All you need to do is scoop it up, heat it, and strain out the water. The Curiosity probe recently discovered that Martian soil has quite a lot of ice in it. They're not exactly in short supply, so you can just make the pile deeper and deeper until it's blocking enough.Īgain, Mars provides. The easiest way to do that is to bury your base in Martian sand and rocks. Unless you're a fan of cancer, you're going to want your accommodations to be radiation-shielded. All kinds of solar radiation gets to the surface. You could have complex mechanical oxygenators or you could just grow some plants.ģ: You're going to need radiation shielding.Įarth's liquid core gives it a magnetic field that protects us from most of the nasty crap the sun pukes out at us. There are lots of ways to strip the carbon off carbon dioxide and liberate the oxygen.

The atmosphere is very thin, but it is present and it's almost entirely carbon dioxide. Fortunately, you can get this from Mars itself.

You probably plan to breathe during your stay, so you'll need to have something in that pressure vessel. By the way, this will be your home forever. You better bring a nice, sturdy container to hold air in. Being on the surface of Mars is almost the same as being in deep space. Mars's atmospheric pressure is less than one percent of Earth's. Whatever your reasons, there are a few things you should know:ġ: You're going to need a pressure vessel. Or maybe you're just a lunatic who wants to survive in a lifeless barren wasteland. Perhaps it's the rugged terrain, beautiful scenery, or vast natural landscape that appeals to you.

The martian weir novel