Difference between pages "Talk:Foundation of an Autonomous Colony" and "Bringing down Phobos"

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I think the 'colony types' is not quite right. It's quite alright to put down Earth supported, Semi-autonomous and Autonomous, however you are forgetting the two stages that will invariable follow, namely Acceleration, where the colony begins to take decisions into its own hands, even argues against decisions made on Earth and most importantly plants additional colonies of its own, and finally political independance. No doubt this final stage could come as soon as the second generation of children born on Mars has grown to adulthood and is enjoying the fruits of the labours of their parents and the pioneers before them.
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[[File:Phobos with Starship.jpg|thumb|500x500px|Phobos with SpaceX Starship]]
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The moon [[Phobos]] will eventually break up into a planetary ring around [[Mars]]. But what about when future colonists start to Terraform Mars? This would increase the density and height of the atmosphere substantially, possibly causing [[aerobreaking|air friction]] on Phobos? Moreover, this moon is an obstacle for building a [[space elevator]]. Therefore, a vital step to prepare Mars for colonization could be the '''Bringing down of Phobos'''.
  
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:I am not sure that people will want governmental independence by the time of the second generation. A Mars colony will be small for a long time. It will be able to benefit from expert advice from Earth; engineering work, expert medical advice, architechtural word; anything that is pure information can be sent from Eart at low incrememtal cost.  Naturally local decisions will be made locally from the start, but I doubt the colonists would even want to consider themselves independent from Earth.
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==Collision with an asteroid==
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:It seems quite likely to me that the first colony will start as a completely robotic, remotely controlled colony for the purpose of establishing industry. The colonists themselves will be a great liability to industrial development at the start because of the expensive to provide necessities of human life. Perhaps as a colony type there ought to be a remotely controlled robotic colony for initial development.  – by Farred from an unsecure terminal, 19:00 UTC 20 December
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With a small amount of fuel it might be possible to accelerate a small object from the [[asteroids|asteroid]] belt toward Mars. The trajectory would be controlled by maneuvering rockets during the journey. It would end in a collision with Phobos in an appropriate angle in order to reduce orbital speed of Phobos, which would finally result in Phobos crashing onto the surface of Mars.  
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The ideal velocity of the asteroid relative to the asteroid belt is 0. The journey of the asteroid is started with a small initial kick. Nearly all final velocity comes from the potential energy of the different solar orbits of Mars and asteroid belt, their orbital speed difference and the relative orbital speed of Phobos.
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==Results==
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Once the potential threat is over, the future colonists will no longer have to fear a falling moon and can thrive.  
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The technology of crashing an asteroid into a potentially dangerous cosmic body may be useful for repelling threats from Earth. The knowledge from this Phobos project could be valuable far beyond the Mars colonization.
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The crash would have a global impact on Mars' atmosphere and climate. Dust that is evaporated into the atmosphere would temporarily reduce the [[sunlight]] on the surface. On the other hand, a huge amount of [[water]] steam would cause a [[greenhouse effect]] in medium-term, which would increase the planet's temperature over a couple of years.
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The location of the crash would be important.  For example, a crash into one of the poles might release more water vapor as well as carbon dioxide into the Martian atmosphere than a crash elsewhere on Mars.
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Moreover, the impact would reveal lots of data about the geological structure of Mars. Seismic sensors could be used to analyze the Martian layer structure down to the core. With spectroscopic methods the chemical substances of the impact area can be analyzed.
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==Alternatives==
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Millennia will pass until Phobos becomes a real threat. Mankind will possibly develop more powerful technology to be able to [[Bringing up Phobos|pull Phobos up]] to a higher orbit. This could be  done either with a series of small asteroid impacts, huge sunlight-reflecting mirrors, or a [[gravitational tractor]].
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Also, a catapult could be built on Phobos with the ability to throw pieces of the rubble pile towards Mars. This would produce an impulse to lift Phobos to a higher orbit. The angle could be optimized to both maximize the impulse and avoid smashing facilities on the Martian surface.
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Due to the fact that Phobos is tidally locked, a device can be positioned at the same place, with the natural rotation of the moon keeping the engine opposite to the direction of travel. A significant problem with deflecting asteroids is that they rotate in relation to the direction of travel.
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==Open issues==
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*What is the required mass of the asteroid used for the collision?
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*What amount of energy can be brought to the asteroid belt for the initial kick with currently available technology?
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*How long would the journey of the asteroid take?
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*What is the final impact energy?
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*How long would it take for Phobos to crash down on Mars after the collision?
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*Where would be the best spot to crash down Phobos, one of the polar ice caps?
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*How will the general public react to cosmic engineering (protests etc)?
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*Could Phobos be better used as raw materials?
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[[Category:Terraforming]]
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[[Category:Moons_(Natural_Satellites)]]

Revision as of 19:34, 25 December 2019

Phobos with SpaceX Starship

The moon Phobos will eventually break up into a planetary ring around Mars. But what about when future colonists start to Terraform Mars? This would increase the density and height of the atmosphere substantially, possibly causing air friction on Phobos? Moreover, this moon is an obstacle for building a space elevator. Therefore, a vital step to prepare Mars for colonization could be the Bringing down of Phobos.

Collision with an asteroid

With a small amount of fuel it might be possible to accelerate a small object from the asteroid belt toward Mars. The trajectory would be controlled by maneuvering rockets during the journey. It would end in a collision with Phobos in an appropriate angle in order to reduce orbital speed of Phobos, which would finally result in Phobos crashing onto the surface of Mars.

The ideal velocity of the asteroid relative to the asteroid belt is 0. The journey of the asteroid is started with a small initial kick. Nearly all final velocity comes from the potential energy of the different solar orbits of Mars and asteroid belt, their orbital speed difference and the relative orbital speed of Phobos.

Results

Once the potential threat is over, the future colonists will no longer have to fear a falling moon and can thrive.

The technology of crashing an asteroid into a potentially dangerous cosmic body may be useful for repelling threats from Earth. The knowledge from this Phobos project could be valuable far beyond the Mars colonization.

The crash would have a global impact on Mars' atmosphere and climate. Dust that is evaporated into the atmosphere would temporarily reduce the sunlight on the surface. On the other hand, a huge amount of water steam would cause a greenhouse effect in medium-term, which would increase the planet's temperature over a couple of years.

The location of the crash would be important. For example, a crash into one of the poles might release more water vapor as well as carbon dioxide into the Martian atmosphere than a crash elsewhere on Mars.

Moreover, the impact would reveal lots of data about the geological structure of Mars. Seismic sensors could be used to analyze the Martian layer structure down to the core. With spectroscopic methods the chemical substances of the impact area can be analyzed.

Alternatives

Millennia will pass until Phobos becomes a real threat. Mankind will possibly develop more powerful technology to be able to pull Phobos up to a higher orbit. This could be done either with a series of small asteroid impacts, huge sunlight-reflecting mirrors, or a gravitational tractor.

Also, a catapult could be built on Phobos with the ability to throw pieces of the rubble pile towards Mars. This would produce an impulse to lift Phobos to a higher orbit. The angle could be optimized to both maximize the impulse and avoid smashing facilities on the Martian surface.

Due to the fact that Phobos is tidally locked, a device can be positioned at the same place, with the natural rotation of the moon keeping the engine opposite to the direction of travel. A significant problem with deflecting asteroids is that they rotate in relation to the direction of travel.

Open issues

  • What is the required mass of the asteroid used for the collision?
  • What amount of energy can be brought to the asteroid belt for the initial kick with currently available technology?
  • How long would the journey of the asteroid take?
  • What is the final impact energy?
  • How long would it take for Phobos to crash down on Mars after the collision?
  • Where would be the best spot to crash down Phobos, one of the polar ice caps?
  • How will the general public react to cosmic engineering (protests etc)?
  • Could Phobos be better used as raw materials?
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