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SpaceNut said:
A variable lifting device based on a teter toter approach where the fulcrum balance point starts with the unweight side being brought downward to load while the counter balance weight is moved away from the payload towards the opposite end of the beam via as you noted hydraulics or electrical motors..
We often look at what makes Mars not like Earth, but often fail to recognize it's advantages.
I mentioned the .38 gravity field, but their is also wind. Since the planet is not currently very suitable for wind power, the flip side may be that we can make use of the things you have mentioned, and the devices can be much more light weight. I would think that using those methods and light weight construction just would not be suitable to Earth, because you know that almost anywhere on Earth you are going to get damaging wind storms.
The worst Mars has I think are Dust Devils, and Global Dust Storms. So, whatever damage that can do, and also the thermal variations of Mars will likely be the limiters of methods of construction.
~.06 Bars of wind? Maybe not so much of a threat.
For now the winter CO2 snows (up to 6 feet deep) can be a threat at high latitudes, but only in the winters, and perhaps it will be possible to build heliostats that can be mothballed in such a way that the damage from that can be minimized.
Or perhaps until the planet is terraformed to get rid of the CO2 snows, you just don't build the devices at those high latitudes. Perhaps you place them on the edge of a major ice body, but low enough latitude so as to avoid the problem.
Other than that we do not expect hail on Mars either.
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As for electric motors, I have realized that if Copper and Aluminum are in short supply, I would not be surprised if the motors could have some kind of a ductile iron based alloy wire for windings. Not efficient, but maybe good enough. If your heliostat has a small solar panel on it, and a little wireless antenna. Then a robot on top of the tower could look at each heliostat pointing and call each one by name an tell them when to re-orient themselves. It would do a visual on each one periodically per some time period, and just order the appropriate motor and linkage system to run forward or backwards. So, then not so much complex electronics on each heliostat, therefore less repairs required, less down time for an average heliostat.
I feel that could make sense.
Done.
Last edited by Void (2019-01-01 19:57:11)
Done.
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