Author: sam

Categories
Space

Large-Scale Energy Storage for Mars

Last year I wrapped up my Master’s studies at Cambridge with a year-long thesis project in the Whittle Laboratory, doing some very exciting work optimising ISRU components for Martian operation at scale. In the aftermath I continued pulling on threads in the thermodynamic optimisation space at the kilo- and mega-scale, and got to some equally fun conclusions. I’ve neglected to share these, apart from with some select people who asked, until I got a poke from a colleague that they might be appreciated. So enjoy – this is part 3 of 3 shortform reports that accompany the main thesis text.

Categories
Space

Heat Rejection at Scale for Mars

Last year I wrapped up my Master’s studies at Cambridge with a year-long thesis project in the Whittle Laboratory, doing some very exciting work optimising ISRU components for Martian operation at scale. In the aftermath I continued pulling on threads in the thermodynamic optimisation space at the kilo- and mega-scale, and got to some equally fun conclusions. I’ve neglected to share these, apart from with some select people who asked, until I got a poke from a colleague that they might be appreciated. So enjoy – this is part 2 of 3 shortform reports that accompany the main thesis text.

Categories
Space

Process Engineering for Mars at Scale

Last year I wrapped up my Master’s studies at Cambridge with a year-long thesis project in the Whittle Laboratory, doing some very exciting work optimising ISRU components for Martian operation at scale. In the aftermath I continued pulling on threads in the thermodynamic optimisation space at the kilo- and mega-scale, and got to some equally fun conclusions. I’ve neglected to share these, apart from with some select people who asked, until I got a poke from a colleague that they might be appreciated. So enjoy – this is part 1 of 3 shortform reports that accompany the main thesis text.

Categories
Space

Mars is not a “solutions” problem

Time and time again, people try to solve Mars. They suggest a radical solution, or some neat operating trick, that they claim makes the whole problem of exploration and settlement wildly easier. Many of these people are very smart and many of their ideas are genuinely insightful and unexpected. Unfortunately, in an overwhelming majority of cases, they aren’t helpful. If we could crack Mars open with a clever solution, or design the perfect settlement on paper, we would have done it by now. No – the reason we haven’t solved the problem of Mars yet is that Mars isn’t the kind of problem that has a solution. Yet.

Categories
Space

The hydrogen economy (no, not that one)

When it comes to measuring the value of things on Mars, it’s hard to find a baseline. You can balance things against import mass (like the slugs of Andy Weir’s Artemis), or the raw dollar cost considering launch and purchase cost. Both start to fall apart as our settlement industrialises and the value of goods is tied more and more to Mars rather than Earth. Enter a new value basis – one with a fixed root in engineering that can scale to any settlement beyond Earth. Enter the hydrogen economy.

Categories
Space

Why Project Jarvis is a really big deal

The reusable New Glenn upper stage deploys a spacecraft. Own work

In the past week we’ve had some intriguing information and photos about Blue Origin’s shadowy advanced projects division, and their plan for a reusable New Glenn upper stage. Eric Berger’s scoop has caused both celebration (finally, they’re making something other than infographics!) and derision (come back when you’ve hopped the damn tank). But Project Jarvis […]

Categories
Space

The Future of the Moon

We are returning to the Moon. The die is cast, the contractors are paid and the excitement is building. The dates themselves may be unclear but short of disaster, the Artemis program has assumed a rare inevitability. Just one question remains – is it a good idea?

Categories
Space

The Waning of the Moon

Humanity is on the verge of taking the first step towards becoming a spacefaring civilisation – and yet we run the very real risk of stumbling. The effort of NASA is bearing down on the Artemis program, with the rest of the aerospace community falling in line. All eyes are trained on the next 10 […]

Categories
Space

The Waxing of the Moon

The conquest of the Moon

We are on the verge of taking the first real step towards becoming a spacefaring civilisation. More and more countries and national space agencies are signing onto the Artemis Accords, securing an international cooperative future for lunar exploration. Dozens of companies big and small follow, with many talking seriously about not just lunar transport and […]

Categories
Climate Space

The Big Why

The author arriving at any conversation

Four times out of five, the people I talk to are excited about space settlement (if they aren’t bored out of the conversation before that stage). But one in five asks the Really Sticky Question. Why are we even bothering going to space?