Topic > Exploration of Mars: all about the "red planet"

IndexIntroductionThe atmosphere and its compositionWastewaterWastewater sources and solutions for MartiansWastewater treatment plantsCollection systemSewersSand purificationPrimary treatmentHigh performance pond systemsSecondary treatmentActivated sludgeTreatment tertiaryConclusionIntroductionMars is the fourth planet of the solar system in order of distance from the Sun and size and mass of its seventh number. It is a periodically visible reddish object in the sky at night. Mars is designated by the symbol ♂, sometimes called the Red Planet, Mars has long been associated with war and bloodshed. It is named after the Roman god of war. Already 3,000 years ago, Babylonian astronomers called the planet Nergal in honor of their god of death and plague. The planet has two moons, Phobos (Greek: "Fear") and Deimos ("Terror"), after which it is named after two of the children of Ares and Aphrodite, the counterparts of Mars and Venus, respectively, in Greek mythology. to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Mars has affected people for reasons more substantial than its mortal aspect. It is the second closest planet to Earth, after Venus, and is usually easy to observe in the night sky because its orbit is outside Earth's. It is also the only planet whose solid surface and atmospheric phenomena can be seen by telescopes from Earth. Centuries of assiduous study by ground-based observatories, extended by spacecraft observations since the 1960s, have revealed that Mars bears similarities to Earth in many ways. Like Earth, Mars has clouds, winds, approximately 24 hours and 37 minutes a day, seasonal weather. patterns, polar ice caps, volcanoes, canyons and other similar features. There are interesting clues showing that billions of years ago Mars was even more like today's Earth, with a denser, warmer atmosphere and much more water: rivers, lakes, alluvial channels and perhaps oceans. By all accounts, Mars is now a barren frozen wasteland. However, close-up images of dark streaks on the slopes of some craters during the Martian spring and summer suggest that at least small amounts of water may flow seasonally across the planet's surface, and radar reflections from a possible lake beneath the south polar cap suggest that l Water may still exist in a liquid state in protected areas beneath the surface. The presence of water on Mars is considered a critical problem because life as currently understood cannot exist without water. If microscopic life forms ever originated on Mars, it remains a possibility, albeit a remote one, that they could still survive in these hidden aqueous niches. In 1996, a group of scientists reported what they said was evidence of ancient microbial life in a piece of meteorite from Mars, but most scientists disputed their interpretation. In the 19th century, Mars was considered the most hospitable place on the planet. the solar system beyond Earth for both indigenous life and human exploration and habitation. At the time, speculation was widespread that Mars' so-called canals – complex systems of long, straight surface lines that very few astronomers claimed to see in telescopic observations – were the creations of intelligent beings. Seasonal changes in the planet's appearance, attributed to the spread and retreat of vegetation, further added to the supposed evidence of biological activity. Although the channels were later revealed not to be real and the seasonal changes to be geological rather than biological, the interestscientific and public opinion for the possibility of Martian life and for the exploration of the planet has not vanished. The atmosphere and its composition The Martian atmosphere is mainly composed of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide makes up 95.3% of the atmosphere by weight, nine times the amount found in Earth's much more massive atmosphere. Much of Earth's carbon dioxide, however, is chemically locked up in sedimentary rocks; the amount in the Martian atmosphere is less than one thousandth of the Earth's total. The balance of the Martian atmosphere consists of molecular nitrogen, water vapor and noble gases (argon, neon, krypton and xenon). There are also trace elements of gas produced from the primary constituents by photochemical reactions, generally at high content of the atmosphere; these include molecular oxygen, carbon monoxide, nitric oxide and small amounts of ozone. The lower atmosphere supplies gases to the planet's ionosphere, where densities are low, temperatures are high, and components separate by diffusion based on their masses. Various constituents in the upper atmosphere are lost to space, which affects the isotopic composition of remaining gases such as CO2, N2, and argon. Because hydrogen is lost preferentially over its heavier isotope, deuterium, Mars' atmosphere contains five times more deuterium than Earth's. Although water is only a minor constituent of the Martian atmosphere, mainly due to low atmospheric and surface temperatures, it plays an important role in atmospheric chemistry and meteorology. The Martian atmosphere is indeed filled with water vapor, but there is no usable water on the surface. The pressure and temperature of the planet are so low that water molecules exist only as ice or vapor. A small amount of water is exchanged with the surface daily despite very cold night-time surface temperatures. Water vapor mixes uniformly up to altitudes of 10–15 km (6–9 miles) and exhibits strong latitudinal gradients that depend on the season. The biggest changes occur in the Northern Hemisphere. During the summer in the north, the complete disappearance of the carbon dioxide cap leaves behind a sheet of water ice. The sublimation of water from the residual ice cap results in a strong concentration gradient of water vapor from north to south in the atmosphere. In the south, where a small carbon dioxide cap remains in summer and only a small amount of water ice has been detected, a strong water vapor gradient in the atmosphere does not normally develop. Methane is also present in the atmosphere of Mars. Since methane is broken down by sunlight, it must be continually replenished to compensate for the quantities present. Meteorites and volcanoes have been ruled out as the origin of the methane, which leaves chemical reactions between rock and water or metabolism by possible Martian microorganisms as possible sources. Wastewater Wastewater treatment is the process of converting wastewater by physical, biological and chemical removal to produce water that is no longer needed or unsuitable for use – into bilge water which can be discharged again in the environment. It is formed by a series of human activities including bathing, washing, using the toilet and rainwater runoff entering the sewer system through incorrect connection of the sewer pipe system. Wastewater is full of contaminants including bacteria, chemicals and other toxins. The purpose of water treatment is to reduce contaminants to acceptable levels to make the water safe to discharge into the environment. Water sources and solutionsWastewater for the Martian There are two wastewater treatment plants: a chemical or physical treatment plant and a biological wastewater treatment plant that will be used in the Martian community. Biological waste treatment plants use bacteria to break down waste and also other biological materials. Physical waste treatment uses physical processes to treat wastewater and also the use of various chemicals such as chlorine. Biological treatment systems are mainly used to treat wastewater from households and small businesses. Physical wastewater treatment plants are likely to be used to treat wastewater from industries and factories. Wastewater Treatment Plants Most homes and businesses will send their wastewater to a treatment plant where many pollutants are removed from the water. Wastewater treatment plants that will receive approximately 20,000 liters of wastewater every day. The wastewater will contain nitrogen and phosphorus from human waste, food and some soaps and detergents. Once the water is cleaned to standards established and monitored by state and federal officials, it is typically released into a local water body or returned to the community. storage tanks for drinking water. Collection system population and flow projections for areas served by a wastewater treatment site should be made prior to sizing of treatment processes and piping infrastructure. Where possible, plans for the facility should be based on a 10-year design period for each construction phase, which will help the Martian community overcome the subsequent problem of overpopulation. However, shorter periods or phased developments often need to be implemented to meet expected growth patterns, as more and more people move to the new planet. When considering phased development, the final development of the harvesting area should be evaluated to determine what the facility layout might appear if the area were fully developed. SewersSewers are the kilometers of pipes that are laid underground to collect sewage and other gray water from families in the Martian community. Materials such as rags, jewelry, plastic and foreign materials can significantly interfere with treatment processes or damage plant equipment if not removed. These materials must be removed by screening. This helps screen out materials that are hazardous and need to be disposed of safely to prevent human health problems, fly breeding and odors. The screens can be mechanical or manual. Manual screens require little to no equipment maintenance and provide a good alternative for smaller facilities with few screens but need to be cleaned more regularly to prevent debris buildup. Mechanical screeners: Lower labor costs and improved flow conditions and screening capture, however, can result in high equipment maintenance costs. They require a constant energy supply. Sand Removal Sand materials can include sand, silt, glass, small stones, and other large organic and inorganic substances (debris). Excess sand can cause operational problems such as pump blockages, and high concentrations of organics in digesters and/or reactors can cause flocculation to form on top of the wastewater. Removing sand is essential to protect the propeller and pumps of mechanical equipment from abrasionmovement. Comminution is the reduction of heavy solid materials from an average particle size to a smaller average particle size by crushing, grinding, cutting, vibration, or other processes. Which will subsequently be treated as compost (it is a mixture of solids, for example plastic soil). Primary Treatment: This process involves separating dissolved organic matter from wastewater. Primary treatment is carried out by pouring wastewater into large tanks so that the solid matter settles on the surface of the tanks. The solid waste that settles on the surface of the tanks is removed by large scrapers and is pushed to the center of the cylindrical tanks and subsequently pumped out of the tanks for further treatment. The remaining water is then pumped for secondary treatment. Pond systems are simple, low-maintenance systems that require large footprint areas. They should be considered where the cumulative impact of a series of wastewater treatment works is low, as is the case in the Martian community. Ponds are extremely flexible and pond effluent can be treated to meet irrigation standards for land-based applications, or coupled with other advanced treatment technologies could meet discharge standards that can be set. High Performance Pond Systems Produces better water quality than a conventional pond system. A high performance pond system would consist of a conventional pond system with further additional features such as: Trickling filter to achieve nitrification Wetland cleaning which would obtain a better quality effluent which could be discharged Ability to propagate fish in the end ponds to eat larvae of mosquito and also be a food source[image:Secondary treatmentAerobic growth-attached treatment processes are those processes that use microorganisms growing on a medium, such as stones and disks, to remove organic matter present in wastewater. They can also be used to achieve nitrification, which is the conversion of ammonia to nitrate/nitrite. Trickling filters, also called biofilters, are used to remove organic matter from wastewater. The trickling filter will use an aerobic treatment system that uses microorganisms attached to a medium to remove organic matter from the wastewater. Trickling filters allow organic material in the wastewater to be adsorbed by a population of microorganisms, particularly facultative bacteria (which will mostly be used on the planet Mars because less oxygen will be provided to help this process take place) attached to the medium as a film biological or slime layer (thickness approximately 0.1 to 0.2 mm). As the wastewater flows through the medium, microorganisms already present in the water gradually attach themselves to the rock, waste or plastic surface and form a biofilm. The organic material is then degraded by aerobic microorganisms present in the external part of the silty layer. Activated SludgeThe activated sludge process (ASP) is a biological process of developing an activated biomass of microorganisms capable of optionally stabilizing waste. The organic waste is introduced into a reactor where a bacterial culture (biomass) is kept in suspension. The contents of the reactor are called "mixed liquor" or activated sludge because they are always recycled from previous wastewater. Nitrogen removal ASP involves the biological removal of nitrogen, where two biological processes are used: nitrification and denitrification. Nitrificationis a two-step microbiological reaction in which ammoniacal nitrogen is converted to nitrite by Nitrosomonas bacteria and subsequently to nitrate by Nitrobacter bacteria. In the denitrification process the nitrate produced is converted into harmless nitrogen gas. Nitrogen is present in wastewater in various forms, the most important being organic nitrogen (both soluble and particulate), ammonium/ammonia and possibly some nitrates. In the activated sludge process several reactions can occur which will change the form of the nitrogenous substance through ammonification, nitrification and denitrification. The solid substances that settle after the primary and secondary treatment phases are sent to the digesters. Anaerobic digesters are heated to room temperature. The solid waste is then treated for a month where it undergoes anaerobic digestion. During this process, methane gas is produced and nutrient-rich biosolids are formed which are recycled and dehydrated in local companies. The methane gas formed is usually used as an energy source in treatment plants. It can be used to produce electricity that can be supplied to the Martian community as an aid in dealing with energy or engine shortages or simply to operate the plant's equipment. This gas can also be used in boilers to generate heat for digesters. In order for the Martian community to manage the sludge that remains after primary and secondary treatment, the following actions will be of real help in minimizing the contamination or pollution that may arise from the sludge piles. The main reasons for thickening sludge prior to digestion are: To maximize the use of available digester capacity in digestion of solids (i.e. water takes up space) To avoid dilution of the feed material which could cause difficulties in use of food from bacteriaTo prevent washout of solids and microorganisms from the hydraulically overloaded digester.Mixed sludge received from secondary wastewater treatment is passed through a dissolved air flotation tank, where the solids rise to the surface and are removed. The thickened sludge is pulped with steam, then passed through thermal hydrolysis, where large molecules such as proteins and lipids are broken down under heat and pressure. The hydrolyzed sludge is passed through a flash tank, where a sudden drop in pressure causes the cells to burst, and then to anaerobic digestion, where bacteria convert the dissolved organic matter into biogas (which can be used to fuel the treatment process ). The digested sludge is passed through a dehydration phase; the dried solids are disposed of and the water is sent back to secondary treatment.Tertiary TreatmentThis stage is slightly similar to that used by drinking water treatment plants which purify raw water into potable water for drinking purposes. The tertiary treatment stage has the ability to remove up to 99% of impurities that include toxic contaminants and other pathogens from wastewater. This produces effluent water close to drinking water quality standards. Unfortunately, this process tends to be a bit expensive as it requires special equipment, well-trained and highly skilled operators, chemicals, and a constant energy supply, making it difficult for the planet Mars to use energy where it is not needed. All of these are not easily available, but the Martian community will have to use artificial lakes or wetlands and greenhouses to purify the water. Ecosystem technologies can be used to treat water.