Today we completed the electrical wiring of SAM, with the Workshop (20′) and Crew Quarters (40′) fully lit up and operational. We also conducted our first pressure test since January, and with the new 1HP Variable Frequency Drive. We can now bring SAM from ambient to full pressure in just under 3 minutes, a 4x speed increase over the original, 1980s blower which is now replaced.
This is a noteworthy and exciting day, for it marks months of sequential work come to fruition.
[description coming soon]
There are those simple devices that defy the mindless trend toward smaller, smarter, and digital. The phonograph is back to stay, with more vinyl records being produced today than at any time history. A good pocket knife is an indispensable tool for anyone who lives and works outdoors. And the harmonica is a light, portable instrument able to warm the hearts of all who listen or sing along — without batteries, USB, WiFi, or Siri selling your private conversation to the highest bidder. They just work.
The analog pressure gauge is a simple, elegant, analog instrument. It will function for a hundred years or more, providing reliable data with little potential for failure.
At SAM, visitors both inside and out must know, without a doubt, if the vessel is under pressure. For those on the outside, opening the hatch while under pressure could mean getting catapulted across the Mars yard, or worse. For those on the inside, a rapid depressurization should only be conducted in the case of an emergency and need for immediate egress.
This particular Dwyer Magnehelic was selected for its 0-2 inches of water callibration, giving the highest accuracy for the maximum of 0.05 PSI over ambient pressure differential at SAM. We liked it so much, we installed five (for now): inside and outside the Test Module emergency exit; inside the exterior airlock door, inside the SAM Air Intake Room (AIR) just above the new blower, and on a new instrument wall on the interior wall of the lower SAM lung.
No matter which room a crew member occupies, the pressure will be visibly displayed. And for those visiting from the outside, a quick look to the large interface will make it clear if it is safe to enter.
In early 2023 the SAM project received its first round of funding dedicated to the renovation of the former Biosphere 2 rain forest greenhouse into a 6,400 sq-ft indoors Mars yard. The University of Arizona center for Research, Innovation, and Impact (RII) sees significant value in the creation of an advanced Mars yard, a place for education, research, and innovation.
Significant prior effort had been applied, from initial destruction of adjacent structures to tearing down the old roof panels; from work on the exterior walls to installing a new roof.
Now, we are continuing to renovate the structure, starting at the foundation walls. Once complete, we can design our first basic layout, install basalt left over from the LEO project, and place varied boulders (even if not igneous based) to form a terrain park for our first, visiting research teams.
In parallel, fabrication of the interior of SAM continues, with immediate focus on completing the electrical panel, UA approved smoke and fire detection system, and routing conduit and circuits to the bathroom, kitchen, and crew quarters.
In order to bring power into the renovated 40′ shipping container, we must route Carflex conduit through one of two pressure hull bridges. This invokes a bottle neck as this is a passage the crew will use regularly as they move from the crew quarters into the workshop and subsequent Test Module (controlled environment for plant growth). As such, it is imperative that the conduit be non-intrusive and secured.
Given that we cannot penetrate any wall surface that holds pressure, we must carefully select the structure elements able to receive a bolt, metal screw, or rivet. We were able to reuse two former steel shelf grids, reduced in size, as a means to secure electrical conduit to the wall in such a way that it can be readily adjusted, even moved in the future.