Question:
Is it possible to live on Mars?
?
2014-01-05 16:01:13 UTC
I'm curious to know if is it possible for us humans to live on Mars?
Twelve answers:
John W
2014-01-05 20:45:36 UTC
With technology, you could live on Mars in a house arrest sort of way. But whatever we do, we can not change the gravity of Mars as Mars mass is only 10.7% that of Earth's. Adults may be able to mitigate the health effects with exercise and medications but children would be misdeveloped and would have chronic health problems throughout their shortened opportunityless lives. It would be faar better to colonize O'Neill Cylinders, Bernal Sphere's and Stanford Torus's where more Earth like environments and full 1-g gravity by rotation can be achieved. Material can be from asteroids, comets and moons, there would be no planetary gravity well to launch against and no dangerous re-entry to endure.



If you must live on Mars, you would live underground by digging trenches, inflating or inkjet printing structures ( the structures could also be sandbagged structures ) and covering with at least 4.5 meters of packed Martian regolith for dirt. Plants would either be grown with artificial lights or light would be concentrated by mirrors and aimed through light pipes into the habitat. Note the light would have to be collected from a far greater area then the habitat to concentrate it to Earth levels hence a substantial distance would exist between trenches meaning rooms would be spread out with long halls or a PRT. The habitat would be as closed cycle as possible but additional resources such as Martian ground water, chemicals and CO2 could be brought in from Mars. Excess Oxygen would be compressed for release when oxygen levels are low therefore giving the habitat the buffering effects of a larger volume. With algae bioreactors, an excess of oxygen can be quickly stored by bringing in more CO2 from Mars atmosphere, the algae can be processed into synthetic foods to supplement the fruits, vegetables and grains grown. Meat would have to be from aquaponics ( fish such as Tilipia ), chickens and goats. Dairy would be from goats. Rodents would be the small scale alternative to goats. We may be able to effectively synthesize milk or produce milk from genetically engineered bacteria. We may be able to inkjet print suitable replacements for steak. Internet connections would be through caching servers and hosting servers for companies wishing to market on Mars would be a source of offworld revenue. Bitcoin would have to be redesigned for the extreme latencies perhaps to having multiple block chains. Vehicles could be powered by Thulium RTG's recharged in nuclear reactors, an alternative vehicle fuel source would be Silane which burns in CO2, the silane would be synthesized from sand and water, fortunately there's both on Mars. Cobalt 60 could be used to preserve foods by irradiation thereby avoiding the high energy use of traditional heat canning. Plastic and mylar retort bags can be made from the CO2, water and minerals of Mars, regular glass and metal canning jars could also be made from materials on Mars. Food preservation is always a key component to colony survival.
Gerri R
2014-01-06 00:12:38 UTC
Only if you have a Space Suit and enough food to live off for the entire time you stay there. There is Water on Mars, but it's probably not safe to drink. You would at least have to purify it a lot if you wanted to drink it. Better yet bring your own water from Earth.

However, the atmosphere on Mars is not good enough to sustain life and there's no air to breath. It's too far away from the sun and it is way too cold.
adaviel
2014-01-06 00:53:59 UTC
Depends what you mean by "live". We know that people can live on the ISS for months, though there seem to be long-term problems with microgravity - it's not clear people could live there for decades, at least not if they wanted to return to earth. We know people can live on the moon for several days. The martian environment is no worse - it has higher gravity and more atmosphere - so we should be able to live on Mars in pressurised habitats.



The Mars One project plans to do just that - send people to Mars to live in a trailer park. Or rather, inflatable buildings covered with dirt for radiation shielding (not shown on their homepage).

Current plans include a solar panel farm, baking water and oxygen out of martian soil to replace recycling losses, and growing vegetables and insects with hydroponics.
quantumclaustrophobe
2014-01-07 18:19:41 UTC
You'd need a pressurized habitat. To go outside, you'd need to wear a complete, pressurized space suit. Mars' atmospheric pressure is so low (1 / 100 that of Earth's) that it's *almost* like being in space. The temperatures average between freezing and -60, so artificial heat will also be necessary.
2014-01-06 01:01:40 UTC
Not without massive support from Earth.



Mars does not have Water, Oxygen or any form of life.
Quadrillian
2014-01-06 00:26:16 UTC
With a heroic effort of endurance coupled with a budget measured in trillions of dollars you could manage to exist there.



However, it would not be life as we know it here on Earth. Certainly it would be an existence to be endured, rather than a life to be enjoyed.



Cheers!
2014-01-06 00:25:56 UTC
With a sealed pressurized habitat, that shields humans from cosmic rays and the UV from the sun, with heat and power and food and water - sure.
?
2014-01-06 01:15:50 UTC
In an isolated environment (like the ISS). I believe that over time, such a colony could become self sustainable
2014-01-06 01:04:47 UTC
yes. for about ten seconds before you asphyxiate, trying to breathe the near vacuum of mars' oxygen-free atmosphere.
Bob
2014-01-06 02:24:25 UTC
Without special equipment and supplies than no. It's too cold and the air isn't right for us to breathe.
Joe
2014-01-06 00:33:49 UTC
Yes.
2014-01-07 00:32:01 UTC
i think it would be too cold.


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