Equipment for autonomous growth - Revision history

RichardWSmith: Pointed out flexible manufacturing and making some parts locally (while importing a few valuable high tech parts from Earth) is important. Also pointed out that sunlight on Mars is sufficient for crops.

2021-04-10T19:46:00Z

Pointed out flexible manufacturing and making some parts locally (while importing a few valuable high tech parts from Earth) is important. Also pointed out that sunlight on Mars is sufficient for crops.

Jburk at 20:50, 18 December 2018

2018-12-18T20:50:10Z

Rfc: link+

2015-10-30T15:44:17Z

link+

Farred: Undo revision 9380 by 23.57.75.83 (Talk) vandalism

2013-06-20T05:20:21Z

Undo revision 9380 by 23.57.75.83 (Talk) vandalism

23.57.75.83: /* Example: Repair of solar panels */

2013-06-18T23:27:21Z

Example: Repair of solar panels

121.210.41.36: Fix link

2013-04-18T11:28:02Z

Fix link

121.210.41.36: Include link

2013-04-18T11:26:55Z

Include link

121.210.41.36: The Mars colony must be able to repair and replace Mars suits

2013-04-18T11:24:47Z

The Mars colony must be able to repair and replace Mars suits

Farred: Undo revision 8041 by 87.230.54.88 (Talk) undo vandalism

2013-01-22T16:38:54Z

Undo revision 8041 by 87.230.54.88 (Talk) undo vandalism

87.230.54.88: /* See also */

2013-01-22T16:27:09Z

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 Substituting native manufactures for imports is a great challenge because technology since the Industrial Revolution has depended on a global economy that now includes billions of workers.  Factories that specialize in making one particular kind of good often employ hundreds of workers directly, but tens of thousands to millions of workers indirectly to provide parts and sub-parts and raw materials for all these, and to produce still more goods and services to meet the needs of all these workers.  As Adam Smith wrote,
 :''"Observe the accommodation of the most common artificer or day-laborer in a civilized and thriving country, and you will perceive that the number of people of whose industry a part, though but a small part, has been employed in procuring him this accommodation, exceeds all computation. The woollen coat, for example, which covers the day laborer, as coarse and rough as it may appear, is the produce of the joint labor of a great multitude of workmen."''
 The initial prototypes and test articles of modern products were often made by fewer people in a lab, using more flexible manufacturing equipment, so in principle the work can be done by fewer people.  However, the production rate per person, i.e. overall economic efficiency, goes way down as batch sizes decline.   To minimize this, and to minimize the dependence of machines themselves on a global economy, most processes and pieces of equipment, from machine tools to finished products, will have to be radically redesigned in order to be made on Mars.   For a medium-sized colony, [[:category:Lo-tech|Lo-tech]] processes may be redesigned for a small workforce, namely [[pneumatics]], [[hydraulics]], and so on.  A small colony (100 to 10,000 people, the size of a frontier town) will probably rely mostly on [[:category:Small-scale-tech|small-scale-tech]] based on traditional craft industries such as [[brick|brick-making]], [[blacksmith|blacksmithing]], [[smelting]], [[glass|glass-blowing]], etc.  A small "ecosystem" of equipment that is collectively self-replicating, such as is the goal of RepRap (see [[3D Printer]]), could greatly help in the task of substituting for imports from Earth. [[shared_componenting|Shared components]] can reduce labor and tooling costs.
 The ability of autonomous growth requires a network of several technologies with each of them depending on other parts of the network. Every piece of the network needs maintenance and must be maintained solely with local technology and materials. If one single piece needs imports from Earth, the whole network is not self-sufficient. The creation of such a complete network can not be done all at once. To give a Martian colony a start, it requires some vital technology for [[food]] production and [[life support]] from the very beginning. So, the colony starts with imported technology from Earth (as is planned by [[Mars One]]), and non of the parts may be replaceable by locally produced spare parts. But then, step by step, additional small production lines based on local technology and materials are established. While the initial technologies had to be optimized in weight for Earth-to-Mars transport, these new technologies may well be bigger and more heavy, but can be built with local materials. [[Steel]] might be used instead of [[aluminum]], [[sintered regolith]] may be used for housing of stationary machines instead of carbon fibre plastics.
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 ==Food production==
-Since [[sunlight]] is not as bright as on Earth, there may be a need for [[Greenhouse|greenhouses]] with [[solar concentrator|mirrors that concentrate the sunshine]].  The construction of [[biotechnology|biotechnological factories]] can help to provide enough [[food]] for the settlers.
+Since [[sunlight]] is not as bright as on Earth, there may be a need for [[Greenhouse|greenhouses]] with [[solar concentrator|mirrors that concentrate the sunshine]].  The construction of [[biotechnology|biotechnological factories]] can help to provide enough [[food]] for the settlers.  NOTE: the sunlight is intense enough to grow crops out to the asteroid belt, and also plants are quite radiation resistant.  However, people living underground would need LED's.
 [[Mars One]] plans to start with LED-lit greenhouses. To make this a long term autonomous concept, the LEDs need to be produced locally.
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 ==Reproductive Technology==
-Every machine and every gadget has a [[wear lifespan|limited lifetime]]. It must be replaced periodically to keep the function alive. As a principle, the equipment brought to Mars must be constructed simple enough to allow a repair and duplication from local resources. The periodic repair and maintenance process must not consume more material, energy and time than the colony can afford. The usage of [[hi-tech versus lo-tech|Lo-tech instead of hi-tech]] for vital systems is a possible solution. [[Recycling]] helps too.
+Every machine and every gadget has a [[wear lifespan|limited lifetime]]. It must be replaced periodically to keep the function alive. As a principle, the equipment brought to Mars must be constructed simple enough to allow a repair and duplication from local resources. The periodic repair and maintenance process must not consume more material, energy and time than the colony can afford. The usage of [[hi-tech versus lo-tech|Lo-tech instead of hi-tech]] for vital systems is a possible solution. [[Recycling]] helps too.  It is likely that many items will require a few small Earth parts, while the majority of the device can be built on Mars.  (For example, a computer might import chips from earth, but the case, cooling fans, power supply, batteries, etc. would all be made locally.)
 ===Example: Manufacture and repair of digging machines===
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 ==See also==
 *[[Autonomous colony]]
 [[Category: Resources and Manufacture]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:50, 18 December 2018
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−	[[Category: ~~Technology]]~~	+	[[Category: Resources and Manufacture]]
−	~~[[Category: Concepts~~]]

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 The initial prototypes and test articles of modern products were often made by fewer people in a lab, using more flexible manufacturing equipment, so in principle the work can be done by fewer people.  However, the production rate per person, i.e. overall economic efficiency, goes way down as batch sizes decline.   To minimize this, and to minimize the dependence of machines themselves on a global economy, most processes and pieces of equipment, from machine tools to finished products, will have to be radically redesigned in order to be made on Mars.   For a medium-sized colony, [[:category:Lo-tech|Lo-tech]] processes may be redesigned for a small workforce, namely [[pneumatics]], [[hydraulics]], and so on.  A small colony (100 to 10,000 people, the size of a frontier town) will probably rely mostly on [[:category:Small-scale-tech|small-scale-tech]] based on traditional craft industries such as [[brick|brick-making]], [[blacksmith|blacksmithing]], [[smelting]], [[glass|glass-blowing]], etc.  A small "ecosystem" of equipment that is collectively self-replicating, such as is the goal of RepRap (see [[3D Printer]]), could greatly help in the task of substituting for imports from Earth. [[shared_componenting|Shared components]] can reduce labor and tooling costs.
-The ability of autonomous growth requires a network of several technologies with each of them depending on other parts of the network. Every piece of the network needs maintenance and must be maintained solely with local technology and materials. If one single piece needs imports from Earth, the whole network is not self-sufficient. The creation of such a complete network can not be done all at once. To give a Martian colony a start, it requires some vital technology for food production and life support from the very beginning. So, the colony starts with imported technology from Earth (as is planned by [[Mars One]]), and non of the parts may be replaceable by locally produced spare parts. But then, step by step, additional small production lines based on local technology and materials are established. While the initial technologies had to be optimized in weight for Earth-to-Mars transport, these new technologies may well be bigger and more heavy, but can be built with local materials. [[Steel]] might be used instead of [[aluminum]], [[sintered regolith]] may be used for housing of stationary machines instead of carbon fibre plastics.
+The ability of autonomous growth requires a network of several technologies with each of them depending on other parts of the network. Every piece of the network needs maintenance and must be maintained solely with local technology and materials. If one single piece needs imports from Earth, the whole network is not self-sufficient. The creation of such a complete network can not be done all at once. To give a Martian colony a start, it requires some vital technology for [[food]] production and [[life support]] from the very beginning. So, the colony starts with imported technology from Earth (as is planned by [[Mars One]]), and non of the parts may be replaceable by locally produced spare parts. But then, step by step, additional small production lines based on local technology and materials are established. While the initial technologies had to be optimized in weight for Earth-to-Mars transport, these new technologies may well be bigger and more heavy, but can be built with local materials. [[Steel]] might be used instead of [[aluminum]], [[sintered regolith]] may be used for housing of stationary machines instead of carbon fibre plastics.
 ==Mining equipment==

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 This simple input-output analysis of the ideal frontier town serves as a model for the far more sophisticated input-output analysis that is needed for modern technologies with their large number of parts made by a very large and wide variety of machines and people, whenever that technology is to be used in an autonomous colony.   Far more than just the actual technology of the historical frontier town will be needed for Mars.  In the historical frontier town air supply and sewage disposal came free courtesy of the Earthly natural ecology.  On Mars the air supply, sewage disposal, and food will come from a more complicated interconnected system of systems that must be overseen by people and must be largely automated to accomplish all functions with a limited number of human workers.   The autonomous Mars economy will require more than just traditional craftsmen, but the simple self-sufficient craft economy makes a very useful starting point for designing an autonomous Martian economy and the radically different technology that will be required for same.   By the time we are done with our analysis this economy and its technology will likely be radically different both from the traditional frontier town and from the modern technology with which we are familiar.
-volts is the usual voltage for lapotp power bricks, but maybe yours is really 18.  That 3.2 amps is generally the maximum power drawn, when the lapotp is up and running   disks, LCD backlight, and all.  So if you want to charge the battery while the lapotp is off, 1.25 amps at 18 volts should be enough.However, you will need to be certain that your panel will really produce 18 volts and 1.25 amps at the same time.  A panel sold with an open circuit 18 volts is generally intended to run at 14 volts or so, to charge a 12 volt battery.  At 18 volts, the current will be minimal   if you can even get that high on a warm day.Can't hurt to try, I suppose.  Hook it up, and measure the voltage when connected to the lapotp.  If it stays at 18, you're good to go.  If it drops, you need more panel.
+===Example: Repair of solar panels===
 ===Example: Repair of electronics===

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 This simple input-output analysis of the ideal frontier town serves as a model for the far more sophisticated input-output analysis that is needed for modern technologies with their large number of parts made by a very large and wide variety of machines and people, whenever that technology is to be used in an autonomous colony.   Far more than just the actual technology of the historical frontier town will be needed for Mars.  In the historical frontier town air supply and sewage disposal came free courtesy of the Earthly natural ecology.  On Mars the air supply, sewage disposal, and food will come from a more complicated interconnected system of systems that must be overseen by people and must be largely automated to accomplish all functions with a limited number of human workers.   The autonomous Mars economy will require more than just traditional craftsmen, but the simple self-sufficient craft economy makes a very useful starting point for designing an autonomous Martian economy and the radically different technology that will be required for same.   By the time we are done with our analysis this economy and its technology will likely be radically different both from the traditional frontier town and from the modern technology with which we are familiar.
-===Example: Repair of solar panels===
+volts is the usual voltage for lapotp power bricks, but maybe yours is really 18.  That 3.2 amps is generally the maximum power drawn, when the lapotp is up and running   disks, LCD backlight, and all.  So if you want to charge the battery while the lapotp is off, 1.25 amps at 18 volts should be enough.However, you will need to be certain that your panel will really produce 18 volts and 1.25 amps at the same time.  A panel sold with an open circuit 18 volts is generally intended to run at 14 volts or so, to charge a 12 volt battery.  At 18 volts, the current will be minimal   if you can even get that high on a warm day.Can't hurt to try, I suppose.  Hook it up, and measure the voltage when connected to the lapotp.  If it stays at 18, you're good to go.  If it drops, you need more panel.
 ===Example: Repair of electronics===

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 Almost any technology requires a large quantity of [[synthetic materials]]: plastics, oil, acids, etc., that is produced by [[:Category:Chemistry|chemical processes]].
-Synthetic materials will be needed for the repair and production of vacuum and dust-proof clothing (Mars suits or [[space suits]]). This protective clothing will wear out, so manufacture of replacements will be an early priority for a colony.
+Synthetic materials will be needed for the repair and production of vacuum and dust-proof clothing (Mars suits or [[space suit]]s). This protective clothing will wear out, so manufacture of replacements will be an early priority for a colony.
 ==Reproductive Technology==

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:38, 22 January 2013
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	The most complex thing to replace is, perhaps, the computer. It needs high-tech processes and special substances to make all the electronic devices within a computer. There are few ways for coping with this challenge: abstain from any [[electronics]] on Mars; find a way to produce simple electronics that can be made from local Martian resources or stockpile critical materials such as silicon single crystals and high purity chemical dopants that would be needed if Mars were to shift to self-supply of integrated circuitry. It would take a long time for a small industrial society to consume a hundred kilograms of such strategic reserves if Earthly computer chips became unavailable.		The most complex thing to replace is, perhaps, the computer. It needs high-tech processes and special substances to make all the electronic devices within a computer. There are few ways for coping with this challenge: abstain from any [[electronics]] on Mars; find a way to produce simple electronics that can be made from local Martian resources or stockpile critical materials such as silicon single crystals and high purity chemical dopants that would be needed if Mars were to shift to self-supply of integrated circuitry. It would take a long time for a small industrial society to consume a hundred kilograms of such strategic reserves if Earthly computer chips became unavailable.

−	~~My name is Miriam. I live in Nairobi, Kenya and I am 11 years old. My favourite sbcjeut is social studies and I enjoy maps. I know almost all the names of all the countries in the world.~~	+	==See also==
		+	*[[Autonomous colony]]
		+
		+
		+	[[Category: Technology]]
		+	[[Category: Concepts]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:27, 22 January 2013
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	The most complex thing to replace is, perhaps, the computer. It needs high-tech processes and special substances to make all the electronic devices within a computer. There are few ways for coping with this challenge: abstain from any [[electronics]] on Mars; find a way to produce simple electronics that can be made from local Martian resources or stockpile critical materials such as silicon single crystals and high purity chemical dopants that would be needed if Mars were to shift to self-supply of integrated circuitry. It would take a long time for a small industrial society to consume a hundred kilograms of such strategic reserves if Earthly computer chips became unavailable.		The most complex thing to replace is, perhaps, the computer. It needs high-tech processes and special substances to make all the electronic devices within a computer. There are few ways for coping with this challenge: abstain from any [[electronics]] on Mars; find a way to produce simple electronics that can be made from local Martian resources or stockpile critical materials such as silicon single crystals and high purity chemical dopants that would be needed if Mars were to shift to self-supply of integrated circuitry. It would take a long time for a small industrial society to consume a hundred kilograms of such strategic reserves if Earthly computer chips became unavailable.

−	~~==See also==~~	+	My name is Miriam. I live in Nairobi, Kenya and I am 11 years old. My favourite sbcjeut is social studies and I enjoy maps. I know almost all the names of all the countries in the world.
−	*[[Autonomous colony]]
−
−
−	~~[[Category: Technology]]~~
−	~~[[Category: Concepts]]~~