Photo: SpaceX
There are currently plans from more than one entity to send human beings to Mars in the not-so-distant future. Be it private or state-owned, these entities have made a habit in recent years of advertising the way in which they plan to conquer the neighboring planet.
Perhaps none of them is as vocal as SpaceX. The company has gotten us used to put its money where its mouth is and get things done.
SpaceX currently has a few exciting projects up its sleeve, but perhaps the most exciting of all is the one that refers to the establishment of a human colony on Mars. Because yes, SpaceX does not want people just to visit the Red Planet, but also stay there.
In a speech at the annual Mars Society Convention in Pasadena, California, the company’s head development engineer, Paul Wooster, tried to shed a bit more light on the project that has captivated the world.
As most would have guessed, the Big Falcon Rocket that will transport humans to Mars is to play a more important role in the future development of the settlement. At first, the BFR will act as the main hub of operations for the settlers, and it will also provide housing and other needed infrastructure for the people there.
"Early on, they're [ships] very valuable on the surface of Mars. You'd actually be having most of the ships stay, and you'd be operating using the various systems on them to support the activities there," Wooster said according to CNET.
The BFR is comprised of a booster, and a ship mounted on top of it. The BFR ship is a bullet-like construction 48 meters in length (157 feet) and with a diameter of 9 meters (30 feet). Overall, the ship will have a pressurized volume greater than the one of an Airbus A380 main deck.
For the trip to Mars, the ship will hide in its nose 40 cabins for crew, as well as common areas. Further down, the BFR will be fitted with central storage for supplies, a galley and even a storm shelter to protect the astronauts from solar radiations.
More than half of the ship will be occupied by two tanks, one capable of holding 240 tons of fuel and the other 860 tons of liquid oxygen.
SpaceX currently has a few exciting projects up its sleeve, but perhaps the most exciting of all is the one that refers to the establishment of a human colony on Mars. Because yes, SpaceX does not want people just to visit the Red Planet, but also stay there.
In a speech at the annual Mars Society Convention in Pasadena, California, the company’s head development engineer, Paul Wooster, tried to shed a bit more light on the project that has captivated the world.
As most would have guessed, the Big Falcon Rocket that will transport humans to Mars is to play a more important role in the future development of the settlement. At first, the BFR will act as the main hub of operations for the settlers, and it will also provide housing and other needed infrastructure for the people there.
"Early on, they're [ships] very valuable on the surface of Mars. You'd actually be having most of the ships stay, and you'd be operating using the various systems on them to support the activities there," Wooster said according to CNET.
The BFR is comprised of a booster, and a ship mounted on top of it. The BFR ship is a bullet-like construction 48 meters in length (157 feet) and with a diameter of 9 meters (30 feet). Overall, the ship will have a pressurized volume greater than the one of an Airbus A380 main deck.
For the trip to Mars, the ship will hide in its nose 40 cabins for crew, as well as common areas. Further down, the BFR will be fitted with central storage for supplies, a galley and even a storm shelter to protect the astronauts from solar radiations.
More than half of the ship will be occupied by two tanks, one capable of holding 240 tons of fuel and the other 860 tons of liquid oxygen.
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