Many hopefuls have signed up for a one-way ticket to the red planet. But if they aren't prepared, the trip may be a short one.
NASA has a plan to land astronauts on its surface by the 2030s. Private spaceflight companies like SpaceX have also expressed interest in starting their own colonies there, while the infamous Mars One project has already enlisted civilians for a one-way trip to our planetary neighbor in 2020.
While many may dream of living their remaining days on Mars, those days may be numbered. The Martian environment poses significant challenges to Earth life, and establishing a Mars habitat will require an extraordinary amount of engineering prowess and technological knowhow to ensure the safety of its residents.
Though we may soon have the launch vehicles needed to transport people to Mars, a lot of the technology required to keep astronauts alive on the planet just isn't ready--and it may not be for many years. For those eager to get to Mars as soon as possible, take caution: A number of tragic outcomes await if you head that way too soon.
(Score: 4, Informative) by Phoenix666 on Thursday May 28 2015, @05:43PM
Nobody has built a habitable cave on Earth with robots because it is more cost effective here to build outside houses with humans. On Mars, the cost-benefit calculus is different. Also, if you build it with robots and there's a flaw (say, a leak) in the underground structure, nobody dies because robots don't need to breathe; then, you use the robots to fix the leak. You don't send humans to live in it until your robots give green lights all down the checklist.
For reference (inspiration?) here are a couple examples of robots building structures here on Earth:
Drones build structure:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvN9Ri1GmuY [youtube.com]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W18Z3UnnS_0 [youtube.com]
3D-printed structures:
http://www.bdcnetwork.com/robots-drones-and-printed-buildings-promise-automated-construction [bdcnetwork.com]
https://futurevision.rga.com/2014/06/3d-printing-drones-can-build-homes/ [rga.com]
Making concrete on Mars:
http://www.iflscience.com/space/robots-could-use-3d-printing-build-mars-bases-astronauts-arrive [iflscience.com]
Robotic excavators:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVvMkBYYhfU [youtube.com]
Washington DC delenda est.