<strong><span class="bbc_u">Environmental Data</span></strong><br/><br/><strong>Mars:</strong><br/><br/>Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. Named after the Roman god of war, Mars, it is often described as the "Red Planet" as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin atmosphere, having surface features reminiscent both of the impact craters of the Moon and the volcanoes, valleys, deserts, and polar ice caps of Earth. The rotational period and seasonal cycles of Mars are likewise similar to those of Earth, as is the tilt that produces the seasons. Mars is the site of Olympus Mons, the highest known mountain within the Solar System, and of Valles Marineris, one of the largest canyons. The smooth Borealis basin in the northern hemisphere covers 40% of the planet and may be a giant impact feature. Mars has two moons, Phobos and Deimos, which are small and irregularly shaped.<br/><br/>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars)<br/><br/>Mars itself is a harsh and hostile world. The atmosphere is thin, about one hundredth that of Earth's surface at the bottom of the Hellas Platina (where the colony is) and composed primarily of CO2, the gravity is low, about one third that of Earth, the planet is half as far again from the sun as Earth, and the day-time temperature never exceeds 0°c. At night, in the winter, it can drop to -85°c. It is clearly not an environment in which human beings can survive unaided. Venturing outside requires the use of a pressure suit. It would be possible for a human being to survive for a few seconds, say in an emergency transfer from one life-support zone to another, but after that anoxia would quickly set in. It is debatable whether the victim's blood would freeze (due to the temperature) or boil (due to the pressure).<br/><br/>The reason for establishing the colony at the lowest point on the planet's surface is to maximise the chance of survival in the event of a pressure drop!<br/><br/><strong>Time keeping:</strong><br/><br/>The Martian day is 24.6229 hours long. That's 37 minutes and 22 seconds longer that a day on Earth. When it comes to time keeping we have three choices:<br/><br/><ul class="bbc_list" style="list-style-type: decimal;"><li>Leave everything as it is, and allow the day to slowly creep around the clock.</li><li>Have a Null-time at the end of every day when all the clocks stop for 37 minutes and 22 seconds.</li><li>Define a Martian Second as being slightly longer than an earth second and recalibrate clocks</li></ul><br/>Option 1 is the easiest but is clearly unacceptable as within a few weeks everyone will be doing night shifts....<br/><br/>Option 2 is just plain weird, and requires every clock on the planet to be adjusted every day.<br/><br/>Option 3 is the best in my opinion because it requires a one-off recalibration. As most people will have the time "in their heads" on their implants, this can be done simply by writing a computer program that changes the defined length of a second. (yes I know it's not as easy as that, but MarsCorp has had thirty years to figure it out!)<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">The maths in case you are interested</div><div class="spoiler_body"><table class="bbc_table"><tbody><tr><td></td><td>Hours</td><td>Minutes</td><td>Seconds</td></tr><tr><td>Mars</td><td>24.6229</td><td>1477.374</td><td>88642.44</td></tr><tr><td>Earth</td><td>24</td><td>1440</td><td>86400</td></tr><tr><td>Difference</td><td>0.6229</td><td>37.374</td><td>2242.44</td></tr></tbody></table><br/>2242.44 / 86400 = 0.026 seconds to be added to each second.<br/></div></div><br/>So the length of each second is increased by 0.026, which is an interval so small that no-one is going to notice it! The fact that you end up working for an extra ten minutes without being aware of it, should be taken in stride.<br/><br/><strong>Mars Base:</strong><br/><br/><span class="bbc_u">Base plan </span><br/>(http://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/f/fb/Mars_Base_Plan.png)<br/><br/>North is at the top.<br/><br/><span class="bbc_u">Levels</span><br/><br/>Please note: The height of the blobs is the only thing that matters. The width is irrelevant.<br/><br/>(http://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/b/be/Levels.png)<br/><br/>The purple bars represent the connecting corridors. The orange levels are the life support levels. The red line is the surface.<br/><br/><span class="bbc_u">Summary</span><br/><br/>The garage and main airlock is in the maintenance & engineering block. The shuttle runway is about 500m due North, oriented East-west. The Nuclear Reactor is 1km due East of the base. Oxygen, Hydrogen and water storage tanks are 500m due South. The communications array is to the West, starting about 500m and stretching for 2km, consisting of aerials, fixed dishes, powered dishes, transmitters, receivers, booster stations, etc... 50m East of the Maintenance Block are the fuel storage tanks for the shuttle.<br/><br/>The stores block is where all spare parts, clothing, dried, canned, frozen and bottled goods are stored. The freezer section basically pumps the Martian atmosphere through tubes around the freezers in order to cool them. The Stores block also contains the QM's office.<br/><br/>Access between levels in all blocks is via elevator (which will act as an airlock) or via a spiral staircase that is sealed in a cylinder and accessed via airtight doors. There is a horizontal hatch between each floor that will close automatically in the event of an emergency.<br/><br/>The compressor pumps, heaters and oxygen/nitrogen mixing valves that constitute the life support system for the base are in the basement of each block. Each block thus has it's own air supply independent of all the others. The atmosphere in the base will (once things start up) be made by compressing the Martian atmosphere into the base, increasing it's pressure by something like 100 times, all the while mixing in a balanced mix of LOX and LN. This stage is done in heavily insulated chambers.<br/><br/>The resultant breathable air is then heated by passing it over electric elements to bring it up to a non-lethal temperature of 10°c. This air is then pumped around the block into the various rooms (Referring to work spaces and offices as well as bedrooms). Each room has it's own independent climate control that can be used to warm the air further. The main public areas with the exception of the garage/hangar will be heated to 18°c, all smaller rooms/work areas/offices can be heated to the temperature desired by the occupants.<br/><br/>The hangar will remain at a chilly 10°c, because it is most frequently exposed to the sub-zero temperatures outside. This is for acclimatisation as much as to save power.<br/><br/><span class="bbc_u">The habitat Blocks:</span><br/><br/>Block 1 is closest to the main dome, block 3 furthest away.<br/><br/>(http://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/0/07/Habbitat_Block.png)<br/><br/>Each block has three floors, eight rooms per floor, for a total of 72 rooms, plus a basement level for life support.<br/><br/>The Base commander, Security Chief and Deputy Commander each have a room in the command centre, giving 75 rooms available.<br/><br/>Each room consists of a bed room, bathroom with shower, wash basin and toilet, and a small living area. All rooms are identical including those in the command centre.<br/><br/>(http://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/1/12/Habitat_room.png)<br/><br/>Imagine a fairly typical three star hotel room. The living area would have a writing desk, mini bar, table lamp etc as well, but I figured just showing a table and two chairs would give the right impression.<br/><br/>The bed is a king-sized bed and will sleep two in comfort, three at a squeeze and four if you don't mind a few bruises!<br/><br/>In addition to the normal air supply, each room in the habitat modules is equipped with a one-shot oxygen supply sufficient to last two people 48 hours if they lie on the bed<em>doing nothing!</em>In the event of a life support failure in the block, this supply will kick in automatically, and if it fails to do so there is a manual override valve located in the closet.<br/><br/>The emergency airlock is accessible from all three levels, and exits upwards to the surface, via a ladder. The bulkhead to the corridor is only accessible from the lowest level.<br/><br/><span class="bbc_u">Main dome:</span><br/><br/>The main dome has five floors.<br/><ul class="bbc_list" style="list-style-type: decimal;"><li>Level one is a transparent observation dome above the Martian surface. There is NO access to the surface via the dome.</li><li>Level two has a lounge, the Snickers Bar and emergency airlocks. The ceiling of Level two is two metres thick.</li><li>Level three has a fully equipped gymnasium, games rooms, showers, squash courts.</li><li>Level four has the main recreation hall, dining hall and kitchen, together with access to all other sections.</li><li>The lowest level is mostly plumbing, sanitation and life support systems, electrical switch gear, etc. The typical basement level of a large building. It also houses the janitorial stores.</li></ul><br/><span class="bbc_u">Command Centre:</span><br/><br/>The command centre consists of three levels.<br/><br/><ul class="bbc_list" style="list-style-type: decimal;"><li>Level one contains the emergency air lock, the communications centre, the reactor monitoring and control centre, the commander's and deputy commander's offices, The meteorology centre and the Emergency Control centre.</li><li>Level two contains the security office, two conference rooms, the commander's, deputy Commander's and security Chief's rooms, as well as access to all other sections.</li><li>Level three contains the utilities and janitorial supplies, but also has three security cells.</li></ul><br/><span class="bbc_u">Maintenance Block</span><br/><br/>The Maintenance and Engineering block has five levels.<br/><br/><ul class="bbc_list" style="list-style-type: decimal;"><li>Level one is above the surface and contains the main airlock, the garage/hanger, and the main stores for acetylene cylinders. The hanger/garage is the largest single pressurised space in the base, and houses all the ground vehicles (rovers, bikes, buggies, tracks), the tunnelling machines, the marscrete machines the two air craft (one scout, one transport) and the shuttle. The airlock is big enough to take the largest vehicle - the shuttle. It has a variable roof to enable the amount of air in the lock to be reduced for passing smaller vehicles. A personnel lock stands to the East of the main lock, both being on the North side of the block.</li><li>Level two is below the surface and has the main suiting up room and decontamination centre. It also houses a ready room/lounge. Ready-stores are on this level, containing parts withdrawn from inventory to be used in the near future or in an emergency.</li><li>Level three contains the main mechanical workshops, the Chief Engineer's Office, Machine shops and fabrication shop.</li><li>Level four holds the main electrical and electronics work shops, computer repair shop, software workshop, and the access to the other levels.</li><li>As with the other blocks, Level five is mostly utilities and janitorial.</li></ul><br/><span class="bbc_u">Stores Block</span><br/><br/>The stores block is on five levels.<br/><br/><ul class="bbc_list" style="list-style-type: decimal;"><li>Level one is the freezer level, pumping the Martian atmosphere through in heavy steel pipes.</li><li>Level two is canned goods, dried goods and bottled goods.</li><li>Level three is clothing, environment suits, the QM's office, access to other blocks, personal hygiene products, personal entertainment products.</li><li>Level four is mechanical spare parts, machine parts, tools.</li><li>Level five is electrical and electronic spare parts, together with the utilities and janitorial supplies</li></ul><br/><span class="bbc_u">Science block:</span><br/><br/>The science block has four levels.<br/><br/><ul class="bbc_list" style="list-style-type: decimal;"><li>Level one houses the hydroponics centre and animal genetics/husbandry centre, also the emergency airlocks.</li><li>Level Two houses the main scientific research labs, including biology, chemistry, metallurgy, genetics, quantum mechanics, etc... This level also has the chief scientist's office</li><li>Level three houses the medical centre, also the main life-sciences research unit. This level also has the crèche. Access to all other blocks is at this level.</li><li>Level four has the utilities and janitorial stores, but also houses the base recycling centre where waste materials are sorted, cleaned and reprocessed</li></ul><br/><strong>Emergency Procedures:</strong><br/><br/>The following notice is displayed on a wall in every room within the colony:<br/><br/><hr/><div align="center"><tt class="bbc_tt"><br/><strong><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 12pt;">EMERGENCY PROCEDURES</span></strong><br/><br/>In the event of an emergency a siren will sound. The nature of the emergency will be indicated by the exact sound.<br/><br/>Two tone constant: Pressure leak<br/>Rapid hoots: Fire<br/>two tone intermittent: Life support  failure<br/>Slow hoots: reactor emergency<br/>High warble: Shuttle or spacecraft emergency<br/><br/><br/>In the event of one of these alarms sounding, if you are in your habitat room,<br/>remain where you are. Your room has sufficient life support to sustain you for up two two days.<br/><br/>If you are caught in an open area, proceed calmly and quietly to the nearest assembly point, <br/>marked out by a red area on the floor and walls. Do not attempt to return to your room, <br/>do not stop to collect personal belongings.<br/><br/>In the event of a pressure drop warning, all assembly areas are equipped with a number of <br/>emergency breathing apparati. These will sustain life for up to thirty minutes. These should <br/>be utilised at once.<br/><br/>Wherever you are when the emergency alarm sounds, you should press the "Emergency Call <br/>Button" beneath this notice. This will alert rescue crews to your location.<br/><br/>Security Personnel wearing orange environment suits to distinguish them from the standard white<br/>suits, will arrive to escort you to safety. Their instructions should be followed without question and <br/>to the letter.<br/><br/>--------------------------------<br/><br/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 12pt;">If you discover a fire or pressure leak:</span><br/><br/>Find the nearest emergency call button, press it and when asked what the emergency is, give clear<br/> concise details. If it is safe to do so you should attempt to extinguish a fire with the extinguishers <br/>located in the assembly area. In the event of a minor pressure leak, attempt to seal it using the <br/>sealant spray located in the assembly area and in each habitat room.<br/><br/>Then proceed back to where you pressed the call button and wait for security personnel to arrive.<br/><br/>--------------------------------<br/><br/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 12pt;">All Clear</span><br/><br/>The all clear will be signalled by a voice announcement over the base public address system.<br/></tt></div><br/><hr/><br/>All personnel are advised to read and familiarise themselves with the emergency procedures.<br/><br/><strong>Building Projects:</strong><br/><br/>There are two building projects to be undertaken by the colonists:<br/><br/><span class="bbc_u">Habitat expansion:</span><br/><br/>Another three habitat blocks are to be added, giving seventy two more rooms. It is assumed that the first wave of colonists will pair up to a certain extent, leaving some existing rooms vacant, however that will be insufficient to accommodate the second wave, so new blocks are needed.<br/><br/><span class="bbc_u">Ore processing, extraction and smelting plant:</span><br/><br/>It has been determined that the best way for the colony to become economically viable is to extract valuable minerals from the Martian rocks and regolith. The equipment to achieve this has been shipped to Mars with the colonists, but it requires a secure, independently pressurised module, which will need to be constructed beneath the Martian surface.