R. J. Davies Author

One of the biggest emergencies living on Mars would be life support failure, oxygen generator malfunction, C02 scrubber failure, air leak in habitat walls, water recycling breakdown.

A habitat breach or pressure loss, Mars habitats must maintain Earth-like pressure inside, lost of air, frost formation inside, system wide pressure drops,  these could all be critical to our survival.

A radiation storm (solar storm), causing radiation levels to spike dramatically, surface exposure, electronics may be disrupted, we would have to evacuate to shielded areas.

Dust storms cause visibility to drop to zero, solar panels lose power, temperature changes.

A power grid failure, could impact air circulation, heading systems, water recycling, and food production.

A fire, no natural airflow, toxic smoke build up, rapid oxygen consumption.

Food production collapse, a crop disease outbreak, system failure in hydroponics, power loss affecting lighting, water contamination.

Dust storms reduces solar power, power drop affects water recycling, water system failure impact agriculture, food storage stresses population, communication delays slow earth assistance.

Life support failures (issue with air, water or pressure), environmental hazards (issues with dust storms, radiation), infrastructure breakdowns (power, robotics, or habitats), medical crisis (with limited external help), psychological stress events.

Planning and having a contingency plan in place will prepare us for what to do when something happens and faster reaction times.

Who do you call?

R. J. Davies

A Riveting Jacked-In Dreamy Mind-Bender

 What would be some of the long term effects of living on Mars? Living on Mars long-term would push the human body and mind into conditions it would be new to the system.

With lower gravity, higher radiation, isolation, and artificial living systems, we could expect bone loss, muscle atrophy, cardiovascular changes, vision, brain and cognitive effects, and a dependency on technology.

Aging on Mars would have long-term effects with aging there, faster muscle and bone decline without strict exercise, higher cumulative radiation exposure, unknown impacts on longevity, and increase need for medical monitoring.

There would be bone loss density over time, higher risk of fractures, calcium is gradually lost from the skeleton, legs and back muscles shrink, core strength declines, and balance and posture would change.

The heart would adapt to lover gravity where it doesn’t need to pump as hard, it may become slightly smaller, blood distribution changes in the body, if you were to return to Earth, colonists could feel dizzy or faint until they have re-adapted.

There is an increase for cancer, nervous system changes, cataract risk, DNA damage over time. There could be memory changes due to radiation exposure, increase cognitive fatigue, slight disruption to circadian rhythm, possible reduced exposure to natural microbes, weaker immune system, might have a Martian culture mindset.

The future is now!

R. J. Davies

A Riveting Jacked-In Dreamy Mind-Bender

There would be a delay, Mars and Earth and a signal traveling at the speed of light (about 300,000 km/s), depending on planetary positions, there could be a minimum delay of approximately 3 minutes one way  up to approximately 22 minutes one way, a typical day the delay of a message one way could be anywhere between 10 to 20 minutes. A round trip conversation could take up to approximately 44 minutes for a message to be sent and to receive a reply.

Mars would have satellites that relay messages between the surface and Earth. It would improve signal reliability, reduce interference from dust storms.  

Text messages and emails – would be the most common form of communication and used for daily communication.

Video messages would be recorded and sent like video letters, these would be great for emotional connection.

Data transfers would be useful for scientific research, engineering logs, medical data, maps and images.

Emergency signals would be reserved for high-priority alerts, may override normal traffic, they would still be a delay but they would be prioritized.

Hello?

R. J. Davies

A Riveting Jacked-In Dreamy Mind-Bender

Martian politics and government would be less about ideology at first and more about resource management.

Early stages everyone is essential, leadership would be mostly engineering an mission-based decisions would be more technical reliant.

Then it might grown into a Technical council that would be made up of engineers, scientists, medical staff, logistic managers and the primary focus would be on resource allocation, habitat expansion, emergency planning, trade with Earth.

There might be a separation from Earth’s authority, from being reliant on National space agency or private companies, it could move away from Earth and with a more Mars living focus.

The legal system on Mars, might include survival, environmental, or space laws. Would citizen be able to own their own homes or living quarters? Would they political parties like do on Earth?

You might see something like Expansionist (wanting to grow Mars rapidly), Sustainability groups (wanting to limit growth, have more control), Earth Loyalists (stronger ties to Earth), Independence Movements (all about Mars sovereignty) or even corporate governance advocates.

Interesting,

R. J. Davies

A Riveting Jacked-In Dreamy Mind-Bender

Living on Mars would include raising a family. There are some concerns around this. The biggest unknown is can a woman carry a baby to full term in low gravity? Mars gravity is about 38% of Earth’s which could affect embryo development, placental function, bone formation, organ growth, fluid distribution in the body.

Other concerns radiation risks for the fetuses, could there be DNA damage, developmental defects, increased cancer risk later in life?

If we can get pass that raising a child on Mars could have some other concerns, physical effects they would be taller or more slender body structures, lower bone density compared to their Earth counterparts, different muscle development patterns, changes in balance and coordination. They would be able to run and jump easier, children may move more ‘floaty’ or bounce-like, sports and play would adapt to low gravity.

Their education would be survival, learning how to keep your city alive. They may grow to have a strong colony-based identity as in ‘Martian’ culture, strong awareness and connection of environmental fragility.

It would be a while before we saw first born generations on Mars.

The first born on Mars will be celebrated everywhere!

R. J. Davies

A Riveting Jacked-In Dreamy Mind-Bender

Mars is rich in materials such as iron (regolith), silicon, aluminum, magnesium, sulfur compounds, and water ice.

The first mining stage would be for survival not for profit, we would be mining water ice, oxygen production, rocket fuel, building materials and radiation shielding (regolith).

Moving into industrial mining we could see refineries for smelting metals, producing plastics, manufacturing glass, and creating construction materials.

Exporting materials to Earth could be expensive, the distance is 55-400 million km which is  4 to 9 months of travel time just one way. The cost of launching mass from Mars could be extremely expensive.

Things that might be considered exporting to Earth could be rock cores, ice samples, rare isotopes, could be new industrial techniques, autonomous mining robotics, closed-loop recycling systems, survival engineering methods.

This is amazing!

R. J. Davies

A Riveting Jacked-In Dreamy Mind-Bender

Specialized to Mars jobs might include colony operations managers, administrators, life support equipment specialists, radiation shield engineer, regolith processing specialist, mars ice miner, terraforming technician, dust mitigation engineer, artificial ecosystem manager, or lava tube habitat architect.

The first occupation might be something like  Planetary Life-Support Director, someone who is responsible for the integrated management of air, water, food, power, waste recycling, and safety.

Martian Radiation Shield Engineer would be responsible for measuring radiation levels, designing shielded habitats, monitoring solar storms, and managing underground shelter systems.

Regolith Processing Specialist would be responsible for extracting useful materials, producing building materials, removing toxic perchlorates, and manufacturing bricks and concrete substitutes. Turning Martian dirt into useful materials.

Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Planner, they would schedule surface operations, track suit resources, monitor weather and dust conditions, coordinate emergency rescue plans.

Mars meteorologist who would specialize in predicting conditions, by studying dust storms, dust devils, temperature swings and atmospheric pressure changes.

Mars Terraforming Technician who would be in charge of atmospheric engineering, greenhouse gas production, climate modification systems and ice cap management.

Interplanetary Communication Coordinator would manage delayed communications, coordinate Earth-Mars operations, prioritize critical transmissions, and maintain interplanetary data networks.

Mars Ice Miner, ice would become one of the most valuable natural resources on Mars, Ice Miners would locate underground deposits, extract water ice, supply settlements, and support fuel production.

Artificial Ecosystem Manager would oversee managing greenhouses, balancing oxygen and carbon dioxide, maintaining beneficial microbes, and monitoring food production ecosystems.

Mars Launch Director, launching from Mars would become routine, this specialist would oversee fuel production, cargo launches, passenger flights, and orbital logistics.

Some of these would be fun!

R. J. Davies

A Riveting Jacked-In Dreamy Mind-Bender

Most jobs on Mars would resemble Earth occupations, engineers, doctors, farmers, teachers, programmers, and technicians.

Life support engineers who would be responsible for oxygen production, carbon dioxide removal, air circulation, pressure management, emergency repairs.

Power system engineers who would maintain nuclear reactors, solar farms, batteries, electrical grids.  They would keep air flowing, water working and habitats warm and safe.

Water recovery specialists would be essential workers because Mars colonies would need to recycle 90-95% of its water. These specialists would manage ice extraction, water purification, wastewater treatment, and recycling systems.

Medial personnel would include physicians, nurses, surgeons, and emergency responders.

Agricultural specialists who would be responsible for greenhouse operations, hydroponics, crop management, and seed production.

Robotic technicians who would be in charge of maintaining mining robots, inspection drones, construction robots and surface vehicles.

Mechanics would be needed for vehicle repair, equipment maintenance, spare part replacement, and emergency repairs.

Where do I submit my resume!

R. J. Davies

A Riveting Jacked-In Dreamy Mind-Bender

Living on mars we are going to need power, to air recycle, water purification, heating, food production, communications, computing, transportation and for every day work and living.

Could use Solar Power, using solar panels we could tap into the solar energy, which as already been done on Mars with Spirit, Opportunity and InSight. The advantage of this is no fuel requirement, reliable technology, lightweight to transport, can expand it easily. The downside Mars receives only 43% of Earth’s sunlight, dust accumulating on the panels, global dust storms can reduce sunlight dramatically.

Nuclear Fusion, having a nuclear power plant, future colonies may use compact reactors similar to NASA’s experimental kilopower.

Wind power, using wind turbines could supplement other resources, power remote stations, provide emergency energy.

Geothermal energy using deep geothermal reservoirs, ancient volcanic regions, a couple of challenges might be deep drilling requirements or limited knowledge of surface conditions.

Batteries such as lithium-ion, solid state batteries, methane, etc.

We will need a system to provide life support for air circulation, oxygen production, carbon dioxide removal, ice extraction, water purification, recycling, greenhouse lighting, climate, control, hydroponics, and heat.

We definitely will need power,

R. J. Davies

A Riveting Jacked-In Dreamy Mind-Bender

When we first get there, we will need imports for everything, food, water purification systems, medical supplies, spacesuits, computers, communication equipment, construction materials, scientific instruments, power systems, spare parts, we would rely on Earth for over 90% of our needs.

As we settled in, we would still need microchips (computer CPUs, AI processors, memory chips, sensors, telecommunication hardware) imported.

We would need pharmaceuticals such as antibiotics, vaccines, specialized cancer treatments, emergency medications, surgical supplies, etc.

Some luxury food items might include chocolate, vanilla, exotic spices, tropical fruits, cheeses. Maybe even seeds, plant varieties, animal embryos.

Cultural goods such as books, musical instruments, art work, educational materials, entertainment media.

This is interesting,

R. J. Davies

A Riveting Jacked-In Dreamy Mind-Bender

The first crew would depend heavily on food shipped from Earth, such as freeze-dried fruits, pasta, rice, oatmeal, nuts, protein bars, powered milk, coffee, tea, and dehydrated vegetables.  Fresh foods would be limited and treated as a luxury.

The first settlers using greenhouses, as a colony they could grow lettuce, spinach, kale, potatoes, cabbage, peppers, cucumbers, carrots, radishes, onion, strawberries, blueberries, tomatoes, small citrus trees, and small apples. Could even grow lentils, chickpeas, soybeans and peas.

Meat, could be chicken, fish, maybe insects (crickets, mealworms, black soldier fly larvae.

Dairy products, soy milk, oat milk, or almond milk.

Beverages may include recycled water, tea, coffee, fruit juices, plant-based milks.

Imports from Earth could include meats like steak, pork chops, cheese, butter, bananas, mangoes, pineapple, coconut, and fresh ocean fish.

The most valuable foods might be herbs, garden tomatoes, homemade bread, seasonal fruits. Comfort foods to connect us with Earth.

There is nothing like comfort foods,

R. J. Davies

A Riveting Jacked-In Dreamy Mind-Bender

Gardening, farming, growing things on Mars for air and to eat.

Protective gardens would be essential Gardens would provide settlers with food, oxygen, remove carbon dioxide, recycling of water through transpiration, improving mental and over all morale of the people living there.

Plants cannot grow in Martian soil, the soil on Mars contains toxic perchlorate salts, doesn’t have organic matter, lacks beneficial microbes that are found here on Earth.

Gardens would have to be shielded and they would be of hydroponic or aeroponic nature. Hydroponic plants growing in nutrient-rich water instead of soil would use less water, would have faster plant growth, higher yields, and easier to control nutrients. Aeroponics where roots are hanging in the air and are misted with nutrients are extremely water efficient, lightweight systems and yield high productivity.

Water would be precious and every drop would be recycled. Also Mars receives only 43% of Earth’s sunlight, we would need LED lighting, but crops could grow all year long.

Let's get those green thumbs moving!

R. J. Davies

A Riveting Jacked-In Dreamy Mind-Bender

Radiation would be one of the long-term threats to human life on Mars. On Earth we are protected by two major shields, a thick atmosphere and a strong global magnetic field. Mars doesn’t have this.

The atmosphere on Mars is less than 1% as dense as Earth’s, and it doesn’t have a global magnetic field.

On Mars you’d have deal with Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCRs), these are extremely energetic particles from outside our solar system, they can pass through human tissue, damage DNA, increase cancer risk, and affect the brain and nervous system.

When there are solar storms, and the sun releases a massive burst of energetic particles, radiation levels can rise dramatically, unprotected astronauts could receive dangerous doses, emergency shelters would be required for protection. A large solar storm could become a life-threatening event for anyone outside a shielded habitat.

Measurements taken from Curiosity rover suggested that a person living on Mars could receive roughly 10-20 times more radiation annually than the average person on Earth.

Long-term exposure may increase the risk of cancer, memory, learning, decision-making, damage blood vessels, and elevate rates of cataract formation.

This is food for thought!

R. J. Davies

A Riveting Jacked-In Dreamy Mind-Bender

There is a difference, Mars has only about 38% of Earth’s gravity. This would affect many aspects of everyday living.

Your mass would stay the same, but your weight would change. If you were:

45 kg (100 pounds) on Earth you’d be 17 kg (38 pounds) on Mars

68 kg (150 pounds), you’d be 26 kg (57 pounds)

91 kg (200 pounds), you’d be 34 kg (76 pounds)

113 kg (250 pounds), you’d be 43 kg (95 pounds)

You would feel lighter.

You could jump higher. On Earth an average person can jump 0.5 m (1.6 ft) vertically, however on Mars you’d be about to jump 1.3 m (4.3 ft).

Tasks would become easier. Heavier objects would be easier to move. A 50 kg tool crate would feel like 19 kg. Objects would still retain their mass.

Walking might look different, people might take longer strides, bounce a little while walking, run with extended airborne phases.

Feeling a little lighter might be fun!

R. J. Davies

A Riveting Jacked-In Dreamy Mind-Bender

On Earth we have 24 hours, 7 days a week, 365 days in a year. On Mars?

Time would be an adjustment on Mars, we are use to our 24 hour clock system and 365 days a year.

Living on Mars adjusting to the new time would take a while to get used to. A Martian day is called a sol. A sol lasts 24 hours, 39 minutes and 35 seconds. Making it 39.5 minutes longer than an Earth day. Sunrises and sunsets would help make things feel familiar.

A year is much longer, Mars takes 687 Earth days to orbit the sun, one Martian year is equal to 1.88 Earth years. Birthdays would be less frequent. A 20 year old on Earth would be 10.6 Martian years old.

Seasons are longer, spring lasts about 7 months, summer lasts about 6 months, fall lasts about 5 months and winter lasts about 4 months. These seasons are more extreme because Mars has a more elliptical orbit than Earth does.

The good news is that, scientist believe humans would adjust to the time difference more easily than we might think.

R. J. Davies

A Riveting Jacked-In Dreamy Mind-Bender

Things we take for granted, having animals around. Most Earth’s animals could not survive living on Mars.

We are part of this ecosystem that is dependent on each other. Going to Mars is going to change that ecosystem.

We probably wouldn’t see elephants, bears, or hippos on Mars. The cost of transporting them there would be high, the animal’s well-being would have to be considered and in general support for the animal. How would you care for this animal on a planet that is toxic to the animal. These animals would not be allowed to roam free out in the wilderness, they would have the same restrictions as we do. Needing air, protective gear, etc.

Animals that might work on Mars:

Fish

Insects

Chickens

Bees

Sheep

Pigs

Cats

Dogs

Rabbits

These animals are smaller, could help provide food, pollination, companionship and make Mars feel more like a living ecosystem and less like a remote planet.

R. J. Davies

A Riveting Jacked-In Dreamy Mind-Bender

It looks like some day we will branch out and colonize Mars. Somethings we should consider before doing this. The weather and atmosphere is very different than what we are use to.

Mars weather is extremely cold the average temperature is around -63C (-81F), and the temperature can be dramatic. If you are near the equator a warm summer afternoon could reach 20C (68F), winter nights dip below -125C (-193F).

The atmosphere is very thin, less than 1% of Earth’s atmospheric pressure. Couldn’t go outside for a walk without protective gear, the atmosphere is about 95% carbon dioxide.

A fine dust covers most of the planet, dust storms happen on a regular basis. They can last for weeks or months. Martian winds can reach 60-100 km/h (37-62 mph), you would see dust blowing everywhere but because the atmosphere is so thin the 100 km/h would not feel the same if it was on Earth, it would feel much weaker.

A Martian year last 687 Earth days, spring is 194 Earth days, Summer 178 Earth days, Autumn 142 Earth days, and winter 154 Earth days. The sun will appear half the size it does from Earth, and it will be less bright.

If you wanted to go outside, you would need a pressure suit, oxygen supply, radiation protection, communication equipment, emergency life-support systems.

If we can get pass all that, we could sit and watch a blue sunset.

It's something to think about,

R. J. Davies

A Riveting Jacked-In Dreamy Mind-Bender