Mars One
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Mars One [1] is the first project to colonize the red planet with a precise planning. Intended as a manned one-way mission, the settlers will stay on Mars indefinitely. Started as a semi-autonomous colony, the plan involves sending enough equipment for the colony to become eventually independent from Earth.
The initial technology for food and oxygen production will be sent before the arrival of the settlers. Most of the life support technology will be similar to that one on the ISS. The colony will be powered by solar panels. Food will be grown in LED-lit greenhouses with hydroponics.
A possible location of the settlement could be the valley Utopia Planitia. It is not too far from the equator, so the sun can be used for power generation though the year, and it is far enough from the equator to reach areas with large amounts of subsurface water.
Contents
Unresolved Problems
What if the hydroponics appears to be biologically instable
Bacteria may develop in a different way in the Martian greenhouses, because the different gravity and the microbial depleted in-house conditions may have strange effects in the long run.
What if all missions after the arrival of the first four settlers are canceled?
The settlers produce their own energy and food, making them independent from immediate resupply missions. However, the photovoltaics and LEDs will cease to function after a few years. Will the settlers be able to survive in the long run? There are a few possible reasons as to a discontinuation of supply missions:
- Political or military interference from other countries
- Massive increase of orbital debris in Earth's orbit (accidental or intentional)
- Emergence of technical, legal or organizational problems of Mars One with subsequent financial breakdown
- Decline of public interest and slump of viewer levels
