Simulation Concepts

The Mars-Sim project is an autonomous simulation of human beings living on permanent Martian settlements.
A simulation can be constructed as a Scenario that defines the initial conditions.

Entities

The simulation involves managing many entities and simulating the impact of time on each of them. There are different Entities from the large Settlement down to a small EVASuit. The impact of time affects each type differently and has consequences on other Entities.

Time is simulated as a time pulse that applies a time duration to all entities, the frequency and duratino of these pulses can be altered by the end-user to drive a slower or faster simulation.

Scenarios

The Scenario provides the starting condition of a simulation. The default installation provide a number of predefined Scenarios as well as the ability for a user to create their own can be created via the Scenario Editor tool. Each scenario consists of 2 elements that the simulation uses to build an initial set of entities; one for exiting settlements and the other future settlements.

Existing Settlements

Settlements are the cornerstone of the simulation as they are the main modelled entity. Each settlement that exist in the Scenario is defined as:

• A unique name
• A settlement Template that specifies the physical layout of the settlement.
• Location on Mars Surface
• The owning Authority
• Population sizes
• Optional Crew. If a crew is present; it’s members will be seeded into the initial Settlement population. There are a number of pre-defined Crews; in addition new Crews can be created via the Scenario Editor.

Arriving Settlement Missions

New settlements can be created in the future via a Resupply Mission. A Resupply Mission may also stipulates specific resources needed for an existing settlement. Currently, there is no limit to the size of a Resupply Mission, e.g. a total of 20 new buildings could arrive in one resupply delivery.

Activities

The daily life of settlers and robots are simulated at a micro level allowing them to perform activities that sustain their settlement:

• Tasks which are activities for an individual to perform.
• Missions these use a group of settlers to work together to achieve an objective.