Why Starship matters and changes everything (I and Gwynne have been preaching this for years), and what should the first payloads to Mars be?
I haven’t read either (still busy on my Reason project), but they look interesting.
Why Starship matters and changes everything (I and Gwynne have been preaching this for years), and what should the first payloads to Mars be?
I haven’t read either (still busy on my Reason project), but they look interesting.
Somewhat interesting if you happen to believe Mars is the most important target AND that Starship will meet all cost/price and performance goals.
I trust Space-X’s budgets and performance analysis a hella lot more than NASAs or Boeings.
I think the first payloads should be Starlink satellites. That way they can provide comms and navigation all over the planet. This can allow few humans to then operate fleets of drones (next payloads) to begin harvesting of minerals and construction.
Yes first Starlink satellites. But then surface PV solar arrays soon after? Or wait. What if instead we ship over self-assembling large PV arrays in GMO? (Geo-synchronous Mars orbit). For smaller power requirements that would stay operational for nearly 24’39″/~7 sols a week, except for the length of time the sat’s pass into Mars shadow? Thus getting night-time power when it is most desperately needed. Plus the added benefit that a microwave ground array rectifying antenna would be far less susceptible to dust & dust storms than a PV array. At least until there is nuclear available. Also one wouldn’t need GW scale SSPS, 1 to 10MW or so would do, so the scale ought to be considerably smaller making it more feasible.
I wonder if GMO is outside the orbits of Phobos and Deimos? Have to research that. Might be another source of interference.
As it turns out it’s only Phobos (figures!) as per Grok.
Although my beam would be much smaller so maybe more likely to miss on a pass, since the longitudes & latitudes would have to align. Worst can in a complete eclipse, only a few seconds. With proper power regulation, needed for the longer solar outages anyway shouldn’t even be noticeable.
Learned a new word today: aerosynchronous (as in Ares, the Greek word for Mars I suppose).
Therefore it is Aerosynchronous Mars Orbit aka AMO.
Why not go to Phobos instead of GMO.
Why not mostly go to Phobos instead of Mars surface.
Lack of gravity, and Mars has more gravity?