Natural resources
Natural Resources are vital for long term manned missions and even more for autonomous colonies.
Martian resources are transformed into products using processes in a concept known as In-Situ resource utilization (ISRU). Mars provides a number of important resources from various sources:
Atmosphere
Lithosphere
- Water
- Minerals
- Silicates: Silica
- sulfates: copper sulfide
- oxides: Iron ore, Phosphates, Alumina
- carbonates, calcium carbonate