Mars Manufacturing
This page is intended to catalog information of relevance to manufacturing in an early human output / settlement on Mars, such as that contemplated by the MinMars project. Feel free to add to it.
Resources
Relevant resources for manufacturing in an early Mars output include:
- In-situ atmospheric resources:
- Carbon dioxide
- Nitrogen
- Argon (might be useful as inert gas for welding)
- Water vapor
- In-situ surface resources (generally accessible with limited processing):
- Bulk regolith
- Rocks, stones, gravel, etc
- Water ice
- Hydrated minerals
- Salt deposits
- Resources transported from Earth
- Imported raw materials
- Recyclable materials from various sources (packaging, used equipment, etc.)
Based upon the in-situ resources available, the use of the materials made up of the elements Carbon (C), Hydrogen (H), Oxygen (O), and Nitrogen (N) such as plastics or carbon fiber, or making use of the Martian regolith and/or rocks such as in bricks, may be the most promising for early human outposts. More involved processing of the regolith or other surface resources could also enable much more sophisticated materials to be developed, such as glasses, metals (like iron), and ceramics.
Plastic production
Biological plastics: