There were many proposals for human exploration of Mars in the 20th century. These include Wernher von Braun’s famous “Mars Project,” Robert Zubrin and David Baker’s “Mars Direct” mission architecture, NASA’s Mars Reference Design Study, and SpaceX’s Mars & Beyond plan. By 2033, two space agencies (NASA and CNSA) plan to begin transporting crew and payload to the Red Planet. These and other space agencies plan to build bases here that could lead to permanent settlements and the first Martians.

This leads to many serious problems, such as radiation exposure, extreme temperatures, dust storms, low atmospheric pressure and reduced gravity. However, with the right strategies and technologies, these challenges can be turned into opportunities for growth and innovation. In a recently published paper, a researcher from Leiden University proposes a plan for a settlement on Mars that uses the latest advances in technology and proposes solutions that emphasize sustainability, efficiency and the well-being of the settlers.

The proposal came from Florian Neukart, associate professor at the Leiden Institute for Advanced Computer Science (LIACS) at Leiden University and board member of Swiss quantum technology developer Terra Quantum AG. A preprint of his paper Towards Sustainable Horizons: A Comprehensive Plan for the Colonization of Mars was recently posted to the arXiv preprint server and is currently being considered for publication by Elsevier.

Development of the plan
Besides research, many proposals have been made since the beginning of the space age to make Mars the second home of humanity. Some of these proposals included geological engineering (also known as “terraforming”) to make Mars habitable for terrestrial organisms. The history of the proposals most closely reflects the history of exploration and our growing understanding of the Red Planet. Other factors include technological advances, scientific discoveries, and socio-economic and political developments. As Nuekart explained via email, the initial ideas were largely embodied in science fiction.

Examples include HG Wells’s The War of the Worlds, Edgar Rice Burroughs’s Barson series, Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles, Arthur C. Clarke’s The Martian Sands, and Robert Heinlein’s The Red Planet and Stranger in a Strange Land. These books depicted Mars with limited scientific accuracy and reflected the most popular ideas about Mars at the time. These included Schiaperelli’s maps (including Martian “canals”) and Percival Lowell’s speculations about Martian civilization. They were also influenced by political events on Earth, which contributed to the emergence of xenophobic sentiments, the decline of civilization, and environmental problems.

But with the advent of the space age, this began to change as robotic exploration dispelled old myths and led to major discoveries about Mars’ past and present. As Nuekart explains:

“20. The second half of the century and the beginning of the 21st century were marked by the deployment of various robotic missions to Mars, such as the Viking program, rovers such as Spirit, Opportunity and Curiosity, and orbiters such as Mars Odyssey. These missions provided invaluable Martian geology, climate data, and potential habitability. After 2000, discussions about Mars increasingly turned to human exploration and settlement.

“These strategies included the use of resources on the ground, understanding the potential health consequences for astronauts, and the development of technologies necessary to support human life on Mars. Recently, there has been an increase in the plans of private companies such as SpaceX to colonize Mars. Elon Musk’s plans to colonize Mars The idea of ​​transforming humanity into a multi-planetary form, with special emphasis on the creation of a city, opened new perspectives and significant investments in Martian technology.

Today, more space agencies are contributing to Mars exploration than ever before. While only NASA and the Soviet Union sent missions to the Red Planet in the 20th century, new missions were sent by the European Union, China, India and the United Arab Emirates in the last two decades. This has contributed to the growing recognition that settling Mars is likely an international effort based on partnership and cooperation rather than competition. Nuckert adds that our increasing understanding of the climate is having a significant impact on planning:

“Recent plans place greater emphasis on sustainability by ensuring Mars settlements are self-sufficient and minimally dependent on supplies from Earth. This includes consideration of indoor life support systems, use of on-site resources, and the psychological resilience of occupants. Mars in these phases Plans for settlements have evolved from speculative, often science fiction ideas to more concrete, scientifically sound, and technologically feasible concepts based on real data and the development of technological capabilities. As they progress, plans begin to become more sophisticated, pragmatic, and encompass a variety of scientific, social, and ethical considerations. continues.” Source