Aerogel

Aerogels are substances which are very light and have great thermal resistance. Their use on Mars would be a powerful insulator which could be shipped from Earth at a low cost in mass. (Tho they would take up a fair volume.)

They are created by creating a gel and forming a micro web of a stronger material (say silica), then evaporating the gel material away, leaving the internal web surrounding air. Such aerogels are very light (they are mostly air), and tend to be brittle.

They provide low radiation resistance, since they contain very little matter.

Likely Martian settlers will try to use local materials to build insulation, which would be far cheaper, and provide more radiation resistance. But for specialized purposes where very high resistance to heat and strong thermal protection, aerogels may be used.

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