ROOM
42
Astronautics
blood, which would certainly be an issue for a
permanent human Mars colony.
In addition, human discomfort with drinking
recycled urine might also increase the
attractiveness of ISRU over recycling. The
issue of disposing wastewater products might
be as simple as sequestering it and eventually
relocating it away from the colony, though this
would likely be considered an inefficient use of
resources and energy. A partial water recycling
system, such as greywater recycling, might
therefore be useful for other water-intensive
purposes such as agriculture and industry.
In fact, waste disposal systems and agriculture
on Mars would be tightly linked. While traditional
outdoor agriculture on Mars would likely be
impossible, some form of food production would
be necessary to supply the colony with adequate
nutrition to sustain itself. And unlike air and
water, which can be produced from local Martian
resources, food and vitamins would need to be
recycled from human waste in order to support
crop growth.
Beyond the challenge of linking those systems,
there are other questions about the practicality
of agriculture on Mars. For instance, plants
respond to low atmospheric pressure by drying
out so, due to lower pressures on Mars, crops
might need to be grown hydroponically in water
rather than in soil. Furthermore, while plants
have been successfully grown in microgravity,
it is unknown how they will develop in a partial
gravity environment.
Medical systems are obviously critical for
human health. Unlike traditional spaceflight
missions, which frequently use telemedicine and
resupply technologies to supplement onboard
medical resources, it would be desirable for a
Mars colony to invest heavily in its own medical
supplies and personnel.
Medical facilities would need to be able to address
any illness or injury, and be able to support ongoing
care. While most supplies for medical facilities
would need to be brought from Earth, perishable
or consumable supplies like medicines could be
produced on Mars.
For example, bioreactors - which use
microorganisms to generate biological products
- could be used to replenish antibiotic supplies.
While bioreactors have been demonstrated to work
in space, there are some questions about their
efficacy and so the efficacy of bioreactors on Mars is
speculative and could be affected by differences in
gravity and radiation exposure.
Mental health
There is a substantial body of research concerning
the psychological health of astronauts while in space.
Arguably, the
power system
would be the
most critical
system in the
Mars colony
- without
adequate
power, nearly
all the other
systems
needed to
support
human life
would fail
NASA astronaut Karen
Nyberg in the Cupola
module of the ISS -
studies have shown that
windows and the ability to
view ‘home’ are a great
benefit to crew members.
NASA
