The first steps on the Moon touched millions of hearts. Apart from unbelievable pride and admiration, the eagerness to achieve the next steps of success has been growing. Conquering Mars seemed to be the next obvious step for humankind. That was during the youth of my grandparents, so a lot of time has passed by and the next generations are working towards achieving the goal. With each day the dream of an expedition to the Red Planet seems to become more realistic. There are many ideas for the location and projects of the Mars base, and it is not easy to choose the best one. Although there is still a long way ahead of me to learn about Mars, I would like to present my vision, at least for the sake of seeing my development in a couple of years.

The objective of establishing the first permanent base will be to meet the needs of the crew and run scientific research. When choosing the location one should consider the estimated length of the mission which could be between one year and two and a half years. During this time the astronauts will be on their own, and the problems they could face would be life-threatening. Strong sandstorms, space radiation, and high carbon dioxide content in the atmosphere (around 96%) – all of that require preparation in advance. When choosing a proper location, one should consider the following factors: the safety of the astronauts and the production of food, energy, and fuel.

Ensuring safety means protection from space radiation. The space radiation dose, that the Mars mission crew during the three years long period in a low-protected habitat, would consume would be 50 times the dose consumed by people on Earth. Ensuring protection from space radiation would not be easy due to technical reasons. In my opinion, the selected location should have the shape of the surface that facilitates the possibility to build a cover. For example, the edges of craters would be the base support. The wall of the crater would be the entrance to the underground shelter and protect it from micrometeorites and sandstorms. The habitat’s exterior would be covered with a thick layer of water, which could be collected from, for example, the nearby underground glaciers. A half-underground shelter would lack sunlight, and could negatively impact the well-being of the people living there locked up for a longer time. A safe exit from the base should be provided.

The atmosphere on Mars is 100 times thinner than on Earth, consisting mainly of CO2.   That is why the base should be hermetic, filled with an artificial atmosphere of nitrogen and oxygen. The optimal base shape, taking into consideration the strength of the material, would be semi-circular roofs. Moreover, entrances definitely would have to have a double airlock.

Another danger is Martian dust, which is a lot finer than on Earth. With ease, it finds its way into machines and the human body. In addition, it is very dry and electrostatically charged, so it easily gets attached to items, such as space suits. Partially this would be prevented by a water dome and covers.

The surface gravity on Mars is only 30% in comparison to the Earth’s gravity. A long stay in such surroundings causes crushing of bones, muscle sagging, and circulatory problems. Scientists suggest, to survive in such conditions, exercises are helpful to slow down the degradation of muscles.

A high content of perchlorate salts is a threat too. Constant exposure to these chemicals results in death. Protection from them would provide appropriately constructed space suits which could always be found in the airlocks.

The location of water sources is important. Astronauts need water to live and to produce hydrogen through electrolysis. Hydrogen is necessary to produce fuel, namely, methane and extra water in the Sabatier process. Water can be collected from underground glaciers or brines. It could be collected also in a less efficient way – from dew. An alternative way is gathering ice from the northern polar cap but it would require setting up a base nearby. In the area I chose, there is a very big possibility of the occurrence of glaciers and brines. Moreover, within a distance of a few kilometers from the crater are seasonal rivers. This can be indicated by the shape of the surface and visible remains of shallow river deltas.

The next aspect is the production of food. Regolith is contaminated with radioactive substances, is alkaline, and lacks nitrogen, an essential substance for plant growth. It will be crucial to process nitrogen into the soil, decontaminate and fertilize it. This may turn out to be a very energy-consuming process. An alternative is aquaponics to grow fish and plants.  Thanks to this, astronauts could have a more diversified and tastier diet, which could be a significant psychological stimulus.

The following issue is the production of energy. Our needs can be met by using solar panels. It is becoming more common and is a very dynamically evolving way of energy production on  Earth. That is why the choice of base location is limited to the areas where the sun rays fall at the most efficient angle (90°) from the point of view of energy production. The location of the crater near the tropics I have chosen in this case is appropriate. According to the research, solar energy should meet the base energy needs. An emergency solution would be radioisotope thermoelectric generators also known as electricity generators, where the source of energy is the breakdown of a radioactive isotope. They would be essential during sandstorms when almost the whole planet is covered in a thick layer of dust and insolation is very limited, hence solar energy stops being efficient.

After setting up the base, the astronauts move on to the realization of the main goal – the exploration of Mars. That is why there is a laboratory in the base. The location of my crater seems to be extremely interesting because of the nearby structure that looks like a river delta. Perhaps it is a very old place and there are not any water sources.  This area has not yet been explored, therefore this might be a place where seasonal rivers run, if so, we could use them as a source of water. The current state of knowledge about Mars does not explain a lot about this topic, which makes this area even more interesting and worth paying attention to.

The location I picked has many advantages, however, it is not free of disadvantages. Firstly, in the northern hemisphere summer season lasts longer than in the southern hemisphere. Moreover, the northern hemisphere is characterized by a more lowland shape of the surface. It is worth looking at the area explored during the research missions too, for example, with rovers – which mostly are regions north of the equator. The start of the spaceship is more efficient from the subtropic areas of the northern hemisphere than, for example, from the poles of the planet. Moreover, in the area besides iron oxides, olivines, and pyroxene, calcium carbonate and magnesium can be found too. Iron can be used for the construction of buildings, but olivines can be used, for example, for the production of refractory materials. Nevertheless, calcium carbonate, which is less commonly found on Mars but may be found nearby, can be used as a building material. We should take into consideration sources of water in the nearby area since there can be found brines and small water reservoirs under the planet’s surface. Unfortunately, there are also disadvantages to setting up a base near a crater, such as the risk of sliding slopes.

I chose the location on the outskirts of Jezero, at the edge of the crater. The coordinates are 18° 9’3.80″N 77°22’17.34″E. The Perseverance rover landed in this area a few days ago and will bring us more information. Therefore before the flight, we will have more time to reconsider the location.  Thanks to the lowland shape of the surface, the spaceship with the core base would be home for the crew for the first few months, and would land next to the crater. Equipment and building materials could be easily moved inside in an easy way with the help of robots and drones, which are working on Mars’s surface. The crater is around 150m wide (measured with the help of a ‘’ruler’’ on Google Earth Pro), therefore the water dome could be supported at its edges. There could be a problem with the crater’s side surface sliding down. The inner walls could be used as an entrance to the underground tunnels. Under the regolith, there would be apartments, a laboratory, a gym, a pool with fish, and a medical room. Here the crew would spend most of their time, hence it is the most protected area. In the central part of the base under a semi-transparent dome would be greenhouses, where plants would photosynthesize, and a dining room with a kitchen. From the outside, the crater would be covered with a water dome and solar panels.

This crater would be the beginning of the first colony on the Red Planet and the beginning of the new world. Possibly someday in the distant future, it will become a museum where Martian children will learn history lessons. Klaudia Walczak, class 2GC, Public Secondary School of the Lodz University of Technology