Life on Mars
AerospaceThe “Humans on Mars” initiative is studying technologies for a station on the Red Planet
Humans on Mars? Still a distant dream for now. Yet, a Bremen science initiative is developing the foundations for sustainable human life on the Red Planet. This affects Earth, too. After all, these technologies could also be pioneering for the Blue Planet.
What would scientists always take with them for a long stay on Mars? “Duct tape”, says Professor Kirsten Tracht, without hesitation. Because this is a topic that comes up repeatedly in discussions with teaching staff and students in her Faculty of Production Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Process Engineering at the University of Bremen. “It won’t be possible to take a lot of material with us from Earth to Mars,” explains Professor Tracht, “so we’ll have to manage with whatever we can find up there”. The terrestrial instruments in greatest demand when setting up a research station on Mars will be multifunctional tools, such as duct tape.
Bremen is one of the largest aerospace locations in the world
“Humans on Mars” is the title of the science initiative launched by the University of Bremen as part of a quest for new recognition as a world-class research location in Germany. In the research initiative, which Kirsten Tracht is also involved in, experts from a wide range of disciplines are studying the prerequisites for human settlement on the Red Planet. The scientists are focusing on the question of how to enable a long-term human presence on Mars: How will sustainable production of vital commodities be possible with extremely sparse resources? The project is firmly rooted in Bremen – the ‘two-city state’ is one of the world’s largest and most influential aerospace industry and research locations.
No human life on Mars before the 2030s
A widely visible symbol of the gravity-defying expertise present in Bremen is the 146-metre-high Bremen Drop Tower on the university campus. In the Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity (ZARM), research projects are conducted under space conditions. Professor Marc Avila manages the ZARM together with Professor Katharina Brinkert and is the spokesperson for the “Humans on Mars” initiative. He is the driving force behind Bremen’s efforts for recognition as a scientific cluster of excellence. “Even optimists do not expect to see humans on Mars before the 2030s,” says Avila. “But now is the right time to research the technologies capable of allowing sustainable human exploration of Mars and to study the consequences for the Red Planet and mankind.”
A full-scale test laboratory for use on Mars
Mars has been a focus area for the University of Bremen for some time. The team led by the geophysicist Christiane Heinicke in the ZARM have completed various tasks including setting up a full-scale test laboratory building for use on the moon or on Mars and simulating workflows in it. Heinicke had previously taken part in an experiment by the American space agency NASA in which a group of researchers spent a year living on the side of a volcano in Hawaii in extremely confined conditions similar to those at a Mars station.
A project also involving humanities and social sciences
“Humans on Mars” is now going many steps further: “The spectrum ranges from setting up a station and producing the construction material to communications at the station and with Earth, interactions of human and artificial intelligence, and provisions of oxygen, food and energy,” outlines Kirsten Tracht. Beyond the work of specialists in production or manufacturing engineering and space research on Mars, the cooperation also includes experts from disciplines such as humanities and social sciences.
Mars research to resolve problems on Earth
As well as paving the way for an exploration of Mars, the results should also change the focus of people here on Earth. Increasing shortages of raw materials and vital necessities have an impact on the Blue Planet, too. “Using the insights gained from Mars, we will rethink material production in a scenario of scarce resources. In this way, as well as making a contribution towards an exploration of Mars, we also want to contribute towards sustainability on Earth,” says Marc Avila.
Other Mars themes, including the future close collaboration of people and robots, are also becoming increasingly relevant on Earth. The Bremen project is, to a certain extent, closing a loop. Many of the technologies that are now part of everyday life emerged from the era of the first “Apollo” moon landings: “Mankind has experienced enormous progress and increasing prosperity since then,” says Marc Avila. The flip side of this is effects such as environmental pollution and climate change. “We are convinced that human exploration of Mars can contribute towards a shift from a technology-centred to a human-centred society and thus resolve our most pressing problems here on Earth,” emphasises Marc Avila.
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