NASA details plans for humans living and working on Mars
The space agency plans to send humans to Mars in the 2030s
Mars is one of the only other places NASA know life may have existed in the solar system. The Red Planet is the fourth from the Sun and its reddish surface is covered in iron oxide dust.
The planet may have once had an ocean with sandy beaches, researchers say. NASA missions over the years have found evidence that water once flowed on the Martian surface billions of years ago.
On the planet today, you will find dried-up rivers and lakes as well as minerals that only form in the presence of liquid water. An ocean of liquid water on the Martian surface, according to scientists, potentially could have harboured living organisms around 3.5 to 4 billion years, much like the primordial seas of early Earth.
The planet is the seventh largest and is currently inhabited solely by robots. However, the space agency is working hard to put humans on the surface of Mars. NASA states: "Mars remains our horizon goal for human exploration because it is one of the only other places we know where life may have existed in the solar system.
Outlining plans for living and working on Mars, the space agency is focusing on oxygen, food, water, power, spacesuits, communications and shelter. One day on Mars lasts about 37 minutes longer than an Earth day and a year on the planet is almost twice as long as it is on our planet.
Living and working on Mars
Oxygen: MOXIE, which is about the size of a car battery works like a tree to breathe in the carbon dioxide and exhale oxygen that can support a crew’s breathing needs and be used as the fuel oxidizer for an ascent vehicle.
Nasa states: "The Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment, or MOXIE, is helping NASA prepare for human exploration of Mars by demonstrating the technology to produce oxygen from the Martian atmosphere for burning fuel and breathing."
Food: Astronauts on a roundtrip mission to Mars will not have the resupply missions to deliver fresh food. The space agency is researching food systems to ensure quality, variety, and nutritional values for these long missions. NASA says: "plant growth on the International Space Station is helping to inform in-space crop management as well."
Grace Douglas, Lead scientist for NASA’s Advanced Food Technology at Johnson Space Centre said: "If we’re going to start exploring and start becoming more Earth-independent, we need to start understanding how we produce the foods and not just take foods with us."
Water: Water is a vital focus for NASA, they say: "NASA is developing life support systems that can regenerate or recycle consumables such as food, air, and water and is testing them on the International Space Station."
Power: Like we use electricity to charge our devices on Earth, astronauts will need a reliable power supply to explore Mars. NASA is investigating options for power systems, including fission surface power.
NASA has plans for a robust presence on the Moon under Artemis and eventually Mars, including the development of a fission surface power system for safe, efficient, and reliable electrical power.
Spacesuits: Explaining the importance of spacesuits, NASA says: "Spacesuits are like “personal spaceships” for astronauts, protecting them from harsh environments and providing all the air, water, biometric monitoring controls, and communications needed during excursions outside their spaceship or habitat.
Communications: Human missions to Mars may use lasers to stay in touch with Earth. A laser communications system at Mars could send large amounts of real-time information and data, including high-definition images and video feeds.
Reliable space communication and navigation systems are critical to every NASA mission. Spacecraft commands, never-before-seen images, and scientific data are sent and received daily by NASA’s antennas on Earth.
Shelter: As missions to Mars will be lengthy, astronauts will need suitable shelter. NASA explains: "An astronaut's primary shelter on Mars could be a fixed habitat on the surface or a mobile habitat on wheels.
"In either form, the habitat must provide the same amenities as a home on Earth — with the addition of a pressurized volume and robust water recycling system."
NASA has been developing several technologies as they aim to send astronauts to Mars as early as the 2030s. They believe technology will make the mission possible. Some of the things being worked on by NASA are: Advanced propulsion systems, inflatable landing gear, high-tech spacesuits, a home and lab on wheels, surface power systems and laser communications to stay in touch with Earth.