New Mars Forums

Official discussion forum of The Mars Society and MarsNews.com

You are not logged in.

Announcement

Announcement: This forum is accepting new registrations by emailing newmarsmember * gmail.com become a registered member. Read the Recruiting expertise for NewMars Forum topic in Meta New Mars for other information for this process.

#26 2004-05-26 14:57:52

Cobra Commander
Member
From: The outskirts of Detroit.
Registered: 2002-04-09
Posts: 3,039

Re: You're a 1st Marsian Settler

I might add, if you use the plumbing parts to make guns, you may wish you were living outside!   I'm guessing we won't put you in charge of infrastructure planning.

I just used the parts meant for your quarters, since everyone secretly conspired on the whole out-the-airlock thing.  big_smile


Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.

Offline

#27 2004-05-26 15:00:28

clark
Member
Registered: 2001-09-20
Posts: 6,363

Re: You're a 1st Marsian Settler

Why am I not surprised. And I must say, Cobra, true to form, offers to trade me the parts of my plumbing for the golden calfs I create... I salute the true American on Mars!  :laugh:

Offline

#28 2004-05-26 15:11:09

Cobra Commander
Member
From: The outskirts of Detroit.
Registered: 2002-04-09
Posts: 3,039

Re: You're a 1st Marsian Settler

Why am I not surprised. And I must say, Cobra, true to form, offers to trade me the parts of my plumbing for the golden calfs I create... I salute the true American on Mars!

:laugh:

And I'll use those golden calfs to mint coins that become the monetary standard of Mars, thus cementing control of the planet! Muahaha!

And the beauty of it is I still have the guns made from clark's plumbing supplies.  big_smile

And then the colonists band together to banish me to a remote red-brick fortress in the mountains, there to spend the remainder of my days in bitter ranting, eating rabbits and mutterings about "it's mine... my precious... The thieves, stole Mars from us..."  :angry:


Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.

Offline

#29 2004-05-26 15:16:22

C M Edwards
Member
From: Lake Charles LA USA
Registered: 2002-04-29
Posts: 1,012

Re: You're a 1st Marsian Settler

LOL!

Looking for a ticket back to Earth!    :laugh:


"We go big, or we don't go."  - GCNRevenger

Offline

#30 2004-05-26 15:22:00

Rxke
Member
From: Belgium
Registered: 2003-11-03
Posts: 3,669

Re: You're a 1st Marsian Settler

Now THOSE don't come cheap! big_smile

Offline

#31 2004-05-26 15:38:51

clark
Member
Registered: 2001-09-20
Posts: 6,363

Re: You're a 1st Marsian Settler

Well, at least Cobra won't have to barter with the plumbing from my quarters anymore.

Red brick fortress? Fortress of Cobra-itude?  tongue  big_smile

Offline

#32 2004-05-26 16:52:40

Josh Cryer
Moderator
Registered: 2001-09-29
Posts: 3,830

Re: You're a 1st Marsian Settler

Well, this is easy.

1) The first thing I would do is deploy some sort of CELSS, I wouldn't even go to Mars unless I had this capablity (because from CELSS all systems can be derived). Okay, maybe I would if it was a sure thing, but my ultimate goal would be to have CELSS (closed ecosystem life support system, for those unfamiliar).

2) I would work on methods to extend my resources, hopefully I'd have some kind of replicating engineering, but in reality all I would need is an electric furnace, and essentially a glorfied lab of sorts. If I did have the robots I envision, I would work straight away to build more of them, enough to fill a valley or so.

3) Whatever land I have portioned off for myself (a small amount to be sure, I needn't be greedy), I would protect with dozens of rail guns, because I reckon Mars wouldn't be pretty with people running about attempting to create their own governments.

Basically, I would take care of my living situation above all else. And ideally I would be able to do this without any outside assistance (though I would welcome it if it was with like-minded individuals).

As far as my spare time would go (which I would have a lot of, if I designed my systems right and didn't have to work to keep them functioning), I would...

1) Explore the countryside with my rover, create routes which others may drive (though not necessarily very planned).

2) Leave caches of technology behind, along with food and other supplies immediately useable supplies. Also, a copy of my personal journal, and the steps I've taken to maintain my existance.

3) Help work to build a global communications network so that all Martians could communicate decently. Perhaps by working with others to or building my own launcher technology to launch satellites into LEO which would become a Martian internet of sorts. This would be a long term goal, though.

4) Work with other communities and encourage them to be more independent, self reliant, etc.

The rest of the things I could list would fall into a category I don't really think about, but expect myself to eventually do, like golf on Mars; sure, it's cool, but not that notable, really.

A quote from Green Mars which was in my sig for the longest time: I try to stop potlatching and they call me a robber baron, I try to stop hoarding and they call me a fascist. The fools! What are they going to do, when none of them are self-sufficient, and half of them are crazy paranoid?


Some useful links while MER are active. [url=http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html]Offical site[/url] [url=http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/MM_NTV_Web.html]NASA TV[/url] [url=http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/mer2004/]JPL MER2004[/url] [url=http://www.spaceflightnow.com/mars/mera/statustextonly.html]Text feed[/url]
--------
The amount of solar radiation reaching the surface of the earth totals some 3.9 million exajoules a year.

Offline

#33 2004-05-27 09:02:58

Cobra Commander
Member
From: The outskirts of Detroit.
Registered: 2002-04-09
Posts: 3,039

Re: You're a 1st Marsian Settler

So Josh, you're essentially saying you'd plan on being a hermit of sorts?

instead of being forced into it like some of us.  big_smile

That's cool, I can definately see the attraction in that. I'd get a little bored and psycho after awhile, but if it works for you.

Good call on the CELSS, though I question just how "closed" it really needs to be.

And I for one will respect your rail-gun perimeter. 

Got any extra robots? I've got a surplus on these golden calves.   big_smile
Clark was very productive during his brief time with us, terrible about that airlock, uhm... accident.


Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.

Offline

#34 2004-05-27 09:08:29

clark
Member
Registered: 2001-09-20
Posts: 6,363

Re: You're a 1st Marsian Settler

Since I am effectively a out-cast (among the cast-aways!), I'm just going to wait till either Josh gets trapped under his rover on some ill fated adventure, with no one to save him, or until Cobra shoots himself cleaning one of his guns made from my plumbing.

Then I'll move into either one of their digs.  big_smile

I just need to learn to hold my breath a little longer.  :laugh:

Offline

#35 2004-05-27 09:28:50

Cobra Commander
Member
From: The outskirts of Detroit.
Registered: 2002-04-09
Posts: 3,039

Re: You're a 1st Marsian Settler

"Journal entry, Tuesday... maybe Thursday. Days blurring together. Rabbit again. Raw, spiced with cinnamon from floor. Gritty. No power, some other desert hermit crashed a rover into solar array, panels now point at Phobos. Must wait until dark to go outside for repairs or the robots will get me. Angry robots, we hates them. clark is outside, rummaging through crashed rover. Turning blue. Robots are coming..."

big_smile


Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.

Offline

#36 2004-05-27 09:43:38

clark
Member
Registered: 2001-09-20
Posts: 6,363

Re: You're a 1st Marsian Settler

Journal entry, Monday. I have finally managed to trap and gut one of the automated robots that patrol the area. I used a golden calf as a lure, then some "borrowed" martian bricks to batter it into submission. While cramped, it provides a small amount of living space during the long, cold martian nights. Luckily, I keep finding piles of stored goods buried here and there. God bless that martian idiot!

Still not able to approach within 50 meters of the hermits hab. Those pesky rail guns nearly got me last time. I've taken to messing with Cobra's mind lately, pounding on the walls of his habitat at all hours, cutting the power supply, and reprogramming a few of those other robots to "attack" mode. Yeah, I'm still pissed about my plumbing.

Offline

#37 2004-05-27 09:57:50

Rxke
Member
From: Belgium
Registered: 2003-11-03
Posts: 3,669

Re: You're a 1st Marsian Settler

Journxl entry, Thursdxy.
Finxlly succeeded in the hxcking of the Plxnet-wide journxlling-system. Xt lxst we now know whxt C.C. xnd Clxrk xre upto...
Downside of xll this: when rexding their entries, I sprxyed hot coffee xll over the plxce... Looks like communicxtion with Exrth will be impossible for x while, xt lxst untill the cxrgo-ship xrrives with spxre pxrts. The keyboxrd looks xllright, though when I try to type "x", i get xn "x"... So when I type "send messxge", the computer xnswers with x very discourxging: " UNXBLE TO EXECUTE SEND INSTRUCTION/ UNKNOWN TYPE: MESSXGE."

Sigh...

Offline

#38 2004-05-27 10:08:26

Cobra Commander
Member
From: The outskirts of Detroit.
Registered: 2002-04-09
Posts: 3,039

Re: You're a 1st Marsian Settler

"Journal entry, Thursday. Voices outside told me. Kept awake all night by incessant pounding on walls. Robots have become more aggressive, one yells about plumbing at odd hours. Tried to contact colony to offer terms, no response. Screw them. Building artillery piece from large sewage pipe. Thus far my own facilities have been unaffected. Rabbits doing well, as is new green carpet. Air getting thicker, rained yesterday. Opened large bearing housing, rifles loaded again. Perhaps I'll venture outside to fix solar array in the morning."


Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.

Offline

#39 2004-05-27 10:29:42

clark
Member
Registered: 2001-09-20
Posts: 6,363

Re: You're a 1st Marsian Settler

Journal entry, Wed. I think Cobra believes it to be Thursday now. I can't be sure, but judging by his out bound communication, he seems to think so.

I managed to intercept his last message to the colony, so they haven't received word of his "demands". Cobra was doing something strange with his sewage pipes the other day, I swear, if I didn't know better, I would think he has a serious fetish problem. I think he is starting to crack. The hermits rover was wrecked, and not much was salvagable. At least I was able to download some software that fixed that weird glitch with the journaling system.

The weird thing about the hermit though was that he was nowhere to be found.... just some foot prints off into the deep red that disappeared. Spooky.

Offline

#40 2004-05-27 10:30:05

Rxke
Member
From: Belgium
Registered: 2003-11-03
Posts: 3,669

Re: You're a 1st Marsian Settler

Journxl entry, Thursdxy. (All times GMT)

Sigh, more bxd news, this time from Exrth...
Still possible to receive messxges, thank God, too bxd it's only one-wxy.
C.C.'s xppxrently stxrting to try xnd bring our server down with loxds of spxm, pictures of wxbbits, wxving white flxgs, no-one xround here hxs xny idex whxt thxt's supposed to mexn...
Xnywxy, the bxd news from Exrth: looks like the plumbing supplies we got in the first cxrgo-delivery xre fxtxlly flxwed, something to do with microscopic crxcks...
We're checking our inventory, but it looks like most of the stuff hxs been 'borrowed' by C.C. when he left, so no big loss xfter xll.

Signing off, gotto repxir the keyboxrd, it's driving me nuts....

Offline

#41 2004-05-27 10:45:35

Palomar
Member
From: USA
Registered: 2002-05-30
Posts: 9,734

Re: You're a 1st Marsian Settler

and the rutabagas are growing marvelously; will soon dry and store them.

Am moving to the opposite side of the planet *pronto*, to get away from the characters currently occupying this region.


We all know [i]those[/i] Venusians: Doing their hair in shock waves, smoking electrical coronas, wearing Van Allen belts and resting their tiny elbows on a Geiger counter...

--John Sladek (The New Apocrypha)

Offline

#42 2004-05-27 10:47:08

Cobra Commander
Member
From: The outskirts of Detroit.
Registered: 2002-04-09
Posts: 3,039

Re: You're a 1st Marsian Settler

"Journal entry, Thor's day, same as yesterday. Shot a robot last night. Rifle is beginning to show signs of wear, fractures on barrel. Only used about a dozen times. Fortunately I have four more. Possibility of structural defect causing concern, bodes ill for artillery program. Should have brought railguns.
Haven't seen the robot that sounds like clark for awhile, suspect it was frightened off by shooting. Stupid droid. Also, found footprints from wrecked rover leading nowhere. Review of construction blueprints shows unfinished tunnel network. Having cannibalized sewer pipes for artillery, have diverted waste disposal to tunnels. Green carpet getting tall. Fuzzy.
Must be very very quiet. Hunting rabbits."


Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.

Offline

#43 2004-05-27 10:59:23

clark
Member
Registered: 2001-09-20
Posts: 6,363

Re: You're a 1st Marsian Settler

Journal entry, Friday. Fall back tunnels have been rendered unuseable. Raw sewage is seeping and bubbiling in, I'm not sure where it's coming from, but I think Cobra has something to do with it. Luckily, i have found that the sewage can be used as a quick drying cement for the martian bricks that keep falling off the trucks.

Last night, I sealed Cobra's exit's with a two foot thick martian brick wall. Let him be Supreme Planet Lord of the rabbits.

I think I heard gunfire, I wonder how long before he blows a hole in his hab.

Offline

#44 2004-05-27 11:05:13

Rxke
Member
From: Belgium
Registered: 2003-11-03
Posts: 3,669

Re: You're a 1st Marsian Settler

Journal entry: someday

Finally fixed the keyboard, but looks like that coffee-spillage did more damage than I thought: HAL, our central AI, has been singing this 'Daisy, Daisy,' song for hours on end, and i can't get him out of it. ..
Needless to say, all communication goes through him, so still comm. blackout.

This place is starting to get eerily deserted, six hours ago Cindy left also, sigh...

The only good news of today seems to be that finally HAL's not messing with the airlocks anymo(§&&&&ç
*WARNING: DEPRESSURISATION ALERT! WARNING! PREPA§$&&&*éé NO CARRIER

Offline

#45 2004-05-27 11:05:33

Bill White
Member
Registered: 2001-09-09
Posts: 2,114

Re: You're a 1st Marsian Settler

Journal entry: Drafting script for emotional video to be sent Earth-side. Found raw onion to help with tears.

The anticipated deaths of Cobra and clark are very saddening yet will leave me in position to dominate the planet.

Need extra onions, for lots and lots of tears, for the camera.

= = =

Supplement: Intercepted message from cindy.

Someone help. my thread has been stolen!

Offline

#46 2004-05-27 11:11:50

Cobra Commander
Member
From: The outskirts of Detroit.
Registered: 2002-04-09
Posts: 3,039

Re: You're a 1st Marsian Settler

"Journal entry, Today. Spent night walking toward mountain. After climbing down from vent I noticed odd brick wall over the main airlock. Weird, suspect the rabbits are working against me. They've grown quite clever. They speak at times, but only in Klingon. With a Farsi accent.
After reaching safe distance, fired completed cannon. Breach exploded, shards everywhere. Don't know where projectile went. At least the robots are gone. Salvaging parts now.
contacted colony, Morse code, hoped to negotiate for refugee status. Cindy left, Mundaka moved to permanent residence in canyon wall. All others hate us.
Must build new cannon. After sunrise. Also, must repair suits heating element, wire poking through. It burns us.
Standby. I think I see an elephant. "


Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.

Offline

#47 2004-05-27 11:20:21

clark
Member
Registered: 2001-09-20
Posts: 6,363

Re: You're a 1st Marsian Settler

Journal entry, Saturday. Mars is weird. I was exploring a small cave, looking for another one of those caches that still seem to pop up from time to time. When I came back to my robot home, there was a large crater where it used to be. I think a meteor hit it, but the fragments have weird markings on them.

I heard an out bound message commemorating mine and Cobra's death by Bill. He was actually crying, the bastard. I know he was part of the conspiracy.

Must find shelter soon, dark is coming, and there are footprints outside of Cobra's hab. They're not mine.

Offline

#48 2004-05-27 11:37:52

Cobra Commander
Member
From: The outskirts of Detroit.
Registered: 2002-04-09
Posts: 3,039

Re: You're a 1st Marsian Settler

"Journal entry. Don't know what day it is, slept outside, sun up. Maybe slept all day and night, maybe just a few minutes. Four hours of air left, fortunately was able to build Martian oxygen extracting box thing, good backup. Must breathe slow and shallow. Tastes like robot sweat. Heavy though, and made from robot parts. Looks like a midget on back.
Large object was not an elephant, just a truck. Must have been getting too much CO2 in mix. Hid from driver, he's with the rabbits.
Going back to fortress now, going to sit in tall grass under rain, relax and think on options. Dedicating self to betterment of Mars for all people. Too cold, need big fire."


Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.

Offline

#49 2004-05-27 12:37:44

clark
Member
Registered: 2001-09-20
Posts: 6,363

Re: You're a 1st Marsian Settler

Journal entry, day unknown. I have finally managed to cobble together a temporary shelter from the littered remains of the automated robot carcasses that litter the land. Not sure how well it protects me from the radiation though. Intercepted another message from Cobra, a long rambling manifesto declaring himself the savior of Mars from the coming elephant invasion. His grand vision seems to involve capturing as many rabbits as possible, studying them for weakness, and then breeding them into a human-rabbit hybrid of super mutants to build a mega-cannon to ward off the elephants. Not sure if the radiation is affecting me or not, but Cobra is starting to make sense…

Still have that Daisy song in my head, but haven't heard it in awhile.

Offline

#50 2004-05-27 12:43:01

Josh Cryer
Moderator
Registered: 2001-09-29
Posts: 3,830

Re: You're a 1st Marsian Settler

Haha, what the heck?  tongue

I go away for a day and my hab is suddenly blown up?

"Journal entry. Today. I've returned from a long trip, my home is in shatters, most of my robots are destroyed. I had to hike 50 kilometers when my rover wrecked to get to a cache with enough supplies to start anew and call forth an automated rover which I'd hidden to come get me. One of my robots which survived is acting very strange, looks like he was taken apart, guess the self destruct on tampering didn't work as I'd expected, but who wants to test that out? Time to deploy a robot to rebuild, place doesn't look very safe, going to go find shelter on the hilltops to the east, watch what the heck is going on from afar. Who would try to blow my stuff up? I'll set up a sniper rail gun."


Some useful links while MER are active. [url=http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html]Offical site[/url] [url=http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/MM_NTV_Web.html]NASA TV[/url] [url=http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/mer2004/]JPL MER2004[/url] [url=http://www.spaceflightnow.com/mars/mera/statustextonly.html]Text feed[/url]
--------
The amount of solar radiation reaching the surface of the earth totals some 3.9 million exajoules a year.

Offline

Board footer

Powered by FluxBB