The 3 Rules of Land Disposal Restrictions

what are the three methods used to legally dispose of hazardous wastes

what are the three methods used to legally dispose of hazardous wastes - win

[EVENT] 91st Congress passes major environmental legislation

No witchcraft, no enemy action had silenced the rebirth of new life in this stricken world. The people had done it themselves.
Rachel Carson, Silent Spring
 
The land ethic simply enlarges the boundaries of the community to include soils, waters, plants, and animals; or collectively: the land.
This sounds simple: do we not already sing our love for and obligation to the land of the free and the home of the brave? Yes, but just what and whom do we love? Certainly not the soil, which we are sending helter-skelter downriver. Certainly not the waters, which we assume have no function except to turn turbines, float barges, and carry off sewage. Certainly not the plants, of which we exterminate whole communities without batting an eye. Certainly not the animals, of which we have already extirpated many of the largest and most beautiful species. A land ethic of course cannot prevent the alteration, management, and use of these 'resources,' but it does affirm their right to continued existence, and, at least in spots, their continued existence in a natural state.
In short, a land ethic changes the role of Homo sapiens from conqueror of the land-community to plain member and citizen of it. It implies respect for his fellow-members, and also respect for the community as such.
Aldo Leopold, The Land Ethic
 

The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969

 

Purpose

The purposes of this Act are: To declare a national policy which will encourage productive and enjoyable harmony between man and his environment; to promote efforts which will prevent or eliminate damage to the environment and biosphere and stimulate the health and welfare of man; to enrich the understanding of the ecological systems and natural resources important to the Nation; and to establish a Council on Environmental Quality.
 

Title I: Declaration of National Environmental Policy

The Congress, recognizing the profound impact of man's activity on the interrelations of all components of the natural environment and recognizing further the critical importance of restoring and maintaining environmental quality to the overall welfare and development of man, declares that it is the continuing policy of the Federal Government, in cooperation with State and local governments, and other concerned public and private organizations, to use all practicable means and measures, including financial and technical assistance, in a manner calculated to foster and promote the general welfare, to create and maintain conditions under which man and nature can exist in productive harmony, and fulfill the social, economic, and other requirements of present and future generations of Americans. Furthermore, The Congress recognizes that each person should enjoy a healthful environment and that each person has a responsibility to contribute to the preservation and enhancement of the environment.
In order to carry out the policy set forth in this Act, it is the continuing responsibility of the Federal Government to use all practicable means, consistent with other essential considerations of national policy, to improve and coordinate Federal plans, functions, programs, and resources to the end that the Nation may:
 
The Congress authorizes and directs that, to the fullest Administration extent possible, all agencies of the Federal Government shall:
 

Title II: Council on Environmental Quality

The President shall transmit to the Congress annually beginning July 1, 1970, an Environmental Quality Report (hereinafter referred to as the "report") which shall set forth
There is created in the Executive Office of the President a Council on Environmental Quality (hereinafter referred to as the "Council"). The Council shall be composed of three members who shall be appointed by the President to serve at his pleasure, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. It shall be the duty and function of the Council to:
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out the provisions of this Act not to exceed $300,000 for fiscal year 1970, $700,000 for fiscal year 1971, and $1,000,000 for each fiscal year thereafter.
 
 
Let's put our heads together and start a new country up / Our father's father's father tried, erased the parts he didn't like / Let's try to fill it in, bank the quarry river, swim / We knee-skinned it you and me, we knee-skinned that river red
...
Cuyahoga / Cuyahoga, gone
 

The Clean Water Act of 1970

Title I: Research and Related Programs

The objective of this Act is to restore and maintain the chemical, physicalj and biological integrity of the Nation's waters. In order to achieve this objective it is hereby declared that, consistent with the provisions of this Act:
  • it is the national goal that the discharge of pollutants into the navigable waters be eliminated by 1985;
  • it is the national policy that the discharge of toxic pollutants in toxic amounts be prohibited;
  • it is the national policy that Federal financial assistance be provided to construct publicly owned waste treatment works;
  • it is the national policy that waste treatment management planning processes be developed and implemented to assure adequate control of sources of pollutants;
  • it is the national policy that a major research and demonstration effort be made to develop technology necessary to eliminate the discharge of pollutants into waters.
 
The Administrator shall establish national programs for the prevention, reduction, and elimination of pollution and as part of such programs shall:
  • in cooperation with other Federal, State, and local agencies, conduct and promote the coordination and acceleration of, research, investigations, experiments, training, demonstrations, surveys, and studies relating to the causes, effects, extent, prevention, reduction, and elimination of pollution;
  • initiate and promote the coordination and acceleration of Report to conresearch designed to develop the most effective practicable tools and techniques for measuring the social and economic costs and benefits of activities which are subject to regulation under this Act; and shall transmit a report on the results of such research to the Congress not later than January 1, 1974.
In carrying out the provisions this section the Administrator is authorized to:
  • collect and make available information pertaining to research and other activities;
  • cooperate with other Federal departments and agencies, State water pollution control agencies, interstate agencies, other public and private agencies, institutions, organizations, industries involved, and individuals, in the preparation and conduct of such research and other activities.
  • make grants to State water pollution control agencies, interstate agencies, other public or nonprofit private agencies, institutions, organizations, and individuals, for purposes stated in this section;
  • contract with public or private agencies, institutions, organizations, and individuals;
  • establish and maintain research fellowships at public or nonprofit private educational institutions or research organizations;
  • develop effective and practical processes, methods, and prototype devices for the prevention, reduction, and elimination of pollution.
 
  • The Administrator shall, after consultation with appropriate local, State, and Federal agencies, public and private organizations, and interested individuals, develop and issue to the States for the purpose of carrying out this Act the latest scientific knowledge available in indicating the kind and extent of effects on health and welfare which may be expected from the presence of pesticides in the water in varying quantities. He shall revise and add to such information whenever necessary to reflect developing scientific knowledge.
  • The Administrator shall, in an effort to prevent degradation of the environment from the disposal of waste oil, conduct a study of the generation of used engine, machine, cooling, and similar waste oil, the long-term, chronic biological effects of the disposal of such waste oil, and the potential market for such oils, including the economic and legal factors relating to the sale of products made from such oils, the level of subsidy, if any, needed to encourage the purchase by public and private nonprofit agencies of products from such oil, and the practicability of Federal procurement, on a priority basis, of products made from such oil. In conducting such study, the Administrator shall consult with affected industries and other persons.
  • The Administrator shall conduct research and investigations on devices, systems, incentives, pricing policy, and other methods of reducing the total flow of sewage, including, but not limited to, unnecessary water consumption in order to reduce the requirements for, and the costs of, sewage and waste treatment services. Such research and investigations shall be directed to develop devices, systems, policies, and methods capable of achieving the maximum reduction of unnecessary water consumption.
The Administrator shall report the preliminary results of such studies and investigations to the Congress as soon as practicable but not later than January 1, 1973.
 

Title II: Standards and Enforcement

  • The discharge of any pollutant by any person shall be unlawful.
In order to carry out the objective of this Act there shall be achieved:
  • not later than July 1, 1977, effluent limitations for point sources which shall require the application of the best practicable control technology currently available as defined by the Administrator;
  • not later than July 1,1977, any more stringent limitation, including those necessary to meet water quality standards, treatment standards, or schedules of compliance;
The Administrator shall promulgate any revised or new standard under this paragraph not later than ninety days after he publishes such proposed standards, unless prior to such promulgation, such State has adopted a revised or new water quality standard which the Administrator determines to be in accordance with this Act.
  • Each State shall establish for the waters, and in accordance with the priority ranking, the total maximum daily load, for those pollutants defined by the Administrator as suitable for such calculation.
  • Each State shall estimate for the waters the total maximum daily thermal load required to assure protection and propagation of a balanced, indigenous population of shellfish, fish and wildlife.
Whenever required to carry out the objective of this Act:
  • the Administrator shall require the owner or operator of any point source to establish and maintain records, make reports, install, use, and maintain monitoring equipment or methods, sample effluents, and provide such other information as he may reasonably require.
  • the Administrator or his authorized representative, upon presentation of his credentials shall have a right of entry to, upon, or through any premises in which an effluent source is located or in which any records are located, and may at reasonable times have access to and copy any records, inspect any monitoring equipment or method, and sample any effluents which the owner or operator of such source is required to sample under such clause.
 

Title III: General Provisions

  • The Administrator is authorized to prescribe such regulations as are necessary to carry out his functions under this Act.
  • The Administrator, with the consent of the head of any other agency of the United States, may utilize such officers and employees of such agency as may be found necessary to assist in carrying out the purposes of this Act.
  • Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, the Administrator upon receipt of evidence that a pollution source or combination of sources is presenting an imminent and substantial endangerment to the health or welfare of persons may bring suit on behalf of the United States to immediately restrain any person causing or contributing to the alleged pollution to stop the discharge of pollutants causing or contributing to such pollution or to take such other action as may be necessary.
  • Any citizen may commence a civil action on his own behalf against any person, including the United States and any other governmental instrumentality or agency to the extent permitted by the eleventh amendment to the Constitution, who is alleged to be in violation of an effluent standard or limitation under this Act or an order issued by the Administrator or a State with respect to such a standard or limitation, or against the Administrator where there is alleged a failure of the Administrator to perform any act or duty under this Act which is not discretionary with the Administrator.
  • No Federal agency may enter into any contract with any person, who has been convicted of any offense under this Act.
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out the provisions of this Act not to exceed $650,000,000 for fiscal year 1970, $800,000,000 for fiscal year 1971, and $1,000,000,000 for each fiscal year thereafter.
 
 
There's the progress we have found (when the rain) / A way to talk around the problem (when the children reign) / Building towered foresight (keep your conscience in the dark) / Isn't anything at all (melt the statues in the park) / Buy the sky and sell the sky and bleed the sky and tell the sky
Don't fall on me (what is it up in the air for?) (it's gonna fall) / Fall on me (if it's there for long) (it's gonna fall) / Fall on me (it's over, it's over me) (it's gonna fall)
 

The Clean Air Amendments of 1970

Title I: Ambient Air Quality and Emissions Standards

For the purpose of establishing national primary and secondary ambient air quality standards, the Administrator shall within 30 days after the date of enactment of the Clean Air Amendments of 1970 publish, and shall from time to time thereafter revise, a list which includes each air pollutant:
  • which in his judgment has an adverse effect on public health or welfare;
  • the presence of which in the ambient air results from numerous or diverse mobile or stationary sources;
  • for which air quality criteria had not been issued before the date of enactment of the Clean Air Amendments of 1970, but for which he plans to issue air quality criteria under this section.
The Administrator shall issue air quality criteria for an air pollutant within 12 months after he has included such pollutant in said list. The criteria for an air pollutant, to the extent practicable, shall include information on:
  • those variable factors (including atmospheric conditions) which of themselves or in combination with other factors may alter the effects on public health or welfare of such air pollutant;
  • the types of air pollutants which, when present in the atmosphere, may interact with such pollutant to produce an adverse effect on public health or welfare;
  • any known or anticipated adverse effects on welfare.
The Administrator within 30 days after the date of enactment of the Clean Air Amendments of 1970, shall publish proposed regulations prescribing a national primary ambient air quality standard and a national secondary ambient air quality standard for each air pollutant for which air quality criteria have been issued prior to such date of enactment.
 

Title II: Hazardous Air Pollutant Standards

The Administrator shall, within 90 days after the date of enactment of the Clean Air Amendments of 1970, publish (and shall from time to time thereafter revise) a list which includes each hazardous air pollutant for which he intends to establish an emission standard under this section.
After the effective date of any emission standard under this section, no person may construct any new source or modify any existing source which, in the Administrator's judgment, will emit an air pollutant to which such standard applies unless the Administrator finds that such source if properly operated will not cause emissions in violation of such standard.
 

Title III: Enforcement

For the purpose of developing or assisting in the development of any implementation plan, any standard of performance, or any emission standard, or of determining whether any person is in violation of any such standard or any requirement of such a plan:
  • the Administrator may require the owner or operator of any emission source to establish and maintain records, make reports, install, use, and maintain monitoring equipment or methods, sample emissions, and provide such other information as he may reasonably require;
  • the Administrator or his authorized representative, upon presentation of his credentials shall have a right of entry to, upon, or through any premises in which an emission source is located or in which any records required to be maintained under this section are located, and may at reasonable times have access to and copy, any records, inspect any monitoring equipment or method, and sample any emissions which the owner or operator of such source is required to sample.
 

Title IV: Motor Vehicle Emission Standards

The Administrator shall by regulation prescribe (and from time to time revise) in accordance with the provisions of this section, standards applicable to the emission of any air pollutant from any class or classes of new motor vehicles or new motor vehicle engines, which in his judgment causes or contributes to, or is likely to cause or to contribute to, air pollution which endangers the public health or welfare. Such standards shall be applicable to such vehicles and engines for their useful life.
  • The regulations applicable to emissions of carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons from light duty vehicles and engines manufactured during or after model year 1975 shall contain standards which require a reduction of at least 90 per centum from emissions of carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons allowable under the standards under this section applicable to light duty vehicles and engines manufactured in model year 1970.
  • The regulations applicable to emissions of oxides of nitrogen from light duty vehicles and engines manufactured during or after model year 1976 shall contain standards which require a reduction of at least 90 per centum from the average of emissions of oxides of nitrogen actually measured from light duty vehicles manufactured during model year 1971.
 
  • It is unlawful for a manufacturer of new motor vehicles or new motor engines to engage in the distribution in commerce, the sale, or the offering for sale, or the introduction, or delivery for introduction, into commerce, or (in the case of any person, except as provided by regulation of the Administrator), the importation into the United States, of any new motor vehicle or new motor vehicle engine, manufactured after the effective date of regulations, which does not comply with the standards set out by the Administrator.
  • It is unlawful for any manufacturer or dealer knowingly to remove or render inoperative any pollution control device or similar element of design before or after such sale and delivery to the ultimate purchaser.
 

Title V: Emission Standards for Aircraft

Within 90 days after the date of enactment of the Clean Air Amendments of 1970, the Administrator shall commence a study and investigation of emissions of air pollutants from aircraft in order to determine the extent to which such emissions affect air quality in air quality control regions throughout the United States, and the technological feasibility of controlling such emissions.
Within 180 days after commencing such study and investigation, the Administrator shall publish a report of such study and investigation and shall issue proposed emission standards applicable to emissions of any air pollutant from any class or classes of aircraft or aircraft engines which in his judgment cause or contribute to or are likely to cause or contribute to air pollution which endangers the public health or welfare.
 

Title VI: Regulation of Fuels

The Administrator may by regulation designate any fuel or fuel additive and, after such date or dates as may be prescribed by him, no manufacturer or processor of any such fuel or additive may sell, offer for sale, or introduce into commerce such fuel or additive unless the Administrator has registered such fuel or additive. For the purpose of registration of fuels and fuel additives, the Administrator shall require:
  • the manufacturer of any fuel to notify him as to the commercial identifying name and manufacturer of any additive contained in such fuel; the range of concentration of any additive in the fuel; and the purpose-in-use of any such additive;
  • the manufacturer of any additive to notify him as to the chemical composition of such additive;
  • the manufacturer of any fuel or fuel additive to conduct tests to determine potential public health effects of such fuel or additive (including, but not limited to, carcinogenic, teratogenic, or mutagenic effects), and to furnish the description of any analytical technique that can be used to detect and measure any additive in such fuel, the recommended range of concentration of such additive, and the recommended purpose-in-use of such additive.
 
The Administrator may, from time to time on the basis of information obtained under this section or other nformation available to him, by regulation, control or prohibit the manufacture, introduction into commerce, offering for sale, or sale of any fuel or fuel additive for use in a motor vehicle or motor vehicle engine if any emission products of such fuel or fuel additive will endanger the public health or welfare, or if emission products of such fuel or fuel additive will impair to a significant degree the performance of any emission control device or system which is in general use.
 
  • The regulations applicable to emissions of lead from motor fuels shall contain standards which require a complete elimination of lead from motor fuels, applicable not later than January 1st, 1971.
 

Title VII: Noise Pollution

The Administrator shall establish within the Environmental Protection Agency an Office of Noise Abatement and Control, and shall carry out through such Office a full and complete investigation and study of noise and its effect on the public health and welfare in order to identify and classify causes and sources of noise, and determine:
  • effects at various levels;
  • projected growth of noise levels in urban areas through the year 2000;
  • the psychological and physiological effect on humans;
  • effects of sporadic extreme noise (such as jet noise near airports) as compared with constant noise;
  • effect on wildlife and property (including values);
  • effect of sonic booms on property (including values);
  • such other matters as may be of interest in the public welfare.
In conducting such investigation, the Administrator shall hold public hearings, conduct research, experiments, demonstrations, and studies. The Administrator shall report the results of such investigation and study, together with his recommendations for legislation or other action, to the President and the Congress not later than one year after the date of enactment of this title.
 

Title VIII: General Provisions

  • The Administrator is authorized to prescribe such regulations as are necessary to carry out his functions under this Act.
  • The Administrator, with the consent of the head of any other agency of the United States, may utilize such officers and employees of such agency as may be found necessary to assist in carrying out the purposes of this Act.
  • Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, the Administrator upon receipt of evidence that a pollution source or combination of sources is presenting an imminent and substantial endangerment to the health or welfare of persons may bring suit on behalf of the United States to immediately restrain any person causing or contributing to the alleged pollution to stop the discharge of pollutants causing or contributing to such pollution or to take such other action as may be necessary.
  • Any citizen may commence a civil action on his own behalf against any person, including the United States and any other governmental instrumentality or agency to the extent permitted by the eleventh amendment to the Constitution, who is alleged to be in violation of an effluent standard or limitation under this Act or an order issued by the Administrator or a State with respect to such a standard or limitation, or against the Administrator where there is alleged a failure of the Administrator to perform any act or duty under this Act which is not discretionary with the Administrator.
  • No Federal agency may enter into any contract with any person, who has been convicted of any offense under this Act.
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out the provisions of this Act not to exceed $450,000,000 for fiscal year 1970, $550,000,000 for fiscal year 1971, and $700,000,000 for each fiscal year thereafter.
[M] Like the previous policy megapost in this format, the text is almost entirely lifted from the text of various real-life bills passed around this time. In this case, I've made even fewer changes, and so the National Environmental Policy Act, Clean Water Act, and Clean Air Amendment of 1970 are basically unchanged from real life, obviously excluding the massive omissions of various overly specific provisions, implementation procedures, and legal liability clauses which have to occur in order for about 140 pages of legislation to fit within a single Reddit post. Nevertheless, I'm reasonably confident that the key provisions of each bill and their overall purpose have been communicated relatively well by my adaptation. Certain minor additions have been made; for instance, I've officially banned leaded fuel, and of course the Clean Water Act has been passed two years early. Additionally, a lot of environmental legislation from this era I'd like to do someday is missing, including the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Lead Paint Ban, the Federal Pesticide Act, and the Endangered Species Act, and will probably be addressed in the form of short paragraphs in yearly news updates.
submitted by StSeanSpicer to ColdWarPowers [link] [comments]

The Racist Origins and Painful Legacy of Atlanta's Zoning

I'm going to start this post off with a few disclaimers:
  1. A good amount of my information comes from The Color of Law, by Richard Rothstein. I tried to find as many direct sources for the relevant topics brought up in the book as I could, but they weren't always readily availible. I highly encourage you to read the book itself if you want more details and his sources.
  2. While I am going to try to use Atlanta-specific information as much as possible, there are some things that I can only provide evidence for in general, not to mention that I have to discuss this with the wider national historical context as well since Atlanta was but one part of a massive racist horror show.
  3. I am by no means claiming to be an expert on this material. It's just what I have the most supporting information already at had for. Again, if you want to read more details from someone who spent much more time researching than I have, pick up a copy of The Color of Law.
  4. I am by no means claiming that fixing zoning will be the end-all-be-all of segregation legacy, nor that it will singularly solve disparities for minority populations compared to white populations within the city. Undoing the sheer scale of bullshit put in place to codify segregation and racial suppression as it manifests today is an undertaking requiring effort on par with something like the Green New Deal (coincidentally, there can be quite a lot of overlap in with a GND, and that's why climate and social justice are so often packaged with various versions of a GND). Fixing the legacy of racist zoning's impacts is just one part to an incredibly complex system, but it's still one worthy of doing. Gotta start somewhere, right?
Alright, on to the main content... Buckle up kiddos, we're going for a fuckin ride!

Why the Fuck are you Talking About Zoning Right Now‽

The country is, to use an incredible amount of understatement, in a bit of a pickle right now. We're in the midst of a global pandemic that's surging, and resurging within our borders. We're reeling at a seemingly never ending parade of tragedy and failure of composure from the very police forces sworn to protect us. We're dealing with an ever escalating push back and response from a federal government that is attempting to label protesters as terrorists. We've had impeachments, assassinations of foreign political operatives, the emboldenment of out-and-loud racists, foreign bounties on our military, historic Supreme Court decisions, and record stock market crashes. We're staring down the barrel of a depression, and there's a looming climate catastrophe that's been burning in the background of all of this.
So why, in the middle of all of this, am I bringing up zoning of all things? How could that possibly be relevant to any of this?
Well... as it turns out... quite a bit. See, zoning is one of those core functions of government, generally on the local level but not always, that just kinda exists. It's a long, boring, complicated mess of legal code that just doesn't come up all that often in our every day discussions (unless you're a nerd like me who keeps trying to shove it into every conversation... ahem...).
No matter how innocuous or intangible or boring zoning may feel, though, it actually has massive ramifications for how our build environment is shaped. That is literally its job, after all: codifying what is and isn't allowed to be built, where, and how. That build environment then has massive ramifications on a whole pile of social, economic, and environmental issues.
A good zoning code balances public desires for safety, health, and environmental protections, while also helping to ensure various amenities are provided, ideally outweighing any downsides of development with benefits to the community at large. Unfortunately, most zoning systems fail at this balance, often focusing on the wrong components as perceived negatives when they're actually benefits, while codifying build requirements that actively make things worse for the communities around them. A bad zoning code can make housing more expensive, make it harder to meet climate and environmental goals, make the general population more sickly, impede the ability of persons to generate generational wealth, and horrendously damage the tax base, making it harder to fund public projects.
As it turns out, most of these issues trace back to a few core ideas of the initial model zoning systems, and were originally put in as features of the codes. The intent at the time was mainly focused on creating a few specific negative outcomes, with many of the others having taken decades to fully manifest and be recognized. Yet, the original structure of the codes remain, bureaucratic momentum and an incomplete understanding of justice keeping them in place, dragging out the problems for years and years and years.
So what were those features, and what specific negative outcomes were they trying to achieve?

Setting the Stage for Segregation

First, we have to step back, and take a bit of a historical run up to provide proper context.
In 1877, Reconstruction ended. Federal troops, who had defeated the Confederacy, packed up and left the south after 12 years of postbellum occupation (14 if you include overlap years of occupation before the war's end). Reconstruction, though certainly not perfect, had been a time of relative empowerment for black Americans. Backed by federal troops, integration and political power was actually in reach. It wasn't 40-acres and a mule, but it was an incredible leap forward as the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments were enforced in about as blunt a way as possible: at the muzzle of a rifle. That all came to a painful and tragic end with the election of Republican Rutherford B. Hayes, who had promised southern Democrats the end of occupation in exchange for electoral support.
Almost immediately, black Americans suffered a bloody, violent resurgence of oppression, with segregation becoming standard practice, and enforced both at the hands of local law enforcement and mobs of white Americans. Worse yet, as Jim Crow laws and their efforts anchored themselves across the south, previously diverse and inclusive (relatively speaking) parts of the country began to follow suit. All over, towns and cities undertook the effort of removing, or isolating their black populations, using similar tactics learned from the southern states.
Like a cancer, segregation spread far and wide, becoming more and more recognized and acceptable. By 1913, freshly elected president Woodrow Wilson and his cabinet approved the implementation of segregation in federal offices, marking about as drastic a change in federal priority as you could take over the course of three and a half decades.
It is in this atmosphere of invigorated racist bullshit that zoning rises within the policy consciousness.

The Original Sin of Zoning

As a concept, zoning ordinances within the U.S. were rather new, with the 1908 Los Angeles municipal zoning ordinances being the first of their kind. The LA laws were a formalizing of existing nuisance laws, meant to create separations of land use and buffers between the harmful effects of industries and residences. Though specific business classifications (such as unnecessary prohibition of laundries, which were predominantly owned by Chinese immigrants at the time, in certain areas) did come with racial issues, they were quite tame by the standards of the time, as we're about to see.
Prior to the rise of zoning as a popular government effort, it was fairly rare to see actual legal code dedicated towards segregation, instead focusing efforts on government-endorsed vigilantism and governments not enforcing equality laws already in place. This began to change, however. In 1910, a few years before the federal government would make official its office segregation, and two years after the LA zoning system was established, Baltimore became the first city in the nation, (as stated by the New York Times), to create an explicit law mandating the segregation of city areas. The city ordinance dictated that blacks could not buy homes on blocks where whites were the majority, and vice versa. The law was... horribly broken, and judges had to grapple with the complex, integrated reality of the city, trying to adjudicate who could and couldn't live where, or buy property where, creating an incredible mess of legal issues across the city.
The practical problems with the law did not stop other cities from copying the effort, though. Invigorated by Baltimore's example, Birmingham, Dade County (Miami), Charleston, Dallas, Louisville, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Richmond, St. Louis, and others all made their own version of racial segregaition mandates within landuse. Amungst this list was, in fact, the City of Atlanta, whose ordinance virtually copied the Baltimore law, with the added provision that a person of one color occupying a house in a mixed block could object to one of another color moving next door.
Unlike the initial LA zoning laws, the systems put in place following Baltimore's example were specifically racially focused, with more familiar zoning laws taking shape in the years to come. These initial racist laws would persist until the 1917 Supreme Court decision that such laws were unconstitutional in Buchanan v. Warley. However... the decision was based around the freedom of individuals to buy and sell property to whomever they wished, rather than a denunciation of segregation within law itself. Many cities simply ignored the Supreme Court ruling, and moved ahead with their segregationist laws, while others claimed that slight variations in the ordinances, such as the difference between block level and larger zoning styles, meant they didn't have to follow the ruling.
The City of Atlanta was, once again, one of these cities. In The Atlanta Zone Plan: Report Outlining a Tentative Zone Plan for Atlanta (1922), written by Robert H. Whitten as a consultant for the the City Planning Commission, explicit residential districts were outlined by racial makeup, with R1 as "white residence district", R2 as "colored residence district", and R3 as "undetermined race district". It was nice enough to allow servants' quarters remain open to either race. The plan justifies this by saying:
the above race zoning is essential in the interest of the public peace, order and security and will promote the welfare and prosperity of both the white and colored race.
Additionally, Whitten defended his zoning plan in professional publications by saying that "[e]stablishing colored residence districts has removed one of the most potent causes of race conflict." This, he added, was "a sufficient justification for race zoning.... A reasonable segregation is normal, inevitable and desirable."
Here is a map of the proposed zoning system within the then city limits. You can get an idea of just how limited housing areas for blacks were, just how much of the city was to be dedicated to single family housing compared to apartments, and how relegated commercial uses would be. Incidentally enough, this is where the City of Atlanta begins to see a zoning code similar to modern codes. We'll get to that in a moment. For now, note how closely this map matches some of the racial demographics of the city today, oh, and (just coincidentally I'm sure) how the largest 'Colored District' in the city was to be essentially bordered on three sides by industrial areas. Other zoning maps from the same time would go further with encroaching industrial zones, limiting colored areas, and limiting apartment areas.
Can I just take a moment to say how much I fucking love the Atlanta History Center and its archives? Okay, moving on.
At the same time that Atlanta was ignoring its constitutional duty to not segregate its people, the federal government was stepping into the zoning game. In 1921, then Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover organized an Advisory Committee on Zoning to develop a manual explaining why every municipality should develop a zoning ordinance, with an eventual goal of developing model legislation that could be easily adopted. This committee had such members as Frederick Law Olmsted, who argued in 1918 that not only were certain housing types "coincident with racial divisions", and, since it was undesirable to "force the mingling of people who are not yet ready to mingle", great care should be take not to mix housing types, and Irving B. Hiett, who was the president of the National Association of Real Estate Boards, an organization who would produce a code of realtor ethics stating that "A Realtor should never be instrumental in introducing into a neighborhood... members of any race or nationality... detrimental to property values" just a few years later. By 1922, the committee had developed A Zoning Primer, which argued that zoning was required to preserve property values, and which was widely distributed across the country. The policies would push out wide and far across the nation, following the federal government's example.

Pretending as if Racist Plans Aren't

In 1924, the Georgia Supreme Court struck down the City of Atlanta zoning code due to its racial components. Despite this, the underlying plan and map developed with segregation in mind, would act as the basis for future plans. Indeed, there are many overlaps with the 1922 plan, and even zoning designations today.
Keep Whitten's and the Zoning Commission's mentalities concerning the importance of racial segregation when looking back through the rest of the initial Atlanta zoning proposal. It provides leading anecdotes (without apparent supporting evidence beyond some photographs that don't really seem to match the narrative) of the dangers of mixing small stores, and low-rise multi-family housing with lower densities, primarily focusing on the perceived loss of value of adjacent properties, while framing the persons who make such developments as greedy speculators only out for a quick buck (rather than look at the economic benefit to the store owner, the new access to the store that surrounding areas get, and the housing relief the apartment dwellers experience).
Still without apparent evidence, the proposal makes sweeping, generalized statements about the need to preserve neighborhoods' character, and preserve property values. It proposes to do this by dividing the city into use, height, area, and race categories, with each mixing with the others to dictate specific allowances. The racial categories were removed, yet the remainder of the plan's suggestions would persist.
Even in 1917 it was understood that density was a major component of affordability. Special City Plan Adviser for the City Plan Commission of Cleveland Ohio Robert H. Whitten's essay The Zoning of Residence Sections, where Olmsted argued the merits of preventing the mixing of people and their racially pre-dis-positioned housing preferences, outright states:
We want to distribute the population as much as practicable, but at the same time we do not wish to force people who for business or other reasons need to live close to the central business sections either to pay very high rents or to go to much less convenient locations. As a city reaches metropolitan size, the demand for housing space near the central area becomes so great that the only way to make that location available to any but the wealthy is to permit a more intensive utilization of the land. Were it not for the ability to pile one dwelling on top of another, rents would be prohibitive in these central locations for the great mass of the people.
Even while expounding on the virtues of low-density housing, Whitten takes effort to acknowledge the economic need for multi-family housing to maintain affordability. Yeah, it's done in a condescending way where he can only imagine a case where being adjacent to the central business district is a legitimate reason for housing density, but he at least still accepts it as reality.
Yet, dwelling house districts, from which apartment houses would be excluded, were to include the larger portion of the area of Atlanta, and were to primarily be made up of the largest area class, requiring at least 5000 sqft per family of lot area. The code outright targets 2-3 story buildings with families living over a store (generally which they would operate) as being undesirable, and thus is explicitly designed to prevent such outcomes. All of these things drove up the per-house price, requiring a family to pay for a significant amount of land, as well as an individual house, in the majority of the city's residential area. In the maps I linked above, you can see just how few areas were allowed to have apartments compared to the wider single-family zones.
The federal zoning primer includes similar sentiments, telling an anecdote of how an apartment house built next to a home would destroy values by becoming 'a giant airless hive, housing human beings like crowded bees', as well as lumping 'sporadic stores' in with 'factories or junk yards' as a contributing factor of blight within a residential neighborhood.
It's important to note that none of these codes tried to make improvements to living conditions through legislation like building codes, which could have helped prevent the squalor conditions that were so readily associated with apartments, and which had been present in the U.S. since at least 1859, in Baltimore, choosing instead to essentially quarantine apartments to prevent their spread into single family areas.
As I laid out above, these are all value judgements made by people who viewed the mixing of races as something to avoid, as something that itself would contribute to a loss of property values (rather than recognize that self-fulfilling white panic, was the actual source of value drop, and that the constrained black populations were willing to pay higher prices because there were so few homes they could even get into, actually raising prices), and even made racial connections to types of housing to keep separated. But, because of the insistence of the courts, their policies were forced to take on an air of race neutrality. Thus, explicit race-based zoning was stripped from the codes, and the far more familiar forms of space and use based zoning were established. Those forms just so happen to harshly restrict the kinds of housing openly accepted as being affordable to the masses, and, in particular, the demographics of people who were least economically able to choose elsewhere.
As the federal zoning primer said: Zoning Is Legal
This is not to say that exclusionary zoning was not without its legal challenges, of course. In the 1926 Supreme Court case of Village of Euclid v. Ambler Realty Co., 272 U.S. 365, the court upheld the constitutionality of exclusionary zoning, using as part of its opinion the argument that "very often the apartment house is a mere parasite", and that, if allowed to mix with single-family houses, "come very near to being nuisances". The case was brought to the Supreme Court as an appeal to a U.S. District Court of Ohio ruling against the constitutionality of exclusionary zoning, stating that "the blighting of property values and the congesting of the population, whenever the colored or certain foreign races invade a residential section, are so well known as to be within the judicial cognizance." Essentially, while the Supreme Court decided that exclusionary zoning was based on inherit issues with mixing building types (even though 1) the issues aren't inherit, and 2) the exclusion argument is based on a slippery slope fallacy), the District Court had (correctly) identified an underlying racial motivation for preventing mixing.

When the Pretending Becomes More Overt

Were all else equal, we might be able to ignore the initial racial components of exclusionary zoning, and merely call the resulting codes classist (the reality is that racism and classism were/are tightly intertwined, with each giving perceived justification to the other), but things weren't equal. The median household income for a black family in 1947 (the earliest year I could actually find data) was just 51% of a white household (it was only up to ~63% in 2018). Even though modern discussion around apartments tends to bemoan the 'luxury' branding, and how accurate it may or may not be, the hard reality is that living in an apartment is cheaper than buying a house, at least in the immediate. For lower income people, it's pretty much the only option. For poor, and thus disproportionately black, people, the primary need for housing affordability was in the form of apartment buildings and residential density, even if that was only desired as a stepping stone. But that's not what the zoning system provided.
Overwhelmingly, the city's land was designated for single family homes. Large lots, and individual homes drive up the per-unit costs of housing, locking poorer people out of being able to buy into neighborhoods. Worse yet would be the zoning systems of suburban and smaller towns, which would eliminate the ability to build apartments all together, essentially locking lower income, and thus disproportionately black, persons from being able to relocate there at all. This lead to crowding in the limited apartments, and, since the building codes hadn't been adequately updated to actually prevent it, the very slum conditions used as a justification for preventing apartments in the first place became self-fulfilling.
Of course, not all black people were so poor that they couldn't afford to buy a single-family home, and quite a few did look to leave the limited availability of apartments. They were not met well, and indeed, in the years following the installation of exclusionary zoning systems, the federal government would essentially codify black exclusion from single-family neighborhoods, with cities clinging to the federal policies as justification for blocking black and integrated housing.
Property (particularly home) mortgages used to be very, very different than how we think of them today, which locked many people out of the ability to get them. High-interest rates, huge down-payments, interest-only payments, and short (5-7 year) payback periods. These terms kept middle and low class persons (of all races) from being able to afford to buy property. As part of the New Deal, the Home Owners' Loan Corporation was established. The loan system was restructured to be closer to the lower rates, lower down-payments, overall payment, and long-term periods we're more familiar with today. Additionally, many existing mortgages were bought and restructured to save property owners from foreclosure.
In the process of this, though, HOLC wanted an inventory of risk across the nation, so it could manage these new loan terms without crippling itself financially. This is where the kinda okay policy stopped. The risk inventory was carried out by local real estate agencies, who had national ethics codes and local policies for their agents to explicitly consider race when evaluating risk. So much so that they were actually under direction to maintain community segregation when otherwise selling properties. The inventory took the form of color-coded maps, where red sections on the map represented high-risk (don't loan people money / bail them out here). Many, many of these red areas were based on racial prejudice, with even wealthy / middle class integrated or black communities being rated far worse than equivalent income white areas.
Here is a database of maps across the U.S., overlaid against modern areas. Here's a fun game: compare the Redlining Map for Atlanta to the initial racial zoning map! No it's not a 1-1 match, but it gets awfully close, particularly if you start to include initially designated areas for apartment buildings.
This entire mess was made even worse with the establishment of the Federal Housing Authority, which was intended to insure private bank loans to first-time home buyers. Even though the FHA had its own auditing system separate from the HOLC, it still had direct segregation and whites-only policies. Additionally the FHA very specifically did not insure mortgages within urban centers. This meant that both HOLC and FHA services were denied to nearly the same areas: black or integrated neighborhoods, most often in urban centers.
The FHA justified its racial rules by claiming that black people ruined property values. This was actually backwards, as the limited options available to black people meant that black and integrated properties were in high demand, and thus could be sold at a much higher price. What did happen, though, was 'block-busting'. So, because the FHA (and other organizations) continuously sold the idea that black people ruined property values, as well as the base-level racism, this left white neighborhoods vulnerable to manipulation. Speculators would buy up properties in blocks on the border of black / integrated and white areas, and then rent / sell them to black people. These speculators would also hire black people to walk around white neighborhoods asking about home sales, and looking like they lived there. Then the speculators would go around warning white property owners that their housing values would tank with all the black people moving in, and make stupidly low offers, buying out white properties well below the actual value (this is where the FHA was getting its data). Then the speculators would turn around and, because there were so few other options, sell the same properties above their actual value to black people at bad rates. This drove up costs for black people who otherwise just wanted a home, and the high prices contributed to perpetuating poverty and again creating self-fulfilling slum conditions.
Many cities, private lenders, and other government agencies (like Veterans Affairs) anchored their lending and development approval processes on the FHA backing of home loans, which meant that blacks were barred from even the opportunity to really leave parts of the city within which they lived.
It's worth reiterating that the HOLC and FHA policies were targeted directly at owning private homes, working off of a national policy that private homes were less communist than apartments. No, I'm not kidding. The U.S. Department of Labor distributed pamphlets entitled We Own Our Own Home to schoolchildren stating that it was a "patriotic duty" to cease renting, and to buy a house. Millions of posters were printed, and hung in factories and other businesses, while newspaper ads were run throughout the country. This national housing direction propped up single-family residences, and the infrastructure to support them, while leaving pretty much everything else to languish.
Then there were the racial covenants, where individual properties were made unavailable to black people by deed restrictions, and which were often implimented on neighborhood scales.
Then there was the New-Deal, where the Civilian Conservation Corps abided by local segregation policies for its camps and worker housing, further entrenching local segregation.
Then there was the issue of cities targeting black and low-income areas overwhelmingly with zoning variances for industry and toxic waste disposal sites, exposing those persons to much higher quantities of toxins and pollutants.
Then there was public housing which eliminated mixed-income tenants, was often explicitly segregated, often resisted adding housing for black people, and, when they did add housing open to blacks, located overwhelmingly in already black and poor neighborhoods, effectively concentrating poverty and increasing segregation.
Then there were Interstate Highways, which were explicitly used for 'slum clearing' in many cities (including defining slum based on racial makeup rather than socioeconomic status of the persons living there), which were massive transportation subsidies to the very same segregated low-density suburbs already built with federal loan backing while public transportation languished, and which were actually used as physical barriers between parts of the city.
Frankly, the list kinda just keeps going, and so I'm not going to try and fit it all. Seriously, go read the Color of Law for more explicit details. My main point with all of these is that, when you combine the initial versions of the zoning codes, the opinions of the people who made them, and the wider reactions and policies that came after the codes proved not to 100% segregate black people from white people, it becomes clear that a major component of the zoning system was established not actually to prevent health or value issues, but rather to maintain the separation of races.

That was a lot of words...

Right, so here's the summary:
  1. After a decade of relative progress, the federal government abandons Reconstruction
  2. Almost immediately, communities, including previously inclusive ones, begin to force their black populations out in a renewed effort of segregation
  3. At first this is done outside of the law, but eventually cities get the idea to literally codify segregation through ordinances
  4. That codified segregation was struck down in the Supreme Court, so cities are forced to find a proxy method of enforcing segregation
  5. Cities used the separating of mixed-use developments and multi-family apartment buildings to create racial segregation through the proxy of economic segregation
  6. When this doesn't work 100%, the federal government established home mortgage support systems that directly excluded black people, preventing them from buying into single-family neighborhoods even if they could afford it
  7. There was a lot of other shit that happened to basically show that zoning was not the unbiased system it was pretending to be

Persistence of bad policy

Even though many of the explicitly racist policies have been removed or overturned, and what progress there has been in raising the wealth of black persons has helped with some racial mixing, it's clear that the proxy methods for discrimination persist to this day, with visible segregaition outcomes. Even when we do see integration, it is often in the form of wealthy white people moving into the limited new developments allowed in previously majority black areas (AKA 'Gentrification').
Today, Atlanta is still overwhelmingly zoned for low-density, single-family residential, even if some of those zones allow up to Accessory Dwelling Units (such density, much urban). Lot sizes in much of the city are still mandated to be quite large, and height planes still overly limit the number of stories buildings can be. What apartment buildings are allowed are constrained by cumbersome parking requirements (both codified and required by private lenders), and property setbacks. Mixed uses are often restrained on individual properties, requiring a specific zoning designation to be allowed. Even the city's plan for handling future growth still relegates nearly 75% of the area to relatively low-density housing as 'conservation' areas.
Metro-wide, not nearly as many homes are being built as were pre-recession. While home prices are increasing back to pre-recessionary levels, housing inventory in metro Atlanta is constrained – partially due to a lag in residential construction. Prior to the recession, it was not uncommon for residential building permits to exceed 5,000 per month (in some cases, reaching over 7,000). After May 2007, the region experienced a steep decline in residential building permits, which persisted into early 2012, when the region began seeing modest increases. Though residential permits have trended upward since 2012, they have yet to reach pre-recessional levels, hovering instead between 2,000 and 3,000 permits per month. Because of this, all counties in metro Atlanta are experiencing the a decline in housing inventory. One of the main summary points of that report was: "Home prices rising significantly – faster than wages – due in large part to dwindling supply" ARC Regional Snapshot: Affordable Housing While the metro itself has been pretty easy to build new housing within (atleast from 2000 to 2015) compared to other metros, the parts of the city and close-in suburbs tend to be the hardest within which to add new supplly (of the 10 hardest zipcodes to build, the top 3 were partially in the city, and another three were in or partly in the city).
Indeed, inflation-adjusted housing prices are rising quite quickly in the Atlanta Metro, even including months during this pandemic. Prices are looking to pass pre-2008 peak in 2023ish. Only, this time, vacancy rates for both renters and homeowners have been nearly at all-time lows for the metro (Source: Census Bureau). Many of the most intense price increases happening within the core city.
At the same time, affordable housing initiatives are proving to be far too few to handle the rising costs, with recent 'Inclusionary Zoning' rules, as well as the wider public housing program failing to close the need. We're talking programs considering themselves successful at a few thousand units, when the demand for affordable housing (let alone total housing) is in the hundreds of thousands.
The simple reality is that the racism of our past is leading to an over-all affordability crisis today. While, as usual, the hardest hit are African Americans, this affordability crisis has far reaching impacts across the demographic spectrum, including poor whites, and, particularly, poor Latino populations as well, locking out a wide variety of people who would otherwise want to live in the kinds of dense, walkable, urban areas the City of Atlanta uniquely offers within the metro.
Not only that, but the very types of low-density developments so widely codified across the city and nation do not generate enough economic activity to actually pay for the infrastructure needed to support them, propped up by piles of hidden subsidies, all resulting in cities being effectively bankrupt. (Here's another real-world example) Even some of the most 'wealthy' of towns are having to seriously reconsider their historic development patterns to close out financial gaps. In Atlanta, this leads to things like a massive backlog of maintenance issues that even recent bonds and tax increases can't fully handle. Again, policies of a racist past are hurting everyone today. Undoing those policies, and transitioning back to tried-and-true development styles would greatly help fix financial issues.
Additionally, as we work to overcome challenges with climate as a whole, we need to be seriously looking at our build environments, and just how much low-density development contributes to emissions compared to higher-density parts of the metro, and even the city itself. At the same time, moving away from cars would help reduce respiratory issues for poor and minority persons who are disproportionately affected by road-pollution, and generally moving to cleaner industries while cleaning up legacy pollution sites can help undo the years of inequality through industrial exposure..

Okay, so what do we do?

We need to have a hard discussion about zoning policies: their origins, their purposes, and their effects. We need to be prepared to recognize when policies were built on hate, and where they have lead to harm, just as much as we need to be ready to recognize that not every aspect of the zoning system is bad. We need to be willing to change, and be proactive about fixing the failings of previous generations. Ideally for the net benefit of all of us.
As part of this discussion, though, we are going to have to really, truly consider what 'character' of this city are valuable. What are tangible goals, what are the potential negative outcomes, and what can be done to mitigate those outcomes, ideally while actually adding to the 'character' of the city. Again, we needs to be willing to change here. Not everything wrapped under the broad umbrella of 'character' is actually worth keeping, particularly given how I could probably copy and paste some of the 'neighborhood character' arguments from the initial racial zoning codes into places like NextDoor or Facebook or even here on Reddit without anyone suspecting they are nearly 100 years old.

The End!

Holy shit! You made it to the end! Thanks for putting up with so, so many words... Here's a video of a little girl way too excited to get on a train as a reward.
submitted by killroy200 to Atlanta [link] [comments]

OBLIGATORY FILLER MATERIAL – Breaking Bad, Part 10

Continuing
Since I had a little extra time, I had him drop the personnel cage, which was about the size of a phone booth (remember them?) but made of welded ½” rebar, down through the hole in the foredeck of the ship. I needed to load a few items and figured why the hell walk up and down stairs when I had a personal elevator at my disposal?
Into the belly of the beast once again and I gathered up some of the more needful items. I had that crane operator, he of the surgical touch, hang me off the prow of that ship while I did what I considered a necessity, then over to the back side of the cut, over the top to the opposite side, and back again.
By the time darkness began to fall, I had completed all my extraneous wiring. The crane operator even deposited me ever so gently about 3 feet from my waiting motorcycle. Over the radio I thanked him again and invited him to come around tomorrow at 0600 for a few final checks. I’d save him a front-row 1000 hours seat to see what he had a hand in creating.
I went straight to the Raj as I was going to need my PPEs the next day anyways. Got in, parked my bike, went straight to the bar, had a couple of long, hard day at the office drinks, and retired to my room where I locked the door. After calling Esme and telling her I finally got my tickets home, well, the promise of tickets to at least to Dubai; that she should meet me at the Four Seasons as I wrangled it through my contract. We could wait out this silly viral lockdown in comfort on someone else’s nickel until they decided to open the Sultanate again.
We agreed that she’d meet me at the hotel in 3-4 days’ time; it seems she had some glasses made and they wouldn’t be done for a couple of days. Plus, she really enjoyed her mother’s company. Can’t argue with that. It means I’ll have to spend a few nights alone, on my own, bereft of human companionship, in a 5-star hotel in an international venue while it’s all being paid for by someone else.
I think I can deal with the upcoming hardship. It’ll be tough, but I think I can gut it out.
But first, there are some details to which I have to attend. There’s this package for Mr. Vikramaditya Shrivastava, the knot headed warehouse foreman who thought that by spending fewer rupees at a dodgy Hong Kong explosives purveyor that he’d be saving the company money. I’ll drop by his office bright and early tomorrow as I need to be out on-site very early, indeed, to make sure all is in readiness.
Also, there’s this box I have for our own Majordomo. He’ll be leaving tonight for his weekly shopping trip to town. Since I have bribed the floor-maid with ridiculous sums of rupees, she’ll let me in his room to deliver my present and has promised, up, down and sideways, that she won’t say a word to anyone.
I send off Sanjay’s and my latest reports to Agents Rack and Ruin, explaining that I’m far too busy to talk with them right now and that I want to finish what I started for fear of landing in the GULAG. I explain that I’m very querulous of Goodgulf Greyteeth and his brown-shirted minions. I tell them that I think his way of looking at things and assessing them are most at odds with the way I see things.
I make it as convoluted and misdirected as the wiring I did today on the boat.
I also tell them that I’m knocking off early tonight as tomorrow’s show time and I need a good night’s sleep. Especially for everything I’ve got planned with all the dignitaries who are slated to arrive.
If that doesn’t get their giblets tap-dancing, I’m not certain what would.
I hear my phones buzzing but after checking the numbers and seeing they’re not from Baja Canada, I roundly ignore them.
I decide that the new issue of Blaster’s and Quarryman’s Monthly would be just the reading ticket and retire to the bubbly tub with that, a bottle of Old Fornicator, a bucket of ice, and several cigars. Tomorrow’s going to be a big day; best to be rested and ready.
I’m up at 0500 hours, showered, shower-scotched, dressed, and at the job site promptly at 0600; right after I made a surreptitious delivery to a certain Warehouse Foreman’s office.
The Majordomo took possession of his package late last night, but I sincerely doubt he’s aware of that fact; or will be until I send an anonymous message.
The crane operator I paid last night was there as I mentioned I’d be in early to give the place a final once-over. After parting with a couple of cigars, a wad of rupees, and the promise of a front-row seat, I eschew the personnel basket and have him just clip onto my rescue harness. I need mobility at this point, so I gather up a few extra blasting caps, boosters, roll some Primacord in loops and hang it from the carabiners on the front of my harness or stuff them into one of many pockets. Then I give the thumbs-up “haul-away” sign.
“This is the cat’s ass”, I thought as I’m swinging around the outside of that old boat like some sort of aging Spiderman who’s really let himself go. I didn’t care that OSHA would have mailed me home sans bubble wrap if they ever saw this sort of stunt stateside, but that’s just the thing. I’m not stateside. Where else can I have such freedom in the world today to calculate the personal risk involved and decide that I can handle the hazards?
Sure, I could fall. I could get caught on an edge of very sharp marine steel and get sliced up a treat. Maybe several billion errant electrons go where they are not only not wanted but are insulated against, and in short, cause a short. I’d be a 22-stone charcoaled piñata, complete with diverticula-ed entrails and cinder-block liver decorations.
However, it’s my choice. I knew the job was dangerous when I took it. However, I also know how to mitigate the danger. For some, what I’m doing would be certain death. For me, who knows the ropes, circuits, and ins-and-outs, it’s a pleasant diversion to an otherwise boring day.
“Left 10 meters”, I call over the radio, and I swing over to exactly where I need to check some connections.
“8 meters due down”, I say and the bottom drops out. 25 or so feet later, I’m inspecting another circuit plexus. I feel like Arthur Dent and Slartibartfast is my co-pilot.
This went on for about an hour. I even had him drop me over the side, deep into the very bowels of the boat. I disconnect, hang the crane hook, and told the driver to hold on. I need to walkabout inside the ship and galv a few dozen connections. This is so much easier than futzing around with personnel baskets, scissor lifts, and my personal nemesis, stairs.
After another 30 minutes, I hook up and give a couple of pips on the radio.
“Going up!” I say as I whoosh past the hole we had cut in the foredeck. A few hand gestures later, and I’m de-hooked once again and on solid ground. I wave to my crane operator, he waves back and begins to drive off to his real job for the day.
No worries. He’ll be back, without the crane, for the 1000 hour kick-off time.
Since the show isn’t slated to begin, as I just noted, until 1000, I go back over to the portable office they had so thoughtfully set up for us and begin brewing the morning coffee. I rummage through my field case and am relieved to see that I have the necessary ingredients for Greenland Coffee.
And a fresh cigar.
At 0800 I get a call on the radio.
Sanjay is wondering if Mr. Maha is going to show up or if he should…never mind, there he is.
“See you in a few, Rock”, Sanjay says. He and the 24 other crew members will arrive here shortly. Nothing left to do but have a cigar and wait on the coffee.
The ship is beached and there’s a 250-meter exclusion zone around the beast. Cross where the flags are and not have the proper authority or business being there? You either are ejected off the worksite or perhaps into the local hoosegow. Don’t care who you are, no one crosses that line when it’s my watch and show.
So, I go outside and shoo Goodgulf Greyteeth and his cadre of brown shirts away from the ship.
“Good morning, Doctor”, he says smarmily, “Just admiring your handiwork. Wanted to get a good, close look before you demolish all your hard work.”
“Well”, I say, “I really hate to disappoint you, but you and your group need to get behind the flags now. Please, it’s for safety reasons. I can’t afford to have any sort of black marks on my record if one of you trip, catch a sensor, and get blown to smithereens.”
“Now Doctor”, Gulfy primps himself up to his full 5’ 5” height, “You seem to forget who you’re talking to here. I pay your salary…”
“No, Gulfy”, I remark, “You forget that in my contract, which you might pay but have also signed, names me as hookin’ bull, at all active job sites. You also seem to forget that I’m the Motherfuckin’ Pro from Dover, and what I say here is the law. All nice, legal, signed, sealed, and delivered. So, I not only do not care who you are, I have even less interest in what you have to say or what you believe. Now get behind the flags or I’ll have you forcibly ejected. We green?”
Gulfy looks like a whipped puppy. He may be a tiger in the boardroom, but out here, he’s just another fucking observer.
He relents and complies. A low “Green…” was his only word.
To try and assuage any bruised egos, I ask if anyone would like some fresh-brewed coffee.
No one says a word until Gulfy decides that, yes, he’d like a cup of my world-famous coffee.
The rest of his cadre is looking on and view me with such disdain and distrust that they’ll leave the entire pot for their boss.
“OK, your loss”, I say as I walk over to the office and get Gulfy his morning cuppa Joe.
“Here you go”, I said, handing him a travel mug, “Careful, it’s hot.”
He takes a sip, startles, looks at me, sips again and asks what wonderful blend I use to create such a fine cup of morning caffeine delivery system.
I explain the genesis of a Greenland Coffee and he sits back in his specially prepared VIP seat, smiles, and asks one of his minions if he has a cigarette.
“There ya’ go” I say, as I light up a huge breakfast cigar, “Now you’re getting’ the full picture.”
Gulfy looks at me and smiles wider. It seems we’ve had a breakthrough of sorts.
My crew arrives and since I’m just supposed to JAFO this project, well, more or less, I hold the usual morning safety meeting. I remind everyone that the job site is hot and anyone who crosses the flag line better have damn good reason to do so. I also remind them that there miles of wires and kilometers of det cord and Primacord that’s been strung. I also let them know the other name for this stuff: “Tanglefoot”.
“For fuck’s sake, you clodhoppers”, I say as many are still getting used to the idea of closed-toe steel-toed boots or closed-toed shoes of any description, “Watch where the fuck you’re walking. I don’t want anyone yanking out or tripping off a complex series of electrical circuits because they tripped over their own damned feet.”
They all nod, chuckle deferentially and smile wanly. My way of symbolically smacking them upside the head and not leaving a bruise still mystifies them.
“And, hey”, I say as I’m ready to dismiss them, “Let’s be careful out there.”
There’s a general agreement. It’s crossing close to 0900. I ask Gulfy if he and he alone wants to take a look at what’s going on here.
“After all,” I note, “We’re spending a lot of your money.”
Gulfy just smiles at me and replies, “If you are spending my money, I know it will reap great rewards.”
“Holy shit”, I think, “One Greenland Coffee and he’s sloshed.”
I’d best be off and brew up another pot.
Back in the office, I chat with Sanjay and give him the lowdown on the job. He’ll be running the show right after the full-chorus version of the Safety Dance. I’ll be more or less done here then. Out of the picture, I’ll just be on standby until I’m needed again; be that in five minutes or five years.
“Yeah”, I say, “Once they finish the Safety Dance and get out of the way. We’ll begin a countdown. At the call of 5, you hit the big, shiny red button. The rest is all automated, I hope.”
”Hope?” Sanjay asks.
“Fervently”, I reply. “Then once that’s all done and when Gulfy makes his inevitable after-blast crack, you use this”, and I hand him Captain America.
“What’s this?” he asks.
“A little present” I say, “The cording bundles are just to the right of the podium. Red is right, lemon-yellow is left. Hook up and press the first button. Galvanometer. Green. Green for go. Push the big, shiny red button once it lights, and you’ll see and hear some serious shit.”
Sanjay looks at Captain America.
“Use it in good health”, I say, “You’ve earned it.”
Hell, I can always just overhead another at Gulfy’s expense.
Sanjay is cofounded. Captain America, the Portable Electronic Blasting Machine, costs around US$650. He realizes that and he’s never before been presented with such a gift. Culture demands something of equal value in return.
I see his quandary.
“Just keep those fucking greenhorns out here from blowing their damned fingers off”, I say, “That’s payment enough.”
“Will do, Rock!”, Sanjay smiles, choking back the tears. The handshake afterward was particularly hearty and manly.
Suddenly, there’s a knock at the door.
“A knock?”, I ponder, “In a field office?”
“It’s open!” I holler.
Major Nakula Dattachaudhuri walks in.
“I hear there’s going to be quite the show in about 30 minutes, so I thought I’d drop by.” He smiles.
“Major!”, I say rather a bit too loudly, “How the hell are you? I’m so pleased you could be here.”
“Don’t you remember? You invited me.”, he smiles, “It would be…ill-mannered… of me not to take you up on your invitation.”
“Damn glad you could make it, Major. It’s going to be a hell of a show.” I say and see someone has accompanied our major.
“Oh please”, Major Nak says, “You remember my driver, Mr. Ranganekary? I trust there’s no problem him being here as well.”
“Of course not.”, I say, walking over to Agent Ranganekary to shake his hand and welcome him aboard.
We exchange some knowing smirks and both chuckle as we shake hands. “Glad you could also make it.”
“As am I, Doctor Rocknocker of Baja Canada.” He smiles.
“OK. Code. We’re going to have a chat later on, in private.” I note.
“Anytime is fine with me. Right after our little demonstration?” I say.
“Outstanding”, Agent Ranganekary replies with a grin.
“Coffee, gentlemen?” I ask, “Get it while it’s hot.”
It’s now going on 0945. I hit the klaxon to clear the job site. Everyone knows that one tootle indicates we’re 15 minutes out. Two and we’re 10 minutes away. Three and you’d better get the fuck off, out, or down and back beyond the flags. We don’t take headcounts, even though I tried to instigate that procedure. You get caught behind the lines, it’s your own damned fault.
Still, if there was an accident...hell, that’s why they work in teams.
I worry too much.
Two blasts and time’s getting close. I do an impromptu headcount and see everyone’s here and forthrightly accounted. That makes me feel a trifle less nervous. Guess I’ll fire up a cigar as I’m the master of ceremonies for at least the first half of the show. Got to keep up appearances.
The break siren in the yard goes off daily at 1000 hours. Today it announces the beginning of the ‘Dr. Rocknocker & Company Show’.
“If everyone would please take their seats, we will begin,” I say.
There’s a bit of bustling, but most everyone is seated and sorted. We have the Chairman of the Board out here today, the company CEO, several ministers, the town mayor, 25 newly-frocked blasters, the Major and his “driver’, plus another assorted bundle of workers, shop stewards, foremen, crew leaders, and other sorts of gawpers and hangers-on.
Time to schmooze.
“Welcome gentlemen and ladies, if any are present. Anyone here from out of town?” I wait for a chuckle or two. “I am Dr. Rocknocker and have for the last fortnight been training two dozen of your most clever, most impressive, and now most highly trained workers of which your company can boast.”
I make a grand sweeping gesture toward the accumulation and they all take a bow to the thunderous applause.
“Now, we are here to justify the layout of time, money, and energy. See, previously you would attack such a project as this very large cruise ship simply with hundreds of torchbearers. Dangerous, sloppy, and slow. A real waste of manpower, machinery, and materials. It was decided by the powers that be that they would take the chance that I could drag this company, kicking and screaming, into the 21st century. Let’s replace the grunt manpower with chemistry, and let’s better utilize that manpower for something other than simply holding a flaming stick.”
There were nods and smatters of applause.
“So, I now present your first step in, if you’ll excuse my not-so-humble-opinion, the right direction. Gentlemen?”
The 24 newly-frocked ex-cadets expertly split into four teams.
“CLEAR NORTH?”
“NORTH CLEAR!”
And so on around the compass.
TWEET! TWEET! TWEET! Came the melodious tootles of 24 air horns.
“CLEAR?”
“ALL CLEAR!”
I’ve taught my guys well. I am swelling with pride; just a bit.
“किसी बड़े विस्फोट की चेतावनी देना!”
“Kisee bade visphot kee chetaavanee dena!”
“FIRE IN THE HOLE!”
I nod to Sanjay.
“10…9…8…7…6…!” and he hit the big, shiny red button.
Now my skills as a clandestine electrician come to the task.
At number ‘5’, a number 5, 5 meters tall by 3 wide, lights up with the intensity of a new-born sun. There are several, well, five, in fact, muffled explosions in the bowels of the boat.
Remember those 4” vertical pipe-footings I had welded in place? Well, they’re full of 60% Extra Fast dynamite and now detonating in strategically premeditated places. Just a sort of insurance, don’t you know? Priming the pump as it were.
After a few seconds, the millisecond delays, and all that wiring allow a giant number “4” to light up.
More muffled blasts. So far, it’s going great.
“3!” “Kaboom…kaboom…kaboom…”
“2!” “Kaboom…kaboom.”
“1!” and several 4” pipe-fulls of potassium perchlorate, titanium, iron oxide, and magnesium tetraoxide ignite and fill the cove with an unearthly bright white-hot light and sparkles.
“Ohhh…Sparkly!”
After that fades, the number board flashes brilliantly from each corner and the word “GO!” appears in 5m tall x 3m wide letters.
Seconds click by, and people wonder if there was a malfunction.
Malfunction? No. It’s just me being ostentatious.
With a huge “BLAMMO!” the 10 kilos of ANFO I had set in the middle of the number board lights off.
Immediately, all the various leads of detonation cord lights off and travels at 8,000 feet per second to their respective detonic termini. Suddenly, at 25,000 feet per second, kilometer after kilometer of Primacord go off and begin slicing through marine seagoing steel like a hot knife through an order of butter chicken.
It’s pre-etching the cuts we made in the hull, weakening them just a bit more before….
“BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!”
C-4 charges are going off, sequentially, beginning at the bottom of the hull and creeping, at some 15,000 feet per second, up the hull, over the foredeck, and down the hold.
The cuts are quick, clean, and clear. Now, with just a slight nudge…
“KA-MOTHERFUCKING-BOOM DE A-DAH!”
There it is. The 150 kilos of DOUBLEHEIX liquid binary lights off. All at once, bless its blasting velocity.
OK, yes. That was overkill. Why not? My last event here, at least for a while.
But oh, my. What a report. Short, sharp, and shocking.
With a whining screech of tearing metal from the very depths of Vulcan’s volcanic Forge, the entire prow of the once-proud cruise ship gives it up to gravity. With a wrenching rip, slashing snort, and rending rent, it plummets down whole onto the very beach sand before us.
“KER-FUCKING-SMASH!”
The whole area quivers a bit.
Some 450 tons of torn metal, plastic, and wood has just fallen some 10 meters vertically or so.
Gulfy looks up, and raises an index finger.
I smile, raise my remaining index finger, point to Sanjay, and mouth the words “HIT IT!”
He has Captain America primed and ready. He presses the big, shiny red button.
The prow section comes alive. She quivered 'n quaked. An' clutched at herself. As she tremored the beach as she was cut into twelfths.
The prow is being torn asunder from the inside by 60% DuPont Extra Fast Herculene Mining, Quarrying, Fucking Around, and Demolition Dynamite because I’m all soggy with nostalgia and a sucker for the classics.
It’s being ripped apart by explosions of lockers full of AFNO.
A couple of crusty cross-beams yield to several kilos of Kinestix solid binaries.
Some C-4 here, a dab of Tetraamminecopper perchlorate there, a little Hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane, a spot of Cyclonite (RDX), a soupçon of PETN, and once the metallic screaming is over, we have pieces of a ship’s prow lying static on the beach in 12 easy pieces.
I turn to the spellbound if not shell-shocked crowd with a goofy smile, a blaze orange hardhat, and a cigar that needs to be relit.
“That, gentlemen, cost approximately $35,000 in both parts and labor. We reduced the ship by 1/9th its length with the expenditure of 25 x 2 man-days and the rest in high explosives. Given that it can take up to 24 months to traditionally scrap one of these cruise liners, I had just demonstrated a method where it can be done in a couple of months, with massively less exposure of your workers to risk, more environmentally friendly, and at a savings of millions of rupees.”
Ok, there was applause when I mentioned, as I closed the formalities.
“And that’s why I’m the Motherfucking Pro from Dover.”
There was applause.
I said “Thank you”, relit my cigar, and strode off the stage.
“My job here is done”, I’m thinking, as I walk back to the office. I was secretly glad it all worked out and also glad I’ll never have to do that kind of ornamental origami with wiring and explosives ever again.
At least until next time.
I go into the air-conditioned office and plop heavily into the desk chair. Stuff the coffee, it’s, well, not Miller time, but it sure as hell is potato-juice-and-citrus time.
Good thing I thought ahead and had a cooler with all the ingredients delivered beforehand.
Of course, there’s a meet and greet after the show. I mention to the dignitaries that have gathered in the office that we need to vacate as I’ve got a swarm of heavy equipment on the way to clear the beach.
“The blaster’s need to get to work on the next slice”, I say and look over to Sanjay who is smiling broadly as well.
We are to reconvene in the boardroom of the company as there will be a catered lunch.
I can hardly wait.
yippee
I spy Mr. Ranganekary over in the corner. I sneak over as well as I can sneak and ask him when he would like to chat.
“Do not worry, Doctor, He assures me, “We will have ample time later. Go attend what needs to attend. Worry not about me, we will have time to talk. Ample time.”
Not knowing what he meant by that, I decide to leave Sanjay in charge, as that’s now his mantle to wear. I fire up the motorcycle that has been so conveniently brought over for me and head back to the barn. I change into a clean set of coveralls but decide that a hardhat and safety harness probably won’t be necessary for a boardroom lunch setting. A box of cigars, on the other hand, well…
It was quite the sumptuous spread. All sorts of a mixed grill, samosas, egg rolls, noodle dishes, finger food, and full slabs of ham, veal, lamb, and roast beef; which I found both curious given the culture but delicious nonetheless. A full open bar was set up and I decided to make the shipbreakers pay for all my extra and subterfugical work. The bartender saw me coming and by the time I made it to his tip jar, yes, they are quick learners, he had already a stout cocktail waiting for me.
I spent the rest of the day answering questions and making certain they had all my banking information correct. I was quite gratified with I received a pair of buzzes on my cell phone telephone where it was my bank telling me of the renewed vigor and turgor in my personal accounts.
I needed to cut loose of this shindig as I needed to pack and also to get my plane tickets. I was leaving on the red-eye express tomorrow at O-dark-30, but haven’t heard a word about ticketing.
“Ah, yes, Doctor; about that,” Gulfy said, somewhat unsteadily. “The airports are still closed in the Middle East and it’s been impossible for us to sort out your departure tickets.”
“Yes?” The fuse was lit. I wanted out of here. You’re not going to use this Corona craziness as some sort of ruse to keep me here, you sawed-off son of a …
“So we have arranged for a private jet to take you to Dubai”, he smiled, “If that’s acceptable.”
Anger evaporated. “Sure, I suppose that will work.”
“At your disposal”, Gulfy said, “Major Nakula Dattachaudhuri will accompany you.”
“Ah!” The penny, once again, drops. “So glad to have you along, Major!”
“And his driver?’ I wonder.
I left the soiree after shaking the hands, exchanging business cards, and pledging to stay in touch with what seemed like a veritable platoon of people. Some will be high on my re-contact list as they might just have a few little odd jobs for me. It seems that there were representatives of other shipbreaking companies in attendance.
“Well”, I supposed, “If nothing else, I do like their hospitality and willingness to pay through the nose.”
Back at the Raj, all my clothes, except for what I was wearing, were cleaned, pressed and ready to be packed. I allowed the floor maids into my room while I rustled up a fresh cocktail and watch them pack my aluminum hard-cases like the consummate professionals they were.
They spoke no English, I no Hindi, but the wads of rupees I passed over to them spoke volumes. They deserved it. I could go to work and not even spare a thought about domestic duties. These gals, and guys, here did so for me without so much as “Oh, I need a…”
After shooing them out, I called the Majordomo and asked when the jet would be ready. He told me anytime I was.
“Well, fuck this”, I said, “Es won’t be in Dubai for a few days. There’s no reason to rush. Let’s plan for a morning flight at 0600 tomorrow? Green?”
Mr. Kanada agreed on my choice of color. He would leave a wakeup call for me at 0430. He would alert all other concerned parties as well.
I loved that. ‘All other concerned parties’.
“Ha, Mr. America’s Hat, your choice of terminology belies your ulterior motives” I think.
“That’s fine.” I said, “I’ll be in repose this evening; many things to consider before returning to launch point. I’ll be awaiting my wake up call.”
Before I get all unclothed and comfortable, I call the kitchen and order up one of the sandwiches I’ve taught them to make during my stay. Fresh bialy roll, lightly toasted, strips of ham, roast beef, melting cheese, some grilled onions, and green peppers. A cheesesteak of sorts, but I like mine with swiss and paneer rather than provolone.
“Oh, and send up some ice and a bottle of White Mischief 101 if you would be so kind. Also, some sliced limes and Bitter Lemon, if you have them.” I add.
Not 15 minutes later, I’m finishing off the sandwich and refreshing my drink. I’ve already called Es and told her of my belated departure. She’s pleased that now I won’t have so long to stay at the hotel alone and get into trouble.
“If she only knew…” I mused.
“Hell.” I remembered, “She does know! Fuck. I’m such a damned Boy Scout”
I haven’t chatted with Rack and Ruin for days and I figured they’re beside themselves. I break down and figure as long as I’m leaving tomorrow, I’d spill the beans, yank their chains, rattle their cages, and poke them in the snoot, all metaphorically, of course.
I ring their office numbers and I get that they are “in dispose” and if I leave a message, “they will return my call at their earliest convenience.”
“Aw, fuck.”, I think, “They’re off on some sort of mission or job or whatever the fuck they do when they’re not bothering me. Ah, well. I tried.”
I left them a message consisting mostly of “Priviet, comrades!”, "Workers of the world, unite!", and “Nostrovia!”. Y’know, the usual sophomoric attempts at political and social satire and humor.
I also tried to not let it bother me too great that they weren’t available as I settled back into the Jacuzzi with a new cigar, a large fresh drink, and this month’s issue of “The Quarrymaster.”
The night progressed as nights do. It was dark, sudsy, and quiet. I finally caved in around 2300 hours and plopped into the acre-sized bed. I slept the sleep of the overtly righteous until exactly 0430.
“Thanks”, I croak into the phone and drop the receiver back into its cradle.
“Time to motivate”, I remind myself. I hot the opulent shower one last time, erase a couple of shower scotches, and steam up the whole room so much it looks like the windows are bleeding from the inside.
“Damn, it’s positively tropical in here”, I growl as I dress in my travel finest. The usual field outfit, but this time with orange and green argyle socks from Scotland.
There’s actually a Pringle of Scotland brick and mortar store here in Alang. These socks were the best worst color and design I could find. I tried to find blaze orange ones, but oddly I was informed “there wasn’t much call for that around these parts, Squire.”
Maybe next time.
I called the room clerk and almost immediately, there was a knock at my door. Evidently Mr. Kanada, the Majordomo alerted the staff of my itinerary. It makes me almost feel bad I left that faux crate of dynamite in his room.
But he should have known better to snoop around on me. I hope all he gets out of it is a skip on his electrocardiogram. Anything else, and I might have to place some calls and own up to my tomfoolery.
My luggage, except for my field pack is loaded on a cart and I was assured it will be in the gray Ventura limo in the garage anytime I wish to leave. I tell the doorman that I appreciate that and slip him 500 rupees.
I need to go through that time-honored and exasperating event now when one checks out of a long term stay facility. Tips for everyone. C’mon, it’s not like you can’t afford a little largesse now, you old sod.
I leave fat-stuffed envelopes for the room matrons, which I had Sanjay address for me the other day. They deserve it. That room was insanely clean, well-stocked, and above all comfortable.
More tips for the room captains, bellhops, bartenders, cooks, cleaners, hell, if you aren’t a guest here, you get a tip. That makes it so much easier.
Down at breakfast I decide to forego a heavy meal and just snack on a few of their wonderful grilled breakfast sausages and a cup or two of my ‘special blende’ coffee.
After checking out the headlines in the reading room, I go to the bar where all my Emergency Travel Flasks are topped off and I gratefully accept a “Visit Alang” thermos cup full of my favorite libation in the entire cosmos.
A free drink.
Just so happens that his is one of cold potato juice and freshly squeezed lime juice with a splash of soda. A new Rocknocker variant that goes in the “Big Book of Favorite Cocktails”.
After shaking hands with everyone, I see it’s gone around to 0500. Time to get a move on myself.
Over to the one gray Ventura limo that’s idling in the garage and see its Major Nakula Dattachaudhuri in the back with Mr. Ranganekary as the driver.
“Well”, I smile, “That’s convenient. One-stop. No waiting.”
“Indeed, Doctor”, Major Nak replies, “Shall we?”
I smile crookedly to Mr. Ranganekary as I wish him a gracious good morning and pile into the back of the vehicle.
“I see you have all the absolute necessities”, Major Nak laughs as he notes my garish travel mug and a pocketful of cigars. He plucks one of the cigars from my vest pocket and looks at me line “May I?”
“Of course”, I smile back.
I ask Mr. Ranganekary if he’d like one and he replies, “Thanks. I already have some on the plane.”
“Well” I note, “There’s that question answered.”
With no traffic to speak of other than the usual delivery trucks driven by essential employees, we make great time to the airport.
Past the main gate, past departures, past shipping and receiving and past anything that looks like a terminal building. There it is, the same old shack where I was greeted into this county. We park and I go to take my passport for its usual departure tattooing.
Major Nak asks for my passport. He says he’ll handle the departure formalities. He also says he’ll meet us back on the plane. I’m not terribly keen on relinquishing my passport to anyone, but if you can’t trust a major in the Indian Armed Forces, who can you trust?
We wheel up to the same Gulfstream G700 jet that brought me here. Now, instead of Seoul to India, it’s India to Dubai, UAE. It’s just a puddle jump across the Indian Ocean, some 3.5 hours in duration.
“Guess I’d better get started”, I say, and take a long, healthy pull on my drink.
Thus sated, I’m up the steps and into the forward left-hand seat of the aircraft. Agent Ranganekary takes the seat behind me and within a few minutes, Major Rak arrives, hands me my passport, and asks if I need anything.
“Well”, I said, shaking my now empty Alang thermal mug, “It is sure hot and thirsty out there.”
Major Nak smiles, nods his head, and says loudly: “Dusty as well. Vijaya!”
Vijaya appears out of the back with an expertly crafted and exquisitely large drink for me. Major Nak looks at me, looks at my drink, and shakes his head. He asks Vijaya for a hot Earl Grey tea, with milk instead.
He looks at me, looks at my drink once more, and says “No way. I vaguely remember the last time...”
I just smile, grin, and sit back to enjoy what I could really get used to as a means of transportation.
The flight was smooth, pleasurable, and uneventful. We were up at 57,000’ again and pushing the bitter edge of the sound barrier at Mach 0.93.
We were in Dubai International, at the military end of the airport, within 3 hours and 19 minutes.
A large SUV cab arrives and tarmac workers begin stuffing all my gear into the back. I note a haversack and one lonely carry-on joined the pile.
It seems that Major Nak and Mr. Ranganekary were going to spend a day or two in Dubai as well.
It seems they were going to stay at the Four Seasons Hotel as well.
It seems to me that something might just be up.
To be continued.
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Nexus Aurora Active Projects - This list will be constantly updated. Feel free to join the conversation on discord as well.

Nexus Aurora Active Projects - This list will be constantly updated. Feel free to join the conversation on discord as well.
If you have engineering, academics, or 3D artist background you might want to join the NexusAurora discord server. Nexus Aurora project is a collaboration between volunteers aiming to submit a proposal for the Mars City State Design Competition organized by The Mars Society by the end of June 2020. Together with YouTuber Spaceman Dave, I intend to gather together a crew of volunteers in various domains: engineering, logistics, aeronautics, medical, programming, design, etc. We have to design a viable city for 1 million people on Mars. Right now we are lacking some expert advice from the medical field.
Volunteers:
  • Mars or Bust - Engineering, Coordination
  • Visual School - Graphics, Coding
  • Lots of engineers and designers on Discord already
Official website coming soon! Until then, join NexusAurora subreddit if you want to contribute or simply to stay updated. If you would please, send a private message at u/SpaceInstructor and include the following:
  • Your Name,
  • Location,
  • Area of interest: (How you can help)
We will reply with the discord server invite link and thoughts on how we can proceed. Thank you for responding!
​

Administration

A1 - Government - u/themarstronaut #a1-government Government is responsible for everything form healthcare to basic human rights. Without the right government nothing works. P15-government is not only purely laws but with new laws come new ethical questions. We have the chance to design a new "order" from scratch, a chance to make a better world. The Martronaut is leading this project. He is already and experienced thinker in this domain. He is preparing to launch his book about the training-program needed to get the colony started. It has 4 Chapters: 1. human aspects on manned missions to mars and the colonization. 2. educational aspects of the training system: -Anthropological aspects(neurological, psychological, sociological, physical, etc) - Educational Aspects(fields of education, technology implication, infrastructure, etc) . 2. financial aspects(the role of private education in the 2nd space-race and the colonization of mars. Join if you want to make a difference in the new Mars society!
Discussions: Branches of government, Mars Calendar
A2 - Diplomacy - u/tankat0208 u/themarstronaut #a2-diplomacy - As the international effort in unconventional scale lead by the United Nations, successful diplomacy of the Mars city with Earth and other Martian settlements will be essential to the success of the colonization program. This project aims to provide detailed and realistic solutions to international politics related problems ranging from the funding to the protection of Martian Sovereignty.
A3 - Education - u/themarstronaut u/Hoospitalball #a3-education The strongest force of a nation isn't the military it's EDUCATION. With education one can fight almost everything from obesity to crime, but we not only keep colonists form doing bad things but we also want to raise couscous, healthy, and most important... intelligent and wise colonists. With education a nation can gain power, influence and economic power. Education WILL be the backbone of nexus aurora. Not only do just want to establish our education system. NO we want to do it right this time. This time we have the chance to optimize the shit out of education.
A4 - Judicial System - u/Hoospitalball #a4-judicial-system - While we construct this colony, it is important to remember that we do not live in a utopia. Sometimes, people make mistakes that cannot go unmentioned and sometimes people are hurt. This project is meant to develop a system for discovering possible crimes, giving people charged with crimes trial, and the ways those convicted can be sentenced. There are many different ways these systems are run on earth, each with benefits and drawbacks. Our goal is to create the most humane, equitable, and reasonable justice system that still functions to deter and stop crimes within the colony and maintain peace. This project will work closely with p15-government as judicial systems are generally a branch of the government itself.

Buildings

B1 - Regolith Housing u/Jakobbberg #b1-regolith-housing - Would you like a 140 m2 apartment on Mars? This is the first Nexus Aurora habitat prototype.
Work In Progress
B2 - Modular Housing - u/MaNaeSWolf u/hyperion #b2-modular-housing - Once we start having a kernel of a colony we need to move people around for remote jobs, this means designing modular scalable housing for isolated projects such as near power stations etc. The discussion is already ongoing. I recommend Think Tank for brainstorming and Mission Parameters for advancing the debate closer to final specs.
Proposals for the modular housing system - WIP

Economy

E1 - Interplanetary Trade - u/Toni #e1-interplanetary-trade - As noted, imports will always be necessary, so teams will need to think of useful exports – of either material or intellectual products that the colony could produce and transport or transit back to Earth to pay for them. In the future, it can be expected that, using the SpaceX Starship or similar technology, the cost of shipping goods from Earth to Mars will be $500/kg and the cost of shipping goods from Mars to Earth will be $200/kg. Under these assumptions, it is the job of the team to design an economy, cost it out and show that after a certain initial investment in time, money and effort, that it can become successful.
E2 - Internal Markets - u/Arxivist #e2-internal-markets - A journey to Mars will be one of humanity's greatest achievements, but someone has to pay for it. Internal markets will be focused on capturing the initial costs of setting up a 1 million person colony, and the operating costs of maintaining and growing that colony. In order to balance the budget, we will work closely with p34-interplanetary-trade and other channels to determine possible revenue streams.
E3 - Entertainment - u/Arxivist #e3-services - Mars may be one of the most challenging places that humanity will ever try to live, but that does not mean it has to be miserable! Our focus is to make sure that our city is an enjoyable place to live, work, and thrive. To accomplish this we will be discussing what entertainment opportunities and venues can be installed in the city within our technical limitations.
E4 - Research Centers - u/ukudaly #e4-research-centers - Crazy idea here... I suppose most of you heard of LIGO and the first observation of gravitational waves. The further apart are these observatories the better the accuracy of the detections. Same goes for the Event Horizon telescope (imaging blackholes). Having extra units on Mars I think would greatly increase the accuracy of the observations. These could be enough reason for the scientific community to bang on the doors of congress/parliament/ministries to ask for funding for such elaborate grand schemes. Could this be a viable route to consider funding the first settlements on Mars? After all, people built the LHC and the ISS being driven by similar incentives.

Equipment

EQ1 - Multipurpose Robotics - u/henry-manelski #eq1-multipurpose-robotics - In order for our Martian colony to have the best chance of success it needs to take advantage of the advances that have been made in the fields of robotics and remote sensing. Robots can act as scouts, they could assist in construction of habitats and other infrastructure, or do anything else that we dream up and design. Specialized robots could process Martian regolith for useful materials while a fleet of robots search the surrounding landscape for anything that might help our colony grow. The purpose of this project is to think of and design robotic systems to assist the colony in any way possible.
EQ2 - Spacesuit - u/TheMirage #eq2-spacesuit - Human protective suits and clothing with climate conditioning and self charging abilities! The idea is to use graphene which is a high conductor of electricity to make life in the suit self sufficient and this material can protect as graphene is the hardest material on earth as a concept it has great applications and can be integrated as an EVA suit too.

Infrastructure

IN1 - Orbital Station - u/tankat0208 #in1-orbital-station - The orbital station of Nexus Aurora project will serve myriad of essential purposes ranging from Earth-Mars communication, Space medicine, and Mars tourism. The station of the Mars city will be the middle stage between earth and mars, letting the immigrants and emigrants of Mars to adapt to vastly different environment. Volunteers of interior designing and architecture is required, and all effort is appreciated.
Mars Space Station Early Ideas
IN2 - Satellites Network - u/Arxivist #in2-satellites-network - Communications on Mars has two major issues: bringing data from Earth, then distributing that data once it is at Mars. We will be analysing combinations of terrestrial and satellite based communications and network systems to solve these problems. Once a way ahead is determined, we will develop a network diagram to show what that solution looks like for Nexus Aurora.
IN3 - Radiation Shield - u/jacktherer #in3-radiation-shield - Space radiation comes from cosmic rays emitted by our local star, the Sun, and from stars beyond the Solar System as well. Space radiation can trigger cancer and cause damage to the central nervous system. In these ways space radiation presents an extreme hazard to crews of interplanetary missions and as such protection from said radiation is necessary. the main goal of the radiation shielding project group is to minimize the physiological damage done to crew members and other mission critical biological lifeforms due to space radiation exposure through various operational, engineering and dietary countermeasures as well as radiation dosimetry and monitoring of solar activity.
IN4 - Outdoor Engineering - u/blakemw #in4-outdoor-engineering: I have the idea for "outdoor engineering" (name might be improvable), essentially determining how lightly external (non-pressurized) structures can be constructed, without being destroyed by the environmental hazards on Mars, which are basically: gravity, wind, thermal cycling, dust, radiation, micrometeorites, corrosion (Mars excludes many hazards which exist on Earth, such as wildlife, hail, snow etc). These kind of structures would be things like: Solar arrays (flat and tilted), reflectors (used to enhance light in greenhouses), solar concentrators, radiators - especially vertical ones -, overhead power lines, vehicles, bridges. I'm not sure exactly what the best place for it is but I'm throwing the idea out there as something I am interested in.
IN5 - Augmented Reality, Internet Of Things, Sensors Network - u/MaNaeSWolf #in5-ar-iot-sensors-net - Nexus Aurora will be a hyper connected city with sensors monitoring everything all the time. This vast array of sensors and network allow for new things to emerge, allowing us to control, manage and see what is happening elsewhere. Systems interwoven with the buildings and structures help with maintenance and fix problems before they happen. We will also need to consider the moral impact all of this will have on the privacy, control and personal lives of our civilians.

Logistics

LOG1 - Landing Zones u/koenikova #log1-landing-zones - Scouting for landing zones and placing the right infrastructure in place to secure the inflow of people and goods into the colony.
Landing Zones Candidates - WIP
LOG2 - Access Management - u/Zam #log2-access-management - On Mars we will have to treat the entire colony as one giant building. Most systems will be interconnected, so first of all we need to distinguish between: colonist personal health and safety, key system protection, workplace health and safety, police services, disaster and accident response, privacy and finally data and information IT system protection. For key systems User Access Management based on typical industrial solutions may be sufficient. RFID based access cards working as keys would be best, as they also allow to identify the user (by ID, so we can make it work while maintaining privacy) and not only identify if they had permission to access, but in case of later issues, system could check what threats each ID may have been exposed to (industrial fumes, sections not shielded from radiation, waste etc.).
LOG3 - Colony Bootstrapping - u/Agustin99 #log3-colony-bootstrapping - Colony bootstrapping is about asking ourselves. What can I do with everything I brought with me? You just can't give yourself the luxury to waste anything before being self sufficient, recycle and adapt the hardware to quickly achieve the minimum required to have a pressurized environment, air & water recyclers, electricity, hydroponics, communications and redundant systems as soon as possible.
Roadmap with proposed events for the bootstrapping process
LOG4 - Standardisation - u/thephatpeach #log4-standardisation - Hi everyone! I noticed some general confusion amongst the members of Nexus Aurora about what is acceptable to design, what assumptions can be made, etc... The objective of this chat is to definitively nail down what design constraints and assumptions we want to make for this project other than what is already listed in the project description. This will be community decided and will be used to inform your design decisions. If you have a question as to what needs to be considered when planning a design (whether it be housing, infrastructure, transport tunnels or any other chat), this is where you will find your answers. It is up to you as members of Nexus Aurora and members of your respective teams within the project to set standards, constraints and assumptions about design.
LOG5 - Supply Chains - u/ZikeF (Mitch) #log5-supply-chains - One of biggest challenges for the colony will be the supply chain. Mars will need a constant supply of food, medicine, supplies etc. at least at the very beginning. Without these critical supplies the colony can and will fall apart and very likely even die. The two main concerns of any supply chain are the cost for every trip and the reliability of consistent trips. It is also important to note that any submissions to supply chains must be based in present technology, meaning nothing that requires more advanced engineering techniques, materials or ridiculous amounts of funding to achieve. Only exception being if you can provide strong evidence showing either it is currently being developed (with very promising results) or something similar. We as a group like to dream big and that is great, however we want to stay grounded and not get into science fiction realm.
LOG6 - Virtual Catalog - u/SpaceInstructor u/koenikova #log6-virtual-catalog - We create an extremely accurate model of everything on Mars, which is needed for planning permissions anyway for all governments. On earth you would go and draw a 2d vector drawing and hand it in, to get permission to start building. But here it would need to be all in 3D and including all properties of all individual components inside the thing you are building. Local governments dream of such databases and are trying to implement these for years already, but this requires putting all existing data in that system as well.. On Mars, we have the luxury of starting fresh!

Medical

M1 - Medical Facilities - u/MaNaeSWolf #m1-medical-facilities - People have evolved for living on a planet with 9.8m/s2 of gravity, and we have no idea what the reduced gravity on Mars will do to us. So medical facilities will have an important problem to solve for Mars. Here we look at generating 1G for medical requirements and recovery in a safe manner. We can also look at how buildings that help the general wellness of the population on Mars.
Radical concept for hospital providing treatment in artificially genereted 1G
M2 - Medicine Production - u/Julian #m2-medicine-production - A Mars colony will need a lot of common pharmaceuticals. Shipping those from earth is expensive and makes the colony vulnerable. Therefore a sustainable solution for the production of medicine is needed. We hope to demonstrate how this could be done by developing the synthesis of one or two model drugs, which could potentially be produced in a sustainable way using colony resources.
M3 - Medical Research - u/b.funkt#5421 #m3-medical-research - Medical research on Mars will be a heavily staffed operation, with dual primary-level missions: 1. At all times, and to the greatest extent safely possible, the medical research staff will bring money into the Mars medical system through research grants made available by private firms and govt entities on Earth. A key metric to track is the anticipated financial offset to the startup / construction costs of the medical system as a whole. The main verticals of science that the grant-writing team will focus on will be studies involving low-G / no-G / variable-G, and low-bar / no-bar atmospheric testing environments. 2. Equally important, the medical research team needs to manage day-to-day research operations including direct supervision of all scientists involved in performing research. This means heavily interfacing with the medical system and staff as the two groups will be sharing some lab resources and personnel.
M4 - Medical Services - u/b.funkt u/themarstronaut #m4-medical-services - will include management of day to day medical system operations, including patient care and medical staff management. This project will compose a plan for tracking the availability and sourcing of disposable medical supplies, and will specify a detailed plan to provide and administer medical services to the people of Mars. This project will define the portion of the system-wide emergency protocol plans relating to medicine and wellness, which will interface directly with #u4-emergency-services. Further, #m4-medical-services will oversee the procurement of drugs, vaccines, and other medical therapies, directly interfacing with #m2-medicine-production.

Production

P1 - Manufacturing Steel - u/Petwara7 #p1-steel - Well, there's no fun to have on Mars if we cannot weld something there. So we need steel, lots of it...
P2 - Farming - u/themarstronaut #p2-farming - Without food there is no Mars colony. We will have to establish quickly production facilities for growing foods. Probably we will have to consider plant based diet and maybe insects for proteins initially. Starting production of food needs systems that are extremely quick to setup and low maintenance. Growing meat is highly expensive and probably should be a separate project.
P3 - Polymer - u/Mark Watt Ne #p3-polymer - We need a way to make polymers on Mars. We need rubber and Teflon for seals, glues for example for making a 3D-Printer regolith material, artificial fibers for cloth, etc. We use polymers in every aspect of our life today and we will use it on Mars. As Polymers are mostly carbon, oxygen and hydrogen this is a good way to get CO2 out of the atmosphere as well. Also we could make Carbon Fiber Composite Materials and possible Graphene and Carbon Nano Tubes.
P4 - Mining - u/henry-manelski u/Orion #p4-mining - Whether it is for use in the colony or export back to Earth, locating and extracting minerals will be crucial for the growth of our settlement. The mining project's goal is to predict where we might find important minerals and design the systems used to extract them along with exploring any other logistical concerns we might encounter along the way (creating mining outposts, clarifying legal frameworks for prospecting, etc.)
P5 - Goods - u/Mae Elizabeth u/Julian #p5-manufacturing-goods - Any long-term settlement requires a plethora of products and services reliant on a complex industry and manufacturing system. These will be further complicated by the lack of fossil fuels on mars. This channel aims to design the industry of a mars colony so that it can support all of the needs of modern science, industry, and technology.

Transport

T1 - Orbital Lander - u/Chahn20 #t1-orbital-lander - One of the immediate needs of a Mars colony will be to shuttle people and cargo between surface and orbit. Chahn is proposing to expand on his existing design. He has a basic design for surface to orbit and orbit to surface lander that can transport 7 crew in crew type and in cargo type can get at least 15 tons to orbit in single stage to orbit config note it uses rl-10c-3 engines.
T2 - Railroads - u/Cameron #t2-railroads - To provide for cost and time-efficient transport of resources between colonies and extraction sites, a railway transport system shall be developed. The primary objectives for this project to provide are pathing: where rails are needed and how they will be deployed; railway autonomy: manned or unmanned decisions and pseudo algorithms; power distribution: distributed by rail or stored onboard; overall design: design of rail requirements including power, propulsion method, and cargo/accessibility to provide ease of loading/unloading.
T3 - Surface Rover - u/Toni #t3-surface-rover - Mars colony needs an efficient means of transporting goods over dirt roads, within the city and a capability to explore the best locations for mines and other points of interest. We will develop a modular rover with good off-road capabilities that meets the need.
T4 - Launch Complex - u/Jakobbberg #t4-launch-complex - So you have a starting colony on Mars. Every 26 months a number of ships arrive, with new people, production equipment and your favorite reclining chair which you have missed for the last six years. In the beginning all the rockets touchdown on a convenient flat surface, a number of kilometers from anything valuable, like other rockets, domes or fleshy humans. This made retrieving your new stuff and people a bit of a trip and you really just want to get everything delivered to your house. A spaceport it is then, but how? It has to be able to process a number of rockets coming at a short time interval. Protect said rockets from each other if they decide to use lithobraking and all of your other stuff. How will you transport people and cargo, some of which/whom does not tolerate vacuum very well, from the rocket to the storage facility or check in counter? And when they need to fly again, how will they be refueled, prepped and launched? All of this and many more questions need to be answered in p40-launch-complex!

Urban Planning

U1 - Transport Corridors u/Astro_Alphard #u1-transport-tunnels - The theme of the project is conceiving a multi purpose tunnel network that will be used to transport within the colony, people & goods. Join his project if you want to contribute knowhow in the transportation and tunneling business.
Work In Progress
U2 - Landmarks - u/Jakobbberg #u2-landmarks - This is the project where we look at all the structures that will attract attention. We answer the question "What can you build when you have 1 million people on mars, a robust economy, lots of industrial capacity and a decent amount of automation?". It is the "Go Big or Go Home" projects for Mars. If the visiting tourists are not taking pictures it is not welcome. You can have boron and liquid hydrogen as radiation shielding, you can have active supports and this kind of thing. We are staying inside known physics and reasonable material costs, so no solid gold space ports. But if you can make a convincing case for the Olympus Mons down hill ski resort, then by all means, we want to see your detailed plan. Any SFIA (Science & Futurism with Isaac Arthur) fans will be right at home here.
U3 - City Layout - u/Andrew - MarsFTW #u3-city-layout - This channel is dedicated to planning the layout for our planned colony. We will need to best optimize the locations of housing, industrial buildings, and transportation pathways to assure a optimized work flow for our Martians! We must be able to set our city up in a way that allows for easy transport between frequently needed places and separation between working and living areas. Additionally we need to take into account the environment and geography that is naturally occurring on mars in order to create a sustainable and functional colony.

Utilities

UT1 - Water Recovery System - u/Riedinger_A #ut1-water-recovery - Provides clean water by reclaiming wastewater (including water from crew members’ urine), cabin humidity condensate, and water from the hydration system inside crew members’ Extra Vehicular Activity suits. The recovered water must meet stringent purity standards before it can be used to support crew, extravehicular and payload activities. Water produced by the urine processor is combined with all other wastewaters and delivered to the water processor for treatment. The water processor sends the water through a series of multi-filtration beds and a catalyt-ic oxidizer for purification. The water purity is checked by electrical conductivity sensors in the sys-tems. Unacceptable water is reprocessed, and clean water is sent to a storage tank, ready for the crew to use.
UT2 - Air Revitalization System - u/Riedinger_A #ut2-air-revitalization - Dedicated to cleaning the circulating cabin air. This involves re-moving trace contaminants produced by electronics, plastics and human off-gassing, including carbon dioxide exhaled by the crew during normal respiration. Trace contaminants are removed by flowing cabin air through three separate units including an activated charcoal bed, a catalytic oxidizer and a lithium hydroxide bed. Carbon dioxide is removed using molecular sieves, materials that separate and capture gases based on their size.
UT3 - Power Generation - u/Sajateron #ut3-power-generation - For the nuclear generation and our power generation strategy as a whole I am proposing a meshed network of smaller generators located throughout the colony. I am proposing using a series of NASA KRUSTY generators (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/ns_kilopower_fs_180111.pdf) these are Kilopower nuclear fission powered stirling type generators. These have been widely tested and could benefit from mass production type savings. Other power generation options are explored here as well such as solar and wind.
UT4 - Recycling - u/koenikova #ut4-recycling - Getting stuff to Mars is extremely expensive. Extracting raw materials on Mars and creating useful materials and products, will also be very expensive, since it will require a lot of machinery, factories and energy. So envision our Colony like a spaceship, in which every material is worth its weight in gold and therefor is worth being reused and recycled as much as we possible can.
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Nexus Aurora - Ongoing Projects - Join the design process on Discord

Nexus Aurora - Ongoing Projects - Join the design process on Discord
If you have engineering, academics, or 3D artist background join the discord server. We are open sourcing the first Martian colony plans. Currently: 240 volunteers and 45 projects ongoing.
The design aims to provide plans for a viable city for 1 million people on Mars. These plans will be submitted to the Mars City State Design Competition organised by The Mars Society.
Send a private message at u/SpaceInstructor and include the following: Your Name, Location, Area of interest (how can you help). We will reply with the discord server invite link and thoughts on how we can proceed. The project is coordinated by Mars or Bust & Visual School
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Administration

A1 - Government - u/themarstronaut #a1-government Government is responsible for everything form healthcare to basic human rights. Without the right government nothing works. P15-government is not only purely laws but with new laws come new ethical questions. We have the chance to design a new "order" from scratch, a chance to make a better world. The Martronaut is leading this project. He is already and experienced thinker in this domain. He is preparing to launch his book about the training-program needed to get the colony started. It has 4 Chapters: 1. human aspects on manned missions to mars and the colonization. 2. educational aspects of the training system: -Anthropological aspects(neurological, psychological, sociological, physical, etc) - Educational Aspects(fields of education, technology implication, infrastructure, etc) . 2. financial aspects(the role of private education in the 2nd space-race and the colonization of mars. Join if you want to make a difference in the new Mars society!
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A2 - Diplomacy - u/tankat0208 u/themarstronaut #a2-diplomacy - As the international effort in unconventional scale lead by the United Nations, successful diplomacy of the Mars city with Earth and other Martian settlements will be essential to the success of the colonization program. This project aims to provide detailed and realistic solutions to international politics related problems ranging from the funding to the protection of Martian Sovereignty.
A3 - Education - u/themarstronaut u/Hoospitalball #a3-education The strongest force of a nation isn't the military it's EDUCATION. With education one can fight almost everything from obesity to crime, but we not only keep colonists form doing bad things but we also want to raise couscous, healthy, and most important... intelligent and wise colonists. With education a nation can gain power, influence and economic power. Education WILL be the backbone of nexus aurora. Not only do just want to establish our education system. NO we want to do it right this time. This time we have the chance to optimize the shit out of education.
A4 - Judicial System - u/Hoospitalball #a4-judicial-system - While we construct this colony, it is important to remember that we do not live in a utopia. Sometimes, people make mistakes that cannot go unmentioned and sometimes people are hurt. This project is meant to develop a system for discovering possible crimes, giving people charged with crimes trial, and the ways those convicted can be sentenced. There are many different ways these systems are run on earth, each with benefits and drawbacks. Our goal is to create the most humane, equitable, and reasonable justice system that still functions to deter and stop crimes within the colony and maintain peace. This project will work closely with p15-government as judicial systems are generally a branch of the government itself.

Buildings

B1 - Regolith Housing u/Jakobbberg #b1-regolith-housing - Would you like a 140 m2 apartment on Mars? This is the first Nexus Aurora habitat prototype.
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B2 - Modular Housing - u/MaNaeSWolf u/hyperion #b2-modular-housing - Once we start having a kernel of a colony we need to move people around for remote jobs, this means designing modular scalable housing for isolated projects such as near power stations etc. The discussion is already ongoing. I recommend Think Tank for brainstorming and Mission Parameters for advancing the debate closer to final specs.
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Economy

E1 - Interplanetary Trade - u/Toni #e1-interplanetary-trade - As noted, imports will always be necessary, so teams will need to think of useful exports – of either material or intellectual products that the colony could produce and transport or transit back to Earth to pay for them. In the future, it can be expected that, using the SpaceX Starship or similar technology, the cost of shipping goods from Earth to Mars will be $500/kg and the cost of shipping goods from Mars to Earth will be $200/kg. Under these assumptions, it is the job of the team to design an economy, cost it out and show that after a certain initial investment in time, money and effort, that it can become successful.
E2 - Internal Markets - u/Arxivist #e2-internal-markets - A journey to Mars will be one of humanity's greatest achievements, but someone has to pay for it. Internal markets will be focused on capturing the initial costs of setting up a 1 million person colony, and the operating costs of maintaining and growing that colony. In order to balance the budget, we will work closely with p34-interplanetary-trade and other channels to determine possible revenue streams.
E3 - Entertainment - u/Arxivist #e3-services - Mars may be one of the most challenging places that humanity will ever try to live, but that does not mean it has to be miserable! Our focus is to make sure that our city is an enjoyable place to live, work, and thrive. To accomplish this we will be discussing what entertainment opportunities and venues can be installed in the city within our technical limitations.
E4 - Research Centers - u/ukudaly #e4-research-centers - Crazy idea here... I suppose most of you heard of LIGO and the first observation of gravitational waves. The further apart are these observatories the better the accuracy of the detections. Same goes for the Event Horizon telescope (imaging blackholes). Having extra units on Mars I think would greatly increase the accuracy of the observations. These could be enough reason for the scientific community to bang on the doors of congress/parliament/ministries to ask for funding for such elaborate grand schemes. Could this be a viable route to consider funding the first settlements on Mars? After all, people built the LHC and the ISS being driven by similar incentives.

Equipment

EQ1 - Multipurpose Robotics - u/henry-manelski #eq1-multipurpose-robotics - In order for our Martian colony to have the best chance of success it needs to take advantage of the advances that have been made in the fields of robotics and remote sensing. Robots can act as scouts, they could assist in construction of habitats and other infrastructure, or do anything else that we dream up and design. Specialized robots could process Martian regolith for useful materials while a fleet of robots search the surrounding landscape for anything that might help our colony grow. The purpose of this project is to think of and design robotic systems to assist the colony in any way possible.
EQ2 - Spacesuit - u/TheMirage #eq2-spacesuit - Human protective suits and clothing with climate conditioning and self charging abilities! The idea is to use graphene which is a high conductor of electricity to make life in the suit self sufficient and this material can protect as graphene is the hardest material on earth as a concept it has great applications and can be integrated as an EVA suit too.

Infrastructure

IN1 - Orbital Station - u/tankat0208 #in1-orbital-station - The orbital station of Nexus Aurora project will serve myriad of essential purposes ranging from Earth-Mars communication, Space medicine, and Mars tourism. The station of the Mars city will be the middle stage between earth and mars, letting the immigrants and emigrants of Mars to adapt to vastly different environment. Volunteers of interior designing and architecture is required, and all effort is appreciated.
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IN2 - Satellites Network - u/Arxivist #in2-satellites-network - Communications on Mars has two major issues: bringing data from Earth, then distributing that data once it is at Mars. We will be analysing combinations of terrestrial and satellite based communications and network systems to solve these problems. Once a way ahead is determined, we will develop a network diagram to show what that solution looks like for Nexus Aurora.
IN3 - Radiation Shield - u/jacktherer #in3-radiation-shield - Space radiation comes from cosmic rays emitted by our local star, the Sun, and from stars beyond the Solar System as well. Space radiation can trigger cancer and cause damage to the central nervous system. In these ways space radiation presents an extreme hazard to crews of interplanetary missions and as such protection from said radiation is necessary. the main goal of the radiation shielding project group is to minimize the physiological damage done to crew members and other mission critical biological lifeforms due to space radiation exposure through various operational, engineering and dietary countermeasures as well as radiation dosimetry and monitoring of solar activity.
IN4 - Outdoor Engineering - u/blakemw #in4-outdoor-engineering: I have the idea for "outdoor engineering" (name might be improvable), essentially determining how lightly external (non-pressurized) structures can be constructed, without being destroyed by the environmental hazards on Mars, which are basically: gravity, wind, thermal cycling, dust, radiation, micrometeorites, corrosion (Mars excludes many hazards which exist on Earth, such as wildlife, hail, snow etc). These kind of structures would be things like: Solar arrays (flat and tilted), reflectors (used to enhance light in greenhouses), solar concentrators, radiators - especially vertical ones -, overhead power lines, vehicles, bridges. I'm not sure exactly what the best place for it is but I'm throwing the idea out there as something I am interested in.
IN5 - Augmented Reality, Internet Of Things, Sensors Network - u/MaNaeSWolf #in5-ar-iot-sensors-net - Nexus Aurora will be a hyper connected city with sensors monitoring everything all the time. This vast array of sensors and network allow for new things to emerge, allowing us to control, manage and see what is happening elsewhere. Systems interwoven with the buildings and structures help with maintenance and fix problems before they happen. We will also need to consider the moral impact all of this will have on the privacy, control and personal lives of our civilians.

Logistics

LOG1 - Landing Zones u/koenikova #log1-landing-zones - Scouting for landing zones and placing the right infrastructure in place to secure the inflow of people and goods into the colony.
Processing img fesme3vrwa051...
LOG2 - Access Management - u/Zam #log2-access-management - On Mars we will have to treat the entire colony as one giant building. Most systems will be interconnected, so first of all we need to distinguish between: colonist personal health and safety, key system protection, workplace health and safety, police services, disaster and accident response, privacy and finally data and information IT system protection. For key systems User Access Management based on typical industrial solutions may be sufficient. RFID based access cards working as keys would be best, as they also allow to identify the user (by ID, so we can make it work while maintaining privacy) and not only identify if they had permission to access, but in case of later issues, system could check what threats each ID may have been exposed to (industrial fumes, sections not shielded from radiation, waste etc.).
LOG3 - Colony Bootstrapping - u/Agustin99 #log3-colony-bootstrapping - Colony bootstrapping is about asking ourselves. What can I do with everything I brought with me? You just can't give yourself the luxury to waste anything before being self sufficient, recycle and adapt the hardware to quickly achieve the minimum required to have a pressurized environment, air & water recyclers, electricity, hydroponics, communications and redundant systems as soon as possible.
Processing img gj7glpyuwa051...
LOG4 - Standardisation - u/thephatpeach #log4-standardisation - Hi everyone! I noticed some general confusion amongst the members of Nexus Aurora about what is acceptable to design, what assumptions can be made, etc... The objective of this chat is to definitively nail down what design constraints and assumptions we want to make for this project other than what is already listed in the project description. This will be community decided and will be used to inform your design decisions. If you have a question as to what needs to be considered when planning a design (whether it be housing, infrastructure, transport tunnels or any other chat), this is where you will find your answers. It is up to you as members of Nexus Aurora and members of your respective teams within the project to set standards, constraints and assumptions about design.
LOG5 - Supply Chains - u/ZikeF (Mitch) #log5-supply-chains - One of biggest challenges for the colony will be the supply chain. Mars will need a constant supply of food, medicine, supplies etc. at least at the very beginning. Without these critical supplies the colony can and will fall apart and very likely even die. The two main concerns of any supply chain are the cost for every trip and the reliability of consistent trips. It is also important to note that any submissions to supply chains must be based in present technology, meaning nothing that requires more advanced engineering techniques, materials or ridiculous amounts of funding to achieve. Only exception being if you can provide strong evidence showing either it is currently being developed (with very promising results) or something similar. We as a group like to dream big and that is great, however we want to stay grounded and not get into science fiction realm.
LOG6 - Virtual Catalog - u/SpaceInstructor u/koenikova #log6-virtual-catalog - We create an extremely accurate model of everything on Mars, which is needed for planning permissions anyway for all governments. On earth you would go and draw a 2d vector drawing and hand it in, to get permission to start building. But here it would need to be all in 3D and including all properties of all individual components inside the thing you are building. Local governments dream of such databases and are trying to implement these for years already, but this requires putting all existing data in that system as well.. On Mars, we have the luxury of starting fresh!

Medical

M1 - Medical Facilities - u/MaNaeSWolf #m1-medical-facilities - People have evolved for living on a planet with 9.8m/s2 of gravity, and we have no idea what the reduced gravity on Mars will do to us. So medical facilities will have an important problem to solve for Mars. Here we look at generating 1G for medical requirements and recovery in a safe manner. We can also look at how buildings that help the general wellness of the population on Mars.
Processing img nhgmt6uxwa051...
M2 - Medicine Production - u/Julian #m2-medicine-production - A Mars colony will need a lot of common pharmaceuticals. Shipping those from earth is expensive and makes the colony vulnerable. Therefore a sustainable solution for the production of medicine is needed. We hope to demonstrate how this could be done by developing the synthesis of one or two model drugs, which could potentially be produced in a sustainable way using colony resources.
M3 - Medical Research - u/b.funkt#5421 #m3-medical-research - Medical research on Mars will be a heavily staffed operation, with dual primary-level missions: 1. At all times, and to the greatest extent safely possible, the medical research staff will bring money into the Mars medical system through research grants made available by private firms and govt entities on Earth. A key metric to track is the anticipated financial offset to the startup / construction costs of the medical system as a whole. The main verticals of science that the grant-writing team will focus on will be studies involving low-G / no-G / variable-G, and low-bar / no-bar atmospheric testing environments. 2. Equally important, the medical research team needs to manage day-to-day research operations including direct supervision of all scientists involved in performing research. This means heavily interfacing with the medical system and staff as the two groups will be sharing some lab resources and personnel.
M4 - Medical Services - u/b.funkt u/themarstronaut #m4-medical-services - will include management of day to day medical system operations, including patient care and medical staff management. This project will compose a plan for tracking the availability and sourcing of disposable medical supplies, and will specify a detailed plan to provide and administer medical services to the people of Mars. This project will define the portion of the system-wide emergency protocol plans relating to medicine and wellness, which will interface directly with #u4-emergency-services. Further, #m4-medical-services will oversee the procurement of drugs, vaccines, and other medical therapies, directly interfacing with #m2-medicine-production.

Production

P1 - Manufacturing Steel - u/Petwara7 #p1-steel - Well, there's no fun to have on Mars if we cannot weld something there. So we need steel, lots of it...
P2 - Farming - u/themarstronaut #p2-farming - Without food there is no Mars colony. We will have to establish quickly production facilities for growing foods. Probably we will have to consider plant based diet and maybe insects for proteins initially. Starting production of food needs systems that are extremely quick to setup and low maintenance. Growing meat is highly expensive and probably should be a separate project.
P3 - Polymer - u/Mark Watt Ne #p3-polymer - We need a way to make polymers on Mars. We need rubber and Teflon for seals, glues for example for making a 3D-Printer regolith material, artificial fibers for cloth, etc. We use polymers in every aspect of our life today and we will use it on Mars. As Polymers are mostly carbon, oxygen and hydrogen this is a good way to get CO2 out of the atmosphere as well. Also we could make Carbon Fiber Composite Materials and possible Graphene and Carbon Nano Tubes.
P4 - Mining - u/henry-manelski u/Orion #p4-mining - Whether it is for use in the colony or export back to Earth, locating and extracting minerals will be crucial for the growth of our settlement. The mining project's goal is to predict where we might find important minerals and design the systems used to extract them along with exploring any other logistical concerns we might encounter along the way (creating mining outposts, clarifying legal frameworks for prospecting, etc.)
P5 - Goods - u/Mae Elizabeth u/Julian #p5-manufacturing-goods - Any long-term settlement requires a plethora of products and services reliant on a complex industry and manufacturing system. These will be further complicated by the lack of fossil fuels on mars. This channel aims to design the industry of a mars colony so that it can support all of the needs of modern science, industry, and technology.

Transport

T1 - Orbital Lander - u/Chahn20 #t1-orbital-lander - One of the immediate needs of a Mars colony will be to shuttle people and cargo between surface and orbit. Chahn is proposing to expand on his existing design. He has a basic design for surface to orbit and orbit to surface lander that can transport 7 crew in crew type and in cargo type can get at least 15 tons to orbit in single stage to orbit config note it uses rl-10c-3 engines.
T2 - Railroads - u/Cameron #t2-railroads - To provide for cost and time-efficient transport of resources between colonies and extraction sites, a railway transport system shall be developed. The primary objectives for this project to provide are pathing: where rails are needed and how they will be deployed; railway autonomy: manned or unmanned decisions and pseudo algorithms; power distribution: distributed by rail or stored onboard; overall design: design of rail requirements including power, propulsion method, and cargo/accessibility to provide ease of loading/unloading.
T3 - Surface Rover - u/Toni #t3-surface-rover - Mars colony needs an efficient means of transporting goods over dirt roads, within the city and a capability to explore the best locations for mines and other points of interest. We will develop a modular rover with good off-road capabilities that meets the need.
T4 - Launch Complex - u/Jakobbberg #t4-launch-complex - So you have a starting colony on Mars. Every 26 months a number of ships arrive, with new people, production equipment and your favorite reclining chair which you have missed for the last six years. In the beginning all the rockets touchdown on a convenient flat surface, a number of kilometers from anything valuable, like other rockets, domes or fleshy humans. This made retrieving your new stuff and people a bit of a trip and you really just want to get everything delivered to your house. A spaceport it is then, but how? It has to be able to process a number of rockets coming at a short time interval. Protect said rockets from each other if they decide to use lithobraking and all of your other stuff. How will you transport people and cargo, some of which/whom does not tolerate vacuum very well, from the rocket to the storage facility or check in counter? And when they need to fly again, how will they be refueled, prepped and launched? All of this and many more questions need to be answered in p40-launch-complex!

Urban Planning

U1 - Transport Corridors u/Astro_Alphard #u1-transport-tunnels - The theme of the project is conceiving a multi purpose tunnel network that will be used to transport within the colony, people & goods. Join his project if you want to contribute knowhow in the transportation and tunneling business.
Processing img 0l36ahsfya051...
U2 - Landmarks - u/Jakobbberg #u2-landmarks - This is the project where we look at all the structures that will attract attention. We answer the question "What can you build when you have 1 million people on mars, a robust economy, lots of industrial capacity and a decent amount of automation?". It is the "Go Big or Go Home" projects for Mars. If the visiting tourists are not taking pictures it is not welcome. You can have boron and liquid hydrogen as radiation shielding, you can have active supports and this kind of thing. We are staying inside known physics and reasonable material costs, so no solid gold space ports. But if you can make a convincing case for the Olympus Mons down hill ski resort, then by all means, we want to see your detailed plan. Any SFIA (Science & Futurism with Isaac Arthur) fans will be right at home here.
U3 - City Layout - u/Andrew - MarsFTW #u3-city-layout - This channel is dedicated to planning the layout for our planned colony. We will need to best optimize the locations of housing, industrial buildings, and transportation pathways to assure a optimized work flow for our Martians! We must be able to set our city up in a way that allows for easy transport between frequently needed places and separation between working and living areas. Additionally we need to take into account the environment and geography that is naturally occurring on mars in order to create a sustainable and functional colony.

Utilities

UT1 - Water Recovery System - u/Riedinger_A #ut1-water-recovery - Provides clean water by reclaiming wastewater (including water from crew members’ urine), cabin humidity condensate, and water from the hydration system inside crew members’ Extra Vehicular Activity suits. The recovered water must meet stringent purity standards before it can be used to support crew, extravehicular and payload activities. Water produced by the urine processor is combined with all other wastewaters and delivered to the water processor for treatment. The water processor sends the water through a series of multi-filtration beds and a catalyt-ic oxidizer for purification. The water purity is checked by electrical conductivity sensors in the sys-tems. Unacceptable water is reprocessed, and clean water is sent to a storage tank, ready for the crew to use.
UT2 - Air Revitalization System - u/Riedinger_A #ut2-air-revitalization - Dedicated to cleaning the circulating cabin air. This involves re-moving trace contaminants produced by electronics, plastics and human off-gassing, including carbon dioxide exhaled by the crew during normal respiration. Trace contaminants are removed by flowing cabin air through three separate units including an activated charcoal bed, a catalytic oxidizer and a lithium hydroxide bed. Carbon dioxide is removed using molecular sieves, materials that separate and capture gases based on their size.
UT3 - Power Generation - u/Sajateron #ut3-power-generation - One of the most important things in a Martian colony is power. Used for everything from light in the habitats to the iron and polymer processing plants to the production of rocket propellant. Nuclear, solar and wind are looked at as a potential sources of power and the different stages of the colony, the production capacity and energy demands are also looked at as a way to make sure that there are enough power generation capacity to grow the colony.
UT4 - Recycling - u/koenikova #ut4-recycling - Getting stuff to Mars is extremely expensive. Extracting raw materials on Mars and creating useful materials and products, will also be very expensive, since it will require a lot of machinery, factories and energy. So envision our Colony like a spaceship, in which every material is worth its weight in gold and therefor is worth being reused and recycled as much as we possible can.
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what are the three methods used to legally dispose of hazardous wastes video

According to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, hazardous waste can have a solid, semi-solid, liquid or gaseous form and it has two categories that include listed and characteristic waste. Legal methods for disposing of hazardous waste consist of combustion and incineration, land disposal and injection wells. Hazardous-waste management - Hazardous-waste management - Treatment, storage, and disposal: Several options are available for hazardous-waste management. The most desirable is to reduce the quantity of waste at its source or to recycle the materials for some other productive use. Nevertheless, while reduction and recycling are desirable options, they are not regarded as the final remedy to the ... Step 1, Understand hazardous waste. Hazardous waste cannot be disposed like normal trash in landfills. Instead it must be disposed through the proper networks to prevent human and environmental harm. Look at the four characteristics of hazardous waste: Ignitability means that the waste can easily catch on fire. It is considered flammable if the flash point is less than 140 degrees Fahrenheit ...Step 2, Be responsible with your waste. Responsibility in disposing these types of ... Incineration is used for hazardous wastes that cannot be reused or recycled and cannot be disposed of safely in a landfill because of excessive toxicity or risk of infectious transmission. Human health effects of land disposal are discussed, which include birth weight effects, congenital defects, respiratory diseases, and social inequity. They will send you back your unique ID number, which will legally enable you to store, transport, dispose, treat, and handle your hazardous materials. Your number will most likely stay the same (unless your waste clean up is a one-off operation), and will be site-specific, so you won’t have to worry about changing or updating it unless you move facilities. What are the three methods used to legally dispose of hazardous wastes? deep-well injection, surface impoundments, and landfills Which of the following provides funds to clean up old hazardous waste sites? After generators produce a hazardous waste, transporters may move the waste to a facility that can recycle, treat, store or dispose of the waste. Since such transporters are moving regulated wastes on public roads, highways, rails and waterways, United States Department of Transportation hazardous materials regulations, as well as EPA's hazardous waste regulations, apply. HERE are 5 Techniques and Methods to Properly Dispose of your Hazardous Waste: The use of Incineration by burning the material in high temperatures is a great way to destroy toxic waste. Incineration actually destroys and terminates most HHW. a. Treating hazardous chemicals in the waste to meet appropriate levels. Many such methods are approved for use, excluding dilution. b. Treating hazardous waste with a treatment technology specified by the EPA. Once the waste is treated in this manner under land disposal restrictions, it can be legally disposed of on land. 2. Waste should be removed from clinical areas at least three times each day and more frequently as needed, such as from specialised areas. Waste bags should be tied before removing from the area. General waste disposal

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what are the three methods used to legally dispose of hazardous wastes

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