Colonization of Mars

The colonization of Mars is the proposed process of establishing permanent <a href="/facts/Human_settlement/kAbm83QV">human settlements</a> on the planet <a href="/facts/Mars/AQGtVvz0">Mars</a>. Most colonization concepts focus on settling, but <a href="/facts/Colonization/mp9GRL94">colonization</a> is a broader ethical concept, which international <a href="/facts/Space_law/l4Cxunqm">space law</a> has limited, and national space programs have avoided, instead focusing on <a href="/facts/Human_mission_to_Mars/zIwMBMPD">human mission to Mars</a> for <a href="/facts/Mars_exploration/CbCgmNcH">exploring the planet</a>. The settlement of Mars would require the migration of humans to the planet, the establishment of a permanent human presence, and the exploitation of local resources. 
No crewed missions to Mars have occurred, although there have been successful robotic <a href="/facts/List_of_missions_to_Mars/7xjP0Wf5">missions to the planet</a>. Public space agencies (including <a href="/facts/NASA/TIMCV0yV">NASA</a>, <a href="/facts/ESA/L8YRNV0C">ESA</a>, <a href="/facts/Roscosmos/GzWfae7U">Roscosmos</a>, <a href="/facts/Indian_Space_Research_Organisation/CdAoFQTL">ISRO</a>, the <a href="/facts/China_National_Space_Administration/q3s4bGYt">CNSA</a>, among others) have explored colonization concepts, but have primarily focused on further robotic exploration of Mars and the possibility of crewed landings. Some <a href="/facts/Space_advocacy/cXJYxlYB">space advocacy</a> groups, such as the <a href="/facts/Mars_Society/g9SJAVz0">Mars Society</a> and the <a href="/facts/National_Space_Society/rh5cw1CL">National Space Society</a>, as well as some private organizations, such as <a href="/facts/SpaceX/2tKHsVdJ">SpaceX</a>, have promoted the idea of colonization. The prospect of settling Mars has been explored extensively in <a href="/facts/Mars_in_fiction/42xCzBGj">science fiction writing, film, and art</a>.
Challenges to settlement include the intense <a href="/facts/Ionizing_radiation/vw0d9GaT">ionizing radiation</a> that impacts the Martian surface, and the fine, toxic dust that covers the planet. Mars <a href="/facts/Atmosphere_of_Mars/DKT5TMlY">has an atmosphere</a>, but it is unbreathable and thin. <a href="/facts/Climate_of_Mars/fRAS3qWy">Surface temperatures</a> fluctuate widely, between −70 and 0 °C (−94 and 32 °F). While Mars has <a href="/facts/Water_on_Mars/uBNTfa37">underground water</a> and <a href="/facts/Ore_resources_on_Mars/hgSmSRKL">other resources</a>, conditions do not favor power production using <a href="/facts/Wind_power/vlNN3u16">wind</a> and <a href="/facts/Solar_power/NpgmEbU2">solar</a>; similarly, the planet has few resources for <a href="/facts/Nuclear_power/jzSyvxSn">nuclear power</a>. <a href="/facts/Mars%2527s_orbit/pxzVDuLV">Mars' orbit</a> is the third closest to <a href="/facts/Earth%2527s_orbit/BGGCdFag">Earth's orbit</a>, though far enough from Earth that the distance would present a serious obstacle to the movement of <a href="/facts/Materiel/MekgWW9W">materiel</a> and settlers. Justifications and motivations for colonizing Mars include technological curiosity, the opportunity to conduct in-depth observational research, the possibility that the settlement of other planets could decrease the probability of <a href="/facts/Human_extinction/AKGd4JlS">human extinction</a>, the interest in establishing a colony independent of Earth, and the potential benefits of economic exploitation of the planet's resources.

Colonization of Mars open-in-new

Colonization of Mars