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Marco2001

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New Habitat design - idea
« on: August 05, 2010, 08:42:47 AM »


New Habitat design
(A brief review of possible [and real] Mars base designs)


Hyper suggested that we should move-out to the next stage of game developement where there will be one base Habitat instead of many, like we have now.
I have prepared this brief reviev of possible base looks that was proposed eather by NASA or ESA.
Please study those desighns, becouse every-one of them were planned thoroughly and they contain some SUPER ideas of their own!
On the very end I will present you the design plans of a Base Habitat I think we should place in MCO.
If you are in a hurry, and don't want to read all of this - just skip to the last part.

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The Base (Habitat) look and general design will differ from the stage of Mars exploration by humans we consider.

The FIRST stage is also the first man landing on the Mars scenario.
This is the most "primitive" base that has limited resources and operating possibilities.
This base is basicaly the ship that has landed on the surface and
has 2 peeple on-board / 2 other are inside the Orbiter or
4 peeple on surface / 0 on Orbiter or
6 peeple on surface / 0 on Orbiter
(it depends on which model you use: Mars Direct, Mars Semi-Direct or other).










And here comes the cool part. You can explore this base on your own. Just click here --->  http://www.exploremarsnow.org



The basic function of this base is to prove that landing on Mars is possible
and to test the new technologies used for it (some of them might need
to be changed totally and rebuilded from scratch). One of the technologies developed would be the Greenhouse.
If all goes well, this mission and technologies used for this base will be the example for future Mars landings.
We don't know how many of those Habitats will land on Mars, or if they are goying to be the same.

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Here we have another (NEW!) alternative for the first base on Mars.



This is a screen-shoot from the Decumental Movie "Race to Mars".



It's a series of 5 DVD movies that was made to answer how would
the first mission to Mars look like i real.
How would the base look? How will they get there?
What dangers awaits them on the surface, etc...



This concept is the newest, and is the most propable at this time.







As you see - The Habitat looks like the base from Mars Colony Surveyour.
It was delivered there before peeple even started from Earth on entirely different rocket.
It contains 1 Rover and a Nuclear Reactor. In the movie they show the interior of that base.



For more information simply see the Movie. They have some great ideas.

Trailer ---> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeKAzKbcEgA&feature=player_embedded

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The SECOND stage, is when you basically have the experience from the first flight to Mars.
They will send a bigger Habitat Base to Mars, that would enable larger-scale exploration to the nearest terrains. 
This kind of base has the abbility to GROW AND EXPAND. Every mission Earth will send new modules that would aid the main HUB.

Mars Colony: DEMO was exactly that.







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Here you can see a screen shot from another game:



As you can see - this base is set into modules.
Depending on what kind of flight concept you pick (Mars Direct, Mars Semi-Direct, etc.)
on start you will have different modules, that you can pick.
Usually you start with a HABITAT BASE, NUCLEAR REACTOR and MAV (Mars Ascend Vehicle), that makes fuel with Sebatier reaction (just like ERV in demo).
Next step for you is to explore your surrounding. You should find resources using GPR radar and drill or find large rocks thats made out of one mineral.
You can either create a new module if you have enough resources to build it in the workshop, or wait 1,5 year and ask Earth to deliver it in the next mission.

Insted of building large HUB you build other modules nearby.

This game consept as old-visualized as it looks is still very possible.

It's called "MARSBASE: THE SIMULATOR OF HUMAN ACTIVITIES ON MARS"  or shorter  "marsbase5_2".
If you want to play play this game for free, click here ---> http://salotti.pagesperso-orange.fr/marsbase.htm
I reely advise you to download the game and at least see how it looks.
Why? This game as crude as it looks (and plays :)) has a complete database on "Transformation Tree".
In other words: just by reeding the manual you will know every reaction and equipement needed for ISRU activity on Mars.
You will know for instance how to make fertilizer from raw ore, or how to make plastic, Photo-Voltanic Cells, mirrors,
steel etc. and how to make equipement from all of that. You will also see the big list of things you will need to take with you.
See for yourself: ---> http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/8418/marsdirect2.jpg
                       ---> http://img809.imageshack.us/img809/5299/marsdirect3.jpg

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For this stage NASA has designed her own plans for a Base. This project was called "NASA Design Reference Mission 3.0".



This is most-likely how the base after the first landing on Mars will look like.
Note that all 3 Habitats in this stage looks the same, and are lifted above the ground.
That's becouse this is physicly the best solution for many technical difficoulties, like the Martian dust. Also note that Polar bases have the same solution:



Becouse this is an official NASA project, you can easily find information about it.
For instance...wikipedia ---> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA_Design_Reference_Mission_3.0



I was unable to find any images from the interior of those bases of the 2-nd stage.

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FINALLY.....the THIRD stage.



This stage comes when you try to build on Mars a base that would be self-sufficient for a long time (2-10 years).
This base is desired when peeple starts wide-scale exploration of Mars (Which we do in MCO!).
The goal of this kind of bases is to find and process ores for resources, build items, develop technologies,
study Mars geology, search for life, explore far-away terrains (even up-to 2000 km!) build new Habitats,
protect the astronauts from solar flares, etc.........so basicaly.........prepare MARS for colonisation,
terraformation and building first cities. As i said before: this is the stage which we are now testing in Mars Colony Online.

I have the greate pride to tell you that I have indeed find a perfect and detailed plans for a possible new base in Mars Colony.
A base that would be in-fact better than those scattered bases we have now for testing purposes.
A base that is already beeing builded on Earth for study.
I reely hope you like it as much as I do. So here it is....






















You can watch it in 3-D [HD] here ---> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVdUkqnnyjU&feature=player_embedded









The base can be divided into three zones and an entrance/communication routes.
- the rest area with private cabins and a kitchen
- the Biological Life Support System (BLSS) - which is mainly the agriculture
- and the work area with workshop and laboratories



So this is the selected solution, and for each function: agriculture, work and rest there is a different area dedicated.
The biggest dome, 24 meters in diameter contains agriculture as the crops require lot of space.
There are two large windows, because plants need sunlight.

The residential dome is 20 meters in diameter and the laboratory dome is 16 meters in diameter.
In each of them there is a window as sunlight is very comforting for people.



This is how it will be oriented towards the cardinal points and the Sun, so the agriculture gets most of the sunlight.
The yellow arrows represent rays from the Sun.



There are two entrances to the base (in the central module), they are both adapted for docking a vehicle with people,
so they can enter the vehicle without the suits. The communication routes spread form the central module to whole base,
through the elastic sleeves and then around the perimeter of each dome. Also the vehicle has easy access to the garage.



The central module has three floors.

If we have a look closer at the zero level we will see that near to the entrance there are the locks with
Martian Space Suits and a first aid point as well as a toilet.

The interesting thing about the zero floor in central module is that during the transportation all those three
inflatable domes are packed here in this corridor, and they will inflate out to get to the final shape.

On the first level there is a radiation shelter to hide in during a solar storm. It is protected by two meters of
water (the water tanks around the perimeter of the first floor), which are a part of the base
Life Support System (LSS) and is also protected by a thicker ceiling.

On the top there is a communications and a control room, the Life Support System filters, and possibly an engine room.



In the residential dome there are eight private cabins, they can be arranged in arbitrary order
(alternative arrangements are shown on the left), because pneumatic walls are attached to the
floor an each other with zip fasteners. More about those walls later.

Also there is a gym, the kitchen with cold storerooms, a recreational and meeting area.

And there is a communication corridor around the perimeter.



In the work area you have several laboratories, connected with a workshop that can be used to
fix the vehicle or the laboratory equipment, and there is a connection with garage.

Also there is an ambulatory just in front of the entrance from the central module, so in case of
the emergency this is shortest entrance path, either from the outside or from the docked vehicle.



In the agriculture dome there is a robot that can autonomously take care of crops, there are storerooms
 for seeds and other equipment, there is a chlorella basin for oxygen generation. And a water evaporation basin,
so that the humidity collectors can extract a clean water for the LSS. There is also a small recreational area.
And a bumblebee hive for pollination of flowers. And a special equipment for exchanging a sterile soil with the outside.



As said in the last slide: you can see the rest at ---> http://janek.kozicki.pl/janek_cospar2010.php

There you can also find the calculation for power, water, heat, material cycles, surface values etc..

Hyper asqued me to start a topic here to see what you all think about that idea.

So what about it guys? What do you think about that last Habitat Base?


Poland here. My time: GMT + 1h
Writing a book about Mars. Any ideas? Type to me.
I'am an Astrobiology/Biology student.

Kumado

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Re: New Habitat design - idea
« Reply #1 on: August 05, 2010, 10:54:27 AM »
I like the design looks. How to make it practical with my limited whatever...

I have not read a lot of what has been posted, time is a big constraint for me, some of this may be covered and it is more random thoughts at this time.

Concerns that I can think of at first, not complete and in no certain order:
    Goals
    Radiation, both solar and stellar ( and planetary? ).
    Atmo pressure level
    Corrosion to material
    Temperatures
    Mars available working materials
    Ease of use and operation
    Expandability
    safety features or safe guards

    Basic and then long term survival always being on top.... I would think the landing craft itself would be made in such a way as to be totally cabbaged in parts and in sections to construct the habitats. There would have to be a "ready to use" Mars living area to hold for many days or weeks while construction went on.
    With little to no atmo to block solar and cosmic radiation, lunar plans involved 2 to 4 meters of surface material to make "back-ground" radiation at a tolerable level. That is something that will probably have to be adapted here as well.
    After reading some about basalt formation and lunar / Mars make-up and the volcanic areas, it would seem a good idea to blast a rather large whole in the side of a volcano, on a side where the opening would not directly face the sun at any given time, close as possible to the most promising geological survey sites for water and minerals. A directed blast may also sheer off sheets of basalt material to use in construction. This would help by using natural shielding instead of power requiring active shielding, at least for the whole complex. Shielding would probably be required for electronics and battery storage as well.
    Habitats should be built so they can be isolated and contained for different scenarios of possible disaster. They probably should end up being 2 or more levers tall ( deep ? ) and 2 or 3 layers on each section. Outer layers could be closed off for problems due to radiation, temperature, oxygen, etc. Sleeping and main living food and water storage etc, would be in the bottom, most protected areas. Sunlight can be brought in to all parts with fiber optics. Filtering lenses are already in use for UV & IR removal for normal lighting, this reduces the heat wear on the optic fiber, since Mars is so cold, that might be an advantage to allow IR in.
    Gardens would be on the top outside layers to make primary use of the sunlight and help protect the rest of the habitat. It would aid some in oxygen / carbon dioxide. Plant matter along with composting waste centers would add to heat and to create more new soil for plant growth.
    Worms and other things would need to be brought to help in the process. Some bacterias may need to be brought to work and keep others in check, make a balance. It would be good to bring a wide variety of seeds and plants to see if some will fair better than others. Some plants do well when planted with or under others, trading nutrients with each other. Dry leaves, mulch or other materials might be vacuum packed and brought to help build a supply of humus for soil creation.
    Something will have to act as bees and butterflies, even birds help to pollinate for fruit and seed development.
    Meteor impacts could still pose a possible threat.
    Going in and out should be limited as much as possible so combined work spaces would make more sense.
    Volcanic action on Mars seems different than on earth due to the lack of defined tectonic plates like on Earth. Some material may be found close to the surrounding area from being pushed up with the volcano formation. Blasting in the side may do several things. Provide a hole to build in, provide material to build with, uncover mineral, etc deposits for use, possibly open or expose volcanic vents which might provide tunnels, heat, ??? but may also open other dangers, it could be a risk.
    The internal pressure should be greater than the external so buildings are going to need as much inward strength or more than outward.
    Some of the radiation is in the higher bands, perhaps it can be channeled and collected into a type of furnace for heat, energy, manufacturing......
    It seems a lot of material is iron oxide. It should be able to be collected with magnets to use in construction. Better shielding and strength. 
   

    Lots of random thoughts for now, maybe others will add, remove and refine?

Lexus

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Re: New Habitat design - idea
« Reply #2 on: August 05, 2010, 01:23:13 PM »
cool...

thedubman

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Re: New Habitat design - idea
« Reply #3 on: August 05, 2010, 03:51:41 PM »
I am allways impressed with the quality of 'players' and there ideas that MCO series brings,.. nice work and research.. If you are not carefull you will get NASA representatives knocking on your door offering you a job...

Love those ideas..

Would it be cheating if we considered living underground in tunnels/buried units etc?? I am guessing it would be 'easier' to run/program an internal scene,..  I could live with a 'loading' screen when you need to reach the surface..

geoffcartwright

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Re: New Habitat design - idea
« Reply #4 on: August 05, 2010, 04:25:35 PM »
very nice work as always...
i like where we are heading with mco.

Hyper

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Re: New Habitat design - idea
« Reply #5 on: August 05, 2010, 04:31:06 PM »
@TheDubman - everyone likes to think we can do things underground. My opinion.. bring a shovel and manually dig, use explosives and shatter all the rock and finish digging by hand or get a really really extremely huge and uber powerful craft and ship a D-9 Cat.
I'm sure there will be a way but I dont see it any time soon. There may be a push blade on a rover for clearing some surface rocks or pushing some dirt around.
Ideas are great and plentiful for colonizing mars but implementation is the real key.

thedubman

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Re: New Habitat design - idea
« Reply #6 on: August 05, 2010, 05:07:26 PM »
@Hyper, as allways the Hyper shows us the way of truth!

In reality I was thinking in terms of creating living/working areas that would be 'easier' to programme/implement- I can only guess this is the fact becouse I have no programming knowlege or ability..  I cant imagine it would be that we dig our own tunnels etc (I have help build a tunnel which goes underneath the Thames river in London so I understand the difficulties!) I would expect the tunnels, etc to be 'pre-built' etc- trying to think in terms of gaming, opposed to actual simulated tunneling etc in game.

Never the less there are some great ideas been thown around be some obvious intellegent members I love to read pepoles brainstorms!

Keep up the great work!

Hyper

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Re: New Habitat design - idea
« Reply #7 on: August 05, 2010, 07:18:16 PM »
The blowup design looks good for a starter colony. I think this colony is a bit more established. If you have to build permanent structures on site what would that be like? I dont think we can ship them prebuilt so I think we would have something like pvc rails or carbon fiber rails to build the skeleton then hollow walls made of rubber impregnated kevlar that can be collapsed and shipped. Once attached to the frame we use expandable foam to make the walls rigid. Inside the walls is a layer of metalic woven into the fabric to provice some insulaiton for radiation. All of it can be shipped in a couple containers and unpack it, kinda like setting up a tent but more permanent. If all the rails, corners etc were the same the colony would be expandable to what ever we needed. I see kinex, leggo kinda thing lots of building can be packed in a relatively small space.

Ivanpet

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Re: New Habitat design - idea
« Reply #8 on: August 06, 2010, 11:51:32 AM »
well done Marco !!!
once again you just impressed me,
as Marcus says you can expet for NASA knok, knok at your door  ;D

thedubman

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Re: New Habitat design - idea
« Reply #9 on: August 06, 2010, 01:43:04 PM »
The blowup design looks good for a starter colony. I think this colony is a bit more established. If you have to build permanent structures on site what would that be like? I dont think we can ship them prebuilt so I think we would have something like pvc rails or carbon fiber rails to build the skeleton then hollow walls made of rubber impregnated kevlar that can be collapsed and shipped. Once attached to the frame we use expandable foam to make the walls rigid. Inside the walls is a layer of metalic woven into the fabric to provice some insulaiton for radiation. All of it can be shipped in a couple containers and unpack it, kinda like setting up a tent but more permanent. If all the rails, corners etc were the same the colony would be expandable to what ever we needed. I see kinex, leggo kinda thing lots of building can be packed in a relatively small space.


Amazing vision of what could be,..  in a way the sim can allow such things due to the reason it is a computer simulation- a brief explanation of what or how an object works/is allows for the item, and due to the sim being what it is also allows rules to be bent a little- ie you dont have to simulate the properties of an item or the application or build- I would be happy (and would expect in a sim) to see the construction of an item automated under a cloud of dust after the 'build' button is pressed...
Again as sim is set in the future you can allow for (not yet developed) technologies to be implemented to get over the hurdle of how and why something works- man I love MCO  ;D

Kumado

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Re: New Habitat design - idea
« Reply #10 on: August 07, 2010, 09:31:26 AM »
   I look for a believable history in games, even fantasy ones needs some sort of possible for the mind to wrap around it, to be part of that world.
   We have lost so much entering the technological stage we are in, today. I have looked at the construction and artistic detail in older structures, all around the planet and man has really lost the ability to do truly great things like we once had. It may be that we tend to rely too much on the technology and too little on what we are truly capable of. Just outside my house is a railroad that was completed by hand, digging through and burying in vast ravines where modern bulldozers and such would have done it much more quickly, still it was achieved and is in excellent condition many years later, and in use. 
   Everything we have comes from the 7 ( 8 now ? ) simple tools. Like Doc Brown says, " your just not thinking 4th dimensionally"
   Establish the stage of where we are, in the MCO world - finshed, then make it believable how it got there.
   Radiation, heat, water, meteor impacts, food, renewability, function/purpose are most of the main regions, quickly listed.
   Unless there is power or provisions to construct long-term safe/usable habitats and work areas ......
   Like Hyper said, you are not going to carry very many pieces of heavy equipment to Mars, still less gravity and more ingenuity should work. I'd rather use a massive earth ( mars ) mover than a wheelbarrow any day! BUT ....
   Underground sections offer protection and shielding for personnel, equipment and supplies.
   The craft that goes to Mars would need to be designed to disassemble and reuse once they landed.
   Low geared rovers could pull skids or wheeled carts to remove exploded material. Once you blast a hole, clean it out, build walls and then pile what you clean out against the outsides of the walls, you nearly end up with twice the area because of the hole and the debris.
   Large sections of the landing craft should be ready to use in tack and can serve a front end for the hole area. It makes for a sectioning off approach, not putting all your eggs in one basket as it were.
   It will probably not go fast, not like we are used to thinking, or the way you would like. There are ways to make things work if you expand your thinking and rely less on massive assault methods.
   Hydrogen torches are viable and cut almost anything, really HOT. Water splitters are already in use. A MCO balance point would be how much water to spend on work vs survival. Compressed gases cut, drilling and placing small explosives, there is fine iron oxide all over the surface, screened and mixed with compressed gas makes sand blasting.
   Most of these things would take charging or prep time. Not something you could go out and do everyday / all day.
   Gravity is lighter also, makes some tasks, different as well as construction engineering.

ttfn

Gotrek65

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Re: New Habitat design - idea
« Reply #11 on: August 09, 2010, 03:02:00 PM »
thats really cool

Marco2001

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Re: New Habitat design - idea
« Reply #12 on: August 17, 2010, 06:30:32 PM »
"This is a visualization of a potential human exploration architecture on the surface of Mars. This video shows the interior of a habitat where future explorers would reside during surface operations. This concept shown here is based upon a human exploration architecture for Mars designed independently in 2007 by SpaceWorks Engineering, Inc. (SEI).
Architecture Lead for SEI: Dr. Brad St. Germain. Lead Concept Artist for SEI: Mr. Mark Elwood." --->http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMNaPITlKfk&NR=1


Poland here. My time: GMT + 1h
Writing a book about Mars. Any ideas? Type to me.
I'am an Astrobiology/Biology student.

Kumado

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Re: New Habitat design - idea
« Reply #13 on: August 17, 2010, 11:08:21 PM »
wow, cool vid but I could not imagine living that way for very long. They'd kill each other eventually I think.
There would have to be a good deal more given to actual living there. Where I do spend a lot of time in my lab and at my computer, I still go up and hit the big pillow at night. Can't think I'd like to spend every night of my life in my lab :(.

The main design would have to use every ounce of energy and so on created or used to is fullest and recycle the rest, little waste as can be. Think rough camping, even campers with generators, battery power, water bags out in the sun to heat.... I think it has been said that the composting material gives off heat, that would need to be saved and used also. We used to make hot beds for small green houses by using cow / horse manure and straw in deep pans under the plant trays. The decomposing material kept the plants warm and growing on very cool nights.

I am more for practical than pretty when it comes to one or the other.