#2 These two rovers are a marvelous example of why we should send robots to Mars to prep the place for astronauts.
As long as they have a small nuclear reactor to keep giving them power, they can slowly and methodically keep working, saving vast amounts of time, money and labor. They don't even stop when the people arrive. They don't have to get to Mars quickly, either, they can be sent on an ion drive spaceship.
Their #1 task will be hard-rock mining, digging tunnels for human habitation. The spaceship that brought them there can be completely cannibalized for reinforcing rods that stabilize rock, pressure doors at cave entrances, some hard floors and walls. Literally designed to be completely used, with spare parts for the robots built into the ship.
They can also take with them things like mining explosives, pressure sealant against microfractures, and much thicker and stronger sealant to be used for lining water cisterns.
Once they have dug more than enough tunnel, they can be used to mine water ice.
By doing all of this, they radically increase the length of the human missions. They can bring food instead of equipment, water and oxygen. |
