Mars: Prospective Energy and Material Resources

ISBN-13: 9783642036286 / Angielski / Twarda / 2010 / 695 str.

Viorel Badescu

Opis

th th Mars, the Red Planet, fourth planet from the Sun, forever linked with 19 and 20 Century fantasy of a bellicose, intelligent Martian civilization. The romance and excitement of that fiction remains today, even as technologically sophisticated - botic orbiters, landers, and rovers seek to unveil Mars' secrets; but so far, they have yet to find evidence of life. The aura of excitement, though, is justified for another reason: Mars is a very special place. It is the only planetary surface in the Solar System where humans, once free from the bounds of Earth, might hope to establish habitable, self-sufficient colonies. Endowed with an insatiable drive, focused motivation, and a keen sense of - ploration and adventure, humans will undergo the extremes of physical hardship and danger to push the envelope, to do what has not yet been done. Because of their very nature, there is little doubt that humans will in fact conquer Mars. But even earth-bound extremes, such those experienced by the early polar explorers, may seem like a walk in the park compared to future experiences on Mars.

Spis treści

1.- Power System Options for Mars Surface Exploration: Past, Present and Future.- 2.- Available Solar Energy and Weather Forecasting on Mars Surface.- 3.- Weather Influence on PV Solar Cells Operation on Mars.- 4.- Electric Power Generation on Mars Using Photovoltaic Helium Balloons.- 5.- Weather Influence on Solar Thermal Power Plants Operation on Mars.- 6.- Fuel Cell Power System Options for Mars Surface Mission Elements.- 7.- The Evolution of Nuclear Power Generation for Mars.- 8.- Distributed Power Sources for Mars.- 9.- Advanced Nuclear Compact Structures for Power Generation on Mars.- 10.- New Solutions for Nuclear Energy and Flights on Mars.- 11.- Geothermal Energy on Mars.- 12.- Comparative Analysis of Power System Architectures: The Case of Human Mars Surface Missions.- 13.- Economics of Energy on Mars.- 14.- Tumbleweed: A New Paradigm for Surveying the Surface of Mars for In-situ Resources.- 15.- Drilling and Excavation for Construction and In-Situ Resource Utilization.- 16.- In Situ Utilization of Indigenous Resources.- 17.- Available Resources and Energy Sources from Mars Rock and Soil.- 18.- On-Site Resources Availability for Space Agriculture on Mars.- 19.- Utilization of Regolith for Manufacturing Construction Material on Mars.- 20.- Perspectives on the Utilization of Martian Iron and Carbon Dioxide.- 21.- Mars Aqueous Processing System.- 22.- Fundamentals of Human Physical Growth on Mars.- 23.- Artificial Environments on Mars.- 24.- Self-sustaining Martian Colonies Utilizing the North Polar Ice Cap and the Atmosphere.- 25.- Mars Climate Engineering Using Orbiting Solar Reflectors.- 26.- Ecopoiesis and Liquid Water Transportation on Mars.

Blurb

The manned mission is seen as a first step towards a Mars surface exploration base-station and, later, establishing permanent settlement. The location and use of Mars’s natural resources is vital to enable cost-effective long-duration human exploration and exploitation missions as well as subsequent human colonization. Planet resources include various crust-lodged materials, a low-pressure natural atmosphere, assorted forms of utilizable energy, lower gravity than Earth’s, and ground placement advantages relative to human operability and living standards. Power resources may include using solar and wind energy, importation of nuclear reactors and the harvesting of geothermal potential.

In fact, a new branch of human civilization could be established permanently on Mars in the next century. But, meantime, an inventory and proper social assessment of Mars’s prospective energy and material resources is required. This book investigates the possibilities and limitations of various systems supplying manned bases on Mars with energy and other vital resources. The book collects together recent proposals and innovative options and solutions. It is a useful source of condensed information for specialists involved in current and impending Mars-related activities and a good starting point for young researchers.