INTRODUCTION

In Part One of my Mars discussion (found here) I discussed the possible selection criteria for future planet explorers and the complexities and logistics involved in travelling to the distant planet. In Part Two of this discussion I will cover topics such as living on Mars after touchdown and the potential future benefits or risks of a Mars colony. I will also discuss how this colony will affect life on Earth and what it will mean for humans 50 to 100 years down the road. After conducting some background research on these topics I have found surprisingly few plans presented describing how colonization will proceed on the planet, even from those companies who are currently aiming their funding at the planet. Either this is because the details are still to be worked out, or there is some sort of development war going on during which none of the space exploration entities want the other to know their strategies for colonization. A true space race perhaps? Whatever the reasoning may be, I am left with the freedom to speculate almost entirely on my own in this topic. In the following text I will discuss what I think may be the most likely topics a space program must consider before sending a manned space vehicle to the barren planet. Some of my suggestions will be the result of pure brainstorming, others will be derived from research on the subject. As always, I recommend that readers research for themselves and look for the other suggestions that are out there. I would also like to once again reference the websites of SpaceX, Inspiration Mars, and Mars One as good places to view current plans for Mars travel and colonization. These organizations and their websites have been my primary research source in writing up this post.

BUILDING A HOME

“Home is where your heart is“. This saying may be most true on Mars but for slightly different reasons than you may be thinking. A home on Mars will be unlike any other built here on Earth. Where most living structures built on our home world exist primarily for comfort, protection and privacy, the living structures planned to be built on Mars will serve the most important goal of preserving life. Though we hope the hearts of the Mars colonists will be fixed towards enjoying their lives on the planet, their hearts are also there so that they may survive.

Many ‘architectural’ designs have been proposed for a permanent Mars structure. Most have been theoretical at best, many are outright Sci-fi, but some have some merit. At the core of these suggestions we find some consistency in structural and functional requirements. Though I do not have the time nor the ability to discuss each of these details, I will highlight a couple that I feel are exceptionally important.

1) Structural. As mentioned in Part One of my Mars posts, travel to the planet is a complicated matter at best. Cargo space is limited and therefore shipping an entire colony structure ready-to-go is not possible. Accepted by nearly every space program, an alternative is to ship the structure in sections or pods. If the two-ship travelling method is used, an early delivery of housing pods would allow colonists to build their structure upon arrival (that is, if their ship actually lands near the earlier arriving cargo ship). These pods would be designed with the capability, or necessity, of joining to one another once on the planet. Air-tight seals would allow continuous airflow and easy travel for the colonists. Each pod would be designed with its own purpose, either living quarters or public areas. Possibly most important to this concept is the ability to expand. With later colonist and re-supply arrivals, new pods could be added to the existing structure to accommodate them. It is frequently asked how these colonists are to be expected to build an entire structure upon arrival. With this pod system, building turns into assembling. With 38% the gravity as we have hear on Earth, these pods will move somewhat easily with the help of robotics and rovers.

2) Functional. Beyond the simple building blocks (pun intended) of life on Mars, these initial homes must be functional in every way. What I mean by this is that these structures must have the capacity to provide running water, non-stop electricity, and continuous air flow. Though plumbing may seem like a luxury to some, we have to remember that these people are going to be encountering the psychological stresses of their lifetime. Already dealing with the fact that they are now voluntarily ‘stranded’ on a barren planet, the idea of having to manage a manual plumbing system would, I think, push a western-world person to the edge of sanity. As many of life’s comforts as possible should be available to these colonists so as to maintain their drive to survive (rhyme also intended). In addition, I think it would be even more advantageous if the supplies were available to improve their lives to some degree. Much more motivating than surviving, improving a lifestyle would help these colonists see that there is a hope for a good life on the planet.

LIVING ESSENTIALS

With structures assembled, the colonists are still far from what they would like to consider a home. In order to build a functional home, a few requirements need to be met. These include, but are not limited to, those I described in the previous paragraph. The question now becomes: how do we create and support this functionality? In order to provide air flow, running water and electricity, a few more structures or technologies must come into play. Beyond these three functional characteristics I’ve already described, the colonists will also need to consider things such as food supply, refrigeration or other preservation methods and other living essentials. Again, this post is unfortunately not the place to discuss all of the considerations that need to be addressed, but I will highlight a few of these and suggest possible solutions.

1.) Energy. Though we were once able to live without electricity, a colony on Mars will likely be entirely reliant on it. Electricity will be required to power devices such as a complex power air supply and filtration system and other things as simple as lighting. Solar energy stands out as possibly the most frequently suggested energy solution. Relatively easy to install and maintain, solar energy panels could provide a somewhat reliable energy source if enough are used. Though easy, solar energy does have its limitations including low power production. Even to this day, solar panels simply do not produce enough electricity to power many things at one time. This technology is getting better and may be a more viable option in the future, but with today’s version of the technology I would not rely on it. An interesting alternative is nuclear energy. When I suggest nuclear energy, I do not mean the massive power plants with multiple cooling stacks standing ominous over nearby structures. Nuclear energy has the capacity to be harnessed into smaller packages such those found on current day nuclear submarines. I recommend the interested reader do some research into nuclear submarines and how their propulsion systems compare to traditional non-nuclear submarines. Without the requirement of air flow, a small nuclear reactor could easily power a small colony system for years. On top of that, refueling would be limited (nuclear submarines require no re-fueling in their 25-year lifespan). Some may contend that having a local nuclear reactor would increase radiation exposure. I think an important rebuttal to that challenge is the reminder that these colonists are already exposed to more solar radiation as it is. The degree of radiation exposure from the small nuclear reactor will be minimal compared to what they will experience from the sun due to the thin Mars atmosphere. Beyond solar and nuclear energy, other alternatives have been proposed such as geothermal energy. In the end, the energy source must be reliable and produce enough power to all of the systems needed for life on Mars for a considerable amount of time.

2.) Food. It goes without saying that these new ‘Martians’ will need to grow their own food. Though I’m sure a heavy stockpile of foods will be sent with them and more supplies will be sent post-colonization, these colonists will not be able to rely entirely on their supply chain from Earth. Plants will be planted for in-home food production. Carefully controlled green houses will be incorporated into the colonists’ early structure to accommodate the green foods. Water sourced from the plumbing and natural sunlight derived from thick windows or high-powered artificial light alternatives will be the basic requirements for a healthy crop. A helpful side effect of planting is the production of oxygen. Though likely not entirely dependable, the oxygen bi-product produced from the growing plants could be added to the already present oxygen supply. A question I myself have had, and still have not been able to answer entirely, is whether or not these colonists will need to be entirely vegetarian or vegan. While small animals such as chickens may be possible to bring, no other meat sources would be reasonable to bring, at least not for years after initial colonization. Protein supplementation may be required for these colonists until the colony is capable of developing some sort of protected ‘ranch’ of sorts. Ultimately, I believe food supplies should be relatively reliable as long as the plants do not die in mass. Refrigeration and canning techniques could be used to preserve produce for longer amounts of time in the event that plant death does occur. Of course, this still does not ensure a continual food supply but it is simply another means by which a food security could be established.

3.) Water. Visible from Earth telescopes and satellites, enormous ice caps sit at the polar ends of the Martian planet. On the surface these ice caps are made of solid CO2, also called dry ice. Below this thin layer of CO2, water ice descends into the depths of the planet for about 1-2 kilometers. This is an obvious source of water that could and will likely be used by colonists. The location of this source may necessitate the location of the first colony to be near one of the two poles. Drilling equipment could be used to reach the water source and deliver it to the thirsty colonists. Understandably this water source is not endless. It’s also not free-flowing like the oceans of Earth. If a drill breaks, access to water is eliminated. Beyond the simple difficulty of obtaining the water, living at the northern or southern poles of the planet also present difficulties of their own. Seasonal changes do not occur as they do here on Earth and could provide difficult living environments if not considered carefully. It is expected that regular supply ships arriving every two years or so will also bring common necessities, such as water, along with them. Finally, many technologies already exist for the re-use water before removing it from the supply. With good filtration techniques (which will be necessary anyway when removing the water from the planet), water could be used more than once. For a group short on supplies, this would be a wise method to implement.

I’ve listed only a few of the basic needs that will need to be addressed when designing a habitable structure for Mars colonists. Some scientific groups have devoted their entire work around exploring the complexities of life on Mars. One such group is the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) where real-time experimentation and testing is being conducted to explore the requirements for Mars living. By building multiple ‘Mars colonies’ around the world in different climates, the MDRS research team has been able to test many technologies that may be used in future Mars exploration programs. Additionally, programs like that of the MDRS have been able to test the endurance of participants who live in these mock colonies for weeks or months at a time. More information on the MDRS can be found here. I believe groups like these will be most instrumental in determining what will be required for successful colonization of the the planet.

LOOKING INTO THE FUTURE

We’ve now considered the some of the basics of Mars colonization and the technological requirements associated with it. With the hope that colonization could be successful, I have wondered what the future for a colony may look like. Would the world embrace the success and send a flood of support? Or would the colony be seen as a waste and unnecessary thus resulting in abandonment? I surely hope the latter will not happen for the sake of human ethics and morality. These questions should be answered ahead of time. If we colonize a planet with the expectation that the planet is useless to us, then why colonize at all? Some scientists contend that the technological advancement that comes with this type of challenge is enough to justify the effort, especially since the colonists are all volunteers. I do not believe such a justification could easily be made. If life either on Mars or Earth could not reasonably be improved due to this mission, is it necessary?

As I have pondered on the future of a Mars colony, I have seen many pros and cons associated with it and I’ve been able to think of many possible outcomes for this colony 50-100 years after initial set-up. As suggested via a reader’s comment from Part One of this post, further colony development could make it more reasonable to preserve what we have there. For instance, a refueling station either on the planet itself or one of its nearby moons could turn Mars travel into a potential two-way trip instead of the initial one-way trip it would need to be in the beginning colonization steps. Two-way travel could reduce costs by allowing for cargo ship reuse.

Beyond technology, children will likely be born on this planet. Such is the nature and purpose of colonies. The successful birth and raising of children on the planet could alleviate a lot of living fears for those considering the trip here on Earth. I wonder though if some ethical issues will be raised when children are born on a planet not natural to them. Should children be born to an environment so restrictive and dull? Will there be an education system established for these children to become useful contributors to their local society? For the first 50 to 100 years the possibilities for these children will be limited to the development of skills and knowledge required for the building and maintaining of the colony. This life will be a life chosen by their parents not themselves. What of personal agency? Again the topic of a return trip comes up in this context. Perhaps laws will need to be established indicating that all Mars colonists have the right to travel back to Earth and never again return to the planet (this may also require some form of immigration legislation).

We must also consider the possibility of traumatic events. The likelihood of equipment malfunction or failure on Mars is, unfortunately, quite high. The hope is that these technical troubles are either insignificant or those who live in the colony have the skills necessary to repair their equipment. If a more extreme event were to occur, repairs would not likely not be an applicable option. A failure of environmental control or energy systems may be the death of all colonists in a very short amount of time. Do the benefits really outweigh these risks? As mentioned previously, the psychological stress will be constant. If technical failure were to occur,stress levels could peak at an all-time high. Considering ethics once more, should a means be provided for these colonists to end their own lives in the event of a slowly building catastrophe (ex: slow depletion of oxygen or death of crops)?

Finally, funding for such a commitment is not easy to come by. If a colony is erected and found to not be progressing well, funding sources may think twice about where they are putting their money. Any reduction in funding would result in a reduction of support for the colony. This is a commitment that requires funding for decades beyond the first arrival. It would be a sad day in human history if colonists were left alone on a desert planet simply because the people here on Earth ‘ran out of money’. So again the question is this: is a Mars colony worth investing in? Are there returns to be had? I see a potential risk of investing much more money and many more resources into a project that could possibly fail miserably. But again, Mars mission enthusiasts would remind the world that the road to Mars produced many returns by way of technological advancement and world unity. If a Mars colony is to be established, it better be supported.

CONCLUSION

A mission to Mars tickles my sci-fi oriented brain every time I think about it. It’s both an adventurous and a risky goal. From my own reading, however, I would suggest that this sort of mission be given the most amount of time and interrogation possible. Details cannot be afforded to be left out. The colonists need to be top-notch and possess an incredible number of skills to make this even possible. New technologies will be necessary for creating a new transport system to the planet by which both cargo and passengers will arrive, whether in a single vehicle or multiple. The structures built on the planets for habitation need to be both structurally sound and functionally reliable. There must be multiple means considered for providing the basic necessities of life. Finally, all of these things considerations must lead towards a colony that can be self-sustaining but also well supported by those who remain here on Earth. Though it is hopefully unnecessary, I would say to those organizations currently at work on Mars colony projects to please be careful and not rush the work. I am just as fascinated as the next person about the possibility of a Mars colony but I want it done right.