered, and the ice as best could be done by a least expensive substance, maybe a simple plastic vapor barrier, covered with some dirt.
The other effect that the Chemosynthetic biological process, would do is generate cell mass, which would then include fats, sugars, and other hydrocarbons potentially.
While I am tempted to disgard the idea of geneating electricty by radiating heat to the Martian sky. I guess it would depend on your likes. You could geneate electricy when the sunlight was less available, or you could expand the size of the reservoirs at a breakneck speed. Actually some type of bottleneck in production would likey set the speed for expansion.
Obviously also this process would provide Oxygen for humans, and possibly very evil geneticallly engineered budgies. Or maybe decent Canaries.
Canaries would be useful to detect Carbon Monoxide I believe in human breathing air.
While the Carbon Monoxide in the water would be toxic to humans, it seems to me that habitats and vehicles could be in the reservoir, and would be protected from expolsive decompression and extreme temperatures and Radiation. Not a bad deal.
And there is nothing to prevent having warm water enclosures without Carbon Monoxide. But maybe they should have Canaries in them.
The final piece of work is dune materials. Introduce them into the water, and you will likely get salts, maybe clays, and Hydrogen. The Hydrogen will be incorporated into the plankton along with the Carbon of the Carbon Monoxide. The bio-goo could then be harvested and processed into necessary chemicals and structural materials.
I rather like this process. I do understand that some of you are in love with the idea of a multi-pane glass greenhouse. Having worked in maintenance, I have very little faith in those structures holding up long term. Hower maybe better ones will be invented.
Still my opinion is that the emphasis should be cold water lakes with warm water containments in them. The dominant biology should be chemosynthesis.
However I also allow for protected ice windows at specific locations to allow underwater farming robots to present crops such as Potatoe/Fungi or Spirulina to a filtered photon stream.
Canals as transportation methods sould be explored. Special methods will be needed for submerged vehicles to travel in them without bulging the ice layer above excessively during their travel.
That is not to say that Cars/Busses, Hyperloop, and hopping BFR's will not also exist to provide transportation.
Last edited by Void (2018-02-26 13:34:06)
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All methods of releasing Oxygen from CO2 require fairly large amounts of energy input.
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OK, I am going to buy into the idea you are an expert in that statement.
Here is something additional to think about:
https://www.osa.org/en-us/about_osa/new … oader_sol/
Quote:
Now a group of researchers in Denmark have discovered an alternative method to capture a broad spectrum of sunlight using a heat-resistant device made of tungsten and alumina layers that can be fabricated using inexpensive and widely available film-deposition techniques. The researchers describe their work and the new material in a paper published this week in the journal Optical Materials Express, from The Optical Society (OSA).
......
While this will require concentrating mirrors and the ability to orient them to a solar panel, it suggests greater power output and perhaps also harvesting some of the waste heat.
It is possible that heliostats will be easier to manufacture on Mars than solar cells, or not. Don't know.
However it is conceivable that their is a way to simplify heliostats, and that I know what it is, and I am not going to tell. Wink Wink.
Using a greater amount of the Mars solar spectrum seems like a possible benefit especially as the sunlight is dimmer, and has U.V. that I presume will convert to short infrared with their device.
Maybe even red at those temperatures.
One way or another people will want Oxygen if they are going to be on Mars. I believe the biosphere experiments demonstrated the diffaculty of obtaining a survivable environment growing plants. And in that case they did not even pressurize their biosphere significantly.
And it will be hard to get electricity and heat from plants on Mars, although not impossible.
So, fine, whatever mechanical method will generate Oxygen the best is what will be wanted. It will probably be powered by electricity, and the best device will be buildable with low cost/abundant insitu materials.
The byproduct CO might as well be used for something, and I have provided one option for that.
The use of dune materials to generate salts, perhaps clays, and Hydrogen by alteration in the presence of water (rusting) seems quite sensible to me.
The way I look at it is this.
If Clarks delema occurs multiple disasters, and I am:
-On the surface of Mars, I have good chances of dying even if I have a great decision tree.
-In a cold water reservoir. I will not be as likely to go unconcious from a pressure drop. I will possibly survive minutes. If children are involved, the diving reflex may allow them to be revived some time after the disaster. If I was not totally stupid, I could attempt to swim to another resource location such as a diving bell, or reserve tanks. However in cold water like that I think it would take very special training to maintain your dicipline.
-In a warm water section under a cold water reservoir. If I had not been totally stupid, there would be redunant stockpiled resources, and even if I was butt naked I may very well be able to self rescue.
Of course at times people will not have the convenience of being under a water column, but good sense indicates that those things will be planned very carefully and only when necessary.
Last edited by Void (2018-02-26 17:29:24)
Done.
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There was a related topic in A mission to Mars could make its own oxygen with plasma technology
That topic did have some links but not much for discusion....
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