Robotbeat, why would you still have the need to bring hydrogen from Earth still?
how much Methane is available on Mars? focus on what can be converted from the Methane & Carbon Monoxide and you have your answers.
Quote from: Prober on 09/26/2012 11:19 pmhow much Methane is available on Mars? focus on what can be converted from the Methane & Carbon Monoxide and you have your answers.10ppb methane in the Mars atmosphere.Use the water in the Mars top soil and or air for the hydrogen needed with the CO2 in the Mars atmosphere to make the CH4.
ahhh found this again..Bioengineered bacteria could produce fuel from CO2http://www.gizmag.com/bacteria-co2-isobutanol-biofuel/23880/
Quote from: Prober on 09/30/2012 04:04 pmahhh found this again..Bioengineered bacteria could produce fuel from CO2http://www.gizmag.com/bacteria-co2-isobutanol-biofuel/23880/Yeah, no way in hell that's going to happen. The entire goal of at least the first several Mars landings will be the search for life. Dropping down a lander full of culturable microorganisms down is just asking for trouble. It may be an option much, much further down the line (i.e. massive Mars settlement), but not anytime soon.
Robotbeat, I really like the idea of ISRU based exclusively on atmospheric gases.
Not only that, but if you also have a small fully reusable single-stage Mars lander, you could stock-pile the CO/O2 in orbit in a fully automated fashion, with just one propellant production station landed fully integrated... Mars makes this easier since the atmosphere is great enough to allow you to aerobrake most of your descent delta-v but low enough to allow essentially vacuum Isp and VERY low aero losses on the way up (which allows you to use a smaller-scale launch vehicle). I have a concept for one of these automated propellant production and transport facilities in my head... Not enough time to draw it out.Quote from: mmeijeri on 10/13/2012 10:58 amRobotbeat, I really like the idea of ISRU based exclusively on atmospheric gases.Totally, totally agreed.
Water can be recycled, and rockets are thirstier than astronauts. Propellant is important. Also, co/o2 can be used in a reversible fuel cell with lower cryogenic requirements than liquid hydrogen, which can give pressurized rovers an excellent highly power dense energy source. Water should be available on parts of mars, but never as easily available as carbon dioxide is.
But slightly off topic does it also make a viable fuel for return *from* Mars?