You are not logged in.
This topic is inspired by the failure of the Hot Air Balloon topic in another part of the forum.
It appears that the extremely low lift provided by the Martian atmosphere will be difficult to overcome with Hydrogen or even Helium, and that a "hot air" balloon cannot be made to work at all, if materials that melt are used for the envelope.
However, given sufficient power for fans, I am hoping this topic will show that a Ground Effect machine is a practical transportation solution for the unimproved surface of Mars. More specifically, I'm thinking about the class of Ground Effect machines called "Hovercraft"
The machine will certainly stir up dust, and if it were located on Earth it might be considered annoying. On Mars, where dust is a normal occurrence, stirring up dust to lift a vehicle, or a train of them, would (presumably) not be a problem.
The engineers in the forum will have an opportunity to see if the numbers can be made to work.
The atmosphere is only .006 Bar, so it will have to be compressed far more than is needed on Earth, but gravity is less, so perhaps the concept can be made to work.
Issues to be solved include dealing with dust already in the air, and designing the vehicle skirts to keep as much of the compressed air inside the lift volume as possible.
(th)
Offline
This post is intended to hold links to articles about Ground Effect machines on Earth.
Google came up with this starter list:
Generative AI is experimental. Info quality may vary.
Hovercraft come in many shapes and sizes, including:
One-person fun machines
Small beach rescue craft
Medium-sized ferries that work coastal and riverine routes
Powerful amphibious assault craft employed by major military powers
Giant passenger ferries capable of carrying over 400 passengers and 50 cars
Hovercraft are vehicles that travel quickly just above the surface of water or land by producing a current of air under it to support it. They have three main components: a platform, a motorized fan, and a skirt.
The United States Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) use a class of air-cushioned landing craft (hovercraft) called Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC). These hovercraft transport weapons systems, equipment, cargo and personnel from ship to shore and across the beach.
The world's first car-carrying hovercraft was made in 1968.Interesting Engineering
Landing Craft Air Cushion - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.orgHovercraft | Air Cushion Vehicle, Design & Uses - Britannica
Britannica
How do hovercraft work? - Explain that Stuff
Feb 2, 2023Explain that Stuff
HOVERCRAFT | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary
dictionary.cambridge.orgBASIC HOVERCRAFT THEORY
pragyan.orgHovercraft - Wikipedia
Wikipedia
What are modern uses of hovercraft?
What are the 3 main components of a hovercraft?
How to make a hovercraft for a school project?
Images for hovercraft examplesfar cry
hampton beach
propeller
personal hovercraft
landing craft
air cushion
cushion vehicleengineair intake
hovercraft project
military hovercraft
diy hovercrafthomemade hovercraft
hovercraft boat
hovercraft meaningmini hovercraft
Hovercraft - Wikipedia
Wikipedia
HOVERCRAFT | English meaning - Cambridge DictionaryCambridge Dictionary - Cambridge University Press & Assessment
Hovercraft - WikipediaWikipedia
Hunting Arctic Asteroid Impact With Hovercraft | WIREDWIRED
Hovercraft - an overview | ScienceDirect TopicsScienceDirect.com
How do hovercraft work? - Explain that StuffExplain that Stuff
VonMercier Unveils Arosa, the World's First Luxury ...Robb Report
Marlin: The world's most popular recreational hovercraft!Hoverstream.com
TRANSPORT & MACHINERY :: MARITIME TRANSPORT :: EXAMPLES OF ...Visual Dictionary Online
Air-cushion machine | Hovercrafts, Hoverbarges & More ...People also ask
What are the different types of hovercraft?
Are there any hovercrafts still in use?
What are modern uses of hovercraft?
What is considered a hovercraft?Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Hovercraft
hovercraft examples from en.wikipedia.org
A hovercraft ( PL : hovercraft), also known as an air-cushion vehicle or ACV, is an amphibious craft capable of travelling over land, water, mud, ice, ...Inventor: Christopher Cockerell
Hovercraft (band) · Hovercraft tank · Pegasus (hovercraft) · SR.N4Student Project: Make a Hovercraft | NASA/JPL Edu
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (.gov)
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov › edu › learn › make-a-hove...
hovercraft examples from www.jpl.nasa.govA hovercraft is a device that moves by floating on a cushion of air. NASA uses hovercraft to test spacecraft and the ways they need to move.
Make A Hovercraft · Materials · 4. Glue The Bottom Of The...Hovering on a Cushion of Air
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov › pdfs › hovercraft
hovercraft examples from www.jpl.nasa.gov
Discussion Questions: What causes the hovercraft to become frictionless? Explain. Air from the balloon escapes beneath the hovercraft. It forms a thin cushion ...Meaning of hovercraft in English - Cambridge Dictionary
Cambridge Dictionary
https://dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › hoverc...
hovercraft examples from dictionary.cambridge.org
A hovercraft travels on a cushion of air. The express ferry service to Ireland is the hovercraft, but that is sometimes canceled if the weather is bad.Explain that Stuff
https://www.explainthatstuff.com › hovercraft
hovercraft examples from www.explainthatstuff.com
Feb 2, 2023 — An easy-to-understand explanation of how hovercraft travel over water more quickly than conventional boats by reducing drag.Air Power: Making a Hovercraft | PBS LearningMedia
PBS LearningMedia
https://www.pbslearningmedia.org › resource › air-powe...3:31
In this video segment adapted from ZOOM, two cast members build a simple hovercraft. A balloon filled with air provides the airflow that lifts a plastic ...
PBS Learning Media · Mar 7, 2019How Does a Hovercraft Hover? | STEM Activity
Science Buddies
https://www.sciencebuddies.org › stem-activities › hov...
11 steps · Materials: Pop-top lid from a plastic drinking bottle. Reusable plastic ...
1.
Remove a pop-top lid from a plastic drinking bottle.
2.
Glue the base of the pop-top lid to the CD (or DVD) so that the lid covers the hole in the center of the CD. If you use super glue, have an adult help, use caution, and follow all of the instructions and safety warnings on the packaging. Allow the glue to dry completely.
3.
Make sure the pop-top lid is closed.Hovercraft | Air Cushion Vehicle, Design & Uses
Britannica
https://www.britannica.com › technology › Hovercraft
Hovercraft, any of a series of British-built and British-operated air-cushion vehicles (ACVs) that for 40 years (1959–2000) ferried passengers and ...Hovercraft Definition & Meaning
Merriam-Webster
https://www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › hove...
The meaning of HOVERCRAFT is a vehicle that is supported above the surface of land or water by a cushion of air produced by downwardly directed fans.
Noun · Example Sentences · Dictionary Entries Near...
(th)
Offline
Tahanson, I do not know what size / weight a hover craft on Mars would be, 'Titan' the Moon of Satrun has many interesting design ideas from planes to ships to submarine to Hovercraft to Helicopters to Aerial Daughtercraft. I am not sure what thinner atmosphere and Lower gravity would do with the dynamics of travel but here are some numbers found on the web but I never seen any news report before on a Mars Hovercraft.
75 kPa is the Minimum airplane cabin pressure and lowest pressure for normal breathing (at 2440 m)
Hellas Planitia being so deep does have higher pressure than the rest of Mars, it is about 7,000 meters or 22,965 feet deep
atmosphere would need to be much deeper again 55 km below the normal surface of Mars to have a pressure of 97 + kPa
'34 kPa Atmospheric pressure at the summit of Mount Everest'
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orders_of … (pressure)
From Guinness book of records site
https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/wo … hovercraft
The highest altitude reached by a hovercraft was 4,983 m (16,050 ft) reached by Neste Enterprise and her crew of ten at the navigable source of China's Yangtze River on 11 June 1990. Operating hovercraft at such altitudes is problematic both because of the challenging terrain and the thin air, which makes hovering more difficult.
and an old thread
Hovercraft on Mars
https://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=9857
Offline
For Mars_B4_Moon re #3
Thanks very much for finding and posting the link to Calliban's topic about Hovercraft, which included detailed and thorough examination of the idea.
This is another good example of the challenge of trying to find pre-existing discussion of topics.
I became interested in the lighter-than-air idea when Mars_B4_Moon began creating fanciful word pictures of balloons floating all over Mars.
Calliban and GW Johnson followed up with numbers from the Real Universe, showing that the visions of Mars_B4_Moon are destined to remain science fiction.
However, I wondered (briefly) if hot "air" might lift a balloon on Mars, and that led to the hovercraft question.
However, at the time I created the new topic, I did not think to use "hovercraft" in the search.
Had I done so, Calliban's topic would have jumped right out.
I do have a small quibble with Calliban's conclusion ... It seems to me that his vision was of a vehicle attempting to ram the thin air of Mars into a scoop.
I'll have to return to his topic to try to stir up discussion of a more "traditional" hovercraft concept, which uses large fans to shove air above the vehicle into the skirted volume below. That concept would certainly work on Mars, if the vehicle is light enough and the power supplied to the fans is great enough.
In any case, thanks for finding and posting the link to that prior work!
(th)
Offline