Mars Garden An Engineered Greenhouse for a Sustainable Residence on Mars

Babakhanova, Siranush; Baber, Sheila; Bernelli‐Zazzera, Franco; Hinterman, Eric D.; Hoffman, Jeffrey A.; Kusters, Joseph; Lordos, George; Maffia, Fabio; Maggiore, Paolo; Mainini, Laura; Moccia, A.; Nowak, H.; Schneiderman, T.; Sciarretta, S.; Seager, Sara; Seaman, Steven; Smith, Thomas M.; Stamler, Natasha; Sumini, Valentina; Zhan, Zhuchang

doi:10.2514/6.2019-4059

Cited by 7 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…However, even disregarding the difficulty of reaching the planet safely, the particularities of engineering a robust system capable of operating under the Martian conditions will unequivocally translate in technological advancement for the general humanity. Examples of this process can be [35] where cross-disciplinary research is undertaken making use of the ISRU to propel an ascent vehicle in Mars, or [36] where a prototype for a greenhouse suitable for the Martian environment is presented, or [37] which is aimed at expanding the applications of ISRU units. Additionally, since one of the objectives is to avoid a massive extinction event, establishing permanent human settlements in other celestial bodies is a key.…”

Section: Background Motivation and Mission Requirementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Hybrid Power System for a Permanent Colony on Mars

Pombo

2021

Space Sci Technol

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Since the dawn of humanity, people have contemplated the sky exploring the firmament. However, it was not until the twentieth century that humans were able to leave Earth and visit other celestial objects. In fact, nowadays, rovers roam Mars on a daily basis pushing the limits of science in a seemingly routine fashion. It is just a matter of time before humanity sets foot on the red planet with the aim of establishing a permanent colony. Such a complex endeavour demands continuous research, simulation, and planning. Consequently, this paper is aimed at starting a proper discussion about the configuration and design of a suitable power system for said Martian outpost. An initial literature review leads to the definition of a reference colony and its growing stages, which is followed by a revision of available energy-related technologies leading to a concrete design of a suitable electrical network. Lastly, the proposed hybrid power system is evaluated in terms of its reliability during the long-term operation under the extreme environmental conditions of Mars. The reference colony starts as an unmanned mission, as robots will prepare the selected location for the first human inhabitants. Later, it suffers several upgrades in size reaching a permanent population of 100 people. Therefore, a holistic approach is needed when designing the power system in order to ensure the continuous supply of the colony. Finally, the selected topology of the colony’s power system is presented.

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Section: Background Motivation and Mission Requirementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Hybrid Power System for a Permanent Colony on Mars

Pombo

2021

Space Sci Technol

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“…Along with other human excreta, the primarily use of processed urine will likely be as a fertiliser for plant growth. [39,40] The average person produces approximately 59 g of total urine solids per day, of which urea is the largest component at over 50 % of the total. [38] Urea is also present in human sweat and tears, [41,42] also predicted to be in high abundance on any Martian mission.…”

Section: Incorporating Urea Into the Formulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Blood, Sweat and Tears: Extraterrestrial Regolith Biocomposites with in Vivo Binders

Roberts

Whittall²,

Breitling³

et al. 2021

Preprint

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In this work, we explore the use of human serum albumin (HSA) – a common protein obtained from blood plasma – as a binder for simulated Lunar and Martian regolith to produce so-called extraterrestrial regolith biocomposites (ERBs). In essence, HSA produced by astronauts in vivo could be extracted on a semi-continuous basis and combined with Lunar or Martian regolith to produce a concrete-like material. Employing a simple fabrication strategy, HSA-based ERBs were produced and displayed compressive strengths as high as 25.0 MPa. For comparison, standard concrete typically has a compressive strength ranging between 20 and 32 MPa. The incorporation of urea – which could be extracted from the urine, sweat or tears of astronauts – could further increase the compressive strength by over 300% in some instances, with the best-performing formulation having an average compressive strength of 39.7 MPa. Furthermore, we demonstrate that HSA-ERBs can be 3D-printed, opening up an interesting potential avenue for extraterrestrial construction using human-derived feedstocks. The mechanism of adhesion was investigated and attributed to the dehydration-induced reorganisation of the protein secondary structure into a densely hydrogen-bonded, supramolecular β-sheet network – analogous to the cohesion mechanism of spider silk. For comparison, synthetic spider silk and bovine serum albumin (BSA) were also investigated as regolith binders – which could also feasibly be produced on a Martian colony with future advancements in biomanufacturing technology.<br>

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Dark Food: Feeding People In Space Without Photosynthesis

Nord

Bryson²

2021

Preprint

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Mars Garden An Engineered Greenhouse for a Sustainable Residence on Mars

Cited by 7 publications

References 15 publications

A Hybrid Power System for a Permanent Colony on Mars

A Hybrid Power System for a Permanent Colony on Mars

Blood, Sweat and Tears: Extraterrestrial Regolith Biocomposites with in Vivo Binders

Dark Food: Feeding People In Space Without Photosynthesis

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