How to Live on Mars: Build an Ice Dome
Remember when the idea of going to Mars seemed unreachable?
And living on it even more outlandish? Well it looks like those extravagant goals are becoming more and more realistic. We’ve already been able to reach Mars with many rovers across the years. The real task though is to figure out how to sustain life on it.
The largest problem that we have is finding a way to shelter ourselves from the environmental forces of Mars. We can get past the climate and rugged terrain but the excessive radiation is a critical factor that we must find a way to avoid. Radiation can result in long term effects of DNA damage and a risk of cancer and short term effects of vomiting and bleeding.
The solution? Build a Dome that is surrounded by ice water to protect against radiation. The hydrogen in ice helps to reduce the intensity of gamma and ultra-violet waves, therefore making it the perfect material to shelter humans in the Martian environment.
The Martian ice dome idea can be thought of as an inflatable igloo with two layers. The outer layer would have a thick sheet of ice while the inner layer would provide the astronauts shelter.
The ice dome is ideal due to a few other things as well. First, it is very easy to transport to Mars and would cost significantly less than a large rigid structure. Second, the dome will act as a storage tank for water as well which can be extracted from Mars’ ground. Finally, the dome’s transparency will allow for sunlight to travel inside therefore being beneficial for agriculture.
Overall, the steps we are taking towards reaching Mars and sustaining life there are becoming larger and larger. This concept of an ice dome would be an incredible feat and piece of human technology. With the tools and intelligence we have in hand, ideas like this will be what allow us to live on Mars in the future.
