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Making culture on Mars is much easier in science fiction
that it will be in real life: The red planet is an inhospitable world. Among
other challenges, sub-zero temperatures mean that water can only persist at the surface
in the form of ice, and the atmosphere of the planet offers little protection to plants (or
people) from the sun's radiation.
Of course, NASA intends to eventually put humans on
Mars uses lessons learned from his Artemis lunar explorations.
And these humans will need to eat. Being able to produce food on Mars would be
help reduce the amount of supplies consuming valuable space and fuel on
crew missions to the red planet. But find how and where to go
produce this food, while being extremely careful not to contaminate Mars
with the bacteria transmitted by the Earth, are some of the scientific challenges and engineers
face.
In a new article in Nature Astronomy, researchers propose
that a material called airgel could help humans someday build greenhouses and
other habitats at mid-latitudes of Mars, where
water ice near the surface has been identified. The study was funded by Harvard
Faculty of Arts and Sciences of the University.
Airgel is a styrofoam-like solid made of 99% air, which
it's extremely lightweight. It is also able to prevent the transfer of heat,
which makes it an excellent insulator; in fact, it was used for this purpose on
all rovers of NASA. In addition, the airgel is translucent, which makes it possible to visualize
the light to pass through while blocking the harmful radiation of ultraviolet light. More
The airgel is made from silica, the same material as glass.
In an experiment led by lead author Robin Wordsworth
of Harvard, 2 to 3 centimeters of silica airgel allowed the light of a lamp adjusted
simulate Martian sunlight to heat the surface below 150
degrees Fahrenheit (65 degrees Celsius) – enough to raise
temperatures on the Martian surface and melting ice.
"The study was conceived as a
initial test of the potential of the airgel as a Martian building material ", said
second author, Laura Kerber, a geologist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in
Pasadena, California.
Kerber participated in a 2015
NASA workshop to identify the best places on Mars to send astronauts. "The
ideal place for a martian outpost would have abundant and moderate water
the temperatures, "she said. Mars is warmer around the equator, but most
ice water is located at higher latitudes. Build with a silica airgel
would allow us to artificially create warm environments where there is already
ice water available. "
Expand regions on Mars
where humans could push things also opens up new areas where they could lead
valuable scientific research, Kerber added.
"Dark Spots" on Mars
The experience of the airgel was inspired
by the heating process that creates what is called the dark spots that dot the carbon of Mars
ice dioxide in the spring. This type of ice is better known on Earth
as dry ice. Like the airgel, the carbon dioxide ice is translucent, which allows the sunlight to
heat the surface below. As the soil heats up, carbon dioxide accumulates
between the ice and the hot surface, possibly causing the ice to break.
This, in turn, creates a puff of gas that throws the ground under the ice on its
area.
The experience explored a
similar process with airgel. The paper details how a solid piece of
airgel as well as pieces of crushed airgel can be used to heat the surface
below. The researchers used different levels of illumination produced by Martian
seasons. The results suggest that airgel could even provide a warming effect
in the winter bitter Martian. Mid-latitude, winter night
Temperatures can be as cold as minus 130 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 90 degrees Fahrenheit).
Celsius).
The next step, says Wordsworth,
takes the laboratory experience and in Martian analogues like Chile
Atacama Desert or McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica. Like Mars, these
environments reach subzero temperatures and are exceptionally dry.
"Our prediction is
that the airgel shield should provide more efficient heating as it evolves
size, "said Wordsworth. It would be important to see under the field
conditions. "
Challenges to overcome
While the experience was a
an encouraging proof of concept, Wordsworth acknowledged that there was still
important engineering challenges to overcome. Based on a climate model
produced with experience, it would require a lot of airgel and at least two
Mars (or four terrestrial years) of warming to produce a permanent region of
liquid water underneath. Although the airgel is several times lighter than the air,
construction structures with roof on the
material would require shipping large amounts of it to Mars or somehow
to manufacture it there.
The silica airgel is very fragile
and porous; by superimposing it on another translucent material, or by combining them
with flexible materials, could prevent fracking. This could increase the air
pressure exerted under a structure consisting of a roof or an airgel shield,
allowing liquid water to accumulate more easily on
the surface instead of vaporizing in the thin Martian atmosphere.
But the authors of the study noted
the development of small areas of habitability on Mars is more plausible than
attempt to "terraform" the planet, as sci-fi writers have
proposed to do in the past. A NASA
study last year has wiped out the hopes of thickening
the Martian atmosphere is enough to create a greenhouse effect similar to the Earth.
"All that would help make the roomy in the long run
possible is exciting to consider, "said Wordsworth.
More information
about NASA's Mars program is at:
https://www.nasa.gov/mars
https://mars.nasa.gov/
Media contact
Andrew Good
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California
818-393-2433
[email protected]
Alana Johnson
NASA Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1501
[email protected]
2019-144
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