"It's one of humanity's
most ambitious undertakings."
"Created to extend human exploration
to the farthest reaches
of our Solar System."
The next step in space exploration
isn't generations away.
It's happening right now.
And our destination?
That mysterious,
desolate world next door,
Mars.
Imagine starting life over
on that tiny red dot
over 265 million km (16.5 million mi) away.
What would happen
if we built a city on Mars?
Since 1975,
the only things from Earth
making claims on Mars
are robots and satellites.
But now,
Elon Musk, and his company SpaceX,
are looking to change that story.
Their goal?
To create a city with a government,
trade, and culture
on Mars.
This plan involves 1,000 spaceships
and even more brave new recruits.
By surviving in lower gravity,
with fewer people,
and only limited supplies,
living on Mars might change
how we could adapt
to dwindling resources on Earth.
But with so much depending
on the early stages of planning
and supply runs,
Every great city starts small,
whether you're talking
about the little fishing town
of Hong Kong
or a hut village named Rome.
So, if you want this Martian colony
to grow into a thriving city,
you're going to need more
than a handful of people.
According to the
Bordeaux Institut National Polytechnique,
The SpaceX plan starts
with two spaceships
carrying 100 people each.
With this handful of explorers,
your city would have just enough people
to build more habitats
and research stations
without putting your resources in danger.
If you run out of food at this stage,
that's the end of the experiment.
The biggest challenge this city
faces is becoming sustainable
without relying on
regular shipments from Earth,
which will only come every few years.
You see, with the egg-shaped orbit of Mars,
it takes 687 Earth days
to make one Martian year.
Supply runs would only launch
when Earth and Mars align,
which happens every two years,
to cut down on travel time
between our worlds.
And after this nearly eight-month-long trip,
there's still a chance of losing
all those supplies when the rocket lands.
Since the gravity on Mars
is only three-eighths of the pull on Earth,
landing safely on the surface of Mars
would be dangerous.
And that doesn't take into account
of dust flying in the air.
After all,
the dust on the Moon was bad enough,
and it got into crew members' eyes
and damaged systems on their spacecraft.
But kicking up the dust
on Mars might be even more deadly
since each grain is highly oxidized
and electrically charged.
But hey, you made it to Mars safely.
The chlorinated soils on Mars are toxic,
and if you ingested them with your food,
you might damage your thyroid gland.
So that means farming is out.
Outdoor farming, at least.
Well, before you worry about eating,
you'll need to set up protection
from the harsh conditions on Mars.
With an atmosphere
made of 95% carbon dioxide,
the air on Mars is toxic.
And don't forget the intense
radiation on the surface.
With more exposure to radiation
and no breathable air,
you won't be able to survive without
a controlled environment.
Thankfully,
with the help of those rocks
under your feet,
you have all the protection you need.
Just 5 m (16 ft) of the surface materials
on Mars, called regolith,
provides the same amount of shielding
from radiation as Earth's atmosphere.
This material would be processed
into cement to create layered walls
using robots and 3D printers.
This material would be a protective shell.
And underneath that shell?
Domed science facilities,
living spaces,
and all your home comforts.
Connected by tubes,
these domes would provide you shelter
from the raging dust storms outside,
which might last for months.
Even with this technology,
Elon Musk claims it could
take up to 10 years
to establish a colony.
But it's during this time
that your quaint Martian village
would grow into the first human city
beyond Earth.
Since this world isn't
being drilled or fracked,
the power grid on Mars
can be made sustainable
right from the start.
We would set up solar arrays
for electricity
and use natural gases
like methane for engines.
Our footprint on Mars
could start low
and stay that way,
no matter how many people live there.
And now you better figure out
a way to feed all these people.
The low gravity on Mars
might decrease your muscle mass.
To keep your body healthy,
you'll need to provide more protein.
You'll have to serve the equivalent
of 110 cooked chicken breasts
and 660 carrots every day.
If one of these domes
contained an indoor farm,
you could raise the chickens
you need to feed your city.
And you would have
the most nutrient-rich manure available.
If you used this manure
in the greenhouses,
you'd have a way to fertilize
your crops year-round.
But how could you irrigate those crops?
Scientists still debate whether
liquid water exists
below the ice caps on Mars.
But if it does exist,
that freshwater source
could be filtered
for the colonists
to use for irrigation.
With less gravity on Mars pulling
water down into the ground,
you would need less water
to keep your plants alive
than you would on Earth
since it would stay closer to the surface.
With supplies transported
only every two years,
having spring water available on Mars
would change how the city would operate.
It would create a government infrastructure
to distribute and oversee the water supply
and employ scientists
to manage the filtration needs.
Now the city has an infrastructure
in place and jobs to fill.
So how would you value your time
in terms of cash?
Cash weighs too much to travel with
in outer space.
And credit cards would require
wifi services communicating back to Earth.
With a 14 min gap
in communications between
Mars and Earth,
you're going to need
something more locally based.
Well, you might have to use
a cryptocurrency known as MarsCoin.
But, you would've needed
to have bought it with your Earth money
before you boarded the spaceship.
While MarsCoin would only
be available to Martians,
this money would help build the government,
increase trade,
and create a standard of living.
With society on Mars still new,
maybe you could trade your services
or learn to barter goods
instead of relying on this cash system.
If we do things right,
life on Mars might be the model
for future civilizations,
free from the constraints
of the culture built on Earth.
Or, it could be like every
sci-fi movie ever made.
Now, maybe Mars is too tame
for your tastes.
If you want to move to Mars,
you want to push the boundaries
of what's possible.
So what if, you traveled to the Hell Planet?
Well, that's a story for another WHAT IF.