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#1 2002-07-17 04:42:27

Gibbon
Member
From: Australia
Registered: 2002-06-12
Posts: 25

Re: Mars Orbit Space Station

Several question are required before I can go ahead.
1) What are the approximate dimensions of Deimos?
2) Are there any mineable minerals to be found on Deimos?

Now onto the idea, but please realise this would be HIGHLY impractical for the first mission unless several more were definatly in order.
If Deimos, or even Phobos which is probably to big, were thin enough, a large taurus could be arranged around it, connected in several places. The moon could be spun up to create the artificial gravity while on the surface, fuels could be mined for docking ships. It could be powered by nuclear or solar power.

This is only an IDEA so don't winge about it.

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#2 2002-07-17 18:09:14

Phobos
Member
Registered: 2002-01-02
Posts: 1,103

Re: Mars Orbit Space Station

That's a creative idea.  I read somewhere that Phobos has enough volatiles on it to keep a rather large spacefleet fueled up for a very very long time.  If you were to rotate Phobos/Deimos and put the infrastructure in place for servicing spacecraft it'd be like a giant interplanetary truck stop.  But then again the forces of the rotation might tear the satellites to shreds.  I imagine you'd have to nearly bisect the moon with the supports on the Torus to insure you get a good enough grip depending on the density and geological qualities of the moons.   It might be easier just to have the space station separate since those moons only have like 1/1000 of Earth's gravity anyway.  It wouldn't be any problem just dragging loads to the spacestation.


To achieve the impossible you must attempt the absurd

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#3 2002-07-18 05:06:06

Gibbon
Member
From: Australia
Registered: 2002-06-12
Posts: 25

Re: Mars Orbit Space Station

hmm, maybe just dropping a fuel station to phobos and then having a space station would be best. It would also be a LOT easier and smaller.

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#4 2002-07-18 10:31:01

Ryjaz
Banned
Registered: 2002-07-09
Posts: 10

Re: Mars Orbit Space Station

Phobos has a mass of 10.8 * 10^15 kgs and its little sister Deimos has a mass of 1.8 * 10^15.  For other little facts, referes to JPL's quick facts page at: Mars Quick Facts

Both moons are captured C-type asteroids meaning they are similar to carbonaceous chondrite meteorites.

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