The plans for the colonization of Mars are swarming. EPFL scientists imagined what a self-sustaining Martian research base could look like. The constraints are enormous, but one of the key ideas is to make the most of local resources: the presence of ice, minerals and energy potential.
The other idea is to set up setp-by-step. A first robotic mission would prepare the ground – and the habitable base -, followed by a second one with the crew. An orbital station around the Red Planet, linked by a space crane, would also transfer equipment and people from Earth to the Martian base.
The solutions envisioned could be used for robotic missions in general, whether Martian, lunar, terrestrial or otherwise.
Systems engineering and design of a Mars Polar Research Base with a human crew, Rüede, Anne-Marlene; Ivanov, Anton; Leonardi, Claudio; Volkova, Tatiana, in Acta Astronautica, 2019