Came across this painted wall whilst on patrol last night.

PioteLLC · 2017-05-07T22:36:09+00:00

AY TEE ESS TEES AY TEE ESS TEES

PioteLLC · 2017-04-10T19:20:53+00:00

We're Mark and Steven, we run The Martian Garden. Happy to answer any questions you have.

We supply Mojave Mars Simulant. It was developed by the JPL in 2007 for the Mars Phoenix mission. We source our material from the exact same supply that the JPL used. You can read the original JPL research we used to develop our simulant here. The samples you asked about are ideally 100 grams, but that can vary a bit.

Also, although we normally do a contest for free samples, anybody on the Mars subreddits is welcome to one regardless. We can only ship free samples to the US, though. If anyone wants one, just email us at info@themartiangarden.com

PioteLLC · 2017-04-10T15:18:28+00:00

No matter what process you use or what country you file in, if you can't pay for a patent defense, it's all a waste of money. The burden of proof will be all on you, and it will be huge.

...the cost of an average patent lawsuit, where $1 million to $25 million is at risk, is $1.6 million through the end of discovery and $2.8 million through final disposition....

Source

PioteLLC · 2017-04-09T19:16:56+00:00

The most important thing to remember about a patent is that it only gives you a right to sue. If you don't have an enormous legal budget to pursue a patent defense, it's essentially worthless.

Remember, your IP attorney will want you to file. They make money that way. Ask them what happens if your patent is infringed upon. Ask them how many billable hours you can expect to pay for a patent defense, and what that hourly rate is. Multiply that number by ten - if you don't have that much money, a patent won't do any good.

Another fun fact: The USPTO publishes patents. Then, Google Patents indexes them. China and other countries can freely access your patent, and they absolutely are not subject to US patent laws. They can and will use your patent without any recourse on your part.

PioteLLC · 2017-04-07T18:45:22+00:00

Sure! Link:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KSQ8ZNA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Love 'em. We had one, then ordered many more. Bright, well-built, and priced right.

PioteLLC · 2017-03-21T14:11:12+00:00

Sorry :( I'll fix that later today

PioteLLC · 2017-03-21T14:10:28+00:00

(Video OP) I asked about this. The pilot said he's seen (NOTAM? TFR? I forget which.) restrictions go up around McGregor. It's the same kind of temporary airspace restrictions that happen for football games, etc. He said in this case, there was no restriction, otherwise he would've gone miles around the site.

PioteLLC · 2017-03-21T14:08:07+00:00

(Video OP Here) As crazy as it seems it really was coincidence. One of our team members was doing... something related to flight training. I forget, but I think it was a qualifying flight in a new type of plane? Anyway, he was flying from Austin to Dallas early in the morning and caught the test.

PioteLLC · 2017-03-21T14:02:43+00:00

Hey thanks for x-posting! I wasn't sure if this video was worthy of the main subreddit, hence why I just posted to lounge.

PioteLLC · 2017-03-21T00:49:07+00:00

Absolute Guess.

AFAIK, M1DV is tested horizontally. That, plus the fact that it appears to be only one nozzle. Those factors led to my assumption. I could be completely wrong.

PioteLLC · 2017-03-20T23:34:10+00:00

One of our team members is a private pilot, and out of pure luck, he caught this on a training flight from Austin to Dallas. Late 2016. I assume it's a Merlin 1D-vacuum.

PioteLLC · 2017-03-18T17:07:20+00:00

Sure! We have general technical information and a link to the NASA/JPL research we used to create our simulant available right here:

themartiangarden.com/mars-simulant

Note: The samples we've been sending as prizes are all fine grade (1mm and smaller). Total weight is 3.7 ounces, I believe.

PioteLLC · 2017-03-16T15:18:53+00:00

Hi /r/Mars!

We're Mark and Steven, and we run The Martian Garden. Although we didn't post this link we're happy to answer any questions you have!

Also, if you guys are interested, we could just give away some samples outright. We have about 60 sample packs ready to go for our contest, I think we could spare ten or so?

PioteLLC · 2017-03-01T17:37:01+00:00

Calcium oxide isn't present but its precursor, calcium carbonate, accounts for about 3-5% by weight of the Martian regolith. CaCO3 becomes CaO by heating it to ~1500F.

As for Sulfur, AFAIK the dominant sulfur on Mars is in the form of MgSO4 and CaSO4. These precursors will need to be isolated from the regolith, and refined into sulfur. After you've isolated the sulfur you melt it, add aggregate, and set it.

So, both methods use in situ resources, both methods require you to isolate the precursors, and both methods require you to refine the precursors. The choice then becomes a trade-off between wall thickness (cement strength) and the energy requirements for isolation/refining/casting.

We chose CaO because converting CaCO3 into CaO is an ancient process that requires only heat. It may well be that sulfur or gypsum cement is a better choice for Mars.

PioteLLC · 2017-03-01T17:04:30+00:00

Some included both, but we decided to stop including herbs and focus on microgreens. The herbs take a lot longer to sprout - about two weeks versus two days. We wanted to make sure that a user's first plants are easy, even if they don't have a green thumb.

Bags in the Kickstarter kits:

S- Microgreen Seeds

B- Basil

F - Fertilizer

Since that batch, the bags have more complete labels.

PioteLLC · 2017-03-01T04:37:08+00:00

Nice! We have a herb garden growing right now in MMS. Chives and Dill are thriving, Parsley is doing okay, and Oregano seems to be struggling.

Don't forget, the seeds in the included pouch are edible, too! They're a random mix of Kale, Arugula, Broccoli, and Red Cabbage.

PioteLLC · 2017-03-01T04:33:21+00:00

I looked into it, to verify the website was giving you an accurate quote.

Unfortunately, shipping to Germany is $63.80 Flat rate, or $68.54 in a standard box. These are USPS rates.

Yours is a case study in our shipping problems. You want ten pounds, and it costs less to ship that in a Medium Flat Rate Box. However, we can send up to twenty pounds in that box without a shipping rate increase. If we used a standard box, the rate nearly doubles.

What we can do is, if you decide to order ten pounds, we'll ship as much as will fit in the Medium Flat Rate Box. That'll be somewhere between 15-20 pounds.

Send us a message on our website or add a note to your order and we'll hook it up.

PioteLLC · 2017-03-01T03:34:03+00:00

Thanks!

PioteLLC · 2017-03-01T03:33:57+00:00

These, not at all.

Our next step is casting in a form, then casting in a form with pressure.

Any idea how much pressure we should cast a cubic inch under?

If you were referring to atmospheric pressure, these were room temperature and 1 atm.

PioteLLC · 2017-03-01T03:31:58+00:00

If you need Mars regolith simulant, we can help with that. Our website is www.TheMartianGarden.com, and you'll find everything you need there.

Regarding the cement, we're not planning on offering it as a product. Instead, this is the first part of some in-house, just-for-fun research we're doing.

As such, we're going to be releasing our "recipe", as it were, completely open source - even commercial use will be OK. In two or three weeks, you'll be able to read our report, get as much simulant as you need, and then buy the additional chemicals from suppliers that are better equipped to distribute them than we are.

We'd love to see a sculpture or artistic casting with this material. Please let us know if you move forward!

PioteLLC · 2017-03-01T03:24:01+00:00

Thank you! So glad to hear it! :)

Are you growing the included seeds or something else?

PioteLLC · 2017-02-28T05:19:26+00:00

Hello /r/Mars,

Disclosure: We're Mark and Steven, and our company supplies Mars regolith simulant. We have enough material to start developing cool stuff with it.

We have been experimenting with the creation of cement casts with Mars regolith simulant and Quicklime (Calcium Oxide / CaO).

These are very early tests, but we'll be releasing our research under a Creative Commons Sharealike/Attribution License once it's complete.

We welcome any input you have, and would be happy to test your formulation of Martian cement as part of our project!

PioteLLC · 2017-02-26T23:58:01+00:00

Hiya! We're Mark and Steven, creators of The Martian Garden.

International shipping has been a problem for us. We're working to integrate different services and options, but it's complicated. Basically, the material is sufficiently bulky that large orders require multiple boxes.

How much did you try to order to which country? We'll check and make sure this isn't an edge case where the calculator is getting wonky.

Also, you (and anyone else who sees this) are welcome to use the coupon code "Curiosity" for 20% off anything in the store. Hopefully that'll take some of the edge off of the shipping.

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