Category Archives: Mars Colonization

What a wonderful arguably simple solution. Heres the problem, we travel to Mars but how do we feed ourselves? Sure we can take a load of food with us but for the return trip thats a lot. If we plan to colonise the red planet we need even more. We have to grow or somehow create food while we are there. The solution is an already wonderfully simple biosphere style system; a fish tank! New research suggests fish could be raised in an aquatic system and nutrient rich water can fertilise and grow plants in the regolith! A recent simulation showed vegetables could be grown in regolith fertilised by the fish tank water!

In the next few decades we may well see human beings colonise Mars. The red planet is 54.6 million km away which, even on board a rocket, takes about 7 months to get there! Future colonists could simply have supply ships drop all they need but that becomes ridiculously expensive to sustain and frankly, isnt sustainable. The lucky people that colonise Mars will just have to find some way to grow what they need.

If you have watched The Martian movie with Matt Damon you will know how unforgiving the Martian environment is. Ok the film was a little out on scientific accuracy in places but it certainly showed how inhospitable it really is there. Matt managed to cultivate a decent crop of potatoes in Martian regolith fertilised in human faeces.This may not be quite so practical in real life and there may be alternative, less smelly and dangerous alternatives.

Taking the assumption that colonists will have to grow fresh produce locally, a team of researchers decided to explore how feasible this might be. On first glance, it may seem not too great an idea after all, the atmosphere is toxic with 95% carbon dioxide (compared to just 0.04% on Earth). There is a similar length of day on Mars but being able to grow crops will require longer periods of lighting. It is possible at least water may be collected from the ice which forms on and in the Martian rocks. The rocks most certainly have water stored away but organic compounds that we know of.

The team wanted to see how fish could help and whether the water from the system could be used to impart nutrients into the Martian regolith. To test the idea, they setup an aquaponic system with fish in tanks to generate the nutrient rich liquid.

The results were very promising. They found that aquaponic systems not only facilitate growing plants within the system itself but the nutrient rich water performed as an excellent fertiliser. This took the organically deficient regolith and turned it into something akin to useable soil. The fish used in the study were tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and using them, the team managed to grow potatoes, tomatoes, beans, carrots and much more. To enable all this to happen, the fish received sufficient light and other environmental stimulus. The plants were grown and indeed thrived in a tent that simulated Mars in every way possible.

Its an interesting aside that the study not only benefits future space travellers but those inhabitants of more environmentally hostile places on Earth.

Source : Fish and chips on Mars: our research shows how colonists could produce their ownfood

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Fish Could Turn Regolith into Fertile Soil on Mars - Universe Today

It was a belated awakening. For many American Jews, Oct. 7 uncovered the deep rot in the elite institutions they had invested in for decades, psychically and financially. A recent poll found that 73% of Jewish students experienced or witnessed antisemitic incidents since the beginning of this academic school year, a 22-fold increase over the year before. Jewish students have been punched, spat upon, assaulted with sticks, shouted at, and corralled by students in kaffiyehs.

But it shouldnt have come as a surprise that the DEI regime has fostered the flourishing of campus antisemitism under the Palestinian banner. Having established Jews as members of the oppressor class and defined justice as the dismantling of this class, the officially sanctioned ideology has given license to the Palestinian vanguard to demand fulfillment of the progressive promise, by any means necessary, while turning Jewish students into piatas.

In New York City public colleges, a kippa-wearing, red-headed leprechaun named Ilya Bratmanformer U.S. Army tankist, applied linguist, long-distance runner, and immigrant from the former Soviet Unionhas witnessed up close the socialization of young Americans into this toxic worldview. A teacher of English composition at Baruch and John Jay colleges who holds a Ph.D. in education from the Jewish Theological Seminary, he also serves as executive director of Hillel at eight CUNY and SUNY colleges.

On the day we met, Bratman was hosting dinner for 200 Jewish students at a synagogue on 23rd Street near Lexington Avenue. After passing a phalanx of security guards into a social room, they began filling their plates with grilled meat and salads prepared by Bratmans favorite Georgian caterer.

The narrative of victimhood has become welded to these young peoples identity, leading to a sense of grievance toward America.

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After the students use cookie cutters to shape chocolate chip cookie dough into Stars of David, Bratman grabbed a microphone and stepped forward. Last week, everybody was already seated in my 8:00 a.m. class, and a student comes in and she says to me, Wow, I cant believe you bombed that hospital last night and killed all those people.

The social room, for the first time, went dead quiet.

The student of course was referring to deaths and injuries at the Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza, whose courtyard was hit on Oct. 17 by a rocket misfired from inside Gaza by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, but which was widely misreported as having been the result of an Israeli missile.

Bratmans reaction, as a teacher, was to affirm the importance of sound reasoning and argumentationand, of course, language. I told her, Wow, I cant believe you forgot completely everything I taught you about the accusative voice and the proper use of the pronoun you, because you just said that I did this, he recounted. I bombed the hospital. What hospital? Where? Who?

He went on. Did you hear that Hamas said they did it? Bratman said he asked the student, referring to a conversation Israel had recorded between two terrorists apparently acknowledging the bombing was an own goal.

The students response was emblematic of the sectarian worldview into which young Americans are regimented, whereby the value, even the truthfulness, of an argument or action is assessed based on the identity of its author, rather than on its own merits. I will never believe that, she told him, even if they came to my face and say, Hamas, we did it. I will never believe it.

Bratman told me the students think hes a fool to read the newspapers and interrogate different sources in search of the truth. They tell him that mainstream media is all fake news, and they get their information from TikTok, which is real people talking about real things. Ive seen it, they tell him. On Instagram, on TikTok, Ive seen it.

They dont read anything. They just read headlines and pictures and memes. And they base their whole worldview on a set of memes.

Ilya Bratman was born in Moscow. He emigrated to the U.S. in 1992 with his parents, graduated from college at the University of Pittsburgh in 1999, then joined the U.S. Army, where he served four years in active duty and four years in the reserves.

Bratman believes strongly in America and the American dream. Teaching American students in New York City has brought him face-to-face with an entirely different worldviewone that appears to be particularly common among students from officially sanctioned minority backgrounds. The students dont appreciate what a gift theyve been given to live in America. Instead, they are lost in a zero-sum game of calculating relative oppressions. This fixation stops them from learning, Bratman believes, in part because it assures them that they will fail.

More on DEI and Campus Antisemitism

In his composition classes, he explained, he tries to get his students to create and support an argument. One week, he asked them to write about space exploration. Should we go to space? Or should we not?

One girl argued in favor of space travel because white people will move to space, maybe to Mars, or wherever, creating a gap, or an opening into which the indigenous brown and black people can move up in the class structure and fill that gap left behind by the white people who will move to Mars.

Theres a lot to unpack there, isnt there? Bratman responded. First of all, the belief in this structure where white people are on top, everybody else on the bottom, and the only way to move up is if the white people leave.

Another girl wrote that no, we should not have space travel because then the white people would colonize the Martian people, as they always do, and ruin the Martians lives.

Bratman said he asked, Does it help you to blame somebody? Do you actually become better? Do you strive further? Do you succeed better because you can blame someone?

He told me the students have no answer, but they know life is a victimhood competition. Im a victim and therefore you owe me, and therefore I dont have to do anything because I cannot succeed.

The narrative of victimhood has become welded to these young peoples identity, leading to an increased detachment from, and a sense of grievance toward, Americathe irony of course being that they and their parents chose to immigrate here. One girl in the class told him: I am here in this country against my will. Bratman asked her: Whos holding you? Tell me, please. Im frightened for you, showcasing his high-energy, high-drama style. Everybodys laughing, and I asked her, Where are you from? And she says, Haiti. OK. And where were you born? And she says, Brooklyn.

So youre actually from Brooklyn. Your parents are from Haiti, he repeated. Whos holding you back? Do you really want to go to Haiti today? You should actually go and see what life is like in a noncapitalist, depressed country that is in a desperate economic struggle. Or go to Gaza to a totalitarian, autocratic, hateful, homophobic nation. Or go to North Korea, go to Iran, go to all the places as a young woman, and see what life is really like.

None of that is understood, he told me. The students are pawns of teachers who want them to believe they can never succeed. And these teachers have been spectacularly successful at convincing them it is true.

Bratman teaches his Jewish students to adopt a different approach to the worldone anchored in tradition, learning, and the study of Jewish texts. At the dinner in the 23rd Street synagogue, he invited the students to let him know if theyd like to join him in studying Pirkei Avot in honor of IDF soldiers called up for duty. He also has a club of about 80 boys who are laying tefillin every day.

Bratman told me that, in spite of the recent stresses, hes not worried about his Jewish students. Ninety-nine point nine percent of them are rational people who go out and get jobs, they get married and I go to their weddings and brises.

But there is something terribly wrong with the others, he believes. A lot of these students, theyre nice, theyre wonderful people, right? But they look at me as a Jew, and say, well, you know, because youre supportive of this Israel story and Israel narrative, you kind of stand with the oppressor, you know, and Im Hispanic or Black and I have to stand with the oppressed. Or Im gay and I have to stand with the oppressed.

Bratmans worry is that these students, by adopting a worldview of grievance, are keeping themselves down with imaginary obstacles and denying their own volition. What they dont understand is that [these invented obstacles] are all surmountable. Its my mission to uplift and empower these young people to actually strive for the opportunities that exist and to dispel the false and limiting idea that its all impossible.

Bratman told me he had a student at John Jay whom he will never forget, a student struggling mightily at school. I had many conversations with him, Bratman said. Id say, come, come on, keep going, keep going. And he said, No, Im thinking of dropping out.

And Im like, no, no, get through this class. I got you. I got you. And I carried him through this course. And on the last day he came to see me, and he said, I dropped out of all the classes except for yours. Everybody in my family, including my mother and my grandparentsI dont know my fathermy uncles and everybody said, What are you doing? Why are you going to college? You can get a job now for $20 an hour, and when you graduate, youre gonna get a job for $20 an hour. Whats the purpose?

Bratman seemed genuinely sadnot angry or offended, just sadabout what he heard next. No one ever believed in me, the student said. I cant believe that the first and only person whos ever believed in me is a white Jew.

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White People Are Going to Colonize Mars, and Other Fears From Today's Campuses - Tablet Magazine

Elon Musk is all about leaving Earth behind and heading to Mars on one of his rockets and taking a whole bunch of people with him. Hes previously said that to make regular flights back and forth between Earth and Mars a reality, his company SpaceX would need to build about 1,000 Starships.

According to Bob: Public Transit Is a Car Enthusiast's Best Friend

Thats going to take a while, considering theres only a few Starships in various stages of construction right now and it hasnt you know been to space, let alone Mars. In a recent Twitter (or X, I do not care) post, Musk suggested SpaceX may actually need to build Starships even faster than he initially anticipated to make his weird Mars colony a reality.

To achieve Mars colonization in roughly three decades, we need ship production to be 100/year, but ideally rising to 300/year, Musk wrote on Twitter. That is a shit ton of ships. To put that in perspective, over the past three decades, Boeing has built an average of about 300 of its 737 aircraft per year. Keep in mind, 737s are a lot easier to build than rocket ships meant to go to Mars, and Boeing is really good at building them something SpaceX cannot say at this point about Starship.

The 737s pace of production isnt the only airline-related goal SpaceX is after. Gwynne Shotwell, Musks second in command at the company, said last year that engineers have ...designed Starship to be as much like aircraft operations as we possibly can get it We want to talk about dozens of launches a day, if not hundreds of launches a day, Ars Technica reports. This needs to happen for SpaceX so it can lift millions of tons of equipment into space for a theoretical Mars settlement. Many of the launches will reportedly be Starship refueling tankers needed to make the interplanetary trip a reality. Think of them like space gas stations in a way.

Heres how Musk and SpaceX plan to make the Starship and Super Heavy booster work over and over again and what exactly theyll be used for, according to Ars Technica:

SpaceX still aims to make the Starship and its Super Heavy booster rapidly reusable. The crux is that the ship, the part that would travel into orbit, and eventually to the Moon or Mars, wont be reused as often as the booster. These ships will come in a number of different configurations, including crew and cargo transports, refueling ships, fuel depots, and satellite deployers.

The booster design will be the same across the different types of ships in the fleet. The Super Heavy, with more than 30 Raptor engines, will also return to SpaceXs launch sites about six minutes after liftoff, similar to the way SpaceX recovers its Falcon boosters today. Theoretically, Musk wrote, the booster could be ready for another flight in an hour.

With the Starship itself, the laws of physics and the realities of geography come into play. SpaceX will initially have Super Heavy and Starship launch and landing pads in South Texas and Cape Canaveral, Florida, although the company has flirted with the idea of offshore launch and landing platforms.

As an object flies in low-Earth orbit, the Earth rotates underneath it. This means that a satellite, or Starship, will find itself offset some 22.5 degrees in longitude from its launch site after a single 90-minute orbit around the planet. It could take several hours, or up to a day, for a Starship in low-Earth orbit to line up with one of the recovery sites.

The ship needs to complete at least one orbit, but often several to have the ground track line abc up with the launch site, so reuse may only be daily, Musk wrote, according to Ars Technica. This means that ship production needs to be roughly an order of magnitude higher than booster production.

Despite Musks general shittiness and desire to overpromise and underdeliver, Ars Technica says hes actually been fairly level-headed when it comes to SpaceX. Hell, hes even apparently said his schedule predictions are often aspirations. Yeah bud, you think?

Only time will tell if Musks goals for SpaceX can happen. His past successes and failures have had about as wide a range as the companies hes owned. Will Mars travel end up like the Tesla Supercharger network which is pretty much the gold standard of charging right now? Or will it end up like his underground Las Vegas tunnels which are really just a joke at this point?

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SpaceX Must Build 1,000 Starships In 10 Years To Reach Mars Goal. So Far, 0 Starships Have Made It To Space - Jalopnik

In this bi-weekly series reviewing classic science fiction and fantasy books, Alan Brown looks at the front lines and frontiers of the field; books about soldiers and spacers, scientists and engineers, explorers and adventurers. Stories full of what Shakespeare used to refer to as alarums and excursions: battles, chases, clashes, and the stuff of excitement.

Arthur C. Clarkes first published novel1951s Sands of Marsis also one of his most compelling and personal books. It is the story of Martin Gibson, a science fiction writer who has long dreamed about traveling in space, and gets the opportunity to travel to Mars on the trial run of the first interplanetary cruise liner. When he arrives on the planet, he finds not only a frontier full of mystery, but a sense of personal fulfilment and adventure that his life had previously been lacking.

I have remembered this book fondly for yearsor at least, I thought I did. I can still see my dads paperback copy, featuring two astronauts with cylindrical metal helmets standing in front of a classic streamlined rocket landing on its tail fins beside a dome with antennas on top. I remember a colonist, who may have been brought to Mars involuntarily, struggling to survive on a planet where you couldnt live for long without an oxygen mask, and the detail that many of the earliest workers on the planet came from mountainous regions of Earth, like the Himalayas and the Andes, and were able to function better in the thin atmosphere.

That paperback of dads is long lost, so I ordered the book from my states interlibrary loan system. The only copy they had was in an omnibus edition, Prelude to Mars, which included the books Prelude to Space and Sands of Mars as well as 16 short stories. And then, when I finally started reading Sands of Mars, I was shocked to find that I hadnt ever read this book after all. I must have confused the title with another story about early Mars exploration. So this column is not a re-read, but it is still a review of a book that is well worth visiting, and a classic of the genre. [And if anyone has ideas of other Mars exploration books I might have confused with Sands of Mars, I would be delighted to hear from you in the comments!]

I have visited Mars a number of times in this column. This includes looks at several works featuring the more fanciful planetary romance version of the planet, most notably Edgar Rice Burroughs A Princess of Mars, and a number of works by Leigh Brackett, including the adventures of Eric John Stark and the classic novel The Sword of Rhiannon. I also reviewed Ray Bradburys The Martian Chronicles, which can be seen as a bridge between the planetary romances and more realistic depictions of the planet. Heinleins juvenile adventure Red Planet contained another view of Mars written in roughly the same era as The Sands of Mars. And in Ben Bovas Mars, I found a more realistic view of visiting the planet, rooted in modern science.

About the Author

Arthur C. Clarke (1917-2008) was a British science fiction writer who spent his final years living in Sri Lanka. He is one of the most influential authors from the formative days of the science fiction genre; with Clarke, Robert Heinlein, and Isaac Asimov often referred to as science fictions Big Three. I have discussed Clarkes work before in this column, having reviewed A Fall of Moondust and Rendezvous With Rama, and you can find more biographical information in both of those reviews. Among his many other books were classics like Against the Fall of Night, Childhoods End, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and The Fountains of Paradise.

The Great Gap

The Sands of Mars portrays Martin Gibson as a science fiction author who started his career in the days before actual space travel and who gets to travel to Mars later in his life. While specific dates are not mentioned, I would guess that Gibson might have been born in the 1940s, started writing in the 1960s, and travels to Mars in the 1980s or 1990s. In the real world, of course, that progress in spaceflight hasnt come to pass. Here in 2023, the pioneers of the Golden Age of science fiction field have almost all passed away. And if they were still alive, they wouldnt be able to get a flight to the Moon, let alone Mars. There were high hopes for space programs after men landed on the Moon on July 20, 1969, and people had visions of moonbases and trips to Mars in the coming decades. But progress is not always linear, and the Apollo program came to an ignominious end in 1972 after only six successful lunar landings. There were a few orbital uses of leftover equipment, including the Skylab program, as well as the eventual launch of the International Space Station, but humans have not left Earth orbit since.

The biggest problem with further manned space efforts was high launch costs: The cost of launching anything into orbit on the single-use, custom-made boosters of the Apollo program was hideously expensive. The US shuttle program was intended to address that with a reusable launch system, but budget limitations and cost overruns hampered it from the start. Instead of being totally reusable, the system ended up with strap-on boosters and fuel tanks that were disposable, and a shuttle with a complex heat shield system that was extremely difficult to maintain.

Part of the problem was focusing on a large vehicle that could perform all missions, including the launch of heavy defense satellites. As someone remarked at the time (I think it might have been Jerry Pournelle), the decision to build such a large craft was like a family buying an 18-wheel truck for daily use, in order to be ready for occasional moves to a new home. The shuttle was tremendously expensive (it cost $54,000 per kilogram launched into orbit), it was not reliable enough for crewed flight, and the shuttle was retired even before its mission of supporting the International Space Station had ended, leaving that task to aging Russian Soyuz craft.

In recent years, however, space launch technology has made major leaps forward. There are several disposable rocket systems that can launch material in space at costs five to ten times cheaper than the shuttle. SpaceX, with boosters that fly back to the launch site for reuse, promises even cheaper costs in the future. And there are other companies also working on reusable launch systems, including those that launch from high-flying aircraft. No one can compete with the cost of an intercontinental aircraft flight (at least not yet), but these innovations have revived hopes of more robust crewed space flight programs in the future, and renewed the hope of bases on other worlds. (See this Wikipedia article for more discussion of launch costs.) After a gap of fifty years, during which meaningful progress in crewed space flight had been minimal, there is renewed hope that the days when a science fiction author can fly to other planets may be in our future after all.

The Sands of Mars

The book opens on a launch pad, as science fiction author Martin Gibson prepares to fly into space for the first time. The pilot teases him about people not passing out from the acceleration of a launch (as they did in his books). Martin, a bit high strung, passes out. And then, despite new drugs that minimize nausea in zero gravity, Martin gets sick in orbit. Gibson resembles the author Clarke to a great degree, and Clarke shows he is ready to poke some fun at himself, here.

Gibson arrives at Space Station One and begins to recover in the artificial gravity produced by its rotation. He sees the dumbbell-shaped ship, Ares, which will transport him to Mars. It is a passenger ship, but he will be the only passenger on this shakedown voyage. The ship is an atomic rocket, which explains its shape, with a crew compartment forward separated by a long, central shaft from the highly radioactive fission plant that heats the reaction mass. It is heavily automated, and has a crew of only six: the captain, Norton; the engineer, Hilton; the navigator, Mckay; the doctor, Scott; the electronics officer, Bradley; and the young supernumerary (on a military ship, he might be referred to as a midshipman), Jimmy Spencer. There are many staterooms that on this trip will be empty. Through Gibsons eyes, we tour the ship and observe its operations. In fact, in a meta moment, one of the officers jokes that such tours of the ship are a regular part of Gibsons books, and Gibson admits that describing a tour is the easiest way for the author to let readers know how things work.

There is a bit of excitement introduced when Earth launches a high-speed cargo rocket carrying an antidote to Martian fever, a disease the colonists brought with them from Earth, but which has mutated into a dangerous form. They must contact the missile with a homing signal, and bring it aboard so the doctor can tend to its contents during their voyage.

There is a micrometeorite strike that puts a tiny hole in Gibsons stateroom, so small that only the instruments detected it. The crew does not want him to find out about it (and alarm potential future passengers by writing about a threat that is vanishingly small), so his previously denied request to go out in a spacesuit gets approved. Designed only for zero gravity, the spacesuits do not have articulated legs, and are more like a tiny personal spacecraft. He has a delightful time, and the crew patches the hole in his stateroom with no one the wiser. There are a few anachronisms that crop up, as communications and navigational equipment is far more primitive in the book than it turned out to be in the real world. Gibson still types manuscripts on paper with carbon copies, and they are transmitted to Earth in a scanner that resembles a facsimile machine. And the spaceship dumps its garbage over the side, as ships did in the days before pollution became a concern, creating what could eventually become tiny hazards to navigation.

Along the way, Gibson gets to know the crewmembers, and finds that he has a surprising personal connection to one of them. Things get a bit meta again as the coincidence is described as an outrageous violation of the laws of probabilitythe sort of thing that would never have happened in one of Gibsons own novels. But it gives Gibson a chance to reevaluate his past, and his life so far, a life that will soon become very different. It turns out that, after a short, failed relationship in college, he has lived his life keeping emotions and commitments at arms length.

Ares is diverted to the Martian moon Deimos instead of Phobos, the first indication that Earth authorities are not aware of everything afoot on Mars. There is a description of the planet, as seen from the moon, which matches the best knowledge of the time. For some reason, astronomers thought Mars was without mountains. They also thought the planet had vegetation, as there had been changes in coloration detected as seasons changed. They thought the atmosphere thin and not at all breathable, which turned out to be largely correct, although they underestimated how thin.

Gibson and the crew fly down on a winged reentry rocket, and when they land, Gibson assumes the large crowd awaiting them has gathered for him, the acclaimed author. But it turns out they are waiting for Doctor Scott and his precious medical supplies, and Gibson, though he immediately understands, is chastened. Gibson meets Chief Hadfield, the administrator of the Mars colony, who from the start sees him as someone who can help them sell their efforts to bureaucrats back on Earth, and obtain more resources and funding. Unlike other colonists, Hadfield was allowed to bring a young daughter to the moon with him. Thus, she is about the only person on Mars who is the same age as young Ares crewmember Jimmy Spencer, and unsurprisingly, romance ensues.

The rest of the book involves a series of mysteries and revelations about Mars and its colonists, and I will avoid spoilers by not revealing them all here. Along the way, Gibson begins to identify with the colonists, and starts to feel a sense of belonging that he had previously lacked. He learns more about Martian plant life, and sees there are native plants that can produce oxygen. He goes on a trip to another colony, only to have his aircraft downed by a storm where its jets ingest far too much sand. During their struggle to survive, the crew makes an exciting discovery. And when Gibson returns to the main colony, the secret of the colonial research project on Phobos is revealed, and it is something that will transform the future of the planet Mars itself.

I very much enjoyed Sands of Mars. The prose, as throughout Clarkes career, is serviceable without being flashy. The characters are realistic, although often thinly drawn. Technological and scientific issues, on the other hand, are addressed with enthusiasm and in great detail. The science is compelling, and there are surprisingly few details that have been overtaken by subsequent technological advances, considering the fact that the book was written over seventy years ago. The big surprise is the level of emotion we find in the character of Martin Gibson, who ends up being a surrogate for Clarke himself. Perhaps Clarke felt he revealed too much, because I dont recall another of his books where he wore his heart on his sleeve quite so openly.

Final Thoughts

I may not have read Sands of Mars in my youth, but I wish I had. It is exactly the type of book that inspired my lifelong interest in science fiction, and in traveling to other worlds. Some might call the character Martin Gibson a Mary Sue for Arthur Clarke, and see the book as a kind of wish fulfillment, with a science fiction writer living out the dream of seeing other worlds. Personally, it makes me wonder, after long years where hope seemed lost, if some science fiction author living now will get to do exactly that.

And now I turn the floor over to you. Id love to hear the thoughts of those of you who have read Sands of Mars, and would like to hear about your other favorite tales from the early days of science fiction.

Alan Brown has been a science fiction fan for over five decades, especially fiction that deals with science, military matters, exploration and adventure.

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A Science Fiction Writer in Space: Sands of Mars by Arthur C. Clarke - tor.com

As the cryptocurrency market evolves, investors constantly look for promising projects to boost their portfolio growth in 2023. In this pursuit, DigiToads (TOADS), Dogelon Mars (ELON), and Shiba Inu (SHIB) have emerged as promising crypto projects that could yield maximum profits. These notable projects offer enticing features and attractive returns, catering to both experienced and novice investors.

DigiToads is an excellent investment option, providing exponential growth opportunities through its groundbreaking P2E gaming ecosystem and NFT staking platform. ELON is a meme coin project with a passionate community dedicated to creating a cryptocurrency for space exploration, while SHIB aims to revolutionize the crypto realm through decentralization and innovation. In this article, well explore the key attributes of each cryptocurrency and their potential contributions to portfolio growth in 2023.

DigiToads is a thrilling meme coin that has captured the interest of crypto enthusiasts with its impressive features and innovative approach. This DeFi project possesses robust capabilities that can propel investors crypto portfolios to new heights, offering a remarkable combination of investment potential and thrilling experiences within the ever-evolving realm of digital currencies. At the core of the DigiToads ecosystem lies an engaging P2E gaming platform where gamers can acquire, nurture, and compete with their unique DigiToads.

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In the Lilypad 9 phase, this DeFi token offers an attractive price of $0.047, providing investors with a discounted opportunity to get involved. The presale has already raised an impressive $5.7 million, reflecting the high level of investor confidence in its future path. This DeFi project presents a promising avenue for portfolio growth, with the next presale phase set to raise the price to $0.05.Dogelon Mars (ELON): Pioneering Interplanetary Crypto Platform and Intergalactic Currency

Dogelon Mars is an interplanetary cryptocurrency venture inspired by popular dog-themed meme coins like Dogecoin and Shiba Inu. Its visionary goal is to create an intergalactic currency to support future space colonization ventures. ELON operates on the Ethereum blockchain, utilizing DApps to enhance its blockchain ecosystem.

Dogelon Marss platform enables trading between humans and potentially extraterrestrial beings. It utilizes a special proof-of-stake protocol for secure and efficient transactions across planets.

Shiba Inu is an Ethereum-based ERC-20 token called the Dogecoin Killer. It aims to surpass Dogecoins limitations and revolutionize crypto, fostering decentralization and innovation. With a robust social media presence and engaged community, SHIB has garnered widespread popularity.

Shiba Inu uses smart contracts to offer a range of decentralized applications and platforms within its ecosystem. One unique platform is ShibaSwap, a decentralized exchange that allows users to trade SHIB tokens and other cryptocurrencies on the Ethereum blockchain.

In 2023, investors will be presented with compelling options for portfolio growth, with TOADS, Dogelon Mars, and Shiba Inu taking center stage. These groundbreaking projects showcase enticing features and attractive returns, catering to investors with varying capacities and budgets. Among these options, DigiToads stands out with its innovative P2E gaming platform and popular NFT option. Seize the opportunity to maximize your crypto portfolio and experience the rewarding path ahead with TOADS.

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UNITED STATES:Elon Musk, the worlds richest man, turns 52 today. Born on June 28, 1971, Musk has left an indelible mark on the world, transforming various industries and inspiring countless individuals with his audacious goals and relentless pursuit of innovation.

As the co-founder and CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, and The Boring Company, Musk has left an indelible mark on the realms of electric vehicles, space exploration, brain-machine interfaces, and tunnelling technology.

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On the Twitter bosss birthday, his admirers have flooded social media with an outpouring of love, expressing their heartfelt wishes for the technological pioneer. Have a look!

Today, as Elon Musk blows out the candles on his birthday cake, we take a closer look at Musks life, his remarkable achievements, his relentless pursuit of innovation, and the impact he has had on shaping the future.

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Early life and education

Elon Reeve Musk was born on June 28, 1971, in Pretoria, South Africa. From a young age, Musk displayed a keen interest in technology and entrepreneurship. Fascinated by computers, he taught himself programming and developed a video game called Blastar at the age of 12. Musks aptitude for innovation became evident during his adolescence, foreshadowing his future endeavors.

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After completing his high school education in South Africa, Musk relocated to Canada to attend Queens University. He afterwards proceeded to the University of Pennsylvania in the US and graduated with a double Bachelors degree in Economics and Physics there. Musks educational background laid the foundation for his multidisciplinary approach to problem-solving.

Entrepreneurial Beginnings: Co-founding Zip2 and PayPal

Elon Musks entrepreneurial journey began even before his university days. In 1995, Musk co-founded Zip2, a software company that aimed to assist newspapers in developing an online presence. Zip2 became a pioneer in the online business directory and mapping software industry. For $307 million, Compaq bought the business in 1999, giving Musk his first significant financial achievement.

With newfound resources, Musk co-founded X.com 1999, an online payment company. Recognizing the potential in the emerging e-commerce market, X.com eventually transformed into PayPal. Under Musks leadership, PayPal revolutionized online payments, streamlining transactions and enhancing security. In 2002, eBay acquired PayPal for $1.5 billion, solidifying Musks status as a visionary entrepreneur.

SpaceX and the pursuit of space exploration

Elon Musks ambitions expanded beyond the realm of online payments. In 2002, he established SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies Corp.) with the primary goal of making space travel more affordable and accessible. Musks visionary aspirations drew attention and skepticism from the industry, but he remained steadfast in his mission.

SpaceX achieved a significant breakthrough in 2008 when its Falcon 1 became the first privately-funded liquid-propellant rocket to reach orbit. Since then, the company has achieved numerous milestones, including the development of the Falcon 9 rocket and the Dragon spacecraft, which successfully delivered cargo to the International Space Station. SpaceXs achievements have revolutionized the aerospace industry, paving the way for reusable rockets and commercial space travel.

Tesla: Accelerating sustainable transportation

In 2004, Elon Musk joined Tesla Motors, a fledgling electric car company, as Chairman and later became CEO. Under his guidance, Tesla disrupted the automotive industry by producing high-performance electric vehicles that challenged the status quo. Musks unwavering commitment to sustainability and clean energy played a crucial role in popularizing electric cars and stimulating the global transition towards greener transportation.

Teslas Model S, Model 3, Model X, and Model Y quickly gained popularity, setting new standards for range, performance, and autonomous driving capabilities. Additionally, Teslas extensive Supercharger network and innovative battery technologies have accelerated the adoption of electric vehicles worldwide.

Other ventures and futuristic visions

Elon Musks endeavors are not limited to SpaceX and Tesla. He has also embarked on ventures such as Neuralink, a neurotechnology company focused on developing brain-computer interfaces, and The Boring Company, aimed at revolutionizing transportation through tunneling technology.

Furthermore, Musk has actively advocated for the colonization of Mars, envisioning a future where humans become a multi-planetary species. His ambitious project, Starship, aims to facilitate manned missions to Mars, making interplanetary travel a reality in the coming decades.

Elon Musks birthday is not only a celebration of his life but also an acknowledgment of his extraordinary contributions to technology and innovation. From co-founding Zip2 and PayPal to revolutionizing space exploration and sustainable transportation, Musk has consistently defied boundaries and embraced audacious goals.

Through his unwavering vision, he has inspired a generation of entrepreneurs and engineers to dream big and pursue innovation fearlessly. As Elon Musk continues to shape the future with his ventures, we eagerly anticipate the next chapter in his remarkable journey.

Also Read: NASA Unveils AI Assistant for Astronauts to Communicate with Spacecraft

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Happy Birthday Elon Musk: Spotlight on the Remarkable Life of a ... - Transcontinental Times

An "Astra Carta" seal has been designed by Jony Ive's LoveFrom firm for the UK's King Charles, and aimed at being a call to action for private firms in space-related industries.

Ive previously designed the royal emblem for King Charles's coronation, and this new seal is similarly circular, with a crown toward the top. The Astra Carta seal is subtly animated, however, with stars and planets rotating around the center, as can be seen on the official site.

"We were fascinated by the celestial rhythms that were illuminated during this design process, and how they are profoundly connected to the patterns of life on Earth," said Sir Jony Ive in a statement sent to AppleInsider. "This feels a crucial time to do more to protect the natural universe in the broadest sense, and we are deeply honoured to have been able to contribute to this important and pioneering project."

The seal has today been revealed at Buckingham Palace in London by King Charles. In his previous role as Prince of Wales, he championed the Astra Carta project at 2022's Space Sustainability Summit.

"Inspired by His Majesty's vision," said Jennifer Jordan Saifi, Chief Executive Officer, Sustainable Markets Initiative, "the Astra Carta is a collective call to action that seeks to unite the public and private sectors and other stakeholders in a shared commitment to the responsible and sustainable use of outer space."

Colonel Chris Hadfield, ex-astronaut and International Space Station commander, also consulted on the creation of the project.

"Whether its executing activity in the most sustainable way or leveraging all that space has to offer for sustainability here on Earth," said Hadfield, "the Sustainable Markets Initiative's Astra Carta is a call to action and convenes those best placed to contribute."

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Jony Ive's latest gig is the seal for King Charles's space project ... - AppleInsider

From silica aerogel to MOXIE, these revolutionary technologies are bringing us a step closer to making Mars home!

Mars, the fourth planet from the Sun, has long captivated the curiosity of scientists. Some of the most intelligent mindsBuzz Aldrin, Neil Degras Tyson and Stephen Hawkingagree that humankind should work towards occupying Mars. And there is a good reason for that. When life on Earth was evolving, Mars was going through significant climate change. Studying the red planet, both its past and present, can help us understand the details of the evolution of Earth and other planets in the solar system.

Besides, scientists have found evidence of water on Mars that could be harvested for human consumption. Consequently, we are seeing the emergence of projects like Artemis 1, which intends to establish a human presence on Mars by 2028. But the million-dollar question is: How will this plan, or any other plan to colonize Mars come to fruition? Here are some of the technologies that have been developed or are currently being developed, that will help make life on Mars possible.

Silica aerogel is a porous, lightweight translucent material used for high-temperature insulation. Its insulating properties are so potent that, in 2019, researchers from Harvard University and NASAs Jet Propulsion Lab found that silica aerogel could mimic the greenhouse effect on Mars. What makes Mars uninhabitable right now is the low temperatures and high levels of ultraviolet radiation. The researchers believe that a 2-3 cm thick silica aerogel layer would transmit sufficient life for photosynthesis, help block out the radiation and raise temperatures above the melting point of water.

Mars atmosphere is made up of 95% carbon dioxide (CO2). In 2021, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in the U.S. and its partner biotechnology company Nzyme2HC came up with the idea of harnessing this CO2 supply to make ethylene. To do so, it is using ethylene-emitting cyanobacteria (bacteria that obtain energy from photosynthesis) created by NREL scientists in 2012. Creating ethylene (an integral component of plastics) from the CO2 supply on Mars could help astronauts readily produce the building materials needed for a Mars colony.

While the red planet has a lot of CO2, its atmosphere only consists of 0.6% molecular oxygen. This means, to make life possible on the planet, scientists need to find a way for us to breathe. To help solve this problem, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has created the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment (MOXIE). MOXIE is a lunchbox-sized device that collects atmospheric CO2 and heats it to 1500 degrees Fahrenheit, splitting it into oxygen and carbon monoxide. The device is still in the experimental stages but has been successful in producing oxygen seven different times.

Another major barrier is traveling back and forth between Earth and Mars. There is a distance of 33.9 million miles between the two planets, and it takes seven months to travel from one to the other, kicking off at a speed of about 39,600 km per hour. To tackle this issue, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has partnered with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to work on nuclear thermal propulsion technology for rockets. This technology provides a high thrust and propels the rocket much faster than chemical rockets. Reducing the travel time will help cut down the supplies needed for inter-planet travel. While the technology isnt ready yet, NASA says it intends to make it possible by 2027.

Given how far the two planets are from each other, it would be greatly beneficial to have a source of fuel on Mars as well. In 2021, the Georgia Institute of Technology suggested that microbes could be carried to Mars to produce fuel on the red planet. These microbes are cyanobacteria (which converts carbon dioxide into sugar and oxygen) and an engineered variety of E.colii (which converts the extracted sugar into a fuel called 2,3-butanediol).

To give these microbes the environment to be functional, plastic materials would have to be carried to Mars which would then be assembled into photobioreactors for the microbes. Besides creating fuel, the process also generates 44 tons of excess clean oxygen. This process of producing fuel on Mars would reduce power consumption by 32% as compared to the current method (carrying methane and liquid oxygen reserves to the planet).

From creating oxygen to reducing fuel costs and eliminating radiation, evolving technologies solve the many problems associated with Mars colonization. It opens up possibilities for sustained human habitation on the planet. As we continue to push the boundaries of scientific and technological innovation, we can look forward to a future where humans are not only Earthbound but also interplanetary, with Mars being the first step in our journey to the stars.

Also read:

Header image courtesy of Envato.

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Top 5 Technologies That Will Make Mars Habitable - Jumpstart Media

Paradox Interactive has released many great titles and series over the years after becoming an independent company in 2004. When you think of games that Paradox has published, titles like the Cities Skylines series, Surviving Mars, and many other strategy games come to mind.

Related: The Best Ubisoft Games

Grand strategy games are not the only ones it has under its belt, however. Action adventure, role-playing, and simulation and management are some of the other genres that the company has published, which have been some of the most successful releases. With a wide variety of games, these are some of the best titles to check out from Paradox Interactive.

Fantasy games always bring forth a very interesting world no matter how they are received on release. Magicka brought a new world based on Norse mythology, creating a fun and rich experience.

In this game, you are a wizard who is trying to stop an evil sorcerer who has caused chaos in the world. There are many spells you can cast and combine for a magic system unlike any other, and many items to find. You can also play solo or in co-op with up to four friends in a dozen campaigns.

Victoria 2 is the second installment in the grand strategy Victoria series. Taking place during the 19th-century colonial era you guide your country to expand and industrialize. This includes expanding through political power, military conquest, and colonization.

This political simulation game gives you many options in terms of gameplay. You have dozens of different governments, production for your country, and a very detailed economy. There are over 200 countries to play as along with many historical missions. All of these features really help make Victoria 2 a very intriguing strategy game, and one of the best.

The Age of Wonders series has captivated fans with its unique gameplay and story. Age of Wonders 4 continues to bring together roleplaying and strategy along with turn-based combat. All of those elements put together in a fantasy realm are what make this game really popular.

Related: Age Of Wonders 4: Beginner Tips

The fantasy realm is created by you, in which you create your followers, build up armies, get magical tomes to evolve your followers, and create powerful beings. There are endless possibilities for your creations and realms to explore. You can be a fearful ruler that dominates other realms or one that creates alliances to squash the evil in the world.

There are many games that are part of the grand strategy war games genre. One of the most well-known series is Hearts of Iron. The fourth installment transports you into World War 2 and offers both historical and alternative events.

This military simulation game gives players the opportunity to command any nation while managing politics, economy, production and supply lines, and military units. There is also a complex research tree and multiplayer in which you can take control of different aspects of a nation's strategy.

Europa Universalis is one of Paradoxs biggest series and for good reason. A grand strategy game with the ability to dominate, explore, and expand your world. Starting before the Renaissance, this game lets you build your own empire and change history.

You can choose any date you want with historical figures and nations and experience history throughout your time. Choosing marriage candidates, building alliances, and trading with others help your nation thrive. Even whoever is on the throne really influences your nation's progression for both good and bad.

Out of all the grand strategy games in Paradoxs catalog, Stellaris is the one that took a different approach to its setting. Most of the games are based on history, but Stellaris decided to take the genre to space.

Related: Stellaris: Guide For Absolute Beginners

Your journey takes you into space exploration and building a galactic empire. You can discover many new species out in the galaxy by sending research ships out, building space stations, and discovering new planets. There is an infinite number of races to discover, characteristics for your race and others, as well as diplomacy and galactic warfare. If the gameplay doesn't capture your attention, then maybe the stunning visuals created will.

There are many big-name developers that partner up with publishers for their next big game. So when Obsidian Entertainment, developer of games like Fallout: New Vegas and South Park: The Stick of Truth, decided to make a new RPG, the decision was to partner with Paradox.

Pillars of Eternity is an adventure game that aims to recapture the nostalgia of classic RPGs. This game delivers a very expansive and deep character development system that adds to the six races you can play. Each has its own core skills that add to the characters' uniqueness. Not to mention a rich world with many classes, missions, and a reputation system that has an effect on your character.

Prison Architect became a hit management and simulation game due to its fun and chaotic nature. This game brings top-down gameplay with building and managing a prison. As warden of the prison, it is your job to create an environment for the world's most vile prisoners.

Related: Prison Architect: Tips For Building And Running A Successful Prison

What really made this game a hit and stand apart from others is the sporadic nature of the prisoners. While your main job is to optimize the prison, the prisoners can cause riots, start fights, or even start a fire. There are various things that can go on within the prison walls, like gang activity and even disease, so it's wise to make sure you have hired the best staff such as guards, doctors, and others. These are just a few of the features that make this a fun game.

Combing roleplaying and grand strategy in the Medieval Ages is exactly what makes Crusader Kings 3 an outstanding game. Part of the original Paradox Development Studio, this game continues to expand on the Crusader Kings series.

You start by taking control of your house and expanding your dynasty on a vast map. There is a very in-depth customer characterization that has effects on your journey. This game is all about lineage and keeping your heir and bloodline in charge through the years. You can make choices about who you marry or who your heirs marry. You can be as graceful as a ruler as you want, or be devious by sending spies to other houses, plotting against houses, and murdering those you want for your own advantage.

Perhaps one of the biggest and most well-known management games is Cities: Skylines. You get to build up your own city however you want and from there make sure the residents of your city are happy. There are plenty of obstacles that you will face when you plan out your city.

Everything from education, street flow, food, businesses, healthcare, entertainment, and commute all have an effect on your citizens. Those are only a few of the factors you need to think about when constructing your city. There are various DLCs that add different things like airports, stadiums, and weather events that add some extra fun and difficulty to the game. Cities: Skylines also has one of the most active modding communities where you can find a plethora of items to add to your world.

Next: The Best Story-Driven Games

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10 Best Paradox Interactive Games - TheGamer