A Starry Outlook -- Upon the Red Planet [1/2]

First, I would like to inform my readers that the process to settle upon Mars will be much similar to that of the moon. So, if you are familiar with the latter (which I wrote an article on), you may just browse through the steps.

Image from New York Post (link in image)

Introduction:

I suppose by now, readers, you have already heard many times the saying of colonising Mars. Elon Musk claims that one million people can be living on the red planet by 2060. Indeed, conditions there are favourable—compared to other planets—for terraforming (the transformation of planets with the purpose of creating liveable environments for humans). So, how can this feat be done? How will we utilise the various resources available? In this instalment of “A Starry Outlook”, I will be covering these topics and more.

Basic Information about Mars

Mars, named after the Roman god of war, is covered in a mixture between iron[iii] oxide (Fe3O2) and silicon dioxide (SiO2). The atmosphere is almost completely CO2 and is only 1% as thick as Earth’s atmosphere. As for the rest of Mars’ composition, see the graph. Dust storms frequent Mars’ surface, and this dust contains highly poisonous chemicals, and to make matters worse, anyone who decides to go outside will be exposed to extreme solar radiation which has a chance to kill. Mars has two moons, Phobos and Demos, likely stolen property of the asteroid belt. And perhaps the most promising factor, it has polar ice caps that contain water. From this, we can say that if we want to colonise Mars, it won’t be an easy 50 years. That is why we need to formulate a plan, which will consist of four phases: Explore, Situate, Sustain and Connect. After that, however, we will also create a phase named transformation, which will be written about in future Starry Outlook Articles.

An example of what terraformed Mars may look like (link in image)

/Phase 1/ Explore:

For our first phase, we would need to put a theoretical moon colony (which I have made already) into use. We also need to launch several satellites to orbit Mars and map the ground. It would be preferable to have our base situated near the poles, so it would be possible to collect Mars-water when needed. From our moon colony, we also need to send some rovers to explore the terrain. Aforementioned, Mars is a harsh planet, with massive corroding and poisonous dust storms sweeping the ground, and a dangerous amount of solar radiation on its surface. And so, that is why it is preferable to be situated within a valley, or a deep crater. Our drones will be finding a suitable and safe place. These very same drones will also retrieve and analyse mineral samples, which will allow us to find a place that can give us the various resources we want. And all these scouting missions can also test for problems that haven’t been considered. But after this, we should be able to enter the next phase.

/Phase 2/ Situate:

Shelter

In this phase, our shuttles will need to be sent onto our chosen position, and the crew we have must settle into this harsh environment. The shuttles we send down here will be metal sphere-like structures, this is because of the extreme pressure differences causing tension force. These structures will be carrying astronauts, who will also get our shelter into a cave in order to avoid the deadly radiation. After that, rover and droid bases will be set up, so that humans don’t have to venture outside. The machinery could be affected by solar radiation, and so, it would be covered in dry ice and then martian dust. This way, the radiation can be mostly shielded.

Power

After solving the radiation problem by using drones, we will need electricity to power the machinery. On Mars, solar power will only be 40% as effective as it is on earth, and with the constant dust storms, it will be extremely unreliable. Wind power is not possible as the atmosphere is only 1% as dense as Earth’s. Geothermic cannot work as Mars is frozen to the core. So, what should we do? Of course, solar panels must be set up, because it can generate the power needed for the basic facilities. But for heavier machinery, there is only one method: nuclear power. The moon is plentiful in uranium, and so, from our colony, the nuclear reactor and nuclear fuel will be sent to Mars. This will provide a stable power source.

Water, Food, and Oxygen

The core of survival on Mars or any other planets is no doubt to fuel your body. And so, how shall we do this? First off, oxygen. As many of us may know, green-leafed plants rely on photosynthesis to fuel themselves, and in the process, absorbing much CO2 and turning it into oxygen and other products. But as you know, Martian soil is mostly a mixture of iron (iii) oxide and silicon dioxide, which is practically unfarmable. Here, we will utilise aquaponic farming as, aforementioned, there is no way of converting Martian dust to dirt. A tank filled with water will have fish living inside, the water will be led to the plants you are growing and will provide them with the necessary nutrients, as fish waste can be quite mineral-rich. From the plants, the clean water (filtered by the plants) will return to the fish. This coincides with the food aspect, and will, therefore, provide a healthy meal consisting of salad and fish fillet to our astronauts, all the while producing the oxygen the crew needs.

Now we need water, as our supplies are due to run out. According to brainpop, it is observed that "rivers and lakes" seem to appear on Mars' surface at certain points in the Martian year. This means that the liquid stored in the polar ice caps have a low melting point, which points to the fact that it has high contamination. Here, we can utilise reverse osmosis to clean the water, which you can learn more about here.

Now, phase two is basically complete, with some annual drops of supplies, our crew should be able to finish their first exploration of Mars and return with the samples and experience needed.

/Phase 3/ Sustain:

This phase is when we have more than just a crew, but 40 people or so sent to Mars and to begin a self-sustaining colony. These people will be sent to the same crater location with supplies, but what’s different this time is that this colony must begin to expand itself.

Construction

With our big colony, we will be needing an awful lot of houses. And instead of those metal cans, we can make concrete. According to The Atlantic: “In a study submitted to Construction and Building Materials last month and posted online, the scientists tested out different mixes of simulated Martian soil with sulphur and found the optimal concrete recipe for a sturdy Red Planet abode.”

However, we cannot just build a house like this and live in it. Why? Well, the atmosphere is almost completely empty, and we will need to pressurise the inside. So, instead of constructing houses, we will use this concrete to create the “skeleton” of buildings, while using materials such as glass and metal to seal these projects shut. So, where should I get this glass? Remember how martian dirt was a combination of SiO2 and Fe3O2? Well, if we separated these two, we would have access to the main component of glass: Silicon dioxide! With this and a few additional chemicals (which aren’t hard to obtain), we can make glass.

Rocket Fuel

In order to have a strong and sustained colony on mars, we will need to have the ability to fly from one end of Mars to the other for missions. Also, we will need to have the ability to send people back and forth from Mars and Earth. This calls for fuel, and not just any type of fuel, we need rocket fuel. In this case, we need an oxidiser, and as the colony’s oxygen is extremely precious, it is important to find another oxidiser. We have a solution: chlorine.

Both chlorine and hydrogen can be easily extracted by running a current through saltwater (which is obtainable through polar ice caps). When reacted, they produce a similar effect to that of hydrogen and oxygen (conventional rocket fuel).

If you want to see this energetic chemical reaction in action, check out this video.

Sewage Treatment

Surely our dear audience hasn’t forgotten about that brown and sticky fluid, have they? With a colony of 40, we really need to treat and filter it.

By reacting hydrochloric acid (from reacting hydrogen and chlorine) with the iron oxide separated from Martian dust we will get iron (iii) chloride dissolved in water. The solution produced, when mixed with sewage would cause the dirty stuff to precipitate. (read more here)

Image from SNF UK (link in image)

After this, we will only need some basic filtration to get the water to an almost completely cleaned state.

/Phase 4/ Connect:

The colonies will be able to build new colonies while manufacturing high-tech parts. Our communities on Mars are self sustaining, and now ready to try something much more ambitious: the terraforming of Mars.

But here, there is still one core question which remains unanswered: After all these lives, all this time, all this money spent on colonising Mars, why are we doing it? Below are the benefits brought to us by developing a colony on Mars.

An artist's impression of a Mars colony (link in image)

Salvage for earth apocalypse

If on Earth, some unprecedented catastrophe occurred, we would have a back door, and humankind will continue to exist.

Space outpost providing a “leap” planet

As Mars’ gravity is only around 38% of that of Earth’s, it will provide an outpost to explore beyond the inner four planets and the solar system. It will be easier here to exploit Jupiter’s fuel sources and the moons of the other gas giants.

Makes asteroid mining more applicable

The asteroid belt has plenty of the much-desired fuel sources of earth and will serve as a mining station of the solar system. In the future, if space travel needs to be made possible, exploiting the asteroid belt is the key and a must.

Provides the experience of planet colonisation

At one time or another in the future, we must expand outwards. Who knows what we may encounter out there? So if we have the experience now, we can plan ahead for the future.

Possible exploration of new technologies

In war, many new types of technology were created. High-efficiency computers were one of them. If we attempt to colonise Mars, it will give us an opportunity to develop some flashy new technology. Some possibilities include maglev space ramps, artificial gravity, and specific high-tech robots.

And well, there you have it, Mars and its colonisation. Our expansion towards outer space will not be easy, but without a first step, it will never happen. For readers who have read this far, your patience and curiosity are outstanding, and I would like to say that I appreciate your sticking around. Anyways, see you next time on “A Starry Outlook”.

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Sources: For further reading

• Kurzgesagt - Mars Base

• Wikipedia - Reverse Osmosis

• The Atlantic - To Build a House On Mars

• Lennitech - What is Glass Made of and How is it Produced

• c&en - To Build Settlements On Mars, We’ll Need Materials Chemistry

• Permaculture Research Institute - What is Aquaponics and How Does it Work

• Beckart Environmental - Ferric Chloride

• Harvard Natural Sciences Lecture Demonstration - Hydrogen and Chlorine Reaction