What does it take to establish space colonies or at least research outposts on other planets? Second and last part

Continuation of a chapter from a book called "Establishment of Planetary Research Systems" written by Haim Mazar in the years 1978-1981 and which was scientifically reviewed by the late Prof. Dror Sade, but was not published in the end

Part II. Establishment of planetary systems
A superficial observation of the structure of the solar system shows that there are planets that have one or more moons and planets that have no moons. Every planet that has at least one moon is a subsystem of the solar system. The more moons the subsystem has, the more complex it is due to the mutual effects between a planet and its moons and between the moons themselves. The size of the planet, its mass, the size of the moons, valve and their orbits are closely related to the complexity of the subsystem. Hence the Jupiter subsystem is more complex than the Earth subsystem.

When preparing to study the solar system or the suns, one must distinguish between four levels of research and they are:

1. First strategic level - at this level, one tries to find the characteristics of the solar system or the suns as a single unit, its structural characteristics (mapping the system) and the interrelationships between its components, the effect of the sun's or suns' gravitational force on the planets and among themselves, the influence of the solar wind or the suns on them, structure Their magnetic fields if they exist and their effects, tides and more.
2. Second strategic level - at this level, one tries to find the characteristics of the sub-system as a single unit, its structural characteristics (mapping the system) and the interrelationships between its components, the effect of the sun's or suns' gravity on the planets and among themselves, the effect of the solar wind or suns on them, the structure of the magnetic fields their if they exist and their effects, tides and more.
3. Third strategic level - the investigation of the planets and their moons as individual bodies.
4. Fourth strategic level - this is the tactical level where it is determined what the preferred research goal is for any planet or moon at a given moment. Whether to explore target X or target Y, or to explore specific areas of the planet being explored.

The more and more understandable the information stored at a lower level, the better understanding of the level above it can be reached. The research direction is always from the lowest strategic level to the highest strategic level.

Knowledge at a certain level and its understanding can form a basis for predictions regarding the existence of identical phenomena at parallel strategic levels. For example, the discovery of rings around Jupiter and Uranus (Saturn's rings have been known for centuries) gave a basis for predictions about the existence of rings around Neptune. Erosion caused by the winds on the Earth's surface gives a basis for the assumption that it also exists on other stars. If, for example, in a star that lacks an atmospheric presence, we find this type of weathering, it can be assumed that this star was atmospheric in the past. From high tides on the surface of the earth it can be assumed that these exist on the surface of Io - a moon of Jupiter.

The obvious conclusion is - that the studies should be conducted on a synchronous basis as well as on a diachronic basis. A synchronic study is a study that examines what happened on two or more planets at the same time and a diachronic study is a study that examines what happened on a particular planet or moon over a sequence of time.

Today the research is opportunistic (for example - several planets are arranged in a certain array, a spacecraft is launched that takes advantage of this array and accelerates its speed with the help of the gravitational force of a planet as it passes by it and continues to the next planet). This approach was good in the early days of solar system exploration. The competitive mechanism that operated on the United States and Russia (formerly the Soviet Union) served as an excellent tool for the development of the various space technologies. Due to the sophistication of these technologies and the accumulation of knowledge both regarding the technologies needed to continue the research, both regarding the organizational knowledge needed for this and the scientific knowledge about the solar system becoming more and more abundant, it is clear that the exploration of the solar system will require such enormous resources that no country, not even the space powers the United States and Russia, will be able to bear this burden alone. Cooperation will be a necessity. Since space exploration is of a prestigious nature for related countries, a problem may arise, which country will handle which issue. This problem can be solved in three ways:

1. Each country participating in space exploration will focus on those areas in which it leads. The Americans, for example, have priority in the technology of launchers, computers and miniaturization, and therefore the United States will continue to develop these issues.
2. The participating countries agree among themselves who will handle what. An example of division - in the European Space Agency, France is responsible for the development of the ARIANE launcher and Germany is responsible for the development and production of the SPACELAB space laboratory that was launched inside the space shuttle.
3. A combination of the two methods when one country leads in one or two fields and the rest of the fields will go to other countries.

The organizational basis for the desired cooperation in space is the establishment of an international space center that will be located in a country that all or most of those involved in space research will agree on, with the national space agencies affiliated to it and performing tasks that will be transferred to them from this center. The spacecraft will be launched from the existing bases as required by the launch objectives. If it is necessary to launch a spaceship into orbit around the Earth at an inclination angle of moderate incidence, it will be launched from Canaveral Space in the United States. On the other hand, if it is necessary to launch a spacecraft that must pass over the North Pole, it will be launched from Plastek in Russia. The center's activities, the rights and obligations of its member states will be anchored in an international convention.
The basic goal from which all activities in the solar system will branch out is that the International Space Center should move towards the establishment of ground bases on planets or moons. It should be taken into account that there are planets on which human activity cannot exist, such as Jupiter. Choosing the place to establish a ground base must take into account several factors and they are:

1. The place of the base must be flat - a flat area is the most convenient for establishing bases such as the sea of ​​crises on the moon, Mesogaea on Mars and more.
2. The plane where the base will be built must be large enough so that the base can be expanded and enlarged over time.
3. The base must be in a relatively convenient place for going on various studies on the surface of the planet. Example - establishing a base in the Sea of ​​Rains on the moon allows easy access to the Jurassic Mountains in the northwest, the Alps in the northeast, the Apennines in the southeast, and the Carpathians in the southwest. Establishing a base in the Sinai area on Mars allows easy access to the huge tectonic depression north of Sinai. To the region of the Nodus Gordii, Pavonis Lacus volcanoes in the west and the 1 Argyre basin in the southeast.
4. If the planet is atmospheric, the weather must also be taken into account. The determining consideration here is favorable weather on a maximum number of days a year.
5. In the area of ​​operation of the base there should be a large number of phenomena worthy of research such as evidence of geological activity in the past, special climatic phenomena, any signs of life or evidence of the presence of any intelligence in the past or present.

It is the weighing of all these factors that determines where the base will be established. It seems to me that the first base should be established on Mars for two reasons:
A. The special thing about it.
B. It can be a convenient springboard for the rest of the stars in the solar system.

Once the location of the base is chosen, the International Space Center must determine:

1. 1. The area of ​​the base at the beginning of its operation.
2. How many people will staff it at the beginning of its establishment.
3. What is the ratio between the number of raw materials imported from Earth to build the base and between the raw materials that will be taken from the planet itself. The trend must be as far as possible to use the raw materials of the star itself. It follows from this that in establishing the base, the geographical location of the raw materials on the planet must also be taken into account.

The establishment of the base is done in two stages. Preparatory phase and the construction itself. The weighing of the factors related to the choice of the location of the establishment of the base are included in the preparatory phase.

preparatory phase

1. The selection of the team will establish the base. This team, in whole or in part, will staff the engineering department and the farm and construction department. This team will be responsible for the design and construction of the base.
2. Selection of the rest of the staff to staff the base wings.
3. Sending three communication compasses to the planet or the moon to establish continuous contact with the earth. The orbit of the compasses depends on the location of the base. If the base is located in the area of ​​latitude 70 degrees north south the orbit is equatorial and stationary. If the base is at one of the poles the orbit has a large eccentricity.
4. Launching a meteorological compass.
5. Launching a resource map for the purpose of searching for resources, monitoring sand dunes and ecological observations. The route of the circle is determined according to the location of the base.
6. Launching one or more unmanned research landers to complete the information gathered by the Meteorological Surveys and the Resources Survey.

establishing the base

With the completion of the construction plans and part of the preparatory phase, a small group of the construction team is dispatched to establish an impromptu reception base to accommodate the rest of the construction team and must establish this base within a month or two. Upon the arrival of the entire construction team, they will start manually setting up the base. The time to establish the base should be 9-12 months. In order to meet the schedule, the team works in shifts and at the same time works on the three circuits. With the completion of the construction of the base, the airport and fields for agricultural crops. As for the power station on the planets closest to the Sun, such as Mars and the Moon, its sources can be varied with a solar power source and a nuclear source. The residential buildings must be designed and built in different sizes and features so that the potential tenants can choose the apartment that suits them both in terms of the size of the family and in terms of the personal taste of the family members.

Upon completion of construction, cover the structure. It seems to me that it is better to use the section method for three reasons:

• A. Safety - this method is safer, in case the dome cracks due to malfunctions or a meteorite impact. The chances of the air escaping from the entire base are small.
• B. Technically - when the dome does crack, the treatment of a small dome is easier and faster than a large dome.
• third. A sense of belonging - with the kippah method that covers everything, the residents of the base may feel like they are living in a busy neighborhood. In order to neutralize this effect and create a feeling of geographical belonging - similar to a person who says "I live in a city, in a neighborhood and more", it is better to use the method of sections.

At the end of the construction, the base staff, scientific equipment, service equipment, a number of manned and unmanned vehicles, research orbits, service orbits, aircraft for flight in the skies of the planet, motorized units for the assembly of launchers and various fuels are started at the same time. The base has been in continuous contact since its establishment with the International Space Center on Earth.

Research policy
The research policy is determined at the base headquarters according to the recommendations of the research departments and while coordinating and reporting to the International Space Center on Earth. The research activity on the planet is planned in several stages:

1. The base headquarters requests research recommendations from the research divisions.
2. The base headquarters determines the goals, the research subjects and the order of priorities.
3. The base headquarters receives the approval of the International Space Center on Earth.
4. A planning team is formed that includes people from the base headquarters, the research division and the transportation division, with the research division determining the details of the research itself and the transportation division providing the necessary vehicle whether it is a space vehicle, a ground vehicle, or both together.
5. To carry out the studies, if necessary, contact other departments for special services, such as the engineering department, the computer department, the farm and construction department, and the agriculture department.

The foundation's research activity has two characteristics:
1. Whether the research is staffed or not.
2. If the research is related to activity on its surface or other stars.

Types of research activity
1. Manned activity on the planet

• A. The number of people who will participate in the study.
• B. Who will participate in the research - who will come from which department in the research department.
• third. Is there a need for modern equipment such as research equipment or special computers? Coordination is done with Department "B" in the Engineering and Research Department and Department "B" in the Computer Department.
• d. According to the duration of the study, the amount of food needed is planned. This must be coordinated with the Department of Agriculture. The mobile residential buildings for extended stays at the research sites are coordinated with the Department of Agriculture and Construction.
• God. In accordance with the above questions, the type of vehicle or vehicles that will be required must be determined in coordination with department "B", in the transportation department.
• Upon the research team's return to the base, the research raw material is transferred to the research wing, the vehicle returns to the transportation wing for inspections and repairs and the team undergoes tests in department "B", in the medical wing. If unrecognized illnesses or signs of illness are detected in the team members, they undergo an additional series of tests in department "C" in the medical wing. The results of the studies and their conclusions are reported to the Earth.

2. The research is unmanned and done using a hyphen.
The participants in the planning are the research department, department "A" in the transportation department, department "B" in the engineering department and department "B" in the computer department.
If the research is done on the ground then the planning is done according to these steps:

• A. where the research is carried out.
• B. duration of the study.
• third. What are the field conditions at the research site. D. What type of vehicle should you choose?

The results of the studies and their conclusions are reported to the Earth

3. A combination that combines manned and unmanned research.

The research team arrives at the research site, performs its operations and leaves automatic equipment in place that continues to work even after the team leaves and transmits its data to the base. Such a place where research equipment is left is defined as a research island) such as the equipment left by the Apollo pilots after they left the place. This is a study of a mainly static nature. A team from the Research and Engineering Division will frequently visit the site to check the condition of the equipment and collect the scientific raw material.

Another type of research island is a temporary research island. At the end of a certain time or completion of a certain task the equipment is strange to the base. The results of the studies and their conclusions are broadcast to the earth.

In the same topic on the science website:

• "The Martians of the Mars One program will die in about two months"
• What is required of space colonies on other planets or at least of research stations? Part One