Extending humanity to other worlds in the Solar System is at the very limits of our modern technology. And unless there are dramatic discoveries in new propulsion systems or we learn how to build everything out of carbon nanotubes, the future of space exploration is going to require living off the land.
The technique is known as In-Situ Resource Utilization or ISRU, and it means supplying as much of your mission from local resources as possible.
And many of our future exploration destinations, like Mars, have a lot to work with. Let’s look at the raw materials on Mars that missions can use to live off the land and the techniques and technologies that will need to be developed to make this possible.
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References:
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20160005963.pdf
https://space.nss.org/the-promise-of-mars-by-robert-zubrin/
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7038
https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/msa/ammin/article/103/7/1011/537180/gypsum-bassanite-and-anhydrite-at-gale-crater-mars
https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/jarosite-in-the-noctis-labyrinthus-region-of-mars
http://fti.neep.wisc.edu/neep533/SPRING2004/lecture19.pdf
https://www.nature.com/articles/ngeo1923
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/242525435_Perchlorate_on_Mars_A_chemical_hazard_and_a_resource_for_humans
https://mars.nasa.gov/news/curiosity-finds-evidence-of-mars-crust-contributing-to-atmosphere/
https://mars.nasa.gov/resources/8200/boron-sodium-and-chlorine-in-mineral-vein-diyogha/
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6544
https://mars.nasa.gov/mars-exploration/missions/viking-1-2/
https://www.nasa.gov/jpl/msl/pia18387
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20110015862.pdf
https://phys.org/news/2019-04-methane-route-storage-renewable-energy.html
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/9159/213d6ad79bd800d07525bc37463588742662.pdf
https://www.icis.com/explore/resources/news/2007/11/05/9075777/ethylene-uses-and-market-data
https://www.universetoday.com/144136/using-bacteria-to-build-a-base-on-mars/
https://madeinspace.us/press-releases/made-in-space-wins-nasa-contract-to-develop-hybrid-metal-manufacturing-system-for-space-exploration/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gfS5k8juDM
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-01157-w??utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=commission_junction&utm_campaign=3_nsn6445_deeplink_PID7596969&utm_content=deeplink
https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lunarisru2019/presentations/5066_Mueller.pdf
https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/centennial_challenges/3DPHab/latest-updates-from-nasa-on-3d-printed-habitat-competition
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That means the atmospheres of the two bodies should interact which will provide some unique opportunities for science. It will also be quite a show for the landers and orbiters. This will also be an amazing sight for Earth based astronomers as we watch these two objects close in on each other in the night sky. This will sure beat a run of the mill conjunction as the two objects will be converging in reality rather than apparently.
It does not look that the tail is hitting Mars.
68,000 miles (110,000 kilometers) is actually prettay close… I wonder if that will be close enough to cause the comet to calve or fracture? The offspring wandering off in new orbits… The ‘after’ images from HiRise should be interesting! Got new craters?
At 110,000 Km, the comet will not come within the Roche Limit for Mars. From Wikipedia the Roche Limit is: “the distance within which a celestial body, held together only by its own gravity, will disintegrate due to a second celestial body’s forces exceeding the first body’s gravitational self-attraction.
Not sure how high above Mars it’s Roche Limit is, but for the Earth, it’s said to be about 20,000 Km above the surface. Mars will be considerably less.
Jupiter’s Roche limit is about 242,000 Km. In 1992, Shoemaker-Levy 9 broke up as
it passed within Jupiter’s Roche limit. The odds of C/2013 A1 coming with Mars’ Roche limit seem pretty small.
Consider.. this is comet C/2013 A1’s first passage round Sol. Anything is possible, including massive trajectory changing out-gassing and/or coma ejections prior to passing Mars? Only time’ll tell!
Yes, of course… more food for thought eh?
Here’s another thought…
If the comet DID come within the Roche Limit of Mars and did break up; then the broken fragments of the comet would be flung into new orbits around the Sun. The speed of the comet (estimated to be 56 Km/S upon passing Mars) is VERY far past the escape velocity of Mars (which is about 5 Km/S). The fragments would not enter a suicidal Mars orbit in a “string of pearls” as did Shoemaker–Levy 9’s fragments when it passed through Jupiter’s Roche Limit.
Jupiter’s escape velocity is about 59 Km/S (not sure of what Shoemaker–Levy 9’s passing velocity upon Jupiter was, but obviously it was slow enough to be captured by Jupiters gravity after transiting Jupiter’s Roche Limit). Shoemaker–Levy 9’s initial pass of Jupiter entering it’s Roche Limit (and in this case entering orbit around Jupiter) was thought to occur 20 to 30 years before the impacts.
If there were any new craters on Mars as a result of the comet passing through Mars Roche Limit, they might occur years later as Mars encountered fragments orbiting the sun some orbits later. Of course in this scenario, Earth would probably be just as likely to be hit by the debris. All of this is of course most unlikely even if the comet did break up.
I don’t mean to rip apart your post…. I’m no expert and You gave me food for thought as have a number of your past posts.
Heck… lets have a direct impact for a real show!
Peace!
Just note that “escape velocity” only has meaning when you specify an altitude. 5 km/s for Mars is at its surface. It is much less if you’re passing even 10,000 km away. Also, the speed of the comet is reported as if Mars wasn’t there. Once it swings by Mars, if it comes close, it accelerates relative to Mars, then decelerates. That’s why it is very hard to get “gravity captured”.
Well said Sonny. …take care, ….PEACE!
Hmm. since a comet is mostly water , we might witness the creation of short-lived “Great lakes of Mars”.
Damn, that’s a real pity that the comet is going to miss. It would have been an incredible opportunity to see the impact and aftermath effects of a large planetary impact event on a rocky planet, especially with the instruments that we have in place. Drat the luck…
So there’s still a chance!
If closest approach is on the sunward side of Mars, and (per the JPL graphic) the comet is crossing Mars’ orbital path directly in front of the planet, then it follows that Mars will move directly through the comet’s tail very quickly after the encounter. Is this correct?