From ancient byways to modern highways, glimpses of faith are everywhere...

Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Getting the Dirt on Mars



'The Red Planet'     (Photo by ESA)
Dig deep enough, and you're bound to come up with some dirt.  So here’s the latest on Mars.

Turns out that Martian soil is quite the commodity.  When mixed with molten sulphur, it morphs into concrete.  When highly compressed, it becomes even stronger.

It is the reddish iron oxide within this soil that makes for easy bonding under “sufficient force.”  This has so far worked well with smaller bricks.  It remains to be seen whether similar binding will occur during large- scale construction.

Elon Musk had originally thought that Mars colonists could live within carbon fiber and glass” domes. Perhaps these geodesic structures can instead be made from native Martian material. 

Resources
https://www.engadget.com/2017/04/27/mars-like-soil-makes-super-strong-bricks-when-compressed/ 

Copyright May 2, 2017 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved

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