New Mars Forums

clark

Member

Registered: 2001-09-20

Posts: 6,362

Re: "clark's calamity", when bad luck is all you have

Mars. Fires happen inside, not outside. Simple design is favored over complex or ones requiring high technology/advanced metallurgy/processing.

Airlocks. Quick vents that drop air pressure or oxygen levels. Build Carbon dioxide spray nozzles for fire suppression if you don't want to vent.

You are on Mars, use Mars. Be a f*cking Martian.

Mars_B4_Moon

Member

Registered: 2006-03-23

Posts: 9,267

Re: "clark's calamity", when bad luck is all you have

Life on Mars hope as machine produces oxygen on red planet for the first time
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-new … s-27892446

What Happens During A Medical Emergency On A Flight?
https://simpleflying.com/medical-emergency-on-flight/

Human Needs: Sustaining Life During Exploration
https://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/every … ds-fs.html

Russian troops pour into Belarus ‘by the trainload’
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/poli … -trainload

Trudeau condemns deadly Russian strikes on Kyiv, Ukrainian cities.

Human needs have not changed for centuries. As the world's first explorers set off to discover new lands and map uncharted territories, they had to make sure that basic survival requirements were met. To endure these long voyages, human beings had to make sure they had food, water, air and adequate shelter on hand. If any one of these basic needs were not met, life would be put in jeopardy.

Having sufficient supplies while traveling has always been a problem for explorers. Pioneers either brought food and water on their journeys or gathered them along the way. Shelter was either carried or built on site to protect settlers from the weather or other dangers.

Beyond the boundaries of our Earth, 21st century explorers will face a unique set of challenges as they return to the moon, travel to Mars and scout the far reaches of the solar system. Much as did the earliest terrestrial pioneers, this newest generation of travelers will have to transport nourishment and materials with them on journeys that will be every bit as difficult as those undertaken by their ancestors.

Calliban

Member

From: Northern England, UK

Registered: 2019-08-18

Posts: 3,427

Re: "clark's calamity", when bad luck is all you have

'Clark's calamity, when bad luck is all you have'.  Time has proven that title to be prophetic.

Last edited by Calliban (2022-10-11 05:25:54)

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"Plan and prepare for every possibility, and you will never act. It is nobler to have courage as we stumble into half the things we fear than to analyse every possible obstacle and begin nothing. Great things are achieved by embracing great dangers."

SpaceNut

Administrator

From: New Hampshire

Registered: 2004-07-22

Posts: 28,877

Re: "clark's calamity", when bad luck is all you have

Recent crews were put through the introduction to becoming current crew onboard the ISS from a privately launched currier.
A Private Crew Encountered A Bizarre Problem Onboard The Space Station

Gizmodo reports that the Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2) crew aboard the International Space Station is settled in after getting a crash course on how to engage in everyday activities on the orbiting lab. In addition to learning about food prep and emergency protocols, the crew learned how to handle the most critical of emergencies aside from fires and pressure leaks. We’re talking, of course, about the ultimate form of pressure relief in zero gravity, which would be a trip to the space toilet.

The Ax-2 crew consists of Axiom Space director of Human Spaceflight Peggy Whitson, who is accompanied by mission specialists Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi along with pilot John Shnoffner. These four crew members are experiencing orbit for the first time on this space mission and will spend around eight days on board the International Space Station while conducting research on the effects of microgravity on the production of stem cells, among other experiments. Not only did they learn how to use the space toilet and engage in other “hygiene practices” such as showering, but the Ax-2 crew was also clued into emergency protocols which involved locating fire extinguishers and portable breathing gear and getting familiarized with the appropriate escape routes should a non bathroom-related incident occur.

The space toilet in question is no ordinary toilet and operates using a series of tubes for both solid and liquid waste. On Earth, it’s common to doom-scroll on your phone while waiting for nature to run its course, but no such luxury exists on the International Space Station. Astronauts need their hands and feet to anchor themselves onto the toilet with handles and foot holds so they don’t float off during such a critical “landing mission.”

Though modern technology has brought us so many scientific marvels in the form of medical and aeronautical advancements, space toilet technology is still an issue for NASA. In fact, Axiom’s first mission to the International Space Station saw the space toilets going out of order which required assistance from the Russians, who were said to be quite accommodating despite a certain lack of diplomatic flexibility on planet Earth. We can’t think of a better form of peace offering than letting somebody use the restroom when they’re so far from home.
Private companies have also cited similar issues with their space toilets that they have yet to overcome. SpaceX had a structural breach in 2021 when the space toilet tubes took a leak of their own, contaminating the floor of the Inspiration4 spacecraft. This improper disposal of waste was not noticed until the vehicle got back to Earth when contamination was discovered underneath the flooring.

Next time you’re at a county fair or a concert venue, you should thank your lucky stars that you can still relieve yourself the good old-fashioned way. The fact of the matter is that engineering a 100 percent efficient space toilet is a lot harder than it sounds. But all difficulties aside, outer space bathroom incidents in 2023 are much easier to deal with than the infamous 1969 Apollo 10 mission in which the crew had to capture a foreign object in zero gravity that was aptly described as “a turd floating through the air.”

The Axiom crew is daring to “go where no man has gone before,” and we hope that their short trip to outer space is one that is remembered for its stunning sights rather than its smell.