Colonization of Mars

Factors that make Mars colonization easier:

• There are places on Earth in which natural conditions are similar to Martian, deserts, similar in appearance to the Martian landscape. At the equator of Mars in the summer months it is as warm (+20 ° C) as on Earth. Atmospheric pressure on Earth at an altitude of 34,668 meters - the highest point reached by a balloon with a crew on board - exceeds the maximum pressure on the surface of Mars by only about 2 times.

• The gravitational acceleration on Mars is about 3.71 m/s2, that is, 0.38 g. It is still unknown whether this is enough to avoid the health problems that come with weightlessness.
• Due to the fact that Mars is farther from the Sun, the amount of solar energy reaching its surface is only 43% of that for the Earth.
• The surface temperature of Mars is much lower than the Earth's - an average of -63 ° C. The maximum mark of the surface temperature is about +30 ° C (at noon at the equator), the minimum is -153 ° C (in winter at the poles).The temperature of the surface layer of the atmosphere is always below zero.
• The orbit of Mars has an eccentricity 6 times greater than that of the Earth. This increases the annual fluctuations in planetary temperature and the amount of solar energy. At the same time, as on Earth, local seasonal fluctuations are greater than those depending on eccentricity.
• Atmospheric pressure on Mars is less than 1% of Earth's, which is too low for humans to survive without a special suit. In addition, the composition of the atmosphere is very different from the earth's: it contains 95.3% carbon dioxide, 2.7% nitrogen, 1.6% argon, and only a fraction of a percent of oxygen and water.
• The radiation background on Mars is different depending on the features of the landscape, altitude, local magnetic fields and other factors, but it is 2.5 times higher than the radiation background at the International Space Station and about 13 times its average level in modern developed countries, which is close to established safety limits for astronauts.
• Water in its pure form cannot be on the surface of Mars in a liquid state, and even at a temperature above 0 ° C, the pressure rises and sublimates, that is, it rises from a strong state in a gaseous state. The liquid found on Mars is a concentrated saline solution, so the high content of perchlorates in the soil casts doubt on the possibility of growing terrestrial plants in the Martian soil without additional experiments or without artificial soil.
• Mars does not have a magnetic field generated by a mechanism similar to Earth's, only local traces of residual magnetism have been found . Together with a rarefied (more than 60 times in comparison with the Earth ) atmosphere, this significantly increases the amount of ionizing radiation reaching its surface. The magnetic field of Mars is not able to protect living organisms from cosmic radiation, and the atmosphere (subject to its artificial restoration) from scattering by the solar wind.