Elon Musk hopes to have a metropolis a million earthlings strong on Mars by mid-century, complete with everything from factories to breweries. But before anyone can swill down a Martian IPA, we'll first have to deal with the myriad ways the red planet can kill a person.
If you were teleported to Mars with just basic camping gear, you'd eventually die of radiation poisoning or cancer. But you'd freeze to death long before then, most likely on the first night when temperatures dip to Antarctic levels. Before that, you'd suffocate trying to breathe the atmosphere made up of mostly carbon dioxide. But before even that, the very low atmospheric pressure on Mars would cause your blood to literally boil, regardless of the outside temperature.
In short, camping out there will require much more than pitching a tent.
Fortunately for aspiring Martians, humans have spent a lot of time thinking about how to live on a relatively inhospitable planet millions of miles away from Earth. Ideas have ranged from big bubble cities to underground bases -- one of NASA's latest concepts even involves Martian homes made of fungi.
While Mars may be preferable to closer options like Venus with its boiling heat and toxic atmosphere, or the moon with zero atmosphere and space stations lacking gravity, it's still a problematic environment.
"You would fizz to death," the SETI Institute's Pascal Lee explains in the video below.
On Earth we never worry about going full soda, thanks to our very friendly atmosphere and helpful magnetic field. But on Mars we'll need to create infrastructure to solve the problems our planet handles automatically.
And of course, we also have to develop ways to extract the water and oxygen we need to survive from a Martian landscape that has hidden them away in pockets of ice, soil, rock and extremely thin air.
Easy peasy.
However, Lee and others who have cataloged the many ways to die on Mars do not see them as insurmountable hurdles. In fact, there might be one ready-made solution for living on Mars that's viable from the moment humans arrive for the very first time.
Just stay on the ship.
This futuristic render shows a collection of Starships hanging out on the surface of Mars. Elon Musk and Space envision astronauts initially living out of the spaceships while constructing a more permanent human settlement on the Red Planet.
The first people to arrive via a SpaceX Starship will likely live and work out of the landed spacecraft in the beginning.
"[Starships] are very valuable on the surface of Mars," said Paul Wooster, the company's principal Mars development engineer, in 2018 at a Mars Society convention. "You'd actually be having most of the ships stay and you'd be operating using the various systems on them to support the activities there."
Living in the ship after arrival isn't just a SpaceX idea, though.
The Mars Society, founded in 1998 to advocate for exploring and setting up a human presence on Mars, has its own "Mars Direct" plan. It also suggests traveling to Mars in habitats or "habs" that could then be used to set up a base on the surface once the earthlings arrive.
The habs could be connected together, in much the same way that modular buildings are trucked around on Earth and quickly hooked together on site.
"We could have people on Mars by 2030 and a permanent manned base by 2040," Zubrin told me in 2018.
Besides bringing their own shelter to start, Martian pioneers must also pack the right tools to harvest materials from the rugged landscape in order to build a more permanent crib.
"Very little that pertains to living on Mars in the early years will involve off-the-shelf equipment and supplies from Earth," writes Stephen Petranek in his book How We'll Live on Mars. "Almost every tool or device in use on Mars will need to have been carefully thought out."
For the long term, a basic modular camp like the one Matt Damon struggles with in 2015's The Martian may not offer sufficient protection from radiation and other dangers, especially in the case of a powerful solar flare aimed directly at Mars.
Radiation shielding doesn't need to be high-tech. A barrier made up of water or certain plastics can work, as can simply going underground.
Former NASA physician Jim Logan estimates putting our fragile, fleshy bodies behind or beneath about 9 feet (2.7 meters) of Martian soil should suffice. Zubrin has also suggested using thick bricks made from Martian regolith to construct shelter, adding a uniquely medieval castle vibe to the more traditionally sleek and futuristic vision of a Mars outpost.
Old lava tubes and underground caves are also ideal places to shelter, both early on and in the case of emergencies like major dust and solar storms that can sometimes spread across the entire planet.
In the absence of other options, 3D printing technology offers another alternative for creating custom structures. NASA held a 3D printed habitat challenge in 2019, with New York's AI SpaceFactory (which bills itself as a "multi-planetary architectural and technology design agency") winning the top prize for a system that built a lightweight but strong structure using autonomous robots requiring almost no human guidance.
Going underground or behind thick walls isn't exactly great for the agriculture that's going to be essential to sustain any presence on Mars, however.
Mechanical engineer Andrew Geiszler suggested at the 2015 Mars Society convention that geodesic glass domes could be the answer. Mars provides all the raw materials needed to create glass, plastic and metals that can then be turned into dome homes.
"Ultimately we're going to need to use native materials. It's very feasible. They're there for the taking."
The glass dome structure has been popular in visions of Mars settlements going back decades, including in some recent renderings from HP's Mars Home Planet concept challenge that asked designers to draw up plans for a city on Mars.
This leaves the question of exactly where on Mars is best to establish a presence. None of the above is possible without access to water, which we need to create oxygen, grow food and produce fuel and other raw materials. So finding precious H2O will be a top priority along with shelter from the elements when choosing a site.
Water has been found in Martian soil, in trace amounts in the air, and in significant amounts near and below ice deposits. Moving to the edge of a Martian ice cap would likely be too cold and windy, but the planet also offers intriguing craters and canyons that provide a certain amount of shelter, building materials and water from deposits of ice or possibly even springs. The remarkable Valles Marineris, a massive gorge eight times longer and four times deeper than the Grand Canyon, is one place often suggested as a dramatic second home for hardy humans.
Maintaining all of the necessary life support systems on Mars will be quite an undertaking, which is why Musk and others have a long, long term vision of expanding the habitable bubble we construct on Mars to eventually encompass the entire planet.
The concept is often referred to as terraforming, and would involve changing the planet's environment to be more earth-like. Musk notably proposed nuking Mars' poles to release massive amounts of greenhouse gases to warm the planet, although he's also amenable to massive solar mirrors.
Other methods involve importing methane or ammonia to kickstart the greenhouse effect. Regardless, such a project could be a centuries-long initiative.
"Terraforming will be incredibly expensive, and it may take a thousand years before humans can walk the surface of Mars in an environment not unlike what one finds along the west coast of Canada," writes Petranek.
That kind of long-term thinking may be required for humans to become truly multi-planetary like Musk hopes. But first, we've just got to figure out how to make it through the first night on Mars.
Continued here:
The terrifying reality of actually living on Mars - CNET
- Best Sci-Fi Board Games In 2024 - TheGamer - April 18th, 2024 [April 18th, 2024]
- Elon Musk's 'Multiplanetary' Civilization Doesn't Offer Real Hope - The Federalist - November 26th, 2023 [November 26th, 2023]
- NASA's Perseverance rover successfully completes its oxygen ... - East Coast Daily (English) - September 9th, 2023 [September 9th, 2023]
- 18 Board Games That Everyone Needs To Play - Kotaku Australia - September 9th, 2023 [September 9th, 2023]
- The 15 Best Transformers Ripoffs - MovieWeb - September 9th, 2023 [September 9th, 2023]
- Godzilla Stomps Onto Television With 'Monarch' Trailer - ScreenCrush - September 9th, 2023 [September 9th, 2023]
- How to terraform Mars, without nukes, on a budget - Freethink - May 31st, 2023 [May 31st, 2023]
- Experience the future of sci-fi strategy gaming: 'Space Gears ... - msnNOW - May 31st, 2023 [May 31st, 2023]
- Terraforming Mars - Apps on Google Play - March 31st, 2023 [March 31st, 2023]
- The Definitive Guide To Terraforming - Universe Today - January 31st, 2023 [January 31st, 2023]
- How Terraforming Works | HowStuffWorks - January 31st, 2023 [January 31st, 2023]
- Could we really terraform Mars? | Space - January 31st, 2023 [January 31st, 2023]
- How Do We Terraform Mars? - Universe Today - January 31st, 2023 [January 31st, 2023]
- How to save the planet in less than two hours | Mint - Mint - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- Elon Musk Floats 'Nuke Mars' Idea Again | Space - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- Farting spaceships and the terraforming of Mars - Sify - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- Dubai Future Forum begins with focus on society and space - The National - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- Breakthrough - Surviving Mars Wiki - Paradox Wikis - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- Why is there no Planet B? (commentary) - Mongabay.com - September 27th, 2022 [September 27th, 2022]
- The Fallout Of Warworld Across The DC Universe, Today (Spoilers) - Bleeding Cool News - September 27th, 2022 [September 27th, 2022]
- How to Teach Someone a Board Game (and Even Have Fun Doing It) - The New York Times - September 20th, 2022 [September 20th, 2022]
- X-Men Monday #172 - Steve Foxe Reflects on 'X-Men '92: House of XCII' AIPT - AIPT - September 20th, 2022 [September 20th, 2022]
- Lord Martin Rees: 'Long term, humans won't exist they'll evolve into something digital' - The Telegraph - September 20th, 2022 [September 20th, 2022]
- Book review: 'How the World Really Works' | Community | bgdailynews.com - Bowling Green Daily News - August 29th, 2022 [August 29th, 2022]
- Why Did Ferns Persist When All Other Plants Perished? - The Scientist - August 15th, 2022 [August 15th, 2022]
- Cardboard Cinema: LOTR, American Psycho, The World Series Of Board Games, And Zine Quest - /Film - August 15th, 2022 [August 15th, 2022]
- Marvel Reveals the Moment Before the X-Men Suffer a Planetary Mutant Massacre (Exclusive) - ComicBook.com - July 31st, 2022 [July 31st, 2022]
- How humans may populate the universe in the billions of years ahead - The Spectator - July 17th, 2022 [July 17th, 2022]
- Terraforming of Venus - Wikipedia - July 13th, 2022 [July 13th, 2022]
- Colonize the Red Planet with the Terraforming Mars board game, now 45% off - Space.com - July 13th, 2022 [July 13th, 2022]
- Want to know California's future? You can see it in the Sierra - San Francisco Chronicle - July 13th, 2022 [July 13th, 2022]
- The Untold Truth Of General Zod - Looper - June 15th, 2022 [June 15th, 2022]
- Terraformers Early Access Review One of the Finest Martian Games on Earth - The Workprint - June 11th, 2022 [June 11th, 2022]
- Bitcoin Mining In The 22nd Century - Bitcoin Magazine - June 11th, 2022 [June 11th, 2022]
- Sins Of The Black Flamingo Thank FOC It's Saturday, 4th of June 2022 - Bleeding Cool News - June 11th, 2022 [June 11th, 2022]
- Free to grab: Far Cry 4 and more games with Amazon Prime Gaming - guru3d.com - June 1st, 2022 [June 1st, 2022]
- The best Memorial Day sales we can find on gadgets, games, and tech gear [Updated] - Ars Technica - June 1st, 2022 [June 1st, 2022]
- Free to grab: Bioshock: The Collection at Epic Games Store - guru3d.com - June 1st, 2022 [June 1st, 2022]
- Early Memorial Day deal: get 33% off the Terraforming Mars board game - Space.com - May 25th, 2022 [May 25th, 2022]
- Todays best deals: iPad Air, recommended board games, and gaming mice - Ars Technica - May 23rd, 2022 [May 23rd, 2022]
- Why Is Board Gaming So White And Male? I'm Trying To Figure That Out - Kotaku Australia - May 23rd, 2022 [May 23rd, 2022]
- Five Stories in Which Aliens Attempt to Reshape the Earth - Tor.com - May 23rd, 2022 [May 23rd, 2022]
- Android app deals of the day: Terraforming Mars, Green Project, Fenix 2 for Twitter, more - 9to5Toys - May 13th, 2022 [May 13th, 2022]
- Get the Terraforming Mars video game for free right now from Epic Games - Space.com - May 13th, 2022 [May 13th, 2022]
- 11 best solo board games that can be enjoyed by one-player - The Independent - May 13th, 2022 [May 13th, 2022]
- Terraforming Mars is free on the Epic Games Store - Destructoid - May 6th, 2022 [May 6th, 2022]
- Vampire the Masquerade - Bloodhunt: What Are The Best Features Of Nosferatu Prowler? - The West News - May 6th, 2022 [May 6th, 2022]
- Games Inbox: Zelda: Breath Of The Wild 2 performance worries - Metro.co.uk - May 6th, 2022 [May 6th, 2022]
- Bleach Brave Souls: What Are The Best Beginner Tips? - The West News - May 6th, 2022 [May 6th, 2022]
- Terraforming Mars will be free on the Epic Games Store next week - For The Win - May 3rd, 2022 [May 3rd, 2022]
- Bugsnax: How To Find The Trip Shot? - The West News - May 3rd, 2022 [May 3rd, 2022]
- Rogue Legacy 2: How To Find All The Lilies Of the Valley? - The West News - May 3rd, 2022 [May 3rd, 2022]
- Final Fantasy 14: How To Find The Radiant Twine? - The West News - May 3rd, 2022 [May 3rd, 2022]
- Globle Game Answer Today May 3, 2022 - The West News - May 3rd, 2022 [May 3rd, 2022]
- PUBG: How To Use Emotes On PC And Mobile Phones? - The West News - May 3rd, 2022 [May 3rd, 2022]
- Vampire The Masquerade - Bloodhunt: What Are The Best Tips To Be A Vampire? - The West News - May 3rd, 2022 [May 3rd, 2022]
- Skyrim: How To Find The Quarried Stone? - The West News - May 3rd, 2022 [May 3rd, 2022]
- Dungeons & Dragons: What Are The Best Tiefling Bloodlines? - The West News - May 3rd, 2022 [May 3rd, 2022]
- Skyrim: How To Find The Daedric Horse? - The West News - May 3rd, 2022 [May 3rd, 2022]
- Heardle Answer For Today May 3 Tuesday - The West News - May 3rd, 2022 [May 3rd, 2022]
- Skyrim: How To Be A Part Of The Thieves Guild? - The West News - May 3rd, 2022 [May 3rd, 2022]
- Could space-going billionaires be the vanguard of a cosmic revolution? - The Guardian - May 3rd, 2022 [May 3rd, 2022]
- Animal Crossing New Horizons: How To Get Ruby? - The West News - May 3rd, 2022 [May 3rd, 2022]
- Globle Game Answer Today April 29, 2022 - The West News - May 3rd, 2022 [May 3rd, 2022]
- Powerball Winning Numbers of April 30, 2022 - The West News - May 3rd, 2022 [May 3rd, 2022]
- Animal Crossing: What Is New Horizons May Day? - The West News - May 3rd, 2022 [May 3rd, 2022]
- 10 best solo board games that can be enjoyed by one-player - The Independent - May 3rd, 2022 [May 3rd, 2022]
- What is the temperature on Mars? | Space - April 20th, 2022 [April 20th, 2022]
- Per Aspera expands ocean terraforming with Blue Mars expansion - PC Gamer - April 20th, 2022 [April 20th, 2022]
- Teburu could be the future of board games that gamers actually want - TechRadar - April 20th, 2022 [April 20th, 2022]
- 'X-Men Red': on terraforming, climate change, and collective will - AIPT - April 6th, 2022 [April 6th, 2022]
- The UAEs plan to terraform Mars could also transform its own desert nation - The Independent - April 6th, 2022 [April 6th, 2022]
- Why is board gaming so white and male? I'm trying to figure that out - The Conversation - March 31st, 2022 [March 31st, 2022]
- Terraform a planet in this survival game that looks like Subnautica on Mars - PC Gamer - March 29th, 2022 [March 29th, 2022]
- All The Ways Living On Mars Could Kill You - 2oceansvibe News - March 29th, 2022 [March 29th, 2022]
- 10 Things You Didnt Know About The Sega Genesis Dragon Ball Z Game - Verve Times - March 18th, 2022 [March 18th, 2022]
- Moon Knight Faces His Greatest Test... The Truth - Marvel.com - March 17th, 2022 [March 17th, 2022]
- Curious Kids: could we change other planets in the Solar System so we could live on them? - The Conversation UK - February 24th, 2022 [February 24th, 2022]
- Curious Kids: Could we change other planets in the solar system so we could live on them? - The Indian Express - February 19th, 2022 [February 19th, 2022]
- Ada Palmer and the Weird Hand of Progress - WIRED - February 11th, 2022 [February 11th, 2022]