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To: Pontiac
Shelters on Mars will need to be robust enough to take small meteor impacts.

Cold War-era structures (like Cheyenne Mountain) hardened against nuclear strikes would provide a perfect template for any human settlements on Mars.

Buried underground under reinforced concrete, with main habitation quarters set on springs to absorb any seismic shocks caused by impacts.

Besides, underground settlements would also provide protection from solar UV radiation and cosmic rays. Mars has no ozone layer to absorb UV, nor a significant magnetic field to shield againt solar flares.

7 posted on 12/13/2006 7:15:10 PM PST by FierceDraka (Army Dad, And Damned Proud Of It!)
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To: FierceDraka
Cold War-era structures (like Cheyenne Mountain) hardened against nuclear strikes would provide a perfect template for any human settlements on Mars.

A nice if incredibly expensive idea.

Such a facility was very expensive to erect on Earth, I shudder to think of the cost on Mars.

A search for natural caves on Mars might be more cost effective. A cave large enough to place an inflatable shelter in would be sufficient.

I don’t believe that there is any active seismic or volcanic activity on Mars so I think that the springs would be unnecessary. Meteor impacts large enough to warrant shock isolation would be rare enough to forgo the springs.

8 posted on 12/13/2006 7:44:06 PM PST by Pontiac (All are worthy of freedom, none are incapable.)
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To: FierceDraka
Good idea, we could start right here.
9 posted on 12/14/2006 12:32:15 AM PST by Lancer_N3502A
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