For centuries, we have looked to Mars and speculated its potential to harbor life. Over the last fifty years, various missions to the red planet have sought to determine the probability of future lives on Mars.
Water is Key
All forms of terrestrial life require water, making water the decisive factor for living on Mars. According to new findings of NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), there is evidence that liquid water flows on present-day Mars¹. The report shows liquid water appears to flow from some steep, relatively warm slopes on the Martian surface². Mars’ previous history of water and the current liquid water on the planet provide essential resources and the hope that this will help us survive on the planet.
Figure 5³
The river-like appearance on this mountain occurred from water flowing on it on Mars. According to NASA, hydrated salts were discovered on this slope as a part of the Hale crater 4. The color of the mountain resembles that of fresh water and the topographical feature resembles a place that would hold a river.
Abundant Minerals
Minerals are essential for the human body, cultivation, and production. The good thing is that mineral resources are in abundance on Mars. Resources on Mars include iron, titanium, nickel, aluminum, sulfur, chlorine and calcium 5. The most common material measured by the Viking landers on Mars was silicon dioxide, which is the basic ingredient of glass 6. The abundance of minerals provides excellent materials for various types of construction.
Food produced on Mars
The advances in robotics technology can help us achieve food production on the Red Planet. By using the sunlight in a protected atmospheric environment or an artificial light source, robotic agriculture can work and make human survival possible 7. NASA scientific and technical information (STI) papers indicate that so far the “possible food sources which could be produced on planet include mushrooms, insects, cyanobacteria (e.g. spirulina) and duckweed, along with many others”8. This means that we could have multiple nutritious food sources to eat on Mars.
NASA Plans
NASA has revealed its plans attempting to get humans living on Mars in the next few decades. And so far, many tests have been done in order to sustain our lives on Mars. “Since 2010, NASA has been testing out the effects of what living in space can do to the human body, to prepare them for the journey to Mars, and also for living there”9. NASA has also conducting tests to see if we would be happy on Mars by putting humans in a “Mars-like” dome for a year and see if they react well to the situation 10. They are also doing a number of tests on Mars spacesuits and keep developing advanced technology which could be used on the planet 11. All of these tests and improvements will help better prepare us and future generations for life on Mars.
¹Anderson, G. (2015, September 28). NASA Confirms Evidence That Liquid Water Flows on
Today’s Mars.
Retrieved December 2, 2016 from
https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-confirms-evidence-that-liquid-water-flows-
on-today-s-mars
² Anderson.
³ Anderson.
4 Anderson.
5 Bennett, J. (2016, June 14). Almost Everything We Need to Live on Mars Is Already There.
Retrieved December 2, 2016 from
http://www.popularmechanics.com/space/moon-mars/a21330/nasa-wants-martian-
resources-for-martian-colony/
6 Bennett.
7 Bennett.
8 Bennett.
9 BBC Staff Writers (2015, October 16). Nasa reveals plan to get humans living on Mars.
Retrieved December 3, 2016 from
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/34528622
10 BBC Staff Writers.
11 BBC Staff Writers.