Oxygen
Are we developing a air compressor which can divide O2 from the rest of atmosphere at least we dont have to cary O2 for the time the crew stands on mars?
NOTE FROM THE MODERATORS (Last Updated: 8/21/2012)
Earlier this summer, we asked the public to contribute to the Mars dialog through this forum. Your enthusiastic response was beyond our expectations - over 1,200 people signed up, participated, asked questions, voted, commented and engaged in a dialogue about the future of Mars exploration. The strong response hinted that the public was even more interested in exploring Mars than we thought, and the interest in Curiosity proved it, as millions tuned in to watch what we affectionately call "The 7 Minutes of Terror."
From your contributions and comments, we went to work and developed a few things to help people better understand the Red Planet and all of the complexities that go along with exploring it.
We've published answers to some of the specific questions asked in the forum:
http://www.nasa.gov/offices/marsplanning/faqs/index.html
We've also asked NASA experts to contribute their thoughts on some of the broader topics that were voted to the top by Mars Forum users:
http://www.nasa.gov/offices/marsplanning/faqs/video.html
Finally, your incredible response has prompted us to actively address public participation in our future planning for Mars exploration.
This isn’t the end! The Mars Forum is 1,200 people strong and we want to engage with you more. Please continue following the Curiosity rover, and stay tuned for the next opportunity for the Mars Forum community to comment on plans regarding the future of Mars exploration.
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P.S. Here is a pretty sweet word cloud of your conversation!
Are we developing a air compressor which can divide O2 from the rest of atmosphere at least we dont have to cary O2 for the time the crew stands on mars?
On earth exist a 24 H day night circle the martian one is of 24H 37m how this will affect plants ore humans
did any1 think about moonlight which is essential for each and evry1 @ night?
so wat about the moon of mars and there support to mars?
Has there been thought of creating a calendar for Mars?
How much time can a human being live on Mars? Because if it takes like 6 months to get there, I think that probably 1 week is acceptable. Also, how many hours and when are they going to sleep?
What precious elements are found on the surface of mars? Just as metals and precious materials have been used on earth successfully. Mars materials can be used to further study mars, aide in designing better robots for mars, use those precious materials to explore mars possibilities. Everything about mars comes from those precious elements. If there is life it will incorporate those elements in its life. Make better ...more »
What precious elements are found on the surface of mars?
Just as metals and precious materials have been used on earth successfully. Mars materials can be used to further study mars, aide in designing better robots for mars, use those precious materials to explore mars possibilities. Everything about mars comes from those precious elements. If there is life it will incorporate those elements in its life. Make better rovers than can mine those materials and use it.
Plan to explore the basic properties of the elements on mars. Even better discover new elements. Send this data back to earth to study them and answer questions about future missions. Save alot of money if this is successful. And could be the start of new exploration on mars.
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What is being done to reduce the cost it takes to get things into space? The cost just to get into orbit is big.
just why !!! why are we spending huge amounts of money on exploring mars, while we have parts on the earth that still desert ???
Hi, I don't know if somebody ask you it. Would i like to know if there is any plan to investigate the Mars 's moons into manned exploration mission? I believe that would be a great opportunity, seize that these moons are close to developing a deeper study and field them and to corroborate the observation research. Thanks anda I hope so much to be part of this.
The ISS in orbit around the planet was mankinds first foothold in space. My question is what is the next step in establishing a perminent presence in space? Something that helps keep us up there.
Supposed mars can be made habitable place for human and we bring earth's properties in mars, do you think the ecosystem on our planet will not be destroy?
After going through all those answers and comments, based on actual technological capabilities and the will to do it, what, putting politics to the side, is holding us to go forwards?
I think the life is on mars billions of years ago...? And Mars is Earth's elder brother. The Mars has passed his younger aged. Which the life was existed. Now the Earth is on her younger age. Some day a creature on Venus will see the earth, as well as we see the Mars today....!!
How about that spot on gale crater that the curious picked out do you think its a good location financially, and time spent there with what little is gonna be collected and studied we know mars supported a different element of life is this what there really been trying figure out for awhile because it won't tell them much that they can't allready see they better have a 1000 ft drill bit and b away from crater impacts ...more »
How about that spot on gale crater that the curious picked out do you think its a good location financially, and time spent there with what little is gonna be collected and studied we know mars supported a different element of life is this what there really been trying figure out for awhile because it won't tell them much that they can't allready see they better have a 1000 ft drill bit and b away from crater impacts just to brake the surface of info on what the planets been doing in relation to earth deosnt make since I'd b studying the poles and major fault lines and relate them to earth so we can predict major tektonic brakes like the Madrid I assume u could find out that info nearlly from the surface of mars in no time if they haven't allready so what's plan b after they find out that mars could have supported life since its the only planet that we can relate are planet to I assume that it was identical to our earth at the time it was in our exact orbit (same distance and path as earth is on from the sun ) sun atom nucelus other planets protons nutron looking from far out in space and back thru a different piece of glass going in circles until a outside force effects it like mars a good example of what out planet will look like once we change orbital places with it I know your wondering when well our earth is slowly and panfully telling us we just need to dig deeper and hope one of our small wheel rovers don't tip over how about a hyper glider that glides over rocks and climbs mountains another subject in the right stale locations or maybe not maybe we should b studying the planet in front of us from the sun.
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Shouldn't NASA build a robotic probe like spirit that would do research work at night.We can use something like hydrogen as a fuel.
All our probes go to sleep mode at night and it very much possible that nocturnal life may be possible on Mars!!!!
Should we interrupt the natural way of evolution ? If there is life on the planet do get to run tests or collect them? Did we have visitors when we were evolving ?
I wonder if Mars Curiosity mission will transmit real-time data to the Internet so the public can have access to it. It would really spark a lot of interest.
Is it possible to add control and impulse systems to the stages of our rockets (that are normally sent to burn up in the atmosphere) and coral them together to re-use in orbit as structural elements to future transport or way-station facilities. Are we just wasting the energy spent to get these objects out of the gravity well for the sake of a little extra cost?
Enough resources to keep human travel to mars?
There are lot's of natural hazards on Mars so, they should choose the place where there are less hazards.
Noise in space is a major problem. This is especially true for long range duration on the International Space Station and future missions to Mars. According to American astronauts, the decibel levels in the Russian portion of the international space station are damaging their hearing (The Los Angeles Times, “U.S. Astronauts Sound Off on Space Noise, Dec. 2, 2001). Recent data indicate that noise levels on the International ...more »
Noise in space is a major problem. This is especially true for long range duration on the International Space Station and future missions to Mars. According to American astronauts, the decibel levels in the Russian portion of the international space station are damaging their hearing (The Los Angeles Times, “U.S. Astronauts Sound Off on Space Noise, Dec. 2, 2001).
Recent data indicate that noise levels on the International Space Station can average more than 70 decibels and that scheduled sleep episodes have recorded over 90 decibels (Risk of Performance Errors due to Sleep Loss, Circadian Desynchronization, Fatigue, and Work Overload, Human Research Program Requirements Document).
There are several implications and consequences from astronauts enduring noise.
1. Physiological
A. Heart
There was a large scale study (based on 4.6 million adults across Switzerland). After factoring for air pollution, etc. the researchers found that both the level and duration of aircraft noise drove up the risk of lethal heart attack. One of the researchers in the article pointed out that noise itself regardless of the sources affects blood pressure. Another researcher noted that even if something is not that loud or disturbing, it can become really bothersome if not turned off. He also said that the classic stress response includes a rise in heart rate and blood pressure and although it isn’t usually a problem when short and infrequent bursts, this can lead to significant wear and tear if it continues daily. Finally according to the researchers report in the journal Epidemiology, people exposed to a daily average of at least 60 decibels of noise had a 30 percent greater risk of dying from a heart attack compared with those exposed to less than 45 decibels (Epidemiology online, September 27, 2010).
Another article stated, “Most agree that acute exposure to levels greater than 80-85 dB and chronic exposure to levels greater than 65 dB can cause an increase in blood viscosity, vasoconstriction, heart rate, and blood pressure (Chertoff, Environmental Health, Spring 2010).”
B. Hearing
Jay Buckey, a former astronaut now at Dartmouth Medical School in Hanover, New Hampshire, said that both temporary and permanent hearing loss were recorded after flights on the Soviet and Russian Salyut stations, even for stays as short as seven days. The loss was usually at higher frequencies (Young, K., New Scientist, June, 2006)
2. Sleep
Professor David Dinges, Department of Psychiatry at University of Pennsylvania, says sleep is critical no matter where humans go and if they don’t get it, performance deteriorates rapidly. When people are awake more than 18 hours, they tend to have psycho-motor impairments equivalent to when they are inebriated (Documentary, “Mars Uprising,” 2007).
Bonnet et al. (2005) found that the discrepancy between sleep in flight and ground-based studies suggests that “not only is sleep quantity reduced during space flight, but also that the restorative component of sleep may be disrupted in space, which may further increase the likelihood that waking neurobehavioral performance deficits will occur.” (Whitmire et al., Jan 2009, Risk of Performance Errors due to Sleep Loss, Circadian Desynchronization, Fatigue, and Work Overload)
Barger and Czeisler (2008), suggest that the amount and quality of in-flight sleep is reduced in comparison to terrestrial sleep behavior for multiple reasons, one of which is noise.
Deprived of sleep, the risk of accidents on the Mars mission will be high.
3. Stress
Noise tends to produce stress. There are numerous environmental variables which can, under certain circumstances, either provoke aggression or increase the likelihood of its occurrence. Astronauts are carefully screened and selected, as was former astronaut Lisa Nowak, who was charged with attempted kidnapping. This may seem difficult to imagine, but putting six astronauts in about the same the space as a small apartment on a 12 month journey to Mars and back that has never been done before, would not be the time to discover in hindsight that this is a problem that had never been addressed. Noise levels above 80 dB are associated with both an increase in aggressive behavior and a decrease in behavior helpful to others (Noise Pollution: A Modern Plague: Adverse Health Effects of Noise, Southern Medical Journal, 2007). This is not something that NASA would want to deal with on the Mars mission.
Possible Solution:
There is a device that may be able to help provide at least a partial contribution to the solution.
It is a noise level alert system . Astronauts set the threshold noise level so that a notification alert can be given when the threshold noise level is exceeded. For example, if it is decided that the astronauts should be notified when the ambient noise level reaches 75 decibels, then an audio voice system or other alert modes can warn the astronauts when that level is reached. The voice system is programmed to be just above the current ambient noise level so it can be heard.
This can be used to help the astronauts to know when to use ear protection devices and can help them sleep better. The device can also be used to warn the astronauts to use ear protection during waking hours. The threshold can be set to different levels depending on whether the astronauts are sleeping or awake.
In addition, the device could measure how many times specific decibel levels are exceeded and when, which would provide invaluable data for NASA in determining the effects of noise on astronauts.
The idea may sound simple, but it would be one more tool that can at least provide a partial solution to the problem.
The device is patent pending.
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Curiosity has "cleats" on its aluminum wheels supported by titanium springs, but what are the surface of the cleats made of? NASA websites describe it as a "high traction" material but what exactly is it made of?
Who can tell me which part of Mars Mission is most expensive, and which cheapest?
Which one makes biggest problem?
Is it possible? It would be nice for popularization of science that everyone, any time could see what Curiosity sees
How can each of us contribute to designing and experimenting from down here? I am an engineer working in space, and want to contribute some of my time and passion to help design a Mars mission. I'm reading up on some AIAA books (Spacecraft Mission Design, Space vehicle design and later LSS related). How can we help NASA, ESA and JAXA? Where to send our conclusions? Where to create think tanks? Shouldn't we build a community ...more »
How can each of us contribute to designing and experimenting from down here?
I am an engineer working in space, and want to contribute some of my time and passion to help design a Mars mission. I'm reading up on some AIAA books (Spacecraft Mission Design, Space vehicle design and later LSS related).
How can we help NASA, ESA and JAXA? Where to send our conclusions? Where to create think tanks? Shouldn't we build a community of Mars Mission Design, governed by open-minded experts?
Just like Wikipedia managed to unite great minds, why not do the same for a Mars Mission?
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