The manned mission is seen as a first step towards a Mars surface explorationbase-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 Marsin the next century. But, meantime, an inventory and proper social assessmentof 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 impendingMars-related activities and a good starting point for young researchers. Covers all the aspects of possible means of energy and resources utilization on the Mars surface Comes right in time for the planning of the manned Mars expedition Provides up-to-date answers to the important question: Will Mars, like Earth today, become a Spaceship for humans too? All authors are experienced well-known researchers, enjoying worldwide fame as physicists and engineers involved in energy and resources utilization on the surface of Mars INDICE: From the contents Power System Options for Mars Surface Exploration: Past, Present and Future.- Available Solar Energy and Weather Forecasting on Mars.- Weather influence on PV solar cells operation on.- Electric Power Generation on Mars using Photovoltaic Helium Balloons.- Weather influence on solar thermal power plants operation on.- Fuel cell power system options for Mars surface mission elements.- The evolution of nuclear power generation for Mars.- Distributed Power Sources for Mars.- Advanced nuclear compact structures forpower generation on Mars.- New Solutions for Nuclear Energy and Flights on Mars.- Geothermal energy on Mars.- Comparative Analysis of Power System Architectures: The Case of Human Mars Surface Missions.-Economics of Energy on Mars.- Tumbleweed: A New Paradigm for Surveying the Surface of Mars for In-situ Resources.- Drilling and excavation for construction and in situ resource utilization.- In situ utilization of indigenous resources.
- ISBN: 978-3-642-03628-6
- Editorial: Springer
- Encuadernacion: Cartoné
- Páginas: 350
- Fecha Publicación: 01/10/2009
- Nº Volúmenes: 1
- Idioma: Inglés