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Any comments on some of the payload tonnages for my six person mission plan as set out below?
MISSION MANIFEST
TOTAL: 4 ten tonne payloads (i.e. ten tonnes per mission).
Of the 40 tonne payload, 26 tonnes will be for use outside the lander.
1 tonne - Mission personnel, clothing, personal hygiene. (Human mass: 1000 pounds for six bodies)
1.5 tonnes – Digger and associated equipment.
1 tonne – PV film and cabling.
0.5 tonne – Chemical batteries.
0.5 tonne - Electro turbines
0.5 tonne - Methane manufacture equipment
0.25 tonnes - Space suits (12)
1 tonne - Inflatable habitats and associated equipment.
0.75 tonne – medical supplies.
11 tonnes – food, nutrients, nutrient solution and soil.
1.5 tonnes – Air locks and turbines.
3 tonnes – CNC machines, lathes, electric motors etc.,
0.5 tonnes – Hydroponic and farming equipment.
0.5 tonnes – Habitat installations – e.g. gym and kitchen equipment
1 tonne - Oxygen manufacturing machine and water filter.
1.5 tonnes – “Versatile spares and contingencies.
Let's Go to Mars...Google on: Fast Track to Mars blogspot.com
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Any comments on some of the payload tonnages for my six person mission plan as set out below?
3 tonnes – CNC machines, lathes, electric motors etc.,
Is this all your going to have for your Machine Shop?
One CNC Lathes, because that would be just about the weight of one fair size CNC Lathe that you would need to do your machining.
Were you planing on having an CNC multi-Axes Mill too?
Were you also planning on having grinder too for those fine finishings that you need to have for those close tolerances?
Were you also planning on having vices, clamps and other tie down pieces so you can hold your pieces down?
Were you also planning on having several types of tool holder for holding those different types of inserts and boring bars?
Were you planning on having drills of various sizes and grind wheels that it takes to resharpen those drills?
Were you also planning on taking up the tools for tightening up those bolts, like the end wrenches, Alan Head wrenches, ball peen hammers, rubber mallets, ect?
Were you also going to have welder too and the welding rods and brazing rods to weld two pieces together?
Do you think that three tons will be enough to get everything you think that you will need, for your minimum Mars Colony?
Larry,
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Martian -
For the first mission I think we would be going for the basics. But think most if not all of the items you mention woudl be covered.
Whilst I accept many of these machines on earth can be exceptionally heavy I would suggest:
(a) That whereas on earth it makes sense to produce different machines for different purposes, as the most economic approach, we will be looking to combine functions on Mars. This will mean the design of the machines is more complex and obviously much more expensive but it will produce major saving on weight.
(b) I am no expert of course but I think whenever you have a range of tools, there is always the scope for major rationalisation. So we would need to look in detail at all the tool and attachment options and rationalise in terms of mass down to a fairly narrow range of applications. Remember this is the first mission I am talking about. We won't try and everything straight off.
(c) My impression is that the may of these machines need to be heavy in order to produce stability. I think we therefore need to look at providing the ballast on Mars using either water or regolith for that purpose.
(d) We will of course use all the state of the art light weight materials we can wherever possible.
(e) We will miniaturise wherever possible.
Taking the above into consideration I think 3 tonnes is a good target. I do have some contingencies built in but I'd prefer to aim for that target and see what we can get.
Let's Go to Mars...Google on: Fast Track to Mars blogspot.com
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Larry -
Further to my reply...
People might like to take a look at this mini-lathe:
http://www.chesteruk.net/store/conquest_lathe_super.htm
It clocks in at 38Kgs - you could have 80 of those for 3 tonnes.
I'm not suggesting that this model will do the job, but it's clear there is no need to take a big beast 600Kg machine for this initial mission.
With a proper development programme, using light weight materials and Mars ballast etc. we can probably get a very useful machine at say 100 Kgs.
I think 3 tonnes may even be an overestimate for the first mission. But we need a rational discussion of what we intend to do on a first mission.
One good approach for instance might be to see if we can manufacture 10% of the hydroponic equipment required from ISRU while we are there.
That seems possible.
We also might want to try making some electric motors and electric cabling.
I think we should also be using wood lathes to work bamboo into useful containers and maybe even a vehicle frame (they are already used for bikes and trikes).
Let's Go to Mars...Google on: Fast Track to Mars blogspot.com
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You only need a toolset big enough to make a bigger toolset.
Come on to the Future
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Yes, that is essentially the approach I adopt. However not everythign can immediately be supplied through ISRU. Some minerals are in short supply on Mars. Some industrial processes e.g. steel rolling do apparently have to be large to work properly (to deliver the right molecular structure I believe - so we may need to develop small scale alternatives).
Let's Go to Mars...Google on: Fast Track to Mars blogspot.com
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