Send over 10 thousand Raspberry Pi's. That should keep them in basic computer power for some years!
Quote from: JamesH on 01/26/2016 01:29 pmSend over 10 thousand Raspberry Pi's. That should keep them in basic computer power for some years!Looking at my Raspberry Pi, about 2/3 of the mass is the PCB. i think it might be better to send over the components, along with a pick and place machine (or the complex parts there-of, with the main bits digitally printed).
It'd be rough for Mars if they lost Earth. Just to think of an example:
I actually think Mars will be importing solar cells for a while. Either thin film cells deposited in a flexible substrate or IMM type cells in a thinned substrate, if you package just cells and build the structure for arrays on Mars, a single MCT load could send hundreds of Megawatts or even a Gigawatt of cells. A Large Mars colony would need just a few Gigawatts (average power). Photovoltaics need a huge demand to be as cost effective as they are today, similar to computer chips, though at lower scale you can still produce cells (at higher cost).
Quote from: alexterrell on 01/26/2016 02:27 pmQuote from: JamesH on 01/26/2016 01:29 pmSend over 10 thousand Raspberry Pi's. That should keep them in basic computer power for some years!Looking at my Raspberry Pi, about 2/3 of the mass is the PCB. i think it might be better to send over the components, along with a pick and place machine (or the complex parts there-of, with the main bits digitally printed).At some point, mars should be capable of producing most of the components, leaving just the silicon die.One thing that gets me thinking (but that's already quite OT): Space vacuum is several magnitudes cleaner than even the best vacuums on earth. So without the requirement of a clean-room, it should be easier to produce microprocessors.
One thing that gets me thinking (but that's already quite OT): Space vacuum is several magnitudes cleaner than even the best vacuums on earth. So without the requirement of a clean-room, it should be easier to produce microprocessors.
Quote from: Hotblack Desiato on 01/26/2016 02:30 pmOne thing that gets me thinking (but that's already quite OT): Space vacuum is several magnitudes cleaner than even the best vacuums on earth. So without the requirement of a clean-room, it should be easier to produce microprocessors.I remember one of my early space books talking about all the stuff they were going to make in space - new materials and pharmaceuticals.I suppose as Mars doesn't have space vacuum, it's a toss up between Earth orbit and Mars orbit. Could it be worth building a "fab" in space? I assume GEO would be a good place.