Capturing Martian Dust Storms for ... uuhhh Science Stuff

Imagine going on vacation and having to bring every single item with you, food, clothing, electricity.... (you get the point), now imagine going on a trip where you need to bring the very air you breathe with you, oh and it costs at minimum $10,000/kilogram to get that material there.  This is the challenge that faces the world's space agencies when they consider humans exploring Mars.  The most popular solution for reducing the weight of what needs to be shipped is to try manufacturing supplies from resources found on the alien world, this process is referred to as In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU).  The why of ISRU is pretty understandable, make what you need from what you find around you and make your mission more affordable, the how is a little more difficult to determine, researchers and mission planners must consider a range of potential challenges when providing recommendations for research efforts.  Currently NASA is researching the potential of collecting Mars' thin atmosphere and converting the carbon-dioxide and extracting breathable oxygen.  This approach requires filtering out atmospheric dust particulates, primarily to avoid jamming the atmospheric collector, instead of focusing on extracting gaseous materials, this author wonders how viable it would be to simple collect the dust and soil that are whipped around Mars as a result of the planet's high speed winds.  (As I am unfamiliar with the actual energy demands of extracting the useful elements of Martian dust I am going off of a mechanics question, it could be very likely that the dust question was discounted as a result of the net energy demands of resource extraction vs the energy cost of material capture)
The rational behind designing an extraction system that utilizes air born dust as opposed to more active extraction systems, i.e. digging robots, is to minimize the number of moving parts and as a result the potential points of system failure.  A properly designed dust scoop could stand stationary for years or decades slowly accumulating dust and soil picked up by Martian dust storms.  The overall design of the dust collector array would need to meet a range of system requirements, including, but not limited to, surviving dust storms where wind speeds could reach 100 kph or more (the highest wind speeds recorded on Mars were measured by the Viking Landers at 100 kph, but there is no guarantee that they have seen the highest wind speeds Mars can produce), the body of the collection system must be able to withstand the weathering forces of Mars' extremely abrasive dust, and most critically the dust collector must be able to extract as much Martian dust and soil for every dollar it would cost to send as a more active excavating robot.  Estimating the design requirement of the first constraint is relatively easy, the remaining two, a bit harder, but let's try.
To estimate the median force that the wind would apply on the collector, which for initial calculations we are going to treat the collector as simple wall, namely because that limits the variables and we're only going for the same scale of force, read we are only worried if we are within a factor of 10 of the actual value.  
The Equation Used is the Drag EquationV is the velocity of the wind, here calculated for the known worst case scenario, 100 kph or 27.7777 m/s

ρ is the density of Martian atmosphere 0.02 kg/m^3

A is the area of the collector system.

CD is the coefficient for Drag, which we are assuming is 100%, remember we are looking at the worst case scenario.

When we remove the units we see everything balances out, which is always nice to see.

Holy crap, I have spent a few too many hours on this, I will follow up tomorrow with more, but time to get back to job hunting.

Edit I want to add some links at the bottom that will get added into the rest of this document later.

http://reseauconceptuel.umontreal.ca/rid=1225319082132_1402805076_76755/In%20Situ%20Resource%20Utilization.cmap probably a contender for one of the worst flow charts in history, but it does talk about dust extraction vs air extraction

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20110016184.pdf  a higher level document on dust extraction utilizing electrical fields

http://www.lpi.usra.edu/lunar_resources/documents/ISRUFinalReportRev15_19_05%20_2_.pdf over view on ISRUs

http://www.spaceclimate.net/ISRU.Chapter.vers7.pdf another ISRU overview

http://iopscience.iop.org/1742-6596/327/1/012048/pdf/1742-6596_327_1_012048.pdf filtering out dust from atmospheric extraction systems

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20120001775.pdf powerpoint in PDF format that talks about atmospheric extraction  

Williamsburg's Latest Tablet

After months of unfounded rumors, scraped from locavore cheese tastings, sampled from triple fusion food trucks, and a journey through several underground clubs I have finally had my first opportunity to look at the "TMNT" Industries' ("Totally Mainstream New Technologies" Industries (yes the quotation marks must be included in the name)) latest tablet.  To say this piece of hardware is an inspiration for going in a bold new direction for personal computing and self exploration is a harsh understatement, the simple square design and reclaimed wood panel backing surround a machine that will allow both artists and makers to unleash their creative power.  First impressions are difficult to fully describe, "TMNT" Industries lead designer Dona T. Lo is a true perfectionist in  her craft, while she allowed me to interact with some truly inspired early drafts of the Aliquid no photographs could be taken and only the idealized render of the system would be shared with your blogger.  She feels that consumer experience will sell the final product at launch, come February 30th.

What I can say is that this device takes tablet technology in directions only alluded to in competing products.  For me the most distinguishing feature was the three camera array on the tablet.  The most humdrum being for selfies and facetime chats with friends the front facing camera serves as a 1080p webcam that is also capable of taking 10 megapixel stills.  On the back of the tablet's aesthetic is a contrast of reclaimed barn wood (at least in the prototype I held, designer Lenard O'Devince tells me that customers will eventually be able to bring almost any material in for re-purposing) and a removable black square about 2.5 inches across with a silver ring encompassing a small glass window.  For many photographers this will be the Aliquid's "killer app", this removable segment allows for a range of sensors and lenses to be added to the Tablet, using minimal tools.  The default design will come with 2/3" CCD sensor capable of sensitivities more than ISO 6400 (issues with sourcing from manufacturers is making exact details hard to finalize) and a fast acting shutter on par with the majority of DSLR cameras.  Customers will receive a free Holga lens system and a coupon that will allow them to order a lens mount for most lens supplier as the adapters become available.  Above the major sensor lies a smaller camera system, that includes a sensor similar to the front facing camera, but with more advanced audio recording and a brighter flash.  While many photographers are likely to attach their own flash assemblies as they create them, "TMNT" has also included a larger flash to the left of the cameras as a back up option.

For makers, tinkerers, hackers, and anyone else not included in this list who likes to mess with electronics "TMNT" Industries has a new technology sure to blow your mind, inductiblu.  Inductiblu is an open standard based around the existing bluetooth standard intendend to allow users to add functionality to their Aliquid tablet wherever they need it.  Embedded along the bezel of the Aliquid's body there are dozens of micro-wireless power transfer systems, capable of supplying over 5 miliwatts of power per centimeter.  These power systems could provide the energy for communicating with small data relays, sensors, if inventors want to make an attachment they can do it.  Electrical engineer Chuck Michelangelo noted that he has made several magnetically mounted cartridge readers for various classic systems including the NES and Sega Genesis.
Every detail blew me away, unfortunately my editor is making me cut this post short to get it out on time, so I will finish up with a few final details.
The Aliquid will launch with an optional attachment for playing vinyl records, it will use the system's single USB port for power.
The back paneling is removable and the interior is designed to allow for additional components and modifications to be added, as well as the option to add thicker backings to accommodate larger components
Screen Size 10 inches
Aspect Ratio 1:1
Screen Resolution 2200x2200 pixels
Cameras 3
Battery 8,000 mAh
Processor:  Quad Core from a to be announced supplier
Memory:  4 GB RAM 16,32,64,128, 256 GB SSD as well as microSD expandable for all models
Dimensions: 220mm wide 220 mm in height and 9 mm in thickness

Obviously this is a piece of fiction, hopefully you enjoyed reading this post, if you have any thoughts or comments or want more details please say something.  Thanks for your time and happy April Fools.

XKCD did a much better job committing to the crazy tablet premise