The Homestead Project: Making a Mars Settlement a Reality

space.com ^ | 08/10/05 | Ker Than

[KevinDavis]

The Mars Foundation’s hope for humanity’s future on Mars is neatly summed up by their slogan: "To arrive, survive and thrive!"

In July at the International Conference on Environmental Systems (SAE-ICES) in Rome, the group presented plans for a permanent settlement they believe can be built using near-term technologies and resources already available on Mars.

The Mars Foundation is a non-profit organization made up of approximately 30 volunteer members, many of them scientists and engineers, and their effort is called the "Homestead Project."

According to the plans, the settlement will rely on a curious blend of old and new technology: it will be built with the aid of robots and run on nuclear energy, but will utilize materials and building techniques reminiscent of earlier centuries on earth.

[KevinDavis]

I agree...

[RightWhale]

It doesn't have to be FedGov that does this. There are corporations that have the scratch. Thinking in particular of certain religious organizations that might be so disposed as to create religious retreats far from the corrupting influence of secular life.

[FierceDraka]

Semi-random thoughts:

Hmmm. There's still the problem of Mars' lack of a planetary magnetic field. The magnetic fields on Mars are localized, and are thought to originate from the iron content of the Martian regolith. Without a large planetary magnetic field, there is nothing to deflect charged particles of the solar wind and from deep space.

A local plasma shield (like the proposed shield for interplanetary manned spacecraft) should be enough to protect a small portion of the surface from charged particles, but something to protect the whole planet is well beyond current technologies.

Unless we can figure out how to force the Martian core to spin at a different rate than the mantle and crust, and create an Earth-like planetary magnetic field, that is.

Still, burrowing underground is a viable colonization strategy. The burrows would have to be buried deep enough for the weight of the rock and soil to be equal to (or greater than) the air pressure within, so as to prevent catastrophic decompression.

And that rotten outer space treaty? Screw it. We dropped out of the ABM treaty, and we can drop out of the outer space treaty, too.

[coconutt2000]

I'm not highly expectant that anything can or will be done at this point. Other issues have preempted that issue.

A decade from now the issue will become BIG. By then, the technology for exploiting our moon and near space orbits will begin to mature. At least, I hope we can do it that fast.

[PoorMuttly]

Waaaaaait a minute there, Ker Than....: "..and resources already available on Mars" sounds a LOT like OUR roller disco that we've had up there since 1973. Now, shaggy and I are not against other "people" running their OWN businesses....but WE worked very hard to interest the Martians in our warehouse inventory of Mood Rings, Platform Shoes, and especially Pac Man games....which they now consider to be a message from The Diety...since it looks so much like them...and their peculiar, shall we say...dining habits.

Now, if you guys happen to have, say, a warehouse full of Elephant Bell trousers, or perhaps cheap Driving Gloves, or anything made of Polyesther..or, should we be so fortunate, a few tankers full of Hai Karate or Brute aftershave...perhaps we can make a deal.

Now, we are reasonable creatures...and can be good associates if we are included in any plans from the beginning, but hey, look what happened to that European equipment they sent up here a little while ago...yup...spare parts for "someone's" Pac Man games, and Otari computers. Just a friendly thought. A helpful suggestion, since you nice humans are new in town.

Have your servant "Kevin" FReepmail us back with your decision, or any questions...but your most shall we say "pleasant" course of action for all concerned, and future business opportunities is rather clear, wouldn't you say. Sure you would. We should all be friends....right? Right.

...now where's that SEND button...shaggy, this cheap monitor was not worth "borrowing"...oh..here i

[flashbunny]

The problem is the idiotic space treaty prohibits that, or at the very least, creates so much uncertainty that investment in "owning" space is almost nil.

The best thing that could happen would be that mars would be declared a free enterprise zone, where all laws and taxation would be determined by those who live and work there - not by some intrusive government millions of miles away.

[KevinDavis]

Basically a new America....

[flashbunny]

before it got screwed up.

If they adopt a constitution on mars, they had better make sure to a penalty of expulsion for any lawmaker that proposes a law that violates it.

[cripplecreek]

I think we should be looking at the Martian canyons for natural shelter. There must be caves carved into the planet somewhere.

[KevinDavis]

I think so.. If you seen total recall, the city was underground.

[tfecw]

The problem is the idiotic space treaty prohibits that, or at the very least, creates so much uncertainty that investment in "owning" space is almost nil.


Who ever goes up can bring guns (or lasers or whatever you kill stuff in space with) and mine their asteroids. Then let UN or who ever else do something about it. Haven't seen too many UN spaceships hanging around lately. They'll just write a letter voicing strong disapproval, and continue to rape and pillage Africa.

Seriously though, the free enterprise zone sounds like a good idea.

[stylin19a]

Mars...the ultimate penal colony.

[KevinDavis]

Well I also hope there is a Free Republic version for Mars also... Free Mars!

[Doomonyou]

Didn't you see Arnold in Total Recall? All we have to do is turn on the alien machine to produce an atmosphere and Mars will be just like Earth.

Duh!

[RightWhale]

A new America. Or a renewal of America.

I posted this a couple of times but here it goes again:

---

This is a second struggle for emancipation . . . If America is not to have free enterprise, then she can have freedom of no sort whatever.

Woodrow Wilson 1912

---

A century ago, when America was trying once more to figure out what it was. I think we know what America is in general, but the reality of what we have seems at odds with that idea. Still, settlement of outer space seems appropriate along the lines of keeping the idea of America going a while longer.

[NicknamedBob]

"Mars will catalyze the development of the other frontiers, said Homnick, acting as a supply house for vital resources like nitrogen, carbon dioxide and water for the moon and asteroids, places where such things are scarce or nonexistent."

Mars seems pretty deficient in Nitrogen. Does anybody know where the Nitrogen is supposed to come from for Mars to be a storehouse for it?

I could understand if they said they would extract it from the atmospheres of various locations near the outer planets, but Mars?

Coconutt2000, the gravity well of Mars is hardly any more of an impediment to regaining orbital space than is its currently tenuous atmosphere.

Various proposals for gaining space from the bottom of a gravity well which seem far-fetched in their Terrestrial applications would make perfect sense on Mars, from snagging flying objects from an orbital platform through mass drivers, and even skystalks, the tethered Areostationary orbital platforms with an elevator to the planet.

[BlazingArizona]

Haven't seen too many UN spaceships hanging around lately.

I betcha that if the Useless Nations did have spaceships, they wouldn't work.

[Fitzcarraldo]

Mars seems pretty deficient in Nitrogen. Does anybody know where the Nitrogen is supposed to come from for Mars to be a storehouse for it?

Ammonia from comet impacts?

Mars air Composition 

95.3% carbon dioxide (CO2),
2.7% nitrogen (N2),
1.6% argon (Ar),
0.15% oxygen (O2),
0.03% water vapor (H2O) 

[RightWhale]

Oxygen they have. Both the moon and Mars. No problem technolgy can't handle quickly. Carbon is scarce both places, and nitrogen. Some hydrogen on Mars. NH₄ is plentiful farther out. And plenty of H2O. Carbon, too, I forget what form, methane, I think. But, they need to get out to Saturn and Jupiter and the moons. Not a trivial task.

[NicknamedBob]

"...and run on nuclear energy..."

Unless they use nuclear rockets to get there, and then for power as well as local transport by refueling the propellant tanks, they'll never even arrive on Mars.