Buzz
Technology is progressing at an extraordinary pace, and it must continue to accelerate if we're to successfully transport humans to Mars within the next few decades. NASA plans to launch its first crewed mission to Mars as early as the 2030s. However, there are several critical technologies that need to be perfected before we can safely make the journey to the red planet.
10. Water Harvesting Systems
Despite recent findings of liquid water on Mars, future settlers will rely on frozen water trapped beneath the Martian surface. Extracting this water may involve physically digging into the soil or using microwaves to vaporize the water and bring it to the surface as gas. While both methods have been tested on Earth, no large-scale water extraction systems have yet been trialed on Mars.
Ensuring the functionality of machinery is critical before we consider setting up a permanent settlement on Mars. It's not just to prevent colonizers from succumbing to dehydration. Some experts have proposed using the water to generate oxygen by splitting the hydrogen and oxygen atoms within water molecules. If this plan is adopted and the water-extracting equipment fails, the colonizers would face a lethal shortage of oxygen. However, even if an alternative method of oxygen supply (such as extracting carbon dioxide from the Martian atmosphere) is employed, water will still be essential for fuel production as well as drinking. This crucial machinery must undergo testing in Mars' environment to identify any issues before lives depend on it.
9. Martian Suits
Mars' environment presents a host of challenges, many of which may not immediately threaten the colonizers' lives but could lead to serious health issues later. As a result, exploring Mars will require specialized suits that surpass the capabilities of today's spacesuits.
Mars is frequently exposed to harmful space radiation, which poses a significant risk. On Earth, we are shielded from these cosmic rays by the atmosphere and the magnetosphere—a magnetic field that protects us. Spacecraft like the International Space Station (ISS) are within this shield, so only a handful of astronauts have experienced full exposure to space radiation during short trips beyond low-Earth orbit. A journey to Mars, which would take much longer, requires robust radiation protection.
Creating Mars suits presents a unique challenge, as they must be lightweight yet provide sufficient protection. One promising material is hydrogenated boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs). Initially developed to protect spacecraft, researchers have transformed BNNTs into yarn, which could be woven into spacesuit fabric to safeguard against radiation.
Another issue is the human body's tendency to deteriorate in the absence of Earth’s gravitational pressure. Astronauts aboard the ISS experience muscle atrophy and can lose up to 2 percent of their bone mass each month. While exercise helps mitigate this on the ISS, for long-term missions to Mars, MIT researchers have designed the Gravity Loading Countermeasure Skinsuit, which replicates Earth’s gravity by gently compressing the body. This skintight suit can be worn beneath larger spacesuits during extravehicular activities on Mars or outside spacecraft.
8. Spacecrafts
Sending a human to Mars is a far more complicated task than landing an unmanned rover like Curiosity. Thus far, we’ve only completed a handful of brief manned missions to the Moon, which is roughly 200 times closer to Earth than Mars.
NASA is aiming high with the Orion space capsule. Specifically designed for Mars missions, Orion is built to endure long-duration space travel, with the capability to carry up to four astronauts on a six- to nine-month journey to the red planet.
However, Orion's Mars mission is not expected to take place until the 2030s at the earliest. Before then, NASA plans to conduct preliminary tests with missions to the Moon and at least one asteroid. The agency is also developing a massive new rocket known as the Space Launch System to propel Orion. The first crewed test flights are tentatively scheduled for 2021, though delays until 2023 now seem likely.
In the meantime, Orion completed its first unmanned flight in December 2014. The purpose of this mission was to test the capsule and collect data on radiation exposure. Currently, radiation from galactic cosmic rays would limit human missions to no more than 150 days outside of low-Earth orbit. Since a round-trip to Mars would exceed that time frame, developing efficient radiation shielding for Orion is crucial.
7. Fuel
At present, Orion is a relatively compact spacecraft, but sustaining astronauts on the extended journey to Mars will require a much larger “habitat module.” To propel such a large spacecraft to Mars, an enormous amount of fuel would be necessary. This added fuel would increase the shuttle's weight, reducing the available space for instruments and complicating the task of launching it from Earth’s atmosphere.
One potential solution is to develop a more efficient fuel source. Most spacecraft currently use chemical propulsion systems. However, NASA is exploring a new propulsion technology called solar electric propulsion (SEP), which harnesses the Sun's energy to accelerate xenon atoms into an exhaust plume, propelling the spacecraft forward. This technology would be significantly lighter than conventional chemical propulsion systems.
However, there’s a significant issue. Currently, solar arrays cannot generate enough power for SEP engines to produce the same level of thrust as chemical engines, meaning an SEP-powered spacecraft would take longer to reach Mars. This presents a major challenge for crewed missions, as we’re already struggling to ensure the astronauts can survive and maintain their mental health for the minimum six-month journey to Mars.
As a result, some experts propose that fuel-efficient SEP engines be used to transport supplies and equipment to Mars. Once these essential items have safely landed, astronauts could make a faster journey aboard a more streamlined, chemically propelled spacecraft designed solely for a quick and safe arrival.
6. Landing Systems
Even if we manage to build a ship capable of carrying humans and supplies to Mars, there’s still a daunting problem: We currently lack the technology to land it safely. While we can land spacecraft on the Moon, which has virtually no atmosphere, and on Earth, which boasts a thick atmosphere, Mars’ thin atmosphere creates unique challenges. It makes landing even light robotic probes incredibly difficult, and as of now, there is no known method to safely land a ship large enough to carry humans.
NASA is diligently working on the issue and is currently testing a combination of a massive supersonic parachute and a doughnut-shaped air brake. A 2015 test did not succeed, as the parachute was torn apart after failing to inflate properly. Nevertheless, the test provided crucial data that NASA plans to use to refine the design. With NASA’s Mars mission tentatively scheduled for the 2030s, there’s ample time to address this challenge.
Meanwhile, the controversial Mars One project, which aims to establish a private colony on Mars, intends to use a spacecraft that slows down using rockets—without relying on a parachute. This method has never been attempted before, and many experts have labeled the Mars One project as “insane.”
5. Green Fingers
In the 2015 film adaptation of The Martian, Matt Damon plays Mark Watney, a brilliant botanist who successfully grows potatoes in the Martian soil. In reality, the closest equivalent to Watney’s character is Bruce Bugbee, the Utah State University scientist behind the lettuce NASA recently grew aboard the ISS. According to Bugbee, while the basic ideas in The Martian were accurate, the film somewhat downplayed the difficulty of cultivating plants on Mars.
For one, Mars receives only 60 percent of the sunlight that Earth does. On top of that, Watney’s radiation-proof habitat would have blocked out even more of the available light. In reality, according to Bugbee, a Martian farm would require either artificial lighting or a system of mirrors and fiber optics to concentrate the limited sunlight that Mars does receive.
Bugbee also points out that growing plants in Martian soil would be extremely challenging. Ironically, the soil on Mars is quite rusty, filled with iron oxides, which are not ideal for plant growth. As a result, Martian settlers would need to cultivate their crops using hydroponics, or treat the soil to remove the iron oxides and enhance its fertility.
However, thanks to the efforts of Bugbee and others, future Martians should have everything they need to grow edible plants both on the journey to Mars and once they arrive. Just a few months ago, astronaut Scott Kelly became the first person to taste lettuce grown in space, and reportedly, it was delicious.
4. Construction Robots
We can’t just send people to Mars without any infrastructure and expect them to build everything from scratch. Realistic colonization plans involve first sending unmanned ships loaded with supplies, accompanied by robots to prepare the groundwork before humans arrive. For instance, robots could build livable habitats and start extracting water from the Martian soil long before the first humans step foot on Mars. The issue is that we haven't yet developed these construction robots, and the ones we have now are limited in their capabilities on Mars.
Currently, NASA is collaborating with two universities to create a humanoid robot known as the R5. However, some experts question whether a bipedal robot is the most efficient approach, suggesting that four-legged robots or even tire-tread designs would be more durable. Skeptics also argue against overloading our mechanical laborers, proposing that we should focus on doing as much work as possible on Earth. For example, prebuilt inflatable shelters could be deployed, removing the need for robots to construct these structures from scratch. This would free up robots to handle simpler tasks that don’t require fine motor skills or complex problem-solving.
3. A Return Trip
The Mars One project suggests sending colonists on a one-way journey to Mars, with no plans for them to return to Earth. This might actually be for the best, as an MIT report predicts that the Mars One colonists will die almost immediately. While the idea of a one-way ticket to Mars may seem adventurous, trapping people on a distant planet is not exactly the ideal approach for colonizing the solar system.
Luckily, NASA’s Mars mission is planned to include a return trip. However, this introduces a significant technical challenge. Surprisingly, the journey back to Earth is the easier part—an Earth Return Vehicle will stay in orbit around Mars, awaiting the moment to bring the astronauts home. The real challenge lies in getting the astronauts to the Earth Return Vehicle. Launching from the Martian surface and reaching orbit demands an enormous amount of propellant, which would take years to produce.
NASA’s answer to this challenge is the Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV), a spacecraft that will be sent to Mars long before the astronauts arrive. Once on the surface, the MAV will begin extracting carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and converting it into fuel. It will take around two years to fill its fuel tanks, and NASA won’t authorize the astronauts’ departure until it has been confirmed that enough fuel has been produced to safely return them to Earth. The MAV must endure the harsh Martian environment for up to four years, making it the heaviest object NASA will need to land on Mars for the mission’s success. But the effort will be worth it to ensure the first Martian settlers have a way home.
2. Maternity on Mars
In space missions, astronauts are typically prohibited from engaging in sexual activity. However, when sending people to Mars for an entire lifetime, it’s difficult to imagine that they would remain celibate indefinitely. With the possibility of sexual activity comes the potential for pregnancy on Mars. This is entirely unexplored territory, and it would likely require specialized precautions to ensure the safety of both the mother and the child.
As always, radiation is the primary concern. The DNA responsible for embryo development is highly vulnerable to radiation damage. Consequently, a child conceived during the journey to Mars would likely be sterile and face a significant risk of developmental disabilities or birth defects. Once on Mars, the situation could be better managed, but expectant mothers would still require additional protection from radiation. Some have even proposed that Martian colonists might settle in a crater on the moon Phobos, where the walls of the crater could block up to 90 percent of harmful cosmic radiation.
It's also clear that a child born and raised on Mars could develop differently from one raised on Earth. In a rare experiment, pregnant rats were sent into space, and the babies born upon their return to Earth displayed a disorientation in their sense of up and down, likely due to their development in zero gravity. However, this disorientation faded within a few days, showing that babies born in space can adjust to normal gravity.
Despite all these concerns, space pregnancy might not be as critical an issue as it seems. Researcher Joe Tash has proposed that long periods in low gravity could cause serious harm to both male and female reproductive systems. If this hypothesis holds true, a prolonged journey to Mars would leave the first Martian settlers “reproductively compromised.”
1. Homes on Mars
Undoubtedly, one of the most crucial aspects of Mars colonization will be the design of specialized habitats for settlers. These habitats will need to maintain near-Earth pressure levels, offer protection from dust storms, radiation, and the cold Martian weather. Additionally, they will need to be comfortable and livable, as Martian colonists will likely spend a lot of time indoors during their stay.
Life on Mars will present even more unexpected challenges than we anticipate. For instance, it may seem logical that Martian colonists would cultivate plants for food within their habitats. However, there’s a significant issue: plants produce oxygen, which would accumulate in a sealed environment and eventually make the air toxic or cause it to ignite. Moreover, venting the excess oxygen without losing valuable nitrogen, a critical component of the atmosphere, is a tough challenge. Therefore, before space farming can become a reality, engineers will need to devise a robust system to manage oxygen levels in Martian conditions.
It’s still too soon to know exactly what a home on Mars would look like, but some ideas are truly awe-inspiring. In 2015, NASA hosted a competition to design a Martian habitat, and the winning design was one of the few to overlook Mars' iconic red soil. Instead, the winning proposal utilized a far more abundant material: Martian ice. The concept envisioned a massive, triangular structure made entirely of Martian ice.
