Alba Mons
Full-spectrum Lighting
Full-spectrum Lighting
For an isolated compound, the safest bet is moving into the lava tubes under Alba Mons, a gigantic volcano. Living underground adds an extra layer of protection against this threat. If a wall were to rupture underground, the air needed to sustain Human life would dissipate much more slowly than if it were to be released above ground because the ground acts as a natural cage for the air.
Full-spectrum Lighting
Full-spectrum Lighting
Full-spectrum Lighting
The colony would light up these underground halls with bright, full-spectrum lighting to fight off the gloom and keep everyone healthy, avoiding conditions such as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), bone-related illnesses, and a weakened immune system.
Modular Structure
Full-spectrum Lighting
Modular Structure
The setup would resemble something like the International Space Station. What this means is that the base would consist of a series of rooms connected to each room with their own purpose. There are multiple benefits when making something based on a modular system, the biggest one being interchangeability and effectiveness. This will allow
The setup would resemble something like the International Space Station. What this means is that the base would consist of a series of rooms connected to each room with their own purpose. There are multiple benefits when making something based on a modular system, the biggest one being interchangeability and effectiveness. This will allow for the easier installation of new rooms that might need to be added for an experimental purpose and the easier management of rooms used for basic purposes.
Our Plan
The structures and living quarters of the Aurora colony will be primarily underground in the lava tubes of Alba Mons. This will provide a natural shield against the constant high UV radiation and the dust storms. The surface air pressure of Mars is less than 1% of Earth’s, which means a person on Mars would have to be kept in a pressurized environment for every moment they live on the planet. If a single breach were to occur in an above-ground structure on Mars, almost all the air particles inside said structure would be sucked out in seconds, which would kill all animal life inside. Living underground adds an extra layer of protection against this threat. If a wall were to rupture underground, the air needed to sustain human life would dissipate much more slowly than if it were to be released above ground because the ground acts as a natural cage for the air. Another problem with living on a surface-based Mars is the looming threat of meteors. An underground colony would, at a minimum, protect against that.