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NASA astronauts on Mars. Credit: NASA
Mars is an obvious source of inspiration for science fiction stories. He is familiar and well-researched, but different and distant enough to force one into otherworldly adventures. NASA he has his eye on the Red Planet for many of the same reasons.
Robots, including the Perseverance rover soon to be launched on Mars, teach us what it is like on the surface. That information helps inform future human missions to the Red Planet. We will also have to equip the spaceships and astronauts with technologies to get them there, explore the surface and bring them home safely. The round trip mission, including transit time – to and from Earth – and to the Martian surface, will take about two years.
Technological development has already begun to allow a manned mission to Mars as early as the 2030s. Many of the capabilities will be demonstrated first on the Moon, during Artemis missions, while other systems are better suited for deeper space. Here are six technologies NASA is working on to make science fiction on Mars a reality.
NASA is pioneering many technologies to send astronauts to Mars as early as 2030. Here are six things we are working on right now to make future human missions to the Red Planet possible. Credit: NASA
1. Powerful propulsion systems to get us there (and home!) Faster
Astronauts headed to Mars will travel approximately 140 million miles in deep space. Advances in propulsion capabilities are the key to reaching our destination as quickly and safely as possible.
It’s too early to tell which propulsion system will bring astronauts to Mars, but we know it needs to be nuclear-capable to reduce travel times. NASA is advancing multiple options, including nuclear electric and thermal nuclear propulsion. They both use nuclear fission but are very different from each other. An electric nuclear rocket is more efficient, but it doesn’t generate much thrust. Nuclear thermal propulsion, on the other hand, provides a lot more “oomph”.
Whichever system is selected, the fundamentals of nuclear propulsion will reduce crew time away from Earth. The agency and its partners are developing, testing and maturing critical components of various propulsion technologies to reduce the risk of the first human mission to Mars.
Illustration of a spacecraft with a nuclear-enabled propulsion system. Credit: NASA
2. Inflatable heat shield to land astronauts on other planets
The largest rover we’ve landed on Mars is the size of a car, and sending humans to Mars will require a much larger spacecraft. The new technologies will allow heavier spacecraft to enter the Martian atmosphere, approach the surface and land close to where astronauts want to explore.
NASA is working on an inflatable heat shield that allows the large surface to take up less space in a rocket than a rigid one. The technology could land spacecraft on any planet with an atmosphere. It would expand and swell before entering the Martian atmosphere to land cargo and astronauts safely.
Engineers prepare for installing the flexible heat shield on the inflatable structure. The view is from the underside and the heat shield is at the top. Credit: NASA’s Langley Research Center
Technology is not yet ready for the Red Planet. An upcoming flight test of a 6 meter diameter (about 20 feet) prototype will demonstrate how aerosol behaves when it enters Earth’s atmosphere. The test will show that it can survive the intense heat upon entering Mars.
3. High-tech Martian space suits
Spacesuits are essentially custom spacecraft for astronauts. NASA’s latest spacesuit is so high-tech, its modular design is designed to be evolved to be used anywhere in space.
The first woman and next man on the moon will be wearing NASA’s next-generation spacesuits called exploration extravehicular mobility units or xEMUs. Spacesuits prioritize crew safety, while allowing Artemis Generation moonwalkers to make more natural, Earth-like movements and perform tasks that were not possible during the Apollo missions.
Future updates to address differences on Mars could include technology for life support functionality in the carbon-rich atmosphere and modified outer garments to keep astronauts warm during the Martian winter and prevent overheating in the summer season.
NASA’s next-generation spacesuit is designed to give astronauts greater mobility on the Moon and Mars. Credit: NASA
4. Martian house and laboratory on wheels
To reduce the number of objects required to land on the surface, NASA will combine the first Martian house and vehicle into a single rover complete with breathing air.
Illustration of a pressurized rover on Mars. Credit: NASA
NASA has conducted numerous Earth rover tests to inform the development of a pressurized mobile home on the Moon. Artemis astronauts living and working in the future pressurized lunar rover will be able to offer feedback to help refine the rover’s capabilities for astronauts on Mars. NASA’s robotic rovers will also help with Martian design – everything from the best wheels for Mars to how a larger vehicle will move over difficult terrain.
Just like a motorhome, the pressurized rover will have everything astronauts need to live and work for weeks. They can drive in comfortable clothes, tens of miles from the spacecraft that will launch them into space for the trip back to Earth. When they encounter interesting places, astronauts can don their high-tech spacesuits to exit the rover, collect samples, and conduct science experiments.
NASA is currently working on a vehicle that will be able to navigate difficult terrain on the Red Planet. Credit: NASA
5. Uninterrupted power
As we use electricity to charge our devices on Earth, astronauts will need reliable power to explore Mars. The system will need to be lightweight and able to function regardless of its location or weather conditions on the Red Planet.
Mars has a day and night cycle like Earth and periodic dust storms that can last for months, making nuclear fission energy a more reliable option than solar energy. NASA has already tested the technology on Earth and has shown that it is safe, efficient, and abundant enough to allow for long-duration surface missions. NASA plans to demonstrate and use the fission system first on the Moon, then on Mars.
Illustration of a fission nuclear power system concept on Mars. Credit: NASA
6. Laser communications to send more information home
Human missions to Mars could use lasers to stay in contact with Earth. A laser communications system on Mars could send large amounts of information and data in real time, including high-definition images and video feeds.
Sending a map of Mars to Earth could take nine years with current radio systems, but just nine weeks with laser communications. The technology would also allow us to communicate with astronauts, to see and hear their other adventures on the Red Planet.
Illustration of a spacecraft using laser communications to transmit data from Mars to Earth. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
NASA proved that laser communications are possible with a demonstration from the Moon in 2013. The agency’s next demo will work across different operational scenarios, refine the pointing system, and address the technological challenges from low Earth orbit – things like clouds and other communication interruptions. NASA is building small systems to test human space flight, including on the International Space Station and the first manned Artemis mission. Another payload for laser communications will venture into deep space to help inform what it takes to use the same technology millions and millions of miles away from Earth.
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