Difference between revisions of "Luna and Mars Characteristics"
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| Disadvantages || remote controlled industrial development will be made more difficult || remote controlled industrial development will be made more difficult, perhaps requiring advances in artificial intelligence | | Disadvantages || remote controlled industrial development will be made more difficult || remote controlled industrial development will be made more difficult, perhaps requiring advances in artificial intelligence | ||
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| − | | Availability of Elements Necessary Human Civilization || Volatiles such as mercury are rare. Especially hydrogen, carbon and nitrogen are very scarce. Iron is present in small grains in reduced metallic state. || All needed elements are present. | + | | Availability of Elements Necessary Human Civilization || Volatiles such as mercury are rare. Especially hydrogen, carbon and nitrogen are very scarce. Iron is present in small grains in reduced metallic state. || All needed elements are present in concentrations recoverable by industrial processes. Adequate quantities are available for developing an extensive outpost of civilization. |
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The atmosphere of Mars being 0.1 psi Carbon Dioxide is taken from http://www.nineplanets.org/mars.html | The atmosphere of Mars being 0.1 psi Carbon Dioxide is taken from http://www.nineplanets.org/mars.html | ||
[[Category:Comparison of Luna and Mars]] | [[Category:Comparison of Luna and Mars]] | ||
Revision as of 07:50, 10 June 2010
| Quality | Luna | Mars |
|---|---|---|
| Atmosphere | Vacuum | 0.1 psi Carbon Dioxide |
| Advantages | no barrier to high speed travel __ allows use of structural materials incompatible with oxygen and water __ no barrier to observations __ no wind born dust __ no requirement for structures to withstand weather | convenient source of carbon, oxygen, nitrogen and argon __ allows use of aerobraking and other aerodynamic effects __ protects against electrostatically levitated dust and micrometeors |
| Disadvantages | leads to dewetting of lubricated surfaces __ can not be breathed by people or internal combustion engines __ requires space suit protection of people __ requires pressure chambers for industrial processing involving most liquids __ requires pressure chambers for industrial collection of gas __ no protection against micrometeoroids or electrostatically levitated dust | can not be breathed by people or internal combustion engines __ requires about the same suit protection of people as a vacuum __ requires pressure chambers for industrial processing involving most liquids __ blows dust storms __ interferes with observations __ requires structural considerations to deal with weather __ does not permit electrical acceleration to orbital velocity |
| Gravity | 1.62 meters per second squared | 3.66 meters per second squared |
| Advantages | lower loading on structures to resist gravity than on Mars __ 04.7% of energy needed to orbit Earth can get to lunar orbit | lower loading on structures to resist gravity than on Earth __ 20% of energy needed to orbit Earth can get to Mars orbit |
| Disadvantages | lunar gravity may be insufficient to maintain human health __ low gravity causes problems with low traction for construction work | Mars gravity may be insufficient to maintain human health __ low gravity causes problems with low traction for construction work |
| Round Trip Communications Delay | 2.56 seconds | about 23 minutes average, about 540 times the delay for Luna |
| Disadvantages | remote controlled industrial development will be made more difficult | remote controlled industrial development will be made more difficult, perhaps requiring advances in artificial intelligence |
| Availability of Elements Necessary Human Civilization | Volatiles such as mercury are rare. Especially hydrogen, carbon and nitrogen are very scarce. Iron is present in small grains in reduced metallic state. | All needed elements are present in concentrations recoverable by industrial processes. Adequate quantities are available for developing an extensive outpost of civilization. |
The atmosphere of Mars being 0.1 psi Carbon Dioxide is taken from http://www.nineplanets.org/mars.html
