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Research Thoughts
Oct. 20th, 2008 01:17 pmA while back, ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
jeff_duntemann suggested that I talk about my writing process, including how I do research. I have to admit, a lot of my research is informal. I've read a lot of science fact and fiction, and I have a good memory. Also, my stories are not usually keyed on a particular set of science facts (the joys of space opera!) so I can fake things a bit.
Having said that, my novels are set on Mars. For my view of what life on Mars would be like, I rely heavily The Case for Mars
, written by Robert Zubrin. Now although Zubrin is in fact a certified rocket scientist, he's also very optimistic, so I'd be reluctant to jump in a rocket ship with him, but as a plausible base for fiction he's okay.
Key points Zubrin makes about Mars:
Atmosphere - The Martian atmosphere, although thin, does block a lot of radiation. Most of the radiation problem on the surface is ultraviolet, which is easily blocked by glass. This point, plus Mars' just-over 24-hour day, means greenhouse agriculture is feasible. Earth's moon, with its 28-day day and surface bathed in hard radiation, would require agriculture under lights.
Water - Mars has water, albeit in the form of permafrost. We don't know how much or how accessible, but vs. the Moon, the answer is "a lot more" and "more accessible." Again, this helps support agriculture and settlement.
Raw materials - Mars is a planet, with things like clay, sand and iron. With that plus energy, one could make settlements from local material. Also, rocket fuel, in the form of methane and oxygen, can be fairly easily synthesized from carbon dioxide (Martian atmosphere) and hydrogen from water.
Other Cool Stuff - Something Istole borrowed from Goeff Landis was that Martian soils are hyper-oxides. Get them wet and they will sizzle and give off oxygen. They will also, if they get on skin and hair, bleach them. This leads to a nice term for the Martian equivalent of trailer trash = "sand-blond."
All this supports a Mars of small, self-sustaining (at least for food, water and air) colonies, many of which would be populated by folks kicked out of Earth. It also suggests that Mars, with a shallower "gravity well" then Earth, could be an alternative breadbasket for the Moon and other locations.
jeff_duntemann suggested that I talk about my writing process, including how I do research. I have to admit, a lot of my research is informal. I've read a lot of science fact and fiction, and I have a good memory. Also, my stories are not usually keyed on a particular set of science facts (the joys of space opera!) so I can fake things a bit. Having said that, my novels are set on Mars. For my view of what life on Mars would be like, I rely heavily The Case for Mars
, written by Robert Zubrin. Now although Zubrin is in fact a certified rocket scientist, he's also very optimistic, so I'd be reluctant to jump in a rocket ship with him, but as a plausible base for fiction he's okay. Key points Zubrin makes about Mars:
Atmosphere - The Martian atmosphere, although thin, does block a lot of radiation. Most of the radiation problem on the surface is ultraviolet, which is easily blocked by glass. This point, plus Mars' just-over 24-hour day, means greenhouse agriculture is feasible. Earth's moon, with its 28-day day and surface bathed in hard radiation, would require agriculture under lights.
Water - Mars has water, albeit in the form of permafrost. We don't know how much or how accessible, but vs. the Moon, the answer is "a lot more" and "more accessible." Again, this helps support agriculture and settlement.
Raw materials - Mars is a planet, with things like clay, sand and iron. With that plus energy, one could make settlements from local material. Also, rocket fuel, in the form of methane and oxygen, can be fairly easily synthesized from carbon dioxide (Martian atmosphere) and hydrogen from water.
Other Cool Stuff - Something I
All this supports a Mars of small, self-sustaining (at least for food, water and air) colonies, many of which would be populated by folks kicked out of Earth. It also suggests that Mars, with a shallower "gravity well" then Earth, could be an alternative breadbasket for the Moon and other locations.
