B6. Local Siting Diagnostic

Aim (what the site must enable)

Safe to inhabit and operate 24/7 with low common-mode risk.

Scalable from “village” hub of 2k to 8k+ without moving the capital.

Sustainable on mass/energy (ice + local materials + low OPEX corridors).

Serviceable (easy logistics, maintenance, medevac, remote ops).

Must-haves (hard gates)

Buildable footprint

≥ 4–6 km² contiguous, micro-slope ≤1.5% avg (≤3% local), minimal boulder cover (<5% >0.5 m).

Regolith thickness ≥3–5 m over competent base for cut-and-cover, trenches, and berms.

Nearby, dependable water ice (for ISRU & buffer)

Proven shallow ice within 5–30 km (not necessarily under the city).

Reserve ≥10–100 Mt accessible over 20 years (order-of-magnitude).

Corridor from city to ice site with ruling grade ≤1%.

Natural civil features that lower mass

Upwind windbreak (eroded rim/ridge/yardang line) 10–30 m high within ~1–3 km.

Bench-and-scarp or equivalent for cut-and-cover galleries and utility shelf (10–40 m relief).

A shallow amphitheater/depression inside the footprint for calm air intakes & dust control (not a deep bowl).

Logistics geometry

A natural trough/corridor to satellites and padport; linear obstacles limited; dune fields avoidable.

Space to reserve 50 m right-of-way corridors (future road → rail).

Padport siting (keep rockets away from people)

Candidate pad area 30–50 km downwind, on hard ground/bedrock patches, with clean approaches and low dust trapping.

EDL & altitude (for heavy cargo now/later)

MOLA elevation ≤ 0 km (thicker air helps aero-braking for big tonnage).

50×50 km hazard-light approach box (few sharp scarps, low boulder density).

Georesources for construction

Nearby outcrops for aggregate (basalt) and binders (sulfates/chlorides for geopolymers/sulfur concrete) ≤10 km.

Evidence of consolidated “pavement” patches in/near the footprint for depots and yards.

Planetary protection & legal

Outside “Special Regions” (no warm-wet microenvironments).

Room for buffer zones and effluent handling down-gradient/downwind.

Strong preferences (big wins but negotiable)

Latitude & climate

25–45° mid-latitudes: balance of thermal load, dust, and ice access.

Prevailing winds that let you place city leeward and padport downwind cleanly.

Dust & wind micro-climate

Bedform orientations that don’t funnel saltation into the city; low TAR/dune density on corridors.

Thermal inertia tiles indicating mixed hard + soft ground (easy grading, stable yards).

Seismic & geohazards

Away from young fault systems and large mass-wasting scarps; no evidence of ground-ice collapse pits in the footprint.

Comms & line-of-sight

Clear horizons for rover/relay links along primary corridors; easy mast placement on upwind ridge.

Human factors

Visual variety (rim/bench vistas), day-lighting options for courtyards, and spatial room for parks/third places.

Avoid (red flags)

Active dune fields or thick, mobile mantles in the footprint.

Fresh ejecta blankets with high boulder armor under the living core.

Deep bowls/steep rims that trap katabatic surges and dust.

Ruling grades >1–1.5% on intended trunk corridors.

Dependence on long essential umbilicals (continuous external power/O₂/H₂O lines).

Quantified scorecard (how to pick winners fast)

Give each site a 0–3 score on these weighted criteria (× weight = points, max ≈ 100):

Ice proximity & reserve (×15)

Buildability footprint (×15)

Natural mass-savers (windbreak, bench, amphitheater) (×15)

Corridor quality (grades, obstacles) (×12)

Padport geometry (×8)

EDL altitude & approach box (×8)

Local materials (aggregate/binders/pavement) (×8)

Dust/wind micro-climate (×8)

Seismic/geohazard context (×6)

Expansion room (Rings B–D without moving) (×5)

Gate: only consider sites scoring ≥70/100 and with no red-flag fails.

Core hub vs satellites (what changes in the checklist)

Capital must meet all must-haves; ice can be off-site but within 30 km; power pads for N+1 microreactors; two trunk corridors from day one.

Industrial satellite (200–600) may relax buildable footprint (2–3 km²), but must still have local baseline power & life-support and a ≤1% trunk back to the capital.

Town (≈1k) uses the same rubric as the capital, minus EDL/padport constraints (unless you choose a contingency pad spur).