Study Findings: Which Caves on Mars are Safe to Live In?

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): A region in Chryse Planitia where Tiu, Ares, and Kasei Valles end, which is pockmarked by impact craters large and small. (HiRISE/The University of Arizona)

Here are some highlights from the paper presented at the 55th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference:

For reliable protection against cosmic radiation, living and working spaces for colonists are best built below the surface. These colonies also need to be provided with energy. And solar panels are not the best option because the solar radiation flux is much lower on Mars and the panels will be constantly dusted with dust due to frequent dust storms. A nuclear reactor may be the best option.

Humans also need constant access to water resources. From the point of view of the reliability of the future housing, a lava tube with strong walls best meets these requirements. It is a hollow formation in the crust, formed as a result of the release of volcanic lava. And based on the need to provide settlements with water, a more suitable case should be considered underground caves in glacial cracks with a gentle horizontal entrance. After all, there are already significant deposits of water ice under the surface. But the walls of such settlements will be less strong, and they will require more careful preparatory work.

Publication: 55th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, held 11-15 March, 2024 at The Woodlands, Texas/Virtual. LPI Contribution No. 3040, id.1028

Contact Info: A. P. Vidmachenko, National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Str. Heroyiv Oborony, 12, Kyiv, 03041, Ukraine, avidmachenko@gmail.com.

Link to paper: https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2024/pdf/1028.pdf

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