Failure of the settlement - Revision history

Michel Lamontagne at 22:14, 13 November 2023

2023-11-13T22:14:49Z

RichardWSmith: /* Water */ Added more information. Impact was at 35 degrees.

2022-11-26T15:32:18Z

Water: Added more information. Impact was at 35 degrees.

RichardWSmith: Added a new category. added reference.

2022-11-26T15:31:05Z

Added a new category. added reference.

RichardWSmith: /* Water */ Added references.

2022-11-26T15:30:02Z

Water: Added references.

RichardWSmith: As per Michael's suggestion, put in that a settlement failure could mean the evacuation as well as death.

2022-11-25T14:58:08Z

As per Michael's suggestion, put in that a settlement failure could mean the evacuation as well as death.

RichardWSmith: /* Water */ Radiation shield.

2022-11-23T17:53:22Z

Water: Radiation shield.

RichardWSmith: /* Water */ subbed in some basic information.

2022-11-23T17:51:47Z

Water: subbed in some basic information.

RichardWSmith: /* Oxygen */ Oxygen can be produced chemically.

2022-11-23T17:43:26Z

Oxygen: Oxygen can be produced chemically.

Michel Lamontagne: /* Biological */

2019-07-25T17:07:07Z

Biological

Michel Lamontagne at 01:11, 3 June 2019

2019-06-03T01:11:31Z

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 ==Destruction of life support==
-===[[Oxygen]]===
+===[[Oxygen]] and CO2===
-In popular culture, oxygen is thought to come from plants.  However, if the plants get sick, they can produce less (or no) oxygen.  Dust storms have been know to block out 95% of the light, and last for weeks.  In these cases, plants will consume oxygen.
+On Earth Free Oxygen comes from plants, bacteria and other life forms.  However, if the plants die, they no longer produce oxygen or remove CO2, that will accumulate and eventually reach poisonous levels. Dust storms have been know to block out 95% of the light, and last for weeks.  In such cases, plants may no longer be able tp play their part in a purely biological life support system.  It is safer, for all but the largest colonies, to have backup systems to treat the CO2 and free the oxygen back into the settlement's atmosphere.  Numerous chemical processes will reduce CO2 and produce oxygen for the base at a lower energy cost than plants.
 ===Temperature===
 If [[heating]] systems fail, the [[temperature]] in on-surface buildings may drop rapidly and destroy equipment and plants. Humans may freeze to death.
-Precaution: Underground parts of the settlement draw benefit from the high heat capacity of the surrounding rock, which keeps the temperature for a long time. The interior of the settlement rooms can be optimized to store large amounts of warmth. Big [[water]] tanks have a high heat capacity.
+Precaution: Underground parts of the settlement draw benefit from the high heat capacity of the surrounding rock, which keeps the temperature for a long time. The interior of the settlement rooms can be optimized to store large amounts of warmth. Big [[water]] tanks have a high heat capacity.  Effective thermal insulation can reduce heat loss to very low levels.
 ===[[Water]]===
-Early exploration missions will bring their own water.
+Early exploration missions will bring their own water, if only for life support during the trip.  However, water will be extracted locally, and the presence of water or ice is likely to be a primary condition in the selection of the base/settlement location.
-Humans are 'aquatic apes'.  A swimming pool would be a luxury which would also provide an emergency source of water.
+Water is common as permafrost, even approaching the equator.  (A meteorite impact 35 degrees from the equator threw up chunks of ice.)<ref>https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/moon-mars/a41819807/marsquake-reveals-meteor-strike/</ref><ref>https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/mars-asteroid-impact/</ref>  Geothermal energy plants may produce huge amounts of water.  Water shortages might be caused by water leaking, freezing, or subliming if the habitat is exposed to vacuum.
-Note that water is an excellent radiation shield, so water in excess of the habitats needs, might be mined and stored as ice (outside the habitat), or as liquid (near the walls) for this reason.
+*Having water requires planning (to make sure enough water is brought, or the settlement grows slower than water is 'mined'), and care of life support and maintenance to make sure it is not wasted or lost thru emergencies.
 ==Contamination of [[air]] or [[food]]==

@@ Line 15: / Line 15: @@
 Early exploration missions will bring their own water.
-Water is common as permafrost, even close to the equator.  (A meteorite impact near the equator thru up chunks of ice.)<ref>https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/moon-mars/a41819807/marsquake-reveals-meteor-strike/</ref><ref>https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/mars-asteroid-impact/</ref>  Geothermal energy plants may produce huge amounts of water.  So with sufficient energy and effort, it is likely that water can be found locally.  Water shortages might be caused by water leaking, freezing, or subliming if the habitat is exposed to vacuum.
+Water is common as permafrost, even approaching the equator.  (A meteorite impact 35 degrees from the equator thru up chunks of ice.)<ref>https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/moon-mars/a41819807/marsquake-reveals-meteor-strike/</ref><ref>https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/mars-asteroid-impact/</ref>  Geothermal energy plants may produce huge amounts of water.  So with sufficient energy and effort, it is likely that water can be found locally.  Water shortages might be caused by water leaking, freezing, or subliming if the habitat is exposed to vacuum.
 So having water requires planning (to make sure enough water is brought, or the settlement grows slower than water is 'mined'), and care of life support and maintenance to make sure it is not wasted or lost thru emergencies.

@@ Line 72: / Line 72: @@
 ==Social==
 The settlement might also fail socially.  If the settlers lose interest, or if their descendants decide to return to the Earth.  If the cost of maintaining the settlement is too high and the settlers lose heart, the settlement will be destroyed, although not catastrophically.  The end of immigration combined with a birth rate below the replacement rate of the population would end the settlement, possibly with a long drawn out agony, or with a resettlement program.  This has happened in a number of '[[w:List_of_ghost_towns_by_country|ghost towns]]' throughout the history of the Earth, and on every continent.  Mining communities are particularly susceptible.
 [[Category:Health and Safety]]

@@ Line 15: / Line 15: @@
 Early exploration missions will bring their own water.
-Water is common as permafrost, even close to the equator.  (A meteorite impact near the equator thru up chunks of ice.)  Geothermal energy plants may produce huge amounts of water.  So with sufficient energy and effort, it is likely that water can be found locally.  Water shortages might be caused by water leaking, freezing, or subliming if the habitat is exposed to vacuum.
+Water is common as permafrost, even close to the equator.  (A meteorite impact near the equator thru up chunks of ice.)<ref>https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/moon-mars/a41819807/marsquake-reveals-meteor-strike/</ref><ref>https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/mars-asteroid-impact/</ref>  Geothermal energy plants may produce huge amounts of water.  So with sufficient energy and effort, it is likely that water can be found locally.  Water shortages might be caused by water leaking, freezing, or subliming if the habitat is exposed to vacuum.
 So having water requires planning (to make sure enough water is brought, or the settlement grows slower than water is 'mined'), and care of life support and maintenance to make sure it is not wasted or lost thru emergencies.

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:58, 25 November 2022
Line 1:		Line 1:
−	A complete '''failure of the settlement''' would mean the death of all settlers. Possible causes can be [[human failure]], [[fail-safe\|technical failure]] and acts of nature beyond control. It could take decades or centuries before a subsequent colonization attempt is started. This article wants to collect situations, incidents, precautions and mitigations.	+	A complete '''failure of the settlement''' would mean the evacuation or death of all settlers. Possible causes can be [[human failure]], [[fail-safe\|technical failure]] and acts of nature beyond control. It could take decades or centuries before a subsequent colonization attempt is started. This article wants to collect situations, incidents, precautions and mitigations.

	==Destruction of life support==		==Destruction of life support==

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:53, 23 November 2022
Line 20:		Line 20:

	Humans are 'aquatic apes'. A swimming pool would be a luxury which would also provide an emergency source of water.		Humans are 'aquatic apes'. A swimming pool would be a luxury which would also provide an emergency source of water.
		+
		+	Note that water is an excellent radiation shield, so water in excess of the habitats needs, might be mined and stored as ice (outside the habitat), or as liquid (near the walls) for this reason.

	==Contamination of [[air]] or [[food]]==		==Contamination of [[air]] or [[food]]==

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:51, 23 November 2022
Line 13:		Line 13:

	===[[Water]]===		===[[Water]]===
		+	Early exploration missions will bring their own water.
		+
		+	Water is common as permafrost, even close to the equator. (A meteorite impact near the equator thru up chunks of ice.) Geothermal energy plants may produce huge amounts of water. So with sufficient energy and effort, it is likely that water can be found locally. Water shortages might be caused by water leaking, freezing, or subliming if the habitat is exposed to vacuum.
		+
		+	So having water requires planning (to make sure enough water is brought, or the settlement grows slower than water is 'mined'), and care of life support and maintenance to make sure it is not wasted or lost thru emergencies.
		+
		+	Humans are 'aquatic apes'. A swimming pool would be a luxury which would also provide an emergency source of water.

	==Contamination of [[air]] or [[food]]==		==Contamination of [[air]] or [[food]]==

@@ Line 51: / Line 51: @@
 ==Biological==
-The human metabolism need a great variety of substances. The full complexity of all interactions is not fully understood. If there is a shortage or an excess of some rather unknown substances, the [[health]] might be seriously affected. In worst case the ability to work and maintain the vital parts of the colony falls below a required minimum.
+The human metabolism needs a great variety of substances. The full complexity of all interactions is not fully understood. If there is a shortage or an excess of some unexpected, the [[health]] might be seriously affected. In worst case the ability to work and maintain the vital parts of the colony falls below a required minimum.
 Such substances may possibly produced by some sort of [[germs]] that are omnipresent on Earth, but are not in the Martian colony.
@@ Line 58: / Line 58: @@
 Mitigation: A garden with soil is a living ground for many [[microbes]] and germs.
-== Social ==
+==Social==
 The settlement might also fail socially.  If the settlers lose interest, or if their descendants decide to return to the Earth.  If the cost of maintaining the settlement is too high and the settlers lose heart, the settlement will be destroyed, although not catastrophically.  The end of immigration combined with a birth rate below the replacement rate of the population would end the settlement, possibly with a long drawn out agony, or with a resettlement program.  This has happened in a number of '[[w:List_of_ghost_towns_by_country|ghost towns]]' throughout the history of the Earth, and on every continent.  Mining communities are particularly susceptible.
 [[Category:Health and Safety]]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 A complete '''failure of the settlement''' would mean the death of all settlers. Possible causes can be [[human failure]], [[fail-safe|technical failure]] and acts of nature beyond control. It could take decades or centuries before a subsequent colonization attempt is started. This article wants to collect situations, incidents, precautions and mitigations.
-== Destruction of life support ==
+==Destruction of life support==
 ===[[Oxygen]]===
@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 ===[[Water]]===
-== Contamination of [[air]] or [[food]] ==
+==Contamination of [[air]] or [[food]]==
 ... with radioactive, chemical or bacteriological substances
-== Destruction or contamination of [[greenhouse]]s ==
+*Risk: Intoxication, injury
-* Severity: Vital.
+*Precaution: If dangerous substances are not produced, they can not pose a threat. If such substances are unavoidable, they should be produced, used and stored in a separated part of the colony, where no other vital system can be affected in case of an incident.
-== Disconnection or destruction of [[energy]] network ==
+==Destruction or contamination of [[greenhouse]]s==
-== Disconnection or destruction of [[internet|telecommunication]] network ==
+*Severity: Vital.
-* Severity: Non-vital.
+*Risk: Starvation and suffocation of the settlers.
-* Risk: Supervision of remote parts of the colony may gets lost.
+*Mitigation: Redundancy. Separation of zones.
-== Explosion, causing drop in air pressure ==
+==Disconnection or destruction of [[energy]] network==
-== Destruction of transportation means ==
+*Severity: Vital.
 ... that are needed to reach peripheral sites of the colony
-== Destruction of [[equipment]] that is needed for maintenance of vital systems ==
+*Severity: Non-vital.
 ==Biological==
@@ Line 52: / Line 58: @@
 Mitigation: A garden with soil is a living ground for many [[microbes]] and germs.
 [[Category:Health and Safety]]