The sight of an opal for the first time left me in complete awe. I vividly recall standing in the geological pavilion of a museum, completely captivated by the iridescent beauty of a Brazilian opal. Its dazzling display of colors seemed to sparkle right before my eyes.
I was amazed. Later that day, I discovered that these mesmerizing gemstones are extremely rare and can only be found in a handful of locations around the world. One such place is Coober Pedy, a town in South Australia, which is renowned as the "opal capital of the world."
Interestingly, Coober Pedy's connection to opals is not widely known. What sets this small town apart is that its residents live underground. They have carved houses out of the stone, where they eat, sleep, and breathe. This unique way of life got me thinking: could opals potentially hold the key to our survival on other planets, such as Mars?
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The Issue of Living on Mars
Mars is an inhospitable place and should not be traversed for extended periods of time. The harsh conditions on its surface, as evident from rover images, are both scorching and frozen. Even the most advanced spacesuits would eventually wear out, and the best habitats may not effectively shield from micrometeorites. Essentially, the unforgiving Martian environment poses a significant threat to one's life.
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Coober Pedy
In 1800, a time of great explorations, the Scottish John McDouall Stuart passed near the site of Coober Pedy. Some years later, in 1915, Wille Hutchison discovered the first opal in the area. Needless to say, the promise of finding more and more opals sounded very appealing to European explorers, and this is exactly how and why the town was established.
Soon after that, a lot of opal miners started moving in.
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Pros and Cons of Underground Living
The residents of Coober Pedy, predominantly miners, possess skills that could be invaluable in establishing a human presence on Mars. Mining expertise translates into the ability to excavate and create subterranean structures efficiently.
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Proposed Underground Mars Colonies
Living underground on Mars presents significant challenges for humanity. One major challenge would be the significant pressure difference between the interior of a domed human colony, which must be suitable for human habitation at around 1 bar, and the near-vacuum pressure of the Martian atmosphere ranging from 0.004-0.011 bar. To address this, a dome for such a structure would need to be securely anchored deep underground. However, there is a simpler solution - a mostly underground spherical hermetic structure with only the dome visible above ground level.
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Coober Pedy is not an isolated case
Coober Pedy's underground living is not an isolated phenomenon; humans have sought refuge beneath the Earth's surface for millennia, showcasing a historical trend of subterranean habitation.
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DISCUSSIONS & SOCIAL MEDIA
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Credits: Ron Miller, Mark A. Garlick / MarkGarlick.com ,Elon Musk/SpaceX/ Flickr
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00:00 Intro
1:12 The Issue of Living on Mars
3:40 Coober Pedy
5:50 Pros and Cons of Underground Living
8:40 Proposed Underground Mars Colonies
11:06 Coober Pedy is not an isolated case
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#livingonmars #surviveonmars #undergroundcity
