It is undeniable that, as scientific and technological progress advances more and more, humanity is attracted by the possibility of expanding its footprint on a not only planetary, but interplanetary level. However, as our knowledge of the cosmos grows, space missions grow in difficulty and ambition. The scientific community is faced with obstacles such that, in order to continue exploring and surviving the solar system, it becomes necessary to use non-Earth resources. Moreover, especially at this historical moment of usurpation and impoverishment of Planet Earth, the exploitation of other and independent resources can make the missions sustainable and economically more accessible. In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) is the science of using space resources to support space exploration and colonization: ISRU opens multiple scenarios of possible destinations, greatly reducing the mass of the load at departure. Mars in particular in this last historical period has attracted our attention, proving to be a place potentially capable of hosting life, thanks to the considerable resources it has. Among these, a particularly promising resource is gypsum - a component of the vast dunes scattered all over the planet - because it contains high amounts of water. This property, therefore, makes gypsum a potential in-situ resource, usable for the realization of propulsion and life support systems. The Water Extraction on Mars (WEXMA) tool is designed to practice the extraction of water from gypsum; its development was conducted by evaluating the effectiveness of the project, the quality of the result, and the feasibility of the mission. The preliminary design is intended to produce at least 500ml of water and, in cooperation with the reuse of the UPA system, would produce the amount of water required daily by a human. WEXMA is designed to receive the Martian mineral, reduce its size through a Jaw Crusher system of fragmentation, and then transport it inside a heater for the extraction of water via dehydration. Finally, the water obtained would be stored in a tank able to keep it at a temperature suitable for the necessary analysis. Therefore, WEXMA is the first step in the creation of a gypsum dehydration plant: a prototype that aims to open the doors to the scenario of a human stay on Mars, exploiting the on-site production of water.
È innegabile che, con l’avanzare sempre più incalzante del progresso scientifico e tecnologico, l’umanità venga attratta dalla possibilità di espandere la propria impronta a livello non più solo planetario, ma interplanetario. Tuttavia, come la nostra conoscenza del cosmo si arricchisce, le missioni spaziali crescono in difficoltà e in ambizione. La comunità scientifica viene posta di fronte a ostacoli tali per cui, al fine di continuare ad esplorare il sistema solare e sopravvivervi, diviene necessario l’uso di risorse svincolate dalla sola Terra. Inoltre, specialmente in questo momento storico di usurpazione e impoverimento del Pianeta Terra, lo sfruttamento di risorse altre e indipendenti può rendere le missioni sostenibili ed economicamente più accessibili. In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) è la scienza dell’utilizzo delle risorse spaziali finalizzato al supporto dell’esplorazione e della colonizzazione spaziali: ISRU apre molteplici scenari di possibili destinazioni, riducendo notevolmente, tra l’altro, la massa del carico alla partenza. Marte in particolare in questo ultimo periodo storico ha attirato la nostra attenzione, rivelandosi un luogo potenzialmente capace di ospitare forme di vita, grazie alle notevoli risorse di cui è dotato. Tra queste una risorsa particolarmente promettente risulta essere il gesso - componente delle vaste dune sparse su tutto il pianeta - poiché contiene elevate quantità di acqua. Questa proprietà quindi fa del gesso una potenziale in-situ resource, usufruibile per la realizzazione di sistemi di propulsione e di supporto vitale. Lo strumento Water Extraction on Mars (WEXMA) è ideato per praticare l’estrazione di acqua dal gesso; il suo sviluppo è stato condotto valutando l’efficacia del progetto, la qualità del risultato, e la fattibilità della missione. Il design preliminare è pensato per produrre almeno 500 ml di acqua e, in concerto con la riutilizzazione dell’UPA system, permetterebbe di produrre la quantità di acqua necessitata quotidianamente da un essere umano. WEXMA è pensato per ricevere il minerale marziano, ridurne la dimensione tramite un sistema Jaw Crusher di frammentazione, e quindi trasportarlo all’interno di un heater per l’estrazione di acqua via disidratazione. L’acqua ottenuta verrebbe infine immagazzinata in un serbatoio in grado di mantenerla alla temperatura utile alle dovute analisi. Dunque, WEXMA è il primo passo nella creazione di un impianto di disidratazione del gesso: un prototipo che ambisce ad aprire le porte sullo scenario di una permanenza umana su Marte, sfruttando la produzione in-loco di acqua.
In-situ resource utilization : the extraction of water from Martian gypsum in aid of human colonization of the Red Planet
Bertolini, Edoardo
2021/2022
Abstract
It is undeniable that, as scientific and technological progress advances more and more, humanity is attracted by the possibility of expanding its footprint on a not only planetary, but interplanetary level. However, as our knowledge of the cosmos grows, space missions grow in difficulty and ambition. The scientific community is faced with obstacles such that, in order to continue exploring and surviving the solar system, it becomes necessary to use non-Earth resources. Moreover, especially at this historical moment of usurpation and impoverishment of Planet Earth, the exploitation of other and independent resources can make the missions sustainable and economically more accessible. In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) is the science of using space resources to support space exploration and colonization: ISRU opens multiple scenarios of possible destinations, greatly reducing the mass of the load at departure. Mars in particular in this last historical period has attracted our attention, proving to be a place potentially capable of hosting life, thanks to the considerable resources it has. Among these, a particularly promising resource is gypsum - a component of the vast dunes scattered all over the planet - because it contains high amounts of water. This property, therefore, makes gypsum a potential in-situ resource, usable for the realization of propulsion and life support systems. The Water Extraction on Mars (WEXMA) tool is designed to practice the extraction of water from gypsum; its development was conducted by evaluating the effectiveness of the project, the quality of the result, and the feasibility of the mission. The preliminary design is intended to produce at least 500ml of water and, in cooperation with the reuse of the UPA system, would produce the amount of water required daily by a human. WEXMA is designed to receive the Martian mineral, reduce its size through a Jaw Crusher system of fragmentation, and then transport it inside a heater for the extraction of water via dehydration. Finally, the water obtained would be stored in a tank able to keep it at a temperature suitable for the necessary analysis. Therefore, WEXMA is the first step in the creation of a gypsum dehydration plant: a prototype that aims to open the doors to the scenario of a human stay on Mars, exploiting the on-site production of water.| File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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https://hdl.handle.net/10589/197109