Mars Colonization



Colonizing the red marble is a great challange, but it doesnt have to be done all at once. If taken step by step, you'll be amazed at how far it all will go.

Taking a leaf from our friend Maslow and his Pyramid of Human needs we can put the priorities of Martian colonization into perspective. According to Maslow all human needs in ascending order are Biological, Safety, Social, Esteem, and Fulfillment (it's self actualization but fulfilment sounds better).

As you can see below Arizona State University has a different point of view however we will get to that later in our discussion.



https://asunews.asu.edu/20100819_maslowspyramid

BIOLOGICAL: Just plain staying alive.Thanks to our friend Norbert Kraft we know the nutritional needs for space flights to mars and on the ground: 2710 Calories in space to 2400 on Mars; 102g of fat in micro gravity versus 55g in .38G; 20g of saturated fatty acids in both scenarios; 6.406g of sodium in space to 2g on Mars; 3.984g of Potassium in space to 3.5g on the Red Marble; 334g of carbs while floating versus 354g while standing; fiber doesn't change at 25g for both-same with protein at 48g. Our initial schedule (again thanks to Norbert [seriously an aesome guy]) has 8.5 hours marked up for sleep; 1.5 hours to wake up and get ready; 30min for planning and coordination; 8 hours systems operation (medical and psychological check ups; excercising and maintaining the equipment and habitat; farming; construction; experiments; and conferences) .Life support systems for the current planned missions are being matured and as such have not been revealed appart from vertical farming hydroponics. Here are some things we can do to help this along, with what we have today.
 * 1) Conveyor belt farming works a lot like a fast food pizza oven, just much slower. Seedlings go in, food comes out (http://www.treehugger.com/green-food/real-live-vertical-farm-built-in-south-korea-churning-out-lettuce.html  )
 * 2) Batch growing is a less automated option which exemplifies simplicity. (http://io9.com/5954847/worlds-first-commercial-vertical-farm-opens-in-singapore [don't know why it didn't link... still works in browser bar though]) combining this with grow lamp LED's you can make a set up like a toaster, rolling a tall stack of plants into a slot that shines from all sides that you can pull out once the plants have all grown.
 * 3) Vertical farms still need electricity to run, plants have a hard time growing with the meager amount of light that would strike a normal skyscraper it would be even harder on mars.  ( http://energyfarms.wordpress.com/2010/12/02/energy-and-vertical-farms/  ) we can replace fossile fuels with wind, methane combustion plants, and solar fields, along with many other options as they become available.
 * 4) Simple environmental control measures can greatly increase production yeilds, it's no secret plants like to be treated with kid gloves ( http://hackaday.com/2013/05/06/update-grow-controller-rebuilt-to-last/  )
 * 5) Start with plants we know will grow and expand our soil culture to what we know works, like asparagus ( http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1029819/Asparagus-grow-Mars-Nasa-scientists-claim.html  )
 * 6) Living underground might seem scary but lots of really cool cities made their home beneath the roots of earth ( http://listverse.com/2013/01/22/10-amazing-underground-cities/  ). Having martian soil above our heads can keep settlers safe from radiation, sand storms, and the rare meterorite large enough to hit the ground. Here are a few places we can go that are ready waiting for us (http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/70039388 [this will be updated soon to minimize navigation])

SAFETY: Making sure nothing important breaks.


 * Digging down deep enough to avoid the effects of prolonged radiation that strikes the surface. Adding in redundancies to life support systems and ensuring surplus supplies in the event one facility malfunctioning.

ESTEEM: Keeping morale high.


 * Resilience in the face of constant adversity requires constant maintenance. Celebrations and social connections give us strength to keep faith in each other, even when the winds rage with endless fury-together it can be endured.

FULFILLMENT: Giving life a purpose.


 * The goal of making Mars a better home today, so that it will be better tomorow is the keystone to the hopes and dreams of many who seek to make the red marble green.