The NewMars forum runs a number of parallel discussions. Some are fairly serious discussion of rocket engineering, mission planning or similar interests of contributors.
Among the topics which show up from time to time are considerations of how life can be made interesting and rewarding for workers on Mars, far from home on Earth and constantly threatened by countless natural forces trying to kill them.
One of these topics is “Slow Glass”. The concept itself can be traced (for just one of many possible origins) to Science Fiction, where the concept has been employed as the theme of stories in Analog Science Fact and Fiction, and quite likely elsewhere.
Here is a recent post from the NewMars forum on the subject:
Amidst the serious discussion underway in other topics, about numbers of starships needed for Mars settlement, and propulsion chemistry, I’d like to invite anyone interested to take a look out my “Slow Glass” “window” in my hab in Sagan City (2018).
To my amazement, a Blue Jay showed up in the view. It may be on it’s way South, but it may have stopped in because it saw squirrels munching on peanuts. It took a break at the water bowl (heated now that freezing weather has arrived).
There are still some leaves on the trees, but they are definitely looking raggedy.
A relative and I’ve been discussing wildlife in our respective locations.
He reported having to trap a raccoon which had (cleverly in my opinion) climbed up the stone chimney and crept under the roof overhang to spend the night.
I had reported missing the ants, which are a feature of life in the 90+ year old house where I live. Each little worker is (to my way of thinking) a marvel of nanotechnology on full display. During the warmer seasons, when pulses of workers find their way into crevasses that (obviously) exist, some make there way (unwisely) into view of my ant capture equipment.
Wisdom may not be the appropriate property to assign to an ant, but a collective of ants often shows remarkable “intelligence” in the art of survival.
Ants are unlikely to be present on Mars during early years, but there may be a way in which they and other insects turn out to be important for a healthy biological infrastructure.
In any case, there are no ants visible in my “Slow Glass” display at this time of the Earth year.
(th)
