Colonization of the Planet Mars
Mars Spacecraft
Philosophy and Method:
The reason this story was written is to promote the enterprise of space exploration. Why else would you study a place and not want to go there and plan for the future there. We go there to colonize and look for natural resources. The Earth will not last forever so if our species is to survive we must learn explore space and look for new places to live. The first thing that must be considered in space exploration is that when we go to colonize a planet we should also be aware of the life on that planet. Colonization could not be considered successful without understanding the life on that planet. Mars has life on it but it has not been discovered probably due to the fact that it is underground or in caves. There could be surface life too that we have not recognized as such. Just because we humans on Earth can only live under certain conditions does not mean that different life forms living under different conditions on another planet could not live there.
Interplanetary Spaceship
Interplanetary Spaceflight: Mars requires less energy per unit mass (delta V) to reach from Earth than any planet except Venus. Using a Hohmann transfer orbit, a trip to Mars requires approximately nine months in space. Modified transfer trajectories that cut the travel time down to seven or six months in space are possible with incrementally higher amounts of energy and fuel compared to a Hohmann transfer orbit, and are in standard use for robotic Mars missions. Shortening the travel time below about six months requires higher delta-v and an exponentially increasing amount of fuel, and is not feasible with chemical rockets, but would be perfectly feasible with advanced spacecraft propulsion technologies, some of which have already been tested, such as VASIMR, and nuclear rockets. In the former case, a trip time of forty days could be attainable, and in the latter, a trip time down to about two weeks. Another possibility is constant-acceleration technologies such as space-proven solar sails and ion drives that permit passage times at close approaches on the order of several weeks. During the journey, the astronauts are subject to radiation, which requires a means to protect them. Cosmic radiation and solar wind cause DNA damage, which increases the risk of cancer significantly, so a force field technology must be developed to protect the astronauts from this radiation.
Landing Spacecraft on Mars
Landing on Mars: Mars has a gravity 0.38 times that of the Earth and the density of its atmosphere is 1% of that on Earth. The relatively weaker gravity and the presence of aerodynamic effects makes it difficult to land heavy, crewed spacecraft with thrusters only, as was done with the Apollo moon landings, yet the atmosphere is too thin for aerodynamic effects to be of much help in braking and landing a large vehicle. Landing piloted missions on Mars will require braking and landing systems different from anything used to land crewed spacecraft on the Moon or robotic missions on Mars. Nevertheless, there is not much on the table at this time about what kind of spacecraft would be needed to get a crew and payload on the surface of Mars safely.
Radiation Comparison between the ISS and Mars
Radiation: Mars has no global magnetic field comparable to Earth's geomagnetic field. Combined with a thin atmosphere, this permits a significant amount of ionizing radiation to reach the Martian surface. The Mars Odyssey spacecraft carried an instrument, the Mars Radiation Environment Experiment (MARIE), to measure the dangers to humans. MARIE found that radiation levels in orbit above Mars are 2.5 times higher than at the International Space Station. Average doses were about 22 millirads per day (220 micrograys per day or 0.08 gray per year.) A three-year exposure to such levels would be close to the safety limits currently adopted by NASA. Levels at the Martian surface would be somewhat lower and might vary significantly at different locations depending on altitude and local magnetic fields. Building living quarter’s underground would significantly lower the colonists' exposure to radiation.
Communications: Communications with Earth are relatively straightforward during the half-sol when the Earth is above the Martian horizon. NASA and ESA included communications relay equipment in several of the Mars orbiters, so Mars already has communications satellites. While these will eventually wear out, additional orbiters with communication relay capability are likely to be launched before any colonization expeditions are mounted. The one-way communication delay due to the speed of light ranges from about 3 minutes at closest approach to 22 minutes at the largest possible superior conjunction. Real-time communication, such as telephone conversations or Internet Relay Chat, between Earth and Mars would be highly impractical due to the long time lags involved.
Mars Robotic Precursors
Robotic precursors: The path to a human colony could be prepared by robotic systems such as the Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit, Opportunity and Curiosity. These systems could help locate resources, such as ground water or ice that would help a colony grow and thrive. The lifetimes of these systems would be measured in years and even decades, and as recent developments in commercial spaceflight have shown, it may be that these systems will involve private as well as government ownership. These robotic systems also have a reduced cost compared with early-crewed operations, and have less political risk.
Early Explorers on Mars
Early human missions: Early real-life human missions to Mars however, such as those being tentatively planned by NASA, FKA and ESA would not be direct precursors to colonization. They are intended solely as exploration missions, as the Apollo missions to the Moon were not planned to be sites of a permanent base. Colonization requires the establishment of permanent bases that have potential for self-expansion. A famous proposal for building such bases is the Mars Direct and the Mars Semi-Direct plan, advocated by Robert Zubrin. Other proposals that envision the creation of a settlement, yet no return flight for the humans embarking on the journey have come from Jim McLane and Bas Lansdorp (the man behind Mars One).
No comments:
Post a Comment