A Hybrid Power System for a Permanent Colony on Mars

Daniel Vázquez Pombo

doi:10.34133/2021/9820546

Abstract

Since the dawn of humanity, people have contemplated the sky exploring the firmament. However, it was not until the twentieth century that humans were able to leave Earth and visit other celestial objects. In fact, nowadays, rovers roam Mars on a daily basis pushing the limits of science in a seemingly routine fashion. It is just a matter of time before humanity sets foot on the red planet with the aim of establishing a permanent colony. Such a complex endeavour demands continuous research, simulation, and planning. Consequently, this paper is aimed at starting a proper discussion about the configuration and design of a suitable power system for said Martian outpost. An initial literature review leads to the definition of a reference colony and its growing stages, which is followed by a revision of available energy-related technologies leading to a concrete design of a suitable electrical network. Lastly, the proposed hybrid power system is evaluated in terms of its reliability during the long-term operation under the extreme environmental conditions of Mars. The reference colony starts as an unmanned mission, as robots will prepare the selected location for the first human inhabitants. Later, it suffers several upgrades in size reaching a permanent population of 100 people. Therefore, a holistic approach is needed when designing the power system in order to ensure the continuous supply of the colony. Finally, the selected topology of the colony’s power system is presented.

Highlights

Exploration is deeply attached to the very meaning of being human
The proposed hybrid power system is evaluated in terms of its reliability during the long-term operation under the extreme environmental conditions of Mars
The SOC evolution for the first 4 days is presented. It follows a cyclic pattern until the in situ resource utilisation (ISRU) is satisfied; since minimum daily SOC increases 5%

Summary

Introduction

Exploration is deeply attached to the very meaning of being human. People have always wanted to go where no man has gone before. The twentieth century opened a new horizon for science and technology with the space race which culminated with the first human setting foot on the Moon. Funding was drastically reduced [1], even despite the fact that the first manned mission to Mars was envisioned as soon as 2006 [2]. The arrival date would be deleted altogether [3], even despite the NASA Authorization Act of 2005 which stated that reaching Mars represented a key objective [4]. SpaceX, a private company claims that they will deliver the first crew by 2024 [5]

Objectives

Results

Discussion

Conclusion