Mars is the planet that humanity has pinned its hopes on for millennia. The ancients marveled at its color and brightness. The first observations of the planet through telescopes suggested that the planet was covered with channels. This gave the imagination of the researchers many reasons, up to the fact that the Martians conduct an active trade, using transport links along water routes.
The expectations and fears of earthlings about Mars were reflected in artistic culture. In War of the Worlds, H. G. Wells clearly demonstrated that a Martian invasion can be very, very dangerous for the inhabitants of the blue planet. And the panic after the radio broadcast in 1938 confirms the fact that the earthlings themselves also do not exclude the possibility of the invasion of their closest neighbors in the solar system.
The real story of the relationship between man and the planet Mars is a little more prosaic, but no less fascinating. The first high-resolution images of the planet were taken just 50 years ago. Today we already know that there is liquid water on Mars - the main element of life. Now the question of how the exploration of Mars will unfold rests only on when the first colonists appear on the planet. Scientists are preparing for this event with all their might - the technologies that may be needed for this are already known, and at the moment they are being tested in conditions close to reality.
Modular housing
Future colonists will live in a specially designed living environment. It will consist of modules that will be suitable for transportation and quick installation on the surface of Mars. Now, NASA is training on assembling and living in such dwellings. Project HERA is a self-contained environment that mimics the conditions of life in deep space. A two-story dwelling with workspaces, bedrooms, hygiene units and an airlock.
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Space farm
The colonists simply cannot do without growing cereals and vegetables, because only a limited amount of food can be taken with them. A continuous source of food in deep space can only be obtained by farming - the benefit of the technology of growing cereals and vegetables in a nutrient solution is very well known today.
NASA relies on potatoes as a source of resistant starch and carbohydrates. Techniques for growing potatoes and other vegetables have already been tested on the International Space Station. The use of red, blue and green colors helps to trigger the mechanisms of vegetative growth. The harvest of these vegetables is quite satisfying.
Water recovery
Although there is water on Mars, it is hardly worth drinking. The first colonists will only be able to take a limited amount of water with them, which means that only a liquid recovery system can solve the problem. Such a system exists and is constantly being improved by hundreds of inventors.
On the International Space Station, not a drop of sweat, tears, or urine goes to waste. Recovered and recycled water is used for hygiene, irrigation of the farm. Such water is quite drinkable, especially if you bring a microdistillation centrifuge on board the Martian station.
Martian spacesuit
For work in open space, the EMU (Extravehicular Mobility Unit) complex is used, which creates a thin but very reliable shell of life around a person. Rigid EMU rescues from micrometeorites, solar radiation, cooling, overheating, and also provides stable internal pressure, ventilation and communication. It is impossible to put on a 140-kilogram EMU alone - the procedure for donning and checking on-board systems takes about three hours.
Rover
Scientists plan to use the rover as a platform to study conditions on Mars in the context of building a habitable base on its surface. In particular, the successor to Curiosity will assess the danger of Martian dust and measure the proportion of carbon monoxide in its atmosphere. Structurally, the new rover will consist mostly of assemblies and parts that were developed for Curiosity. Thus, it will reduce the device development cost from $ 2.5 billion to $ 1.5 billion. Among other things, scientists will have to reduce the number of scientific equipment, as well as simplify some analytical modules. Curiosity has nearly $ 2 billion worth of scientific equipment installed. On the new rover, equipment will be supplied for only 100 million. It will not carry either a mass spectrometer or some other components,however, an ultraviolet spectrometer capable of detecting organic matter will be installed.
Ion engine
NASA led the Prometheus project, for which a powerful ion engine was developed, powered by electricity from an on-board nuclear reactor. It was assumed that such engines in the amount of eight pieces could accelerate the device to 90 km / s. The first apparatus of this project, Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, was planned to be sent to Jupiter in 2017, but the development of this apparatus was suspended in 2005 due to technical difficulties. In 2005 the program was closed. Currently, there is a search for a simpler AMC project for the first test under the Prometheus program.
Solar panels
NASA has selected ATK's MegaFlex solar panels to power its advanced spacecraft. ATK has been awarded a $ 6.4 million contract to further develop Megaflex solar panels that can generate 10 times the power of today's largest satellite solar panels. It is not only a very important component for future "traditional" chemical fueled spacecraft, but also the main part of NASA's promising Solar Electrical Propulsion spacecraft.
MegaFlex solar panels are specially designed to meet the anticipated high energy requirements of 350 kW and above. At the same time, the new panels will have to have a very low weight and a small volume when folded. MegaFlex technologies are based on very successful and proven UltraFlex panels, which, for example, powered NASA's Mars Phoenix Lander. They are in serial production and will be used on many promising vehicles. In particular, light and compact UltraFlex panels are installed on the Orion spacecraft, which, with a diameter of only 6 m, deliver 15 kW of power.
Radioisotope thermoelectric generator
RTGs (radioisotope thermoelectric generators) are the main source of power for spacecraft with a long mission and far away from the Sun (for example, Voyager 2 or Cassini-Huygens), where the use of solar panels is ineffective or impossible.
Plutonium-238 in 2006, when launching the New Horizons probe to Pluto, found its application as a power source for spacecraft equipment. The radioisotope generator contained 11 kg of high-purity 238Pu dioxide, producing an average of 220 watts of electricity throughout the entire journey (240 watts at the beginning and, according to calculations, 200 watts at the end).
The Galileo and Cassini probes were also equipped with power sources fueled by plutonium. The Curiosity rover is powered by plutonium-238. The rover uses the latest generation of RTGs called the Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator. This device produces 125 watts of electrical power, and after 14 years, 100 watts.
Oxygen bank
Food, water and oxygen are the three terms that make life possible for people outside of the Earth. If everything is more or less clear with food and water, then with oxygen everything is not so simple. On Mars, you can't just go out and get some fresh air. Today, NASA experts are leaning towards the "oxygenator" - a system that produces oxygen through electrolysis, which breaks down water molecules into their constituent hydrogen and oxygen atoms.