So you're assuming a Mars colony would have a nuclear reactor(s). Setting aside for a moment what a Herculean task that would be, how would you expect a nuclear reactor work on Mars? They require massive amounts of cooling, most of a nuclear power plant is essentially the core's cooling system. There's no ready sources of water to use and the atmospheric density is a tiny fraction of Earth's. A Martian cooling tower would have to be enormous. A cooling system might have other configurations but it would still be enormous.

Dust storms on Mars can last for months. While the overall wind energy isn't as high as on Earth thanks to much lower atmospheric density, Martian dust still gets everywhere.

So your Martian reactors would have their cooling systems constantly covered in insulating dust. While Reactor Cooling Maintenance Technician would be an in-demand job, a long or particularly bad dust storm would doom the colony.

Building a second sewage system, or any other infrastructure, isn't always practical or even possible. The problem with infrastructure on Mars is it must always work or people will die. If an infrastructure problem kills or disables enough Reactor Cooling Maintenance Technicians the colony is doomed.

A broken sewer line on Earth is inconvenient to dangerous but rarely an existential problem. A broken sewer line anywhere but Earth is an existential threat at best.

Ever heard of small modular reactors?

[1] https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=false&qu...

As I understand it at least some of them are "walk-away-safe" in case of meltdown, which is conceptually unlikely, and don't need the big cooling towers you speak of.

I know they are not there yet because of materials science, regulation, but they are not science-fiction either.

Anyways, I don't see any reason to not bury them in mars ground, instead of doing so here on earth.

Getting them there would be difficult, but some big effing rockets in their freight configuration should do...

Edit: or some Sea Dragons [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_Dragon_(rocket)

SMRs don't solve the cooling problem with nuclear reactors. They're still producing megawatts of thermal energy that needs to be dissipated. Mars isn't known for its flowing rivers or deep cerulean oceans. So using massive amounts of water to carry away heat (like we do on Earth) Isn't an option for cooling. It's atmosphere is far less dense then Earth's so air cooling a reactor would take vast fields of radiators.

Burying a reactor underground is not a cooling solution. Rock is not a great heat conductor. So the reactor will stay cool for a little while, to the heat capacity of the surrounding rock, and then melt because the rock isn't effectively carrying heat away from the reactor.

But not to worry we'll launch them on fantasy rockets! So long as we make the rockets out of Impracticalium rather than Unobtanium we should be fine. We can start tomorrow.

It's entirely possible to conceptualize ways a Mars/Moon/orbital colony could work. The issue isn't coming up with ideas on paper it's the actual implementation of those ideas that is actually difficult. Handwaving implementation details and actual engineering challenges is just writing science fiction. It might be interesting and entertaining but it's not actionable.

I find your lack of faith disturbing!

> So you're assuming a Mars colony would have a nuclear reactor(s).

Yes. Or, at least, multiple power sources besides solar.

The same reactor designs that work for the Moon would work on Mars. Due to sandstorms, nuclear power is a necessity on Mars. Depending on the location of the colony, carbon dioxide ice deposits can function as heat sinks.

Martial dust gets everywhere, and that's why the colony will not place critical infrastructure on the surface.

Building redundant life-support infrastructure, however impractical, is a hard requirement for any off-planet colony. That's why any realistic approach will start by launching a massive amount of supplies and equipment before the first human is settled. That means there will always be enough water and food to supply the colony until another supply landing can arrive. Living on a planet where you can't open a window to the atmosphere is hard and dangerous, but also required if we want to survive in the long run.

Great plan. I hadn't thought of powering of powering a Martian colony with unicorns instead of basilisks. In retrospect that makes perfect sense.