If humans are ever to land on Mars, they will need somewhere to stay—a protective shell that can shield them from the sun’s harsh rays. One possible answer: great, glassy domes of ice.
Mars is rich in ice, both on and under its surface—with more predicted to lie farther below its dusty exterior. If future astronauts were able to access it, they could use that ice to build hardy shelters, according to new preliminary research presented on Tuesday at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union.
The proposal could solve a major problem that any future crewed Mars mission would need to confront: how to build and supply a safe habitat for humans. Elon Musk’s SpaceX is attempting to tackle the issue, at least in part, with its Starship rocket program. Starship is designed to haul 100 metric tons of cargo into space, which means it could feasibly bring building materials with it. But it is still in development. And even if SpaceX does make it to Mars, the company will likely need to send many rockets at a time to support a human mission there.
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