What Will Life on Mars be Like?

By John Breaux | June 18, 2019

The long-term goal of establishing a colony on Mars is practically editable at this point, with NASA planning for the first manned mission to the red planet sometime in 2030. While we still don’t know the exact place where this colony will be built, we do have a fairly good idea as to how life will be like on living on this strange planet.

First thing you’d notice on Mars is the fact that this planet is extremely cold. The average temperature hovers around minus 80 degrees Fahrenheit, but if you venture near the poles during the winter, it’ll drop to a frigid minus 195 degrees. However, during the summer, the temperature climbs to a balmy 68 degrees if you’re near the equator.

Along with these variations in temperature, the surface of Mars has quite powerful dust storms. These dust storms can become so strong, they will cover the entire planet after just a few days, and while they aren’t usually capable of physically harming you, they could pose problems for electronics and solar-powered instruments.

The Martian year is twice as long as Earth, so you would still experience seasons like winter and summer thanks to the planet’s tilted axis. Due to the lack of liquid water, Mars is definitely considered a desert planet.

The first pioneers to land on Mars will likely never come back to Earth again, as there will be plenty of work in the beginning to establish the settlement so that they may survive. The first building on the surface of the planet will most likely be domed tuna can-shaped structures. These domes will likely be more than 100 meters in diameter, and will contain a large forray of people, plants, and animals. They will also be linked together by tunnels, since humans have no ability of surviving in the open air of Mars.

Moving around on the planet would be quite strange for us as well. Gravity is only 38% of Earth’s, so getting around would be quite challenging at first. This level of gravity would make quick movements like running difficult and would require you to relearn how to make these movements.

One of the most important parts of daily life on Mars will be the need to grow food that will be capable of sustaining a human colony. This will include utilizing advanced agricultural techniques to produce nutritious meals in high-tech greenhouses.

There is no room for mistakes either, as Mars colonists won’t be able to quickly phone back home to Earth for help. Due to the sheer distance between the two planets, a message would take about 15 minutes to get there, but it would take more than 9 months for any assistance to arrive to Mars.

Life on Mars will be a tricky issue to tackle, but in the long run, we can definitely overcome this challenge, as well as venture out beyond our planet.