Dempster_1999abstr

 

AIRTIGHT SEALING A MARS BASE

 

William V. Dempster

Biospheric Design, Inc.

e‑mail: wdempster@oornpuserve.com

 

 

Atmospheric leakage from a Mars base would create a demand for continuous or periodic replenishment which would in turn require extraction or mining for oxygen and other gases from local resources and attendant energy requirements for such operations. It therefore becomes a high priority to minimize leakage. This paper quantifies leak rates as determined by pressure and the size and configuration of holes. and discusses design circumstances that can result in leakage and the implications of pressure for structural configuration. The author engineered the scaling of Biosphere 2 from which comparisons am drawn.