News for hackers. Stuff that matters.

A comment on Colonizing Mars: A Critique of the SpaceX Interplanetary Transport System. Parent comment

Re:Colonizing Mars: A Critique of the SpaceX Interplanetary ... by elsonrodriguez on Saturday October 22, 2016 @04:20AM (#12767786)
I'm skeptical about how feasible it is to send enough solar panels to Mars in order to power a base.

Everyone's keeping quiet about the inevitable role of RTGs or fission reactors in early human Mars exploration.

Solar will come either via an abundance of payloads delivered to Mars as things ramp up, or via panels produced on Mars itself.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Colonizing Mars: A Critique of the SpaceX Interplanetary ... by Teever on Saturday October 22, 2016 @08:32PM (#12771260)
Musk briefly commented on nuclear during the MCT announcement. He said it was ultimately dependent on environmentalists on Earth allowing it.

Other viable methods for power generation that are amenable to in-situ production include geothermal heat loops and solar concentrators.

[ Parent | on HN ]