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#1 Yesterday 19:22:40
- RobertDyck
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- From: Winnipeg, Canada
- Registered: 2002-08-20
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Human flight on Mars (in an atmosphere reservoir)
The book "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" was an excellent book, written by Robert A. Heinlein. Published 1966. Won the Hugo Award for best novel (1967). Won Prometheus Hall of Fame Award (1983).
The book had a number of speculative technologies, some of which have already come true. The one I want to explore is the "Bat Cave". Not the pulp comic book, but a feature in this novel. In the book, a city was built underground on (in) the Moon. It had to be for radiation and micrometeoroid protection. Pressurized. The city has an atmosphere reservoir that stored breathable air. The reservoir was pressurized, higher pressure than the habitats on the Moon, but not extreme pressure. Minimum surface area for a given volume is a sphere, so the reservoir was a large volume with a high ceiling. Not a perfect sphere, it had a flat level floor, but large. Since the Moon has 1/6th gravity, the chamber with high density air could provide lift. One sport was to put on wings and fly. Yes, human powered flight. With your arms. Some young people in their teens and 20s developed very strong pectoral muscles to operate the wings. Remember, this would never work on Earth, but in the atmosphere reservoir on the Moon, it has 2 advantages: 1/6 gravity, and high density air.
One feature was even a few perches hung from the ceiling. You had to be strong enough to fly up to the ceiling to reach such a perch. Be careful to not fall from such a perch, as the book described uncontrolled fall from that height as resulting in serious injury. Even in Moon gravity. But gliding down and flapping your wings just before touching the floor resulted in safe landing.
Here's a question: could this work on Mars? Computers have done all sorts of mathematical calculations to estimate muscle strength of pterodactyls, and we only have bones.
One reason is a short video of a woman who made wings for herself. Obviously for cosplay only (costume play). I don't know if she wants to go to a convention or what. But the mechanics look impressive. The 1966 book described different style wings: some for beginners, some for experts, etc. I envision some wings built more like hang-gliders. Others built like feathered wings based on bird wings.
This woman even added Alula to her wings. Alula is a small winglet on the leading edge of the wing of some species of birds. Alula when present is controlled by the thumb. Held flush to the wing during normal flight, extended during low speed flight such as landing. The Alula acts like leading-edge slats of a modern aircraft wing. It adds additional lift at the expense of drag.
YouTube: BigWings 9 Years 1:20
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#2 Yesterday 21:30:57
- tahanson43206
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- Registered: 2018-04-27
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Re: Human flight on Mars (in an atmosphere reservoir)
This post is reserved for an index to posts that may be contributed by NewMars members:
The default pressure of Mars habitats is 1/2 bar.
A person entering a "high density" container would need to perform pressure adjustment. The environment would seem similar to descending into the ocean on Earth.
A useful addition to this topic would be a value for the "high density" air on the Moon. A related figure would be pressure inside the reservoir.
Users would have to go though many hours of decompression after a visit to this facility.
Index:
Post #3: RobertDyck ... Statistics on various flying systems on Earth plus related facts and figures
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#3 Today 02:04:05
- RobertDyck
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- From: Winnipeg, Canada
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Re: Human flight on Mars (in an atmosphere reservoir)
Just some quick statistics. Golden Eagles have a wing loading of typically 0.71 to 0.86 g/cm² = 7.1 to 8.6 kg/m².
Competitive rowing is a sport that uses arm strength that requires endurance. Openweight women in this sport have a typical body weight of 75 – 80 kg (165 – 176 lbs), and height of 1.80 – 1.85 m (5'11" – 6'1"). So in Earth gravity would require 10 m² wing area. Assuming wing width is half the woman's height, at 1.80m height that requires 5.55 metres for each wing (left and right). That's 3 times the woman's height. With wing tip not square, the extent would be a little longer. The wings in the video appear to be equal to the woman's height. So area would have to be 3 times this size. And that doesn't take wing mass into account.
Hang glider: North Wing Horizon 180 weighs 60 pounds with a hook-in limit of 160-280 pounds (72.57-127 kg). Area 185 square feet (17.187 m²).
Lightweight bicycle race clothing can weight 320g (0.32kg), including bicycle helmet. So for this sport we're talking 2/3 the hook-in weight. Yes, I said bicycle helmet, not crash helmet. And no parachute. On Mars, this sport will be restricted to indoors. This comes to 11.5 m².
Let's assume 12 m² wing area. And wings from shoulder to knee, or 80% of person's height. If the woman is 1.80 metres tall, the wing would be 1.44 metres wide. Half total area for one wing, divide by width = 4.166 metres long.
But that's for Earth gravity. In 38% gravity, could we get away with 1.583 metres long? What about 1.80 metres long for a woman 1.80 metres tall? Now that's about the length of wings shown in the video, but wider. To bottom of her knee instead of her hips.
With feathers made of carbon fibre and parachute cloth. And "bones" made of carbon fibre tubing.
Next is a power calculation. Human powered flight has been done on Earth, but it was transparent polymer film over carbon fibre frame. Fixed wings with a pusher propeller. The pilot was an Olympic cyclist, and had bicycle seat with bicycle peddles to operate the prop. This speculation uses arms to operate flapping wings. Could a competitive rower athlete do it?
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