Mars Settlement: Open World Gaming's Role

Introduction: Waking Up on Mars

Have you ever woken up in your room but thought you were somewhere else? Maybe on Planet Mars? If you could log in to a game and play the game like real life but still know that your virtual actions had some effect on physical reality, is that still a game? What about an open-world game in which as you explore the world not only do you construct an understanding of your place in the game but your journey in the game leads to valuable construction of a world you are exploring to people outside the game? You are shaping the information space of this new world of planet Mars as an active player in this virtual-physical landscape of Mars.

Cosmo-Remote Work: VR on Mars

What is cosmo-remote work, and how does it work? You log in to your computer from your room on Earth as one of your team members commands a Mars rover, they have been assigned to an archaeology team as part of the project goals to branch navigational pathway on points for establishment and expansion. You are part of a team who inhabits a robotic unit. You are tasked to prepare the infrastructure of the outpost which is planned in the long term to be a colony then a city. It’s fair to say your work has become addictive like playing a video game. As you sip coffee, your screen glows with a Martian sunrise, streamed from a rover you control 140 million miles away.

Your first encounter with this experience was detached liminal. Now you and your peers could see the red planet and move in the terrain, but is this all an elaborate deepfake? It’s healthy scepticism in a world of artificially generated content. The company assured us that this experience is real. We were able to see our robotic units move in the landscape through the satellite feed in near real-time satellite feeds verified by mission data.

There is a jarring sense of dislocation, how was it that your control of movement, your response from your brain extended as a nerve impulse then as a movement to VR commands as digital signals on Earth being transported approximately 225 million kilometres (140 million miles) from Earth to Mars to your robotic unit. A signal across space to the red planet. This was augmented technology or VR augmentation through the use of computer systems to extend the capabilities of the user through the control of the robotic unit.

Augmentation in the sense that it extended your perceptional capabilities through the control of mechanical units as it transverses through the rough terrain of Mars. Mars lacks a magnetic field, exposing the surface to high levels of cosmic and solar radiation, posing risks to lifeforms and humans. At 38% of Earth’s gravity, Mars affects human physiology.

It was like streaming with your peers as your unit moved through the terrain of this planet. The information relayed from the field as checkpoints were established for development settlement was dynamic as communication from the stream was being plugged into social media. Crowdsourcing the internet for new vantage points that were declared, discussed and analyzed by secondary participants in this sector of users and artificial intelligence as Mars analysts.

Eventually, as the year went by, we saw more shuttles launched as we were aware that the project was picking up visibility and the job sector expanded in market value, a job sector or the gaming industry. Depends on who you ask. The cargo, more robot units along with construction materials. Send the robots to space, they were made for this kind of long voyages across the big empty not suffering from damaging effects of space travel on the human body like space radiation, isolation, gravity fields or hostile environments.

Space exploration is captivating as it is dangerous and every shuttle launch demonstrates the capabilities of human potential coupled with the aspiration of the human spirit, not enough is described about the dangers that astronauts may face specifically outside the shuttle or on the terrain. An astronaut tending to a section of the shuttle is at risk of dislodging out into the great big nothing. Every step they take is a coordinated step and a risk of a mistake can complicate the task of maintenance or repair. What about hostile terrain on some other planet that has not been reasonably surveyed? Designing technologies for safety in space exploration could tame risks and dangers while scaling back complexity.

Back on Earth, the Charter had established 4 phases in the establishment of the colony on Mars. You are part of phase 1. The phases are not strictly in stages but can be parallel as phase 1 moves forward. Cosmo remote work started trending online, it was the craze that snowballed. There’s a lot of space in space, and the infrastructural development economic system could go on for a long time.

Infrastructural development unlike the development of a town and city takes on a kind of limitless expansive mission that the building, development or the making will never stop. Industry experts projected a $1 trillion space economy from Cosmo-remote work, VR, robotics, and satellites. Debates ensued about exponential growth, resource constraints and an economic concept that could prevent activists from defacing fine art and spilling good milk on the floor--circular economy.

There were current precursor projects for the foundation technology in the use of VR to explore the Mars landscape. How does VR technology enable control of Mars rovers? VR technology enables Mars rover control through realistic 3D virtual environments that let operators plan and simulate rover movements and activities in advance.

This approach overcomes the communication delay challenge by shifting control from real-time joystick driving to careful mission planning and command sequencing. VR enhances situational awareness, reduces risks, and supports collaborative decision-making among scientists and engineers managing rover operations from millions of miles away. Before this chapter could begin, there were some challenges that needed to be addressed.

Current challenges of using VR to control robots on Mars

Communication Latency and Time Delay

The distance between Earth and Mars causes a substantial communication delay, and latency makes real-time teleoperation with VR impossible because commands and visual feedback cannot be exchanged instantaneously. In the use of robotics, NASA's experiments with VR control of humanoid robots in space highlight that compensating for this time delay is a challenge.

Limited Bandwidth and Data Transfer Constraints

Mars missions are constrained by limited communication bandwidth, restricting the amount of data flow (including 3D visual data) that can be sent back and forth. High-fidelity VR requires rich, real-time 3D data streams, which can be difficult to achieve with limited data rates available for Mars-Earth communication.

Onboard Computational and Power Limitations

Mars rovers and robots operate with limited onboard computing resources and power. The processors are radiation-hardened but relatively low-powered compared to Earth standards, and power availability is limited by solar or nuclear sources. This restricts the complexity of onboard processing needed to support VR control systems or autonomous functions that could compensate for communication delays.

Harsh and Unpredictable Martian Environment

Conditions on Mars can make it difficult for lifeforms to inhabit the planet as it is not as ideal as Earth. The thin atmosphere and extreme cold make liquid water scarce. High radiation levels damage organic molecules, making surface life unlikely without extreme adaptations. Mars’ atmosphere is 1% as dense as Earth’s, primarily carbon dioxide (95.3%), with trace amounts of nitrogen and argon. It offers little protection from radiation and cannot support human breathing.

The regolith, a loose unconsolidated rock and dust that sits atop a layer of bedrock lacks organic compounds. Regolith on Earth includes soil, which is a biologically active medium and a key component in plant growth. Water is contaminated by perchlorate and chlorate are potent oxidizers that cause equipment corrosion, hazardous to human health even at low concentrations.

The thin, CO2-rich atmosphere requires sealed habitats with oxygen generators and rugged terrain pose risks for construction and mobility. Control to shape the environment will need to be considered with high radiation risks, requiring shielded habitats.

Limited access to water, food, and building materials requires in-situ resource utilization (ISRU), such as mining ice or regolith for construction. Isolation and low gravity could affect mental and physical health, requiring robust support systems

The Martian terrain is rugged and unpredictable, requiring autonomous navigation and path planning capabilities. Robots must be able to handle hardware degradation and unexpected obstacles without immediate human intervention. VR control systems must integrate with these autonomous systems to be effective, without complicating the control interface.

Complexity of Robot Manipulation and Interaction

Controlling dexterous humanoid robots remotely via VR is complicated by the need for precise manipulation of objects, which is difficult to achieve with delayed and limited feedback. Even in simulations, interaction with moving objects under time delay remains a significant problem.

Software and Visualization Challenges

Visualizing large 3D datasets from rover cameras and sensors in VR is challenging due to the size and complexity of the data. Efficient software techniques are needed to interactively visualize and interpret this data for effective control and planning

A space-powered decentralized internet

How do advancements in space technology help move us closer to a decentralized internet space? In order for this technological event to occur, some infrastructural capabilities should be in place. A secure and dependable system free from breach. Are decentralised satellite networks powered the way forward?

What’s the price for durability for interplanetary internet? The creation of decentralized satellite networks in which satellites autonomously communicate and coordinate without centralized control enhances network resilience and security. Can blockchain ensure transparent and immutable data management?

The deployment of satellite constellations supporting space-based 5G networks is for high-speed, low-latency data transport globally, including remote and underserved areas where traditional infrastructure is lacking. These networks manage data in space and integrate numerous devices seamlessly, expanding internet access beyond terrestrial limits

A decentralized architecture contrasts with conventional centralized satellite networks, minimizing single points of failure and censorship risks while broadening access to satellite-based internet and services. Research, like the OpenSpace architecture, suggests a distributed model in which diverse entities collaboratively own and manage satellite internet services, moving away from monopolistic control. This approach enhances interoperability, divergence, and scalability reflecting the internet's inherently decentralized ethos.

The integration of IoT with space technologies enables satellites to communicate with vast networks of ground and space-based devices, enhancing real-time data transfer and connectivity in remote regions inaccessible by terrestrial networks. This connectivity supports applications like global tracking, emergency communications, and space exploration robotics, further extending decentralized internet capabilities beyond Earth.

Space exploration is wicked complexity, dangerous, and complicated. The colonization of Mars could be managed in stages to assess the progression effort to transform or terraform a hostile planet into a habitual one which could be accomplished through remote manned robotics, an ecosystem of space companies, economy and safer technologies.

The meeting point between the world of gaming and the control of robotics as units for the player’s decision to navigate the landscape of Mars with a mission plan is both the experience of the player in a game and the world of planet Mars blurs the line of simulation and reality. It is an economic expansive floodgate for new potential hardware, software, satellite systems and a renewed gaming industry.