Could Humans Really Live on Mars?

A realistic look at the science and challenges of making the Red Planet our next home.

Why Mars captures our imagination

Mars has seasons, polar ice and a day only slightly longer than Earth’s. But it is not a second Earth: the surface is cold, dry and exposed to harmful radiation.

Mars has a very thin carbon-dioxide atmosphere. Human explorers would need pressurised habitats, spacesuits and reliable life support.

What would a colony need?

A settlement needs reliable power, water recycling, oxygen production, radiation shielding, food and backup systems.

Evidence of water ice suggests possibilities for using local resources, but operating a permanent settlement would be an enormous engineering challenge.

Could it happen?

No humans have landed on Mars. Travel, dust, communication delays and the effects of partial gravity remain major challenges.