Crater Lunar/Martian Bases

[dreada5]

http://space.com/scienceastronomy/070129_underground_mars.html<br /><br /><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p> Other potential sites to dig for life are young craters, the researchers say. The exposed rock in craters is denser than the ice that covers much of the planet, and it provides better shielding against space radiation than ice. As a result, life might be able to survive closer to the surface. Another bonus of excavating in craters is that most of the vertical digging work would already be done.<br /><br />“In effect, the meteorites dug tens of meters deep for you,” Dartnell said. <p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br /><br />After reading the following article was wondering aren't craters the ideal location for establishing permanent bases?<br /><br />Although deep enough, I don't know if typical craters are small enough so that they could be realistically filled with regolith to cover modules etc.<br /><br />Supposedly boring/digging into the side wall of a crater would negate the need to move/cover the hab modules with regolith? Maybe a simpler process?

 

[j05h]

energetic particles from the Sun are largely omnidirectional, you still need plenty of shielding. The particles spiral along magnetic lines instead of traveling straight, so you get a nice dose during CME and other solar events.<br /><br />j <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div align="center"><em>We need a first generation of pioneers.</em><br /></div> </div>

 

[3488]

If the base is on the floor of a deep, polar crater on the Moon, it would still be protected from CMA's & other solar nasties, etc, would they not? <br /><br />Unless the particles change direction at the last moment, the crater base would still be safe.<br /><br />I would have thought, that the environment in such a place would be quite benign, little if any in the way of temperature extremes, it would be very cold, for sure, about minus 225 Celsius, but it would not vary.<br /><br />The only problem IMO would be falls from meteorites as there is no atmosphere to protect the area from even the smallest in the case of the Moon.<br /><br />I am not so familar about polar craters on Mars, seeing as Mars has very distinct seasons & AFAIK, does not have permanently shaded craters as on the Moon & Mercury.<br /><br />Andrew Brown. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080">"I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before".</font> <em><strong><font color="#000000">Linda Morabito </font></strong><font color="#800000">on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.</font></em></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://www.launchphotography.com/</font><br /><br /><font size="1" color="#000080">http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearth</font></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://web.me.com/meridianijournal</font></p> </div>

 

[j05h]

<i>> If the base is on the floor of a deep, polar crater on the Moon, it would still be protected from CMA's & other solar nasties, etc, would they not?<br />Unless the particles change direction at the last moment, the crater base would still be safe. </i><br /><br />No, the base would not be safe. Particles from the Sun spiral and collide, creating roughly omnidirectional radiation storms. Also, you need shielding from extrasolar radiation like cosmic rays. Anything placed on the Moon needs shielding, either water, metal or regolith.<br /><br />The physical environment is uncharacterised in many ways. It is benign in terms of temperature variability and caustics. It is not benign in terms of operational ease (cryogenic and dark) and is largely unknown in other ways. <br /><br />Mars doesn't have any shadow craters that I know of. The polar ice caps are in the way, but you could easily drill/melt your way into them. It's a much more resource-rich environment than Luna.<br /><br />josh <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div align="center"><em>We need a first generation of pioneers.</em><br /></div> </div>