Human Settlement on Mars

A Multiplanetary Future

Humanity has always been a species of explorers. From the first journeys across oceans to the first steps on the Moon, each era has expanded the boundaries of where people can live and thrive. Mars represents the next great frontier. When humans establish a permanent presence on Mars, we will take the most significant step in our history — becoming a multiplanetary species, ensuring that our civilization can endure and flourish far into the future.

Why Settle Mars?

The case for human settlement on Mars is built on several pillars:

  • Scientific discovery: Having scientists on Mars, able to explore in real time, would accelerate discoveries that rovers alone cannot make. Geologists, biologists, and chemists working on the surface could investigate the most promising sites and adapt to new findings instantly.
  • Inspiring the next generation: A human mission to Mars would ignite a wave of inspiration in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education worldwide, much as the Apollo missions did in the 1960s.
  • Advancing technology: The challenges of living on Mars drive innovation in energy, agriculture, life support, robotics, and medicine — technologies that benefit life on Earth as well.
  • Ensuring humanity’s long-term survival: Having a self-sustaining settlement beyond Earth protects our species from catastrophic risks, from asteroid impacts to global pandemics.

Getting There

The journey from Earth to Mars takes roughly six to nine months using current propulsion technology, depending on the alignment of the two planets. Launch windows occur approximately every 26 months when Earth and Mars are positioned favorably — a period called an opposition.

Multiple organizations are developing the vehicles and systems needed for the trip. Advances in rocket technology, life support systems, and deep-space navigation are steadily making human Mars missions more achievable. The Mars Society has long advocated for a humans-to-Mars approach based on the Mars Direct plan, which emphasizes using Martian resources to reduce the mass and cost of missions.

Living on Mars

Life on Mars will require creative engineering solutions to address the planet’s harsh environment. Here are some of the key challenges and how future settlers may address them:

Habitats

Early habitats may use inflatable modules or rigid pre-built structures brought from Earth, supplemented by shelters constructed from local materials. One promising approach is using Martian regolith (soil) to 3D-print building components or to create compressed bricks. Underground habitats or lava tubes could provide natural protection from radiation and extreme temperatures.

Breathing

The Martian atmosphere is 95% carbon dioxide, but technology like MOXIE — already demonstrated by NASA’s Perseverance rover — can extract oxygen from CO2. Scaled-up versions of this technology will provide breathable air for habitats and spacesuits. Plants grown in greenhouses will also contribute to oxygen production while removing CO2.

Water

Martian ice deposits — at the poles and buried beneath the surface at mid-latitudes — provide a critical resource. Water extracted from ice can be purified for drinking, split into hydrogen and oxygen for fuel and breathing, and used to irrigate crops. Selecting settlement sites near accessible ice is a top priority for mission planners.

Food

Early settlers will grow food in pressurized greenhouses using hydroponic or aeroponic systems. Experiments on the International Space Station and on Earth have demonstrated that many crops — lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, wheat, and potatoes — can grow in controlled environments. Over time, agricultural systems will scale up to support larger populations using Martian soil enriched with nutrients and organic matter.

Energy

Mars receives about 43% of the sunlight that Earth does, making solar power viable but less efficient. Nuclear power — particularly small modular reactors — is expected to provide the reliable baseline energy that a settlement needs. NASA’s Kilopower project has tested small fission reactors designed specifically for space applications. A combination of solar and nuclear energy will likely power Martian settlements.

Radiation Protection

Without a thick atmosphere or global magnetic field, Mars’s surface receives significantly more radiation than Earth’s. Settlers will need protection through a combination of shielding (regolith cover, water-filled wall panels), underground construction, and advanced materials. Monitoring radiation exposure and developing medical countermeasures will be essential parts of settlement life.

In-Situ Resource Utilization

A key concept for sustainable settlement is In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) — using materials found on Mars rather than shipping everything from Earth. ISRU strategies include:

  • Extracting oxygen from atmospheric CO2
  • Mining water ice from subsurface deposits
  • Manufacturing rocket propellant (methane and liquid oxygen) from Martian CO2 and water
  • Using regolith as construction material
  • Eventually extracting metals like iron from Martian rock for manufacturing

ISRU dramatically reduces the cost and complexity of missions by cutting the amount of material that must be launched from Earth.

The Mars Society’s Vision

The Mars Society, founded in 1998 by Dr. Robert Zubrin, has been a leading voice advocating for human exploration and settlement of Mars. Through research stations like the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in Utah and the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station (FMARS) in northern Canada, the organization conducts analog missions that simulate Mars surface operations. These simulations help develop protocols, test equipment, and train future explorers.

The Mars Society believes that settling Mars is not a distant dream but an achievable goal within our lifetime. With continued investment in technology, international cooperation, and public engagement, the first humans will set foot on Mars — and the story of human civilization will enter an extraordinary new chapter.

Your Role in the Journey

The people who will build the first settlements on Mars are students today. Whether your interests lie in engineering, biology, geology, medicine, agriculture, computer science, or the arts, there will be a place for your talents on Mars. Learning about the Red Planet now is the first step toward being part of humanity’s greatest adventure.