If you had to colonize Mars how would you go about doing it?

Question

What methods would you use and what facilities would you bring along?

MDP

Answer 1

To survive we need: Oxygen, Water, Shelter & Food we must provise for those 1st. To stay sane, we need social interaction and recreation - No point in colonizing Mars if we all go crazy and kill ourselves / each other.

For the water, there is already convincing evidence that it may be plentiful on Mars. Likely the easiest source would be something like a buried glacier. We must find one.

Finding a plentiful source of water is the key to the rest, with solar panels to generate electricity, the water can be broken down into oxygen and hydrogen.

Mars already has enough CO2 that we can simply extract from the atmosphere once we have oxygen and water to grow plants.

As for shelter (and greenhouses in which to grow the plants) the Bigalo concept for space stations seems the most practical also for martian habitate, basically the structures are supported by the air pressure inside them (Mars' atmospheric pressure is very low, so a human livable pressure would be enough to keep the habitat inflated.

For social and the rest, means we need to send a large enough group at once. Probably 100 people would be a good number, including children.

Answer 2

We would need to find stable ground at a good location. Examining the soil for any traces of instability, such as volcanoes, fault lines, ruptures or anything else that may have occurred years ago to avoid future problematic areas. Next, oxygen would be a must. Setting up biodomes and several plants would ensure oxygen since the atmosphere on Mars isn’t stable for all living things since some can adapt to the carbon dioxide (Co2) while others can’t. There has been evidence of water found on Mars, so technology such as the high resolution telescopic camera on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter could be used to find these water sources. Pictures can be taken pinpointing locations for water sources. Since water has been found, this creates possibility of life on Mars. This will not happen overnight and will take a long time.

Answer 3

The absolute first thing to do would be to synthesize the CO2 in the air into oxygen, by way of plants (specifically moss, algae, and fungi - certain forms of algae do not need water to survive), The next thing to do would be locate sources of water - there isn't enough water vapor in the atmosphere of Mars to sustain human life, and it would not be cost-effective to ship water from Earth (it weighs too much). I would launch a robotic terraformer first, and let it do the dirty work for several decades, possibly even a hundred years or so, in order for the planet to become habitable. After the air and water infrastructures are in place and stabilized, the next thing to do would be to create hydroponic farms. Once that's done, the real colonization can begin.

Answer 4

Get Robert Zubrin's book "The Case For Mars". It has a very detailed plan that seems quite workable. It's quite remarkable. And, I'll bring Annie with me and we'll raise the first generation of Martians.

Answer 5

I suggest reading Kim Stanley Robinson's Red Mars.

It's a very good book exactly about that.

Answer 6

Use prisoners...worked for Australia