mémoires d'un dimond cassé: August 2008

Ideas about living on Mars

Photo credits: NASA/JPL/M

Photo credit: NASA/JPL/MOLA

These are images of the surface of Mars from NASA's Mars Odyssey Mission, which I am not affiliated with in any way... I'm only a student of biology and earth science, with a little bit of planetary geology interests. Right now NASA is awarding contracts to one university and 11 companies to develop concepts of Lunar Surface Systems the allow astronauts to work and live on the moon. I think that in the future we can and will do this on Mars.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/phoenix/main/index.html <-----The Phoenix Mars Lander has discovered water in soil samples from Mars check out this link for the whole story.

What would be needed for Astronauts to realistically live in Mars? First we must look at some basic facts about Mars as a planet.

The information bulleted below was found at: http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/mars/statistics.html

We now know there is real and very present water in the soil of the planet Mars. This is in the form of a hard layer of frozen soil found in a 2 inch deep trench.
The diameter of Mars is: 6,785 km (4,217 miles).
Temperature of Mars: -129^o C to 0^o C ( -200^o F to 32^o F)
Mass of Mars: 0.64x10^24 kilograms (0.11 x Earth's)
Density of Mars: 3,933 kg/m^3
Minimum distance from the Sun: 205 million km (128 million miles)
Maximum distance from the Sun: 249 million km (155 million miles)
Minimum distance from Earth: 35 million miles
Orbital semimajor axis: 1.52 AU (Earth=1 AU)
Satellites: 2 Phobos & Deimos
Surface gravity of Mars: 3.7 m/s^2 (0.37 x Earth's)
Rotational period about axis: 24.6 hrs
Revolution period around the Sun: 1.88 years
Tilt of axis: 25^o 12"
Average surface temperature (K): 218K

OK so I'm not an astronaut I'm an ecology student so I will leave the getting there part to them and focus on the possibilities that can be created once we can get someone there. Please feel free to post a reply with your ideas on the subject matter.

Mars Proposal: 2008 1st draft hypothesis

Living conditions : Initial Phase

Mars is obviously very cold, sometimes more then others, so a well insulated structure would be the first thing that would need to be constructed for the astronauts to live in.
A clear maybe Diamond coated dome structure covering a large area, eventually multiple structures, good place looks like the Gusev Crater.
Ground needs to be warmed to release liquid water. Allow a fresh water sea to develop in the lower elevations inside the dome with islands throughout.
Solar panels set up for power/electricity.
Seeds of vegetables, herbs, flowers, trees, non-vascular plant seeds need to be brought from earth and planted inside the domes once there is available water and soft enough ground. Planting would be successive, mosses and non-vascular plants first to condition the soil along with mushroom fungi for decomposers. Followed by ferns, angiosperms, and conifers. Plants are essential to the whole process, they provide food, vitamins, and oxygen.
Micro-marine algae, cyanobacteria, and other photosynthetic plankton needs to be grown inside the dome for oxygen, nutrients, and scientific use.
Cloning of a few select animal in the beginning (store DNA of other animal)
- Primarily lots of fish & marine creatures
- Some free roaming domesticated cows
- Cats..domestic and wild
- Birds
- Dogs:wolves/huskies
- Bats & insects for pollination
Extreme cold conditions (highs of 32'F /0'C) of Mars necessitate the need to construct heated walkways, ground heaters, heated pools and man-made hot springs.
Restrict normal construction along coast lines of waterways and lower elevations, such as housing. Limit to research field stations, fishing posts and beach access.
Construct irrigated canals and gardens throughout the higher elevation living spaces. Canals used for watering fields, transport, public fresh water supply, public hot springs, public swimming holes

? WHAT IS THE CURRENT CHEMICAL MAKE-UP OF MAR'S ATMOSPHERE AND HOW WOULD IT RESPOND TO AN INPUT OF OXYGEN?

? Are carbon-containing chemicals & other raw materials for life present in the soil/water of Mars?

Real color image of the highest volcano on Mars, the caldera of Olympus Mons.

Courtesy of NASA

Gusev Crater. NASA/JPL

Topographical map of Gusev Crater on Mars

http://www.fourmilab.ch/cgi-bin/uncgi/Solar/ <<<<---------- A really cool website that

that show you where the planets in our solar system really are on a given day. You can also track comets and asteroids from this page. when you get there under "Show" click "images" and update. you can also make the picture larger.