Orbital Mirror Assembly An Orion’s Arm future history project image. This is a companion to my previous two posts: Martian Terraforming Atmospheric Diffusion Plant and Martian Terraforming Transformation. On my future history timeline the placement of Orbital Mirrors would fall at the +200 years mark. Future History Context Link: Orion’s Arm Future History Timeline. One of the first steps in terraforming Mars is the placement of large orbiting mirrors to increase the total insolation it receives. This would direct the sunlight onto the surface and could increase the planet's surface temperature directly. Here crews assemble hexagonal elements which have been lofted via Nuclear SSTO’s. Each mirror is composed of 499 hexagonal elements. In the foreground assembly image the hexagonal elements and Nuclear SSTO’s are shown in correct scale relationship. Each hexagonal element is 1,104 FT across. Nuclear SSTO’s are 460 feet in length, 100 feet in major body width, and 80 feet in height (excluding the extended radiator panels and stabilator fins). Nuclear SSTO Link: Nuclear SSTO Diagram To appreciate scale, view at full resolution: five astronauts are visible on EVA near the corner brackets at the corner-angle just above the (foreground, or nearest) Nuclear SSTO. The material of the mirror itself is a thin aluminized PET film, no more than a few millimeters in thickness, mounted to a self-erecting frame which would deploy much like the unfolding of an umbrella. SCALE NOTE: I’ve shown a second, fully assembled array, to the left of the foreground mirror assembly image. This mirror is shown at an exaggerated scale for purposes of illustration. In reality the mirrors would be at such distance from one another in their orbits that they would appear merely as very bright points of light. Orbital Mirror Dimensions Element Dimensions: 1,104 FT* Full Array Dimension: 31,680 FT X 21,120 FT *Major diagonal dimension. Model Credit: Space suit is a Google SketchUp 3DS model by Max Grueter -- retextured in Bryce. NASA & JPL photographic resources used to create stellar backdrop. All models are my own Bryce creations, constructed in Bryce 6.3 and rendered in Bryce 7 Pro. As always thank you for your interest, thoughtful comments, and encouragement.