Mars: Part 3 Effects of Suspended Dust

by Dr. Robert Duncan-Enzmann 

reproduced from the Enzmann Archives by WKS

Dust particles, ice crystals, and droplets effect capsules designed for unmanned descent, landing, deployment, and subsequent use. Effects recommended for study are as follows:

* Visibility at ultra-violet, optical, and infra-red frequencies as functions of attenuation, scattering, albedo.

* Communications at radio and radar frequencies as functions of attenuation, refraction, and static noises due to the exchange of energy between particles and antenna.

* Physical effects of particles on equipment including erosion, probability of burial by dunes, bearing strength of terrain recently formed by Aeolian-forces.

The behavior of particles in the atmosphere of a planet may be considered first of all from the point of view of forces tending to introduce them to the atmosphere and forces tending to remove them from the atmosphere. Solid particles will most strongly and most immediately effect objects close to, or on the surface of a planet. Forces working to remove particles from an atmosphere are particle-particle collisions or other interactions, which can only be of significance when particles are of sub-micron size or electrically active, particle-particle interactions in media like nuée-ardent where particles are very dense and may average millimeters in extent, and finally, the more important settling in a gravitational field through a viscos atmosphere. The rate of settling is approximated by Stokes law as given below. If the Kaplan atmosphere for Mars is used, settling rates are slightly slower than those for the Earth. If an 80mb atmosphere is used, settling rates through the atmosphere of Mars through the lower troposphere are about 2 ½ to 3 ½ times as long as those for earth. 

(Stokes’ Law: The force of viscosity on a small sphere moving through a viscous fluid is given by:F_d = 6 π η Rv {\displaystyle F_{d}=6\pi \,\eta \,R\,v\,}where:
F_d is the frictional force – known as Stokes' drag – acting on the interface between the fluid and the particle
η is the dynamic viscosity (Some authors use the symbol μ)
R is the radius of the spherical object
v is the flow velocity relative to the object.
In SI units, F_d is given in Newtons, η in Pa·s, R in meters, and v in m/s.)

If wind forces are to be considered in the landing, there are periods during which winds will be at a maximum. These are found when a possible landing site is also the site of the sub-Solar spot or within a few degrees of it. Extreme wind-shear may be expected in the troposphere with movements toward the spot at the surface, and away from the spot toward the tropopause. The least windy times in the path or vicinity of the sub-Solar spot will be in the early morning hours.

If wind forces anticipated are sufficient to force selection of locations where these are to be minimized below a particular value, the following zones should be avoided in the selection of landing sites: 

* The sub-Solar spot.
* The Zone of Trade Winds, which are stronger somewhat south of the Equator, rather than being at a maximum over the Equator.
* The zones of Northern and Southern Westerlies.
* The zones of Northern and Southern Easterlies.

The pandorae-pretum/hellespontus warm thermal anomaly (Lat. 35⁰S Long. 345⁰) where Easterly cyclonic circulation persists in a belt of prevailing Westerlies. 

In addition to these zonal winds, some effort should be devoted to avoiding a landing in major atmospheric channels, such as that of the Mars Dry Hemisphere, where winds would tend to be stronger than those over the hemisphere from longitude 270⁰ to longitude 90⁰. Still further precautions may be taken to minimize tropospheric turbulence and buffeting by avoiding regions of severe thermal updraft.

Avoidance of thermal updraft may be somewhat difficult as the areas of maximum biological, geological, topographic, atmospheric, geochemical, etc. interest are the very areas in which updraft would be at a maximum. However, the severity might be reduced by choosing landing sites somewhat in the lee of such prominences.

In general, optimum landing sites, from the point of view of minimum tropospheric turbulence and wind force per unit area subsequent to landing, may be chosen in the Doldrum zones. Within this belt, the lee side of probable topographic anomalies could be further defined.

Interaction of Atmospheres with Lithospheres and Hydrospheres

Interactions may be classified as changes in the atmosphere, and changes in the lithosphere and hydrosphere. Changes in the atmosphere are a result of adding or subtracting substances, changing the size of eddies, changing the kinetics of the atmosphere, and changing the physical parameters of the atmosphere such as temperature, pressure, etc. Changes in the lithosphere are due to erosion, deposition, exchange of matter such as oxygen, nitrogen (usually through the aid of organisms), or carbon dioxide. Changes in the hydrosphere are due to addition of matter via precipitation or solution, subtraction of matter by evaporation or exsolution, friction or pressure-induced currents or changes in levels, and physical changes, particularly heating and cooling.

These processes in the terrestrial environment are understood empirically and, to an extent, analytically. Knowledge concerning the Mars environment is sufficient to provide data which can be manipulated to give at least order of magnitude parameters, which can be refined as more information concerning the environment becomes available.

As detailed in a previous paragraph, only a fraction of the atmosphere of Mars is being considered. This extends from the Stratospheric-zone through the troposphere to the immediate surface. Within this limited vertical section through the atmosphere of Mars, only features which would affect the descent, landing, deployment, and subsequent stability of the unmanned vehicle will be considered. The first of the features considered are those which are not strongly affected by relatively minor surface features.

References for the Mars dust series parts 1-3:

Norman Sissenwine  

F G Finger

M F Harris

S Teweles

Calvin E Anderson

Elmar R Reiter

F G Beuf  

F A Berry  

E Bollay  

Norman Beers  

George Ohring

Owen Cote  

Alden A Loomis  

R S Schorer  

O G Sutton

Gerard Kuiper  

Milton Klein  

Kwang Yu

Richard Harrison

Thomas F Malone

Gerard de Vaucouleurs

  

Voyage Beyond Apollo, video

Voyage Beyond Apollo video

Apollo 17, The Final NASA Voyage? (Part 1)
Director: Marie Morgan Producer: William Kurchak
Video Production: Timothy Buell

Dr. Robert Duncan-Enzmann's Conference on Planetology and Space Mission Planning aboard the cruise ship Stattendam in 1972.

Echo Lance Technology 1984

Enzmann's Echo Lance

By: Dr. Robert Duncan-Enzmann and Joanna Enzmann

It is possible – indeed technically quite simple to accelerate particles such as electrons, protons, and heavier nuclei to great velocities, easily to the 100 McV (100 Mc v/c² ) and even GcV (+1,000,000,000,000 electron volt) levels. In such beams, rest masses of particles increase 

where  m=m_0/√(1-v^(2 )/c^2 )   

and their momenta, 

where p=〖(m〗_0/√(1-v^(2 )/c^2 ))*v

  

relative to the inertial continuum are enormous. Such beams charged (±) may be neutralized to eliminate charge (Coulomb) build-up on a vehicle  

where  (1,000,000,000W/(~750W/HP))((500 H/M/ dRP)/(2000 Kg/ton))

with (G ≈ 32 ft/sec).

200 M.W.E. applied to a beam could accelerate a 10,000 ton vehicle at 1G.

Even in the 1950s – 1970s the momentum of beams in the worlds larger accelerators were on the order of a 500 pound artillery shell moving at about 2-5 miles a second; while the rest masses of the beams were tiny fractions of grams.

I have always felt that while such beams could end once and for all the missile threat to all and any countries, that the true application of such beams should be for propulsion of space ships – both within the solar system and on interstellar voyages. Such beams – the Echo Lance – reduce the mass ratios needed for interstellar flight by at least 50, easily 200, and theoretically better than 1000. So 14,000,000 tons of fuel could be reduced to between 140,000 and 10,000 tons.

Perhaps surprisingly fusion-fission, or fusion cycles are not needed to drive such ships. Consider: a 1,000 MWE (one thousand million watts electric output) can be gained from a fission reactor by burning perhaps 35 tons of fissile metal a year (ideally in breader reactors).

m=m_0/√(1-v^(2 )/c^2 )

The  Echo Lance is, in a sense, a transformer operating upon the inertial action/reaction of space itself.

We could have built star ships using such beams in the 1950s and launched them in the 1960s. Unfortunately all such work was stopped circa 1960, with the statement that never anywhere should it be revived or even mentioned lest the imaginations of the public be flared to the point where they would demand its construction.

“Echo” Lance!

An unusual name. Why? Because it’s thermo-nuclear combustion chamber operates in two inertial systems at the same time. The ship and its payload in one. The thermo-nuclear pulses “outside” in normal inertial space.

Dr. Robert Duncan-Enzmann, designer of the Enzmann Starship

physicist, scientist,  astronomer, geologist, archaeologist, historian, linguist, medical doctor

British Embassy School, Peking, China; Univ. London; WW II USN, AC; RN, AB Harvard; ScB Hon., London; Standard, MSc, Witwatersrand; Nat Sci Scholar; MIT course work; Royal Inst. Uppsala Swed.; PhD/MD Cuidad Juarez, Mex.; Pacific Radar: Greenland Gap-filler, Canada DEW-line; SAGE; Pacific PRESS; California ATLAS, BMEWS;  ICBM; Kwajalein Atoll ICBM intercept; TRADEX; Mars Voyager; Cryptography.