Here’s what I’d love to see if/when preparing to set up for an indefinite human martian presence:
Start with foundational design principles, like:
• Everything is a “pod.”
• All pods have designations: Resources (water, atmosphere, food, etc.); Supplies (medicine, tools, batteries, wiring etc); Materials (building materials, nuts and bolts, replacement parts, electronics, and of course, duct tape); Fuels; Shelter; Automation; Missions; Labs; etc.
• All pods are standardized in shape and size; modules that can fit snugly together – including conduits for electrical, ventilation, pipes, and what have you – wherever needed, which can scale up to meet any capacity.
Hexagonal would probably be ideal, like a huge, Martian version of Settler’s of Catan — a modular approach would allow efficient design, coordination, and an almost “assembly line” like approach to bringing the entire venture into fruition.
• Automated robotic guys like Curiosity could do a lot of the gathering and assembly before anyone ever got there.
• Over the course of 10—15 years, we’d keep shunting as many of these modules we could, or need, to a specific, predetermined area (any spoilables or sensitive items would be sent last in line), while designing and building the manned vehicle.
• Once we arrive, we rotate out personnel along with supplies and what have you, as it makes sense to do so.
Yay Mars!
