Difference between revisions of "Failure of the settlement"
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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 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]]=== | ===[[Oxygen]]=== | ||
| Line 11: | Line 11: | ||
===[[Water]]=== | ===[[Water]]=== | ||
| − | == Contamination of [[air]] or [[food]] == | + | ==Contamination of [[air]] or [[food]]== |
... with radioactive, chemical or bacteriological substances | ... with radioactive, chemical or bacteriological substances | ||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | + | *Risk: Intoxication, injury | |
| − | * | + | *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. |
| − | * | ||
| − | |||
| − | == | + | ==Destruction or contamination of [[greenhouse]]s== |
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | + | *Severity: Vital. | |
| − | * Severity: | + | *Risk: Starvation and suffocation of the settlers. |
| − | * Risk: | + | *Mitigation: Redundancy. Separation of zones. |
| − | * Mitigation: Redundancy. | ||
| − | == | + | ==Disconnection or destruction of [[energy]] network== |
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | == Destruction of transportation means == | + | *Severity: Vital. |
| + | *Risk: If the energy network is poorly designed, the energy supply for the colony can break down completely by a defect in any of the ''single points of failure''. | ||
| + | *Mitigation: Decentralization of the network. Make sure that any remaining part of the network continues to function locally. This concept involves a structural redundancy of all vital parts and sub-parts. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Disconnection or destruction of [[internet|telecommunication]] network== | ||
| + | |||
| + | *Severity: Non-vital. | ||
| + | *Risk: Supervision of remote parts of the colony may gets lost. | ||
| + | *Mitigation: Redundancy. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Explosion, causing drop in air pressure== | ||
| + | |||
| + | *Severity: Vital. | ||
| + | *Risk: Suffocation of the settlers. Dissolution of the greenhouse plants. | ||
| + | *Mitigation: Several zones of living space, separated by bulkheads. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Destruction of transportation means== | ||
... that are needed to reach peripheral sites of the colony | ... that are needed to reach peripheral sites of the colony | ||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | == Destruction of [[equipment]] that is needed for maintenance of vital systems == | + | *Severity: Non-vital. |
| + | *Risk: Growing of the colony is interrupted. | ||
| + | *Mitigation: Keep all vital stuff in a [[Recycling]] loop. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Destruction of [[equipment]] that is needed for maintenance of vital systems== | ||
==Biological== | ==Biological== | ||
| Line 52: | Line 58: | ||
Mitigation: A garden with soil is a living ground for many [[microbes]] and germs. | Mitigation: A garden with soil is a living ground for many [[microbes]] and germs. | ||
| + | == 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]] | [[Category:Health and Safety]] | ||
Revision as of 17:11, 2 June 2019
A complete failure of the settlement would mean the death of all settlers. Possible causes can be human failure, 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.
Contents
- 1 Destruction of life support
- 2 Contamination of air or food
- 3 Destruction or contamination of greenhouses
- 4 Disconnection or destruction of energy network
- 5 Disconnection or destruction of telecommunication network
- 6 Explosion, causing drop in air pressure
- 7 Destruction of transportation means
- 8 Destruction of equipment that is needed for maintenance of vital systems
- 9 Biological
- 10 Social
Destruction of life support
Oxygen
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.
Water
Contamination of air or food
... with radioactive, chemical or bacteriological substances
- Risk: Intoxication, injury
- 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.
Destruction or contamination of greenhouses
- Severity: Vital.
- Risk: Starvation and suffocation of the settlers.
- Mitigation: Redundancy. Separation of zones.
Disconnection or destruction of energy network
- Severity: Vital.
- Risk: If the energy network is poorly designed, the energy supply for the colony can break down completely by a defect in any of the single points of failure.
- Mitigation: Decentralization of the network. Make sure that any remaining part of the network continues to function locally. This concept involves a structural redundancy of all vital parts and sub-parts.
Disconnection or destruction of telecommunication network
- Severity: Non-vital.
- Risk: Supervision of remote parts of the colony may gets lost.
- Mitigation: Redundancy.
Explosion, causing drop in air pressure
- Severity: Vital.
- Risk: Suffocation of the settlers. Dissolution of the greenhouse plants.
- Mitigation: Several zones of living space, separated by bulkheads.
Destruction of transportation means
... that are needed to reach peripheral sites of the colony
- Severity: Non-vital.
- Risk: Growing of the colony is interrupted.
- Mitigation: Keep all vital stuff in a Recycling loop.
Destruction of equipment that is needed for maintenance of vital systems
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. Such substances may possibly produced by some sort of germs that are omnipresent on Earth, but are not in the Martian colony.
The immune system may get out of balance, since the ensemble of germs around and inside of the settlers will be different or narrowed. If, unlike in the ISS, the bacteriological profile is not updated frequently, some vital germs might become extinct.
Mitigation: A garden with soil is a living ground for many microbes and germs.
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 'ghost towns' throughout the history of the Earth, and on every continent. Mining communities are particularly susceptible.
