Space colonization

[Sigmetnow]

The SpaceX Starlink satellites are aware of their surroundings and can adjust their orbits to avoid collisions.  Expect this capability to be built into future satellites, particularly those operating “closely” together.

Space is really big. 

And this discussion should probably be moved to the GeoEngineering thread.

[TerryM]

Go for the twofer:

Presidential candidate Andrew Yang's climate plan aims to get the U.S. to net-zero carbon emissions with a range of new initiatives -- including investing in major geoengineering projects like giant mirrors in space.

Colonize space with the laborers needed to build the space mirrors...

Mirror mirror hung in space
Ain't you got no better place
That you could hang
To help poor Yang
To win his presidential race


Doggerel for the Damned
Terry

[Archimid]

shading what percentage of the Arctic requires 10,000+ solar sails?
100% bad idea. 10%? Still too much. At 5% of solar radiation deflection during summer we are starting to talk numbers that shouldn’t be too dangerous but are still useful and payable. Probably thousands of satellites, maybe hundreds.

[kassy]

Space is really big. 

But we park most crap around this globe.

There are already many tiny fragments in near orbit. Do those spacelink sats see them? (or alternatively what is the smallest objects they react too?).

[vox_mundi]

shading what percentage of the Arctic requires 10,000+ solar sails?
100% bad idea. 10%? Still too much. At 5% of solar radiation deflection during summer we are starting to talk numbers that shouldn’t be too dangerous but are still useful and payable. Probably thousands of satellites, maybe hundreds.

Hundreds indeed?

The Arctic Ocean. Covers 14.06 million km² or 14,000,000,000 m²

During summer (the time you want to shade it) at least > 95% is under sunlight.

Since you would be shading from an oblique angle the area needing 100% coverage would be closer to somewhere near 2,000,000,000 m²

Let's take 5% of that = 100,000,000 m²

Now consider that the largest solar shade or sail we've deployed is less than 1000 m².

Let deploy 100 of them = 100,000 m²

This wouldn't shade a single ice flow.

And you still need 99,900,000 m² of coverage for just 5% of an off-axis shade.

Meanwhile, ocean heat content will continue to erode the ice via bottom melt.

[vox_mundi]

Space is really big. 

But we park most crap around this globe.

There are already many tiny fragments in near orbit. Do those spacelink sats see them? (or alternatively what is the smallest objects they react too?).

Most all satellites are blind to fragments flying around them. The DoD, NASA and others monitor for debris. They can only see objects larger than a few centimetres.

A bolt flying at orbital velocity (~ 17,000 mph (27,359 kph)) would impact with the same force as a SUV driving into a brick wall a 100mph.

One satellite becomes 6000 pieces each traveling 17,000 mph

Rinse; repeat.

[crandles]

Correction: 14.06 million km² = 14,000,000,000,000 m^2

the sun is larger, so the further away, the bigger the shade needs to be.

[Sigmetnow]

The ISS has 2,500 square meters of solar panels — about 1/2 a football field.  A solar sail could be much larger.

The SpaceX Starlink constellation (as approved) will be made up of 12,000 satellites.  So, “tens of thousands of satellites” for a project is already in the works.

Given the precision — down to millimeters — of the spacecraft docking with the ISS while traveling at 17,000 mph, it could even be possible for several satellites flying in formation to have solar sail material extended between them….

A meteorite would simply pass through a lightweight solar sail.  Causing no extra debris.

[kassy]

Thanks Vox.


I also had a really genius idea!!!
What if we just nuke the sun? 

[Tom_Mazanec]

kassy, what is the translation and language of your signature?

[kassy]

https://forum.arctic-sea-ice.net/index.php/topic,416.1500.html

See this thread #1500 page 31. 

[Shared Humanity]

Maybe we should try becoming carbon neutral instead.

[Shared Humanity]

When our collective focus shifts to geoengineering you’ll Know we are truly screwed.

[vox_mundi]

Thanks crandles

So multiply the number of satellites that are needed by another thousand.

Re: 2500 m^2 solar panels - They took 10 years to install.

And remember we need to get this done in the next 5-10 years. Once the ice is gone, it's gone.  It may not be reversible.



Also, how much of this shade is umbra v. penumbra

When our collective focus shifts to geoengineering you’ll Know we are truly screwed.

Appears so...

[Archimid]

Maybe we should try becoming carbon neutral instead.

 We must become Carbon negative and find ways to save earth systems like the Arctic from changing too much. 

When our collective focus shifts to geoengineering you’ll Know we are truly screwed.

No, we are screwed when we can't even talk about possible solutions because they seem scary or difficult.

[Sigmetnow]

The moon orbits about 250,000 miles / 400,000km from earth.
Low Earth Orbits are from about 124miles/200km  to  1,200 mi / 2,000 km.
(The ISS orbits about 250 miles/ 400km up.)

[vox_mundi]

The umbra, penumbra and antumbra are three distinct parts of a shadow, created by any light source after impinging on an opaque object. Assuming no diffraction, for a point source only the umbra is cast.


https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umbra,_penumbra_and_antumbra


ISS against the sun

The sun is not a point source, so at no time does the ISS block the entire face of the sun. Only a partial shadow appears below. It's partial shadow is visible across a strip approximately 1.0 km wide. The ISS passes across the face of the sun in 0.4 sec.

To cast some shade a string of objects the size ISS would have to pass every 0.1 sec - 24 hours a day (that's 864000 satellites the size of the ISS) . And that would cool just that 1 km strip across the Arctic.

[Archimid]

Re: 2500 m^2 solar panels - They took 10 years to install.

Yeah, decades ago  and installing solar panels in space is a whole different matter than launching spacecraft with very large solar sails. The launch cadence would have to be accelerated significantly. Something similar to what space x is doing would have to be replicated all over the world in the most massive space project ever. This would have to happen at the same time we switch all our energy infrastructure to non emitting sources and at the same time we build the defenses against the climate change already baked in.

And remember we need to get this done in the next 5-10 years. Once the ice is gone, it's gone.  It may not be reversible.

Even if we lose the Arctic, having spacecraft blocking the sun that falls on the Arctic will help.

Also, how much of this shade is umbra v. penumbra

All of it if when the sails are close to earth and none of it when they are far. When they are far it will be all antumbra.

Appears so...

The time for just prevention is over.

[Sigmetnow]

The width of the moon covers about half a degree of the sky.  The sun is about 400 times bigger, but it is 400 times farther away, so it is the same angular size (that’s why a total eclipse just barely blocks out the sun).

Polar, sun-synchronous orbits are generally between 375-500 miles (600-800km) high.  As they circle the earth in a north-south inclination (every 100 minutes or so), the earth rotates beneath them, and they pass over the same points on earth at the same solar time every day.

At a 400-mile-high orbit, four screens flying next to each other, each 5,000 feet (1,500 m) long (perhaps suspended between multiple satellites), would cover more than half a degree of arc.  But it would not be necessary to block the entire sun, merely to lessen it’s effect — a “partial eclipse,” if you will.  The screens could be semi-permeable, acting like a momentary cloud cover.

The satellites’ orbits could be designed so that they appear over precise areas of the arctic at precise times each day.  The more satellites in orbit, the more “clouds.”  Satellites could adjust the inclination of the screens during each orbit so that their effect on other areas of the planet is minimized, as desired.

[vox_mundi]

Dimensions of the ISS is approximately 356 feet (109 meters) by 240 feet (73 meters)

It orbits at 245 miles

It covers 60 arcseconds or 0.0167 degrees of arc when observed at 90 degrees above the horizon (directly overhead)

But in the arctic the sun never rises above 21 degrees.

When observed during a transit 21 degrees above the horizon it covers less than 15 arcseconds or 0.004 degrees of arc.

So if we looked at an object 10 times larger (1000 meters x 1000 meters) it would only mask 0.04 degrees, not  0.5 degrees. And that's at an orbit of 245 miles. At an orbit of 400 miles divide that 0.04 degrees of arc by ~ 2.

To be effective any sail would have to transit ( cast a shadow) no higher than 21 degrees to block solar radiation. That means that the shadows length (c) will be substantially longer than the orbital altitude (a). Closer to 1200 miles.

[oren]

What would be the cost of this huge number of satellites? For a fraction of that cost, the whole world can be switched to solar and wind energy with batteries, and solve the root cause of warming.

[Sigmetnow]

What would be the cost of this huge number of satellites? For a fraction of that cost, the whole world can be switched to solar and wind energy with batteries, and solve the root cause of warming.

No one (or at least, certainly not I) is saying, “Let’s try this space thing and not do anything about reducing carbon emissions on earth.”  But ‘necessity is the mother of invention,’ and if seemingly weird solutions might help, we should investigate them, not simply dismiss them out of hand.  A few years ago, people were adamant that mainstream EVs and grid batteries could not be solutions, either.

[Sigmetnow]

But in the arctic the sun never rises above 21 degrees.

Good point!  One way to address this would be to have an orbital perigee (lowest point) slightly south of the arctic.  The solar screens could be more opaque, since less of the sun would be covered.  And the screen area would need to be measured in miles (kilometers), not feet.  Doable, if we’re talking “tens of thousands” of satellites, and/or material strung between satellites flying in tandem, as I mentioned above.

[Archimid]

What would be the cost of this huge number of satellites? For a fraction of that cost, the whole world can be switched to solar and wind energy with batteries, and solve the root cause of warming.

Correct. But what if the carbon cycle breaks with things like massive fires increasing short term emissions and decreasing annual carbon sinks? permafrost warming? What if a 0 emissions society is not enough to stop the changes already happening. What if we can't drawdown CO2 fast enough to stop the Arctic from passing a point of no return?

[cognitivebias2]

I was thinking how impractical this approach seems.  What about a reflective coating on all paved surfaces.  Sounds more practical to me...  Found this LA test in my first search:

http://mentalfloss.com/article/501146/los-angeles-testing-reflective-roads-keep-neighborhoods-cool

Los Angeles Testing Reflective Roads to Keep Neighborhoods Cool
BY SHAUNACY FERRO MAY 23, 2017

The urban heat island effect is a well-documented part of city living. Cities are simply hotter than their surrounding regions, thanks to their miles and miles of dark surfaces like asphalt roads, brick buildings, and black tar roofs that absorb heat during the day. When night falls, these hard surfaces release the heat they’ve been taking in all day, keeping cities several degrees hotter than their greener neighbors long after the sun has set. Green roofs and more parklands help, but they can't cancel out the enormous areas of paved surfaces in most metropolises.

[Sigmetnow]

Elon Musk just teased a “next generation” Starship which would be 18 meters/59 feet in diameter (compared to the current Starship builds of 9m/30 feet diameter.  A 747 cabin is 6.5m). 

It would make sense as a “colony ship,” versus the Starship as an “exploration ship.”

Reddit discusses it (and more) here:  https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comments/cwsz8u/elon_musk_on_twitter_aiming_for_20km_flight_in/

Note to Villabolo:  The only rocket ideas bigger than an 18m Starship are Sea Dragon and Von Braun's rocket!

Edit: Article:
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says Starship could be followed by a dramatically larger rocket
https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-elon-musk-starship-the-next-generation/

[Sigmetnow]

Elon Musk and Jack Ma discuss AI's risks, Mars, and how humans can secure the future

MAKING HUMANS MULTI-PLANETARY
Musk noted that humans have an opportunity today because this is the first time in history that it’s “possible to extend life beyond Earth.” He added that the window for this could either be open for a long or short time. Thus, it is in humanity’s best interest to secure its multi-planetary opportunities as quickly as possible.

Ma, for his part, argued that he has no interest in multi-planetary initiatives. “I’m not a fan of going to Mars,” he noted. Instead, Ma stated that it’s more pertinent for humans to try and preserve Earth. The Alibaba chairman nevertheless stated that the world needs innovators like Elon Musk, in as much as it needs people who are willing to do what needs to be done to save the planet. “We need heroes like you (who want to go to Mars), but we need heroes like us (who will fix Earth),” Ma said.

Musk explained that preserving Earth is a notable part of Tesla’s mission, from transitioning the transportation sector towards sustainability to fostering energy independence through solar power and batteries. Responding to Ma’s statements about using resources to focus on solving Earth’s problems, Musk noted that it will only take a fraction of the world’s GDP to make humans multi-planetary, comparable or even less than what people spend on something like makeup annually. “Spending resources on making life multi-planetary would be enough with just 1% of the earth’s GDP,” Musk noted.
...

https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-elon-musk-alibaba-jack-ma-ai-debate-video/

The main Mars discussion begins about minute 10:

[kassy]

Musk noted that humans have an opportunity today because this is the first time in history that it’s “possible to extend life beyond Earth.” He added that the window for this could either be open for a long or short time. Thus, it is in humanity’s best interest to secure its multi-planetary opportunities as quickly as possible.

Viable life beyond earth needs earth life for a long time yet.

The only viable pathway to space is keeping this planet habitable.

[vox_mundi]

Satellite Photos Show Burning Iran Space Center Launch Pad
https://phys.org/news/2019-08-satellite-photos-iran-space-center.html



A rocket at an Iranian space center that was to conduct a satellite launch criticized by the U.S. apparently exploded on its launch pad Thursday, satellite images show, suggesting the Islamic Republic suffered its third failed launch this year alone.

State media and officials did not immediately acknowledge the incident at the Imam Khomeini Space Center in Iran's Semnan province.

However, satellite images by Planet Labs Inc. showed a black plume of smoke rising above a launch pad there, with what appeared to be the charred remains of a rocket and its launch stand. In previous days, satellite images had shown officials there repainted the launch pad blue.

On Thursday morning, half of that paint apparently had been burned away.

"Whatever happened there, it blew up and you're looking at the smoldering remains of what used to be there," said David Schmerler, a senior research associate at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies.

Schmerler told The Associated Press that the images of the space center suggested that the rocket either exploded during ignition or possibly briefly lifted off before crashing back down on the pad. Water runoff from the pad, likely from trying to extinguish the blaze, could be seen along with a host of vehicles parked nearby.

... The U.S. alleges such launches defy a U.N. Security Council resolution calling on Iran to undertake no activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons.

------------------------------------------

We did the same thing with North Korea 2 years ago. This sort of thing is going to come back and bite us one day ...



-------------------------------------

The cyber conflict between Iran and the U.S. is now a constant—it doesn't diminish simply because the headlines go away.





U.S. Cyber Command Presentation: Assessing Actions Along the Spectrum of Cyberspace Operations
https://publicintelligence.net/uscc-cyber-spectrum/

[Sigmetnow]

”After all, NASA has fostered some of the greatest technological developments in all of human history.”

The International Space Station Is More Valuable than Many People Realize

Aboard the ISS, an array of basic and applied research programs are underway with participation of companies such as Boeing, Anheuser-Busch, Sanofi, LambdaVision, Space Tango, Airbus, and Teledyne Brown Engineering. The ISS is effectively the premier space R&D lab, and companies are utilizing microgravity at the edge of the human frontier 250 miles up to solve problems here on Earth.
...
Over its lifespan, more than 2,400 experiments have been conducted by more than 230 visitors from 18 countries. 
...
Over their lifetime, teenagers have seen a constant revolution in technology, some of it exclusively the result of space access and research.
...
The lion’s share of onboard station research is aimed at solving long-term challenges for human survival in deep space. The ISS is the tethered ship from which astronauts will hone spacefaring skills to venture beyond the proverbial horizon.

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/the-international-space-station-is-more-valuable-than-many-people-realize/

[vox_mundi]

President Trump Tweets Sensitive Surveillance Image of Iran
https://www.npr.org/2019/08/30/755994591/president-trump-tweets-sensitive-surveillance-image-of-iran


A commercial satellite image from the company Maxar (bottom); the image tweeted by President Trump (top) appears to be of better quality.

President Trump has tweeted what experts say is almost certainly an image from a classified satellite or drone, showing the aftermath of an accident at an Iranian space facility.

"The United States of America was not involved in the catastrophic accident during final launch preparations for the Safir [Space Launch Vehicle] Launch at Semnan Launch Site One in Iran," the president said in a tweet that accompanied the image on Friday. "I wish Iran best wishes and good luck in determining what happened at Site One."
https://mobile.twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1167493371973255170

Some of the highest-resolution imagery available commercially comes from the company Maxar, whose WorldView-2 satellite sports 46-centimeter resolution.

But the image shown in the president's tweet appears to be of far better quality, says Ankit Panda, an adjunct senior fellow at the Federation of American Scientists, who specializes in analyzing satellite imagery. "The resolution is amazingly high," says Panda. "I would think it's probably below well below 20 centimeters, which is much higher than anything I've ever seen.

It was not entirely clear where the president's photo came from. Panda believes it was most likely taken by a classified U.S. satellite. But Melissa Hanham, deputy director of the Open Nuclear Network at the One Earth Foundation, believes that the resolution is so high, it may be beyond the physical limits at which satellites can operate. "The atmosphere is thick enough that after somewhere around 11 to 9 centimeters, things get wonky," she says.

That could mean it was taken by a drone or spy plane, though such a vehicle would be violating Iranian airspace. Hanham also says that the European company Airbus has been experimenting with drones that fly so high, they are technically outside the atmosphere and thus operating outside national boundaries. But she says she doesn't know whether the U.S. has such a system.

[TerryM]

I never thought the US was involved - until Trump insisted that they weren't.
Terry

[vox_mundi]

 U.S. Revives Secret Program to Sabotage Iranian Missiles and Rockets
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2019/02/13/us/politics/iran-missile-launch-failures.amp.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-49532408

The Trump White House has accelerated a secret American program to sabotage Iran’s missiles and rockets, according to current and former administration officials, who described it as part of an expanding campaign by the United States to undercut Tehran’s military and isolate its economy.

Officials said it was impossible to measure precisely the success of the classified program, which has never been publicly acknowledged. But in the past month alone, two Iranian attempts to launch satellites have failed within minutes.

The launch failures prompted The New York Times to seek out more than a half-dozen current and former government officials who have worked on the American sabotage program over the past dozen years. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the covert program.

The officials described a far-reaching effort, created under President George W. Bush, to slip faulty parts and materials into Iran’s aerospace supply chains. The program was active early in the Obama administration, but had eased by 2017, when Mr. Pompeo took over as the director of the C.I.A. and injected it with new resources.

The C.I.A., with help from the National Security Agency, searched for ways to subvert factories, supply chains and launchers.

It did not take much, according to officials from both the Bush and Obama administrations. Flight disruption could take no more than a small design change in a critical valve, a modest alteration in an engine part or guidance system, or a contaminated alloy for making launcher fins, crucial for aerodynamic stability.

... The C.I.A. declined to comment on the sabotage efforts. Government officials asked The Times to withhold some details of its reporting, mostly involving the identities of specific suppliers to the Iranian program, because the effort is continuing.

[Tom_Mazanec]

Drexler makes a good case that molecular nanotechnology will enable colonization of space.
This is the best hope for it.

[crandles]

Manufacture something like SF6 on Mars?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-49567197

However, the significant downside to using the gas is that it has the highest global warming potential of any known substance. It is 23,500 times more warming than carbon dioxide (CO2).

Just one kilogram of SF6 warms the Earth to the same extent as 24 people flying London to New York return.

It also persists in the atmosphere for a long time, warming the Earth for at least 1,000 years.

Maybe it wouldn't persist long in Mars atmosphere?

[Tom_Mazanec]

That stuff is the anti-helium...it makes your voice sound like Smaug the Dragon instead of Alvin the Chipmunk.

[Sigmetnow]

A tour of a Bigelow expandable space module prototype. The company has dropped plans to send tourists to the ISS for now, and is concentrating on being a part of NASA’s Lunar Gateway project.

Bigelow’s next-generation inflatable space habitat is shooting for the Moon
https://www.theverge.com/platform/amp/2019/9/13/20863143/bigelow-aerospace-b330-inflatable-space-habitat-nasa-nextstep-astronauts

[Sigmetnow]

Feeding off-world colonies: Leeks and tomatoes can be grown in Martian soil

...With the exception of spinach, which didn’t grow well, all nine other plants were able to grow even in the nutrient-poor regolith. The researchers were also able to harvest seeds from radishes, cress, and rye, which is important as germination is key to long-term crop cultivation. This means it is potentially possible to grow edible crops away from Earth, which brings us closer to being able to build a sustainable off-world base.

“We were thrilled when we saw the first tomatoes ever grown on the Mars soil simulant turning red,” Dr. Wamelink said in a statement. “This means that the next step towards a sustainable closed agricultural ecosystem had been taken.”

https://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/martian-soil-grow-plants/

[GoSouthYoungins]

Feeding off-world colonies: Leeks and tomatoes can be grown in Martian soil

No. Nothing has ever been grown in Martian soil. No.

[Sigmetnow]

The biggest barrier to future space exploration is in our heads
With enough time, the technological challenges of sending humans to Mars and beyond are solvable. But psychologically, we’re not ready to leave our home.
https://www.fastcompany.com/90419017/the-biggest-barrier-to-future-space-exploration-is-in-our-heads

[Sigmetnow]

Space Colonization begins with non-astronauts visiting space.

The Fraught History (and Inevitable Future) of Space Tourism
https://lithub.com/the-fraught-history-and-inevitable-future-of-space-tourism/

[Shared Humanity]

Space Colonization begins with non-astronauts visiting space.

The Fraught History (and Inevitable Future) of Space Tourism
https://lithub.com/the-fraught-history-and-inevitable-future-of-space-tourism/

How in the hell is putting wealthy people into earth orbit represent a step towards space colonization when we have successfully put astronauts into space orbit for the past 6 decades?

[Sigmetnow]

Space Colonization begins with non-astronauts visiting space.

The Fraught History (and Inevitable Future) of Space Tourism
https://lithub.com/the-fraught-history-and-inevitable-future-of-space-tourism/

How in the hell is putting wealthy people into earth orbit represent a step towards space colonization when we have successfully put astronauts into space orbit for the past 6 decades?

Because astronauts are test pilots and scientists who have trained for years and must pass strenous physical tests, not to mention government acceptance.  Tourists, not so much.  It moves toward the time when “regular people” can go to space — and the time when huge personal finance or a lifetime of relevant study is not a requirement.

Even Yusaku Maezawa has left his day job to start training for his (2023?) SpaceX flight around the moon.

[Sigmetnow]

Joe previously did a video on the problems of living on Mars.  Here he talks solutions with Andy Weir, author of “The Martian.”

How We Could Survive On Mars - Feat. Andy Weir | Answers With Joe - YouTube

[Shared Humanity]

Even Yusaku Maezawa has left his day job to start training for his (2023?) SpaceX flight around the moon.

So, something we did 57 years earlier. I suppose if some ultra wealthy person included his pet Schnauzer on the trip around the moon that would be even more compelling evidence we are ready to colonize space.

[Sigmetnow]

Yusaku Maezawa is paying for all the open seats on his Dear Moon circum-lunar flight so six to eight accomplished artists can travel with him for free and use their experience to inspire others to do more.

Maezawa expects this flight will inspire the artists in their creation of new art, which will be presented some time after their return to Earth, he hopes this project will help promote peace across the world.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/DearMoon_project

As the video above discusses, research into the increased risk of such conditions as cataracts and cancer related to space flight could lead to new treatments or cures on earth. 

As we do more, we learn more.  And the harshness of space inspires us to take better care of the earth, and each other.

[GoSouthYoungins]

It is a total joke.

SpaceX is a fraud.

I mean yes, they launch rockets. Any monkey can for enough money,

But there is no innovation. And the business model is built on hopes and dreams. Very Muskian.

[vox_mundi]

Building a Mars Base with Bacteria
https://phys.org/news/2019-11-mars-base-bacteria.html

How do you make a base on Mars? ... Benjamin Lehner, a Ph.D. student at Delft University of Technology with a background in both nanotechnology and biology, has now come up with a plan that does not involve any human beings in the first couple of years. His plan also eliminates the need to send heavy materials to Mars. In his dissertation, Lehner proposes the use of unmanned capsules containing three components: a rover, a bioreactor and a 3-D printer.

The rover is not much more than a shovel on wheels. During the day, it scoops up the iron-rich Martian soil (called regolith) and brings it to the bioreactor. This reactor is filled with bacteria of the Shewanella oneidensis species. "In its natural form, we can't use much of the iron in the Martian soil," explains Lehner. "But S. oneidensis has the ability to turn part of the soil into magnetite, a magnetic oxide of iron."



After the bacteria have done their work, the magnetite can be extracted with magnets. Using a technique called Lithography-based Ceramic Manufacturing (LCM), the 3-D printer then converts the raw material into screws, nuts, iron plates and other objects—everything that future settlers need to build a Martian base.

Some major advantages of bacteria are that they are self-reproducing, easy and cheap to transport and that they can withstand high amounts of radiation. In Lehner's plan, micro-algae feed the bacteria. These algae convert sunlight and CO2 from the Martian atmosphere into nutrients and oxygen. They also produce residual waste, which will be an important resource for the first settlers of Mars since it can be used as compost. The biomining reactor itself also produces such organic waste.

... Lehner and his team have calculated how much iron one unmanned capsule with a 1400 liter reactor could produce: about 350 kilograms per year. "After 3.3 years, it would produce more iron than can fit inside the capsule," he says. "By sending several of these unmanned modules to Mars, we can produce a good amount of iron in a few years' time."

... ESA and NASA have already indicated that they would like to develop Lehners ideas further.

https://repository.tudelft.nl/islandora/object/uuid:acd7102b-339b-45b5-972e-fe3a2ad9c52e?collection=research

[Sigmetnow]

Building a Mars Base with Bacteria
... Lehner and his team have calculated how much iron one unmanned capsule with a 1400 liter reactor could produce: about 350 kilograms per year. "After 3.3 years, it would produce more iron than can fit inside the capsule," he says. "By sending several of these unmanned modules to Mars, we can produce a good amount of iron in a few years' time."

Several?  Well, it would take about 2,857 of them and one year to make the 100 tons of iron/steel/parts that one SpaceX Starship could bring in a single load.   But once a colony is up and running, this might be a good source for a sustainable supply of material for small fabrications.

[TerryM]

Mars is too close to the neighbors. Pluto's where you can let the dogs bark all night.
Terry