Mars Atmosphere Mine by NathansMind

Last crawled date: 2 years, 12 months ago

http://makergames.net/

Scientific Feasibility
I'?m under the impression that a successful manned mission to Mars will be measured by what can be sent back to earth. I think people will be very interested to see and touch objects from mars. I have designed a base that focuses on extracting and storing the necessary resources from the atmosphere for sustainable life and for propellant for return missions to earth.
I read a few articles about some possible executions for a mission to Mars, and I stumbled upon an article by Keli Rea that explains a possible process of in situ resource utilization (ISRU). The article dives into the chemistry of the Mars atmosphere and how it can be mined. In essence, by using an adsorption-based separator a team of astronauts could extract everything from oxygen (required for breathing and possibly an additive for fuel), nitrogen (required for agriculture) and propellant (required for moving around the planet and returning home).
My 3D design features a structure that would be used as an adsorption-based separator for the exploration team. It looks like and is compatible with the other buildings, but it has two large vents/filters that mine the atmosphere. The separator basically acts like a lung. As the pleasure in the Martian atmosphere changes during the day and night, it breathes in different gasses that can be processed inside. There are only basic principles of mechanics and little energy consumption involved in this process, which makes it ideal for planetary exploration.
The other structures in the colony satisfy the other basic needs of survival on Mars including living, gardening, and working. All the structures in the colony are based on a long-standing design farmers use as quick and affordable shelters for their crops and equipment. The beauty of these curved structures is that they are incredibly versatile and strong; in fact, they can be partially buried to provide more strength and security. I have enhanced them with modular components so that they can be easily assembled and organized depending on the Martian surface.
In addition to the living arrangements, I also created a vehicle that will be crucial in meeting the everyday demands of live on the Red planet. Water in particular will be tricky to extract from the harsh environment. It will require some heavy equipment to extract it from the frozen landscape. I originally imagined the vehicle being powered by methane, but I read that Curiosity did not detect Methane in the atmosphere, so I'll probably propose an electric motor of some kind. There could be some potential in using carbon monoxide (mined from the atmosphere) fuel cells as a source of power. While the vehicle has to do some heavy lifting, the task is made easier by the fact that mars has one third the gravitational pull of earth, so I'm sure a beefy electric motor could get a lot done.
As far a powering the rest of the colony, my design relies heavily on wind power. I designed a few vertical axis wind turbines that would harvest Martian winds. I don't object to solar power, in fact it has a place in my design, but I don't feel relying on it entirely is a good idea. A month long dust storm on Mars could drain life support systems to exhaustion if solar power was the only option. There is a great article on using wind power in my sources.
Ultimately, the goal of an initial mission to mars would be to establish a base that is functional and self-sustaining. While I may not have worked out all of the details of a Martian voyage, I believe that atmospheric mining, solid modular structures, and multifaceted power supplies could all be part of a real mission to mars. I could probably go on for another 5 paragraphs about how I think this base could be transported to Mars, but I will save that for another challenge.
Sources:
Adsorption-based separator:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pressure_swing_adsorption
Mars in situ resource utilization (ISRU):
http://www.academia.edu/1536919/Processes_for_a_Mars_Base_CO2_Refinery_Mining_the_Atmosphere
NASA's Curiosity detects no methane on Mars, ruling out life on Mars:
http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/167067-nasas-curiosity-detects-no-methane-on-mars-ruling-out-life-on-mars
Carbon Monoxide Fuel Cells:
http://phys.org/news965.html
Polar Wind Turbines Could Be Used On Mars:
http://www.marsdaily.com/reports/Polar_Wind_Turbines_Could_Be_Used_On_Mars.html
Printability
I actually don't have access to a 3D printer, so from the reading I've done and from the designs I've seen on this site, I've done my best to make this design as printable as possible. I downloaded the Makerware printing software, and everything seems to load great. I used the default settings, so they may need some tweaking to get it to print right. I'm a little concerned about scale when printing them all together. It may be better to print them separately, or al least in smaller batches.
I have broken out a lot of the components into separate printable parts that can be assembles, and I've tried to avoid overhangs. I would appreciate any feedback on the printability of these designs.
Creativity
Regardless of how creative this design is judged to be, it has been a lot of fun researching and thinking through the challenges that are waiting on our sister planet. I have also really enjoyed seeing the solutions other people have come up with. Let me know if you have any feedback.