page_title: Mars habitat
section_title: Temporary vs permanent habitation
hierarchical_section_title: Mars habitat / Overview / Temporary vs permanent habitation
caption_attribution_description: English: Artist's concept of living quarters covered with soil to shield the crew from the sun’s radiation. The extended base has greenhouse and a pressurized work facility where full spacesuits would not be required. This artist conception (being released by NASA) was provided by CASE FOR MARS, an independent organization concerned with a Mars mission. Русский: База будущей марсианской колонии в представлении художника (для проекта CASE FOR MARS). Комплекс расположен под поверхностью Марса для защиты от радиации и включает в себя парник и рабочее помещение с искусственным давлением, где можно обходиться без полного скафандра.
context_page_description: A Mars habitat is a place that humans can live in on Mars. Mars habitats must contend with surface conditions that include almost no oxygen in the air, extreme cold, low pressure, and high radiation. Alternatively, the habitat may be placed underground, which helps solve some problems but creates new difficulties.
  One challenge is the extreme cost of building materials for Mars, which by the 2010s was estimated be about US$2 million per brick to the surface of Mars. While the gravity on Mars is lower than that on Earth, there is increased solar radiation, temperature cycles, and the high internal forces needed for pressurized habitats to contain air.
  To contend with these constraints, architects have worked to understand the right balance between in-situ materials and construction, and ex-situ to Mars. For example, one idea is to use the locally available regolith to shield against radiation exposure, and another idea is to use transparent ice to allow non-harmful light to enter the habitat. Mars habitat design can also involve the study of local conditions, including pressures, temperatures, and local materials, especially water.
context_section_description: A short term stay on the surface of Mars does not require a habitat to have a large volume or complete shielding from radiation. The situation would be similar to the International Space Station, where individuals receive an unusually high amount of radiation for a short duration and then leave. A small and light habitat can be transported to Mars and used immediately.
  Long term permanent habitats require much more volume (i.e.:greenhouse) and thick shielding to minimize the annual dose of radiation received. This type of habitat is too large and heavy to be sent to Mars, and must be constructed making use of some local resource. Possibilities include covering structures with ice or soil, excavating subterranean spaces or sealing the ends of an existing lava tube.
  A larger settlement may be able to have a larger medical staff, increasing the ability to deal with health issues and emergencies. Whereas a small expedition of 4–6 may be able to have 1 medical doctor, an outpost of 20 might be able to have more than one and nurses, in addition to those with emergency or paramedic training. A full settlement may be able to achieve the same level of care as a contemporary Earth hospital.
caption: A vision for habitats published by NASA from CASE FOR MARS from the 1980s, featuring the re-use of landing vehicles, in-situ soil use for enhanced radiation shielding, and green houses. A bay for a Mars rover is also visible.
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