Running Head: MARS SURFACE BASE DESIGN PROPOSAL

Mars Surface Base Design Proposal

John Ketzer
Ocean Lakes High School

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SCOPE SUMMARY
The main goal of this surface base is to provide a site for in-depth research to
be conducted on the planet's surface, with the express purpose of
addressing three of four science goals of the Mars Exploration program:
characterizing the geology of Mars, determining whether life ever arose on
Mars, and preparing for future human exploration of the planet in different
locations. These broad goals can be simplified into smaller objectives,
specific to each category. To prepare for future human exploration after this
base, we need to test the technology and techniques that will be used to
keep humans alive and comfortable on Mars, as well as technologies that can
create materials and fuels from in-situ resources on the surface. These
technologies will be tested on Earth before going into a field test on Mars, so
that they will be better prepared for use on site, and these technologies must
be able to keep astronauts alive on the surface of Mars with relative comfort.
To search for life, astronauts must search in the soil for evidence of past life
on Mars, whether to find microscopic fossils, organic molecules, or even
living microbes in or under the soil. Special techniques will be practiced to
find prehistoric remains of ancient bacteria within the soil, and equipment
such as spectrometers will be brought along that can chemically analyze the
soil of the area. The base will be constructed in an area that was believed to
host flowing water in the past, heightening the chances of finding any fossils.
To analyze the geology of the area, the same equipment will be used to
analyze the soil of the landing area. However, special equipment such as
seismographs, will measure whether or not Mars is geologically active to this
day, and to determine whether or not there are any features underground,
such as caverns that have been carved by ancient water. Finding these caves
would further shed light on the past of Mars, and seismological activity would
show how the planet developed. These are the main objectives of the surface
base mission, and the base will also have secondary mining capabilities to
allow for self-reliance, needing only minimal resupplying from Earth. Of
course, there are several constraints for a mission of this size. The health of
the base's occupants must always be put first, and design of the base must
be centered around keeping them happy, healthy, and able to work
efficiently in their environment. The cost will be astronomical, as life support
systems are costly to build and maintain, along with the cost to construct an
entire base. Time is also a commodity that will have to be taken into account,
as it will take a long time to research and test all of the technology needed to
create such a base, as well as training the astronauts for this mission, which
will require different practices of training to endure the long mission
durations. This mission will test our ability to plan for the far future, as we
will have to plan for the far future with the long transit times and the long
term surface mission. A group coalition of national space agencies such as

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NASA, ESA, ISRO, and others will coordinate and plan the entire mission, as
this will be an international mission. This will the biggest mission ever
undertaken by humanity, and will set the standard for future missions to
Mars, so all preparations must be made so that next to no mistakes are
made. This mission will not only benefit scientists and space programs
everywhere, but boost the morale of the people of the nation, and inspire
others to expand upon the field of space exploration.
PROPOSAL
Mission Statement
This surface base will be first and foremost a research outpost, with the
purpose of housing scientists to study the surface of Mars, and have a
secondary function of being a prototype mining outpost that will serve to test
technologies that harvest natural resources for in-situ manufacturing. This
mission will be funded by the collective space agencies of the world and their
respective governments, as most will be interested in participating in the
Mars landing. Agencies will provide various resources other than money,
such equipment, facilities, and astronauts to create the mission. These
systems will form the product, which will provide Earth with scientific
knowledge, while also showing that a surface base on Mars is an
accomplishable task.
Mission/Surface Base Name
This mission will be designated "the International Martian Base Initiative,"
which highlights the fact that this mission is an international effort,
promoting unity and support among all of the participating nation's citizens.
The surface base itself will be named "Primus Lux," which means "first light"
in Latin. This name is significant as this will be the first long-term human
presence on the surface of another planet, and hopefully this name will
inspire the idea of future networks of surface bases, adding to the chain of
lights that began with this first link. Also, the use of Latin also keeps from
any one nation claiming priority over the base through the use of their native
language, utilizing a dead language instead to promote neutrality.
Mission Requirements
First and foremost, transportation will be required to send the payload into a
trajectory to the red planet. NASA's Orion Space Launch System would
provide suitable transportation for both cargo and humans, with the SLS
Block 1B Crew and Cargo configurations sending all needed equipment and
materials along with the crew towards Mars (NASA, n.d). These rockets will
compose of the booster sections anf the crew capsule, which will be modified
to act as an MAV (Micro Air Vehicle) for descent onto the planet. For

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astronaut selection, the training process will have to be remade with the
ideas of long term isolation from Earth in mind. Thus, a panel of leaders from
respective countries will create a new training regimen, while selecting the
best astronauts from their programs as candidates. These astronauts will
have to be trained to become tolerant to being in one small area for long
periods, and will practice the surface ops of the mission beforehand. The
astronauts will have to have majors in two fields necessary for the mission,
so that they can fulfill two job roles on the crew. The distribution of genders
should be roughly equal, and their ages should be between 30-40, so that
they are old enough to have experience in their fields, and young enough to
handle the intense training regimen. The remade training regimen will last
for a year, sand then they will be ready for launch. The first launch with crew
will occur in 2026, with two rockets carrying the crew and one rocket carrying
the cargo that will supply the crew when they reach the surface. A separate
party of three cargo vessels will have launched last year, carrying a majority
of the base modules with them, as well as the rovers who will construct the
base for the crew. After the rocket escapes Earth's gravity, the eight-month
long journey will require them to maintain the systems of the rocket. They
will have enough supplies to last them the trip to Mars, and will continue to
prep for the surface mission in-transit. They will land in September of 2026,
and by that time the base should be mostly complete at that point. They will
complete it by October 2026, and will commence with scientific operations.
Over the next nine years, scientific and mining operations will continue, with
new requests and directives coming from Earth and supply rockets reaching
there every eight to ten months. After the nine years, the crews will report
back to the MAVs, which will be fully refueled from in-situ materials, and
report to a secondary orbiter rocket that has been there for the past six
months. That will be their exit vehicle to return home. After that, the crew
will return home after eight months of travel, on May 2036.
System Requirements
For the base, many sophisticated technologies will be needed to create life
support systems for the human occupants. First, an oxygen generator will
have to be created from a Sabatier Reactor, which would create water and
methane (Junaedi et al, n.d). The water would be broken into oxygen for the
crew, while the methane could be used to power other systems in times of
emergency. Solar power would fuel all of the major systems on the base, and
would be deployed in arrays close to the base. The base modules would all
be covered the soil of Mars to provide radiation protection, with access to
them being through openings in either the side of the buildings or in the
ground. Mining equipment will be brought over in pieces and assembled on
site, with machines such as continuous miners and bulldozers to harvest
materials en-masse, which will transport them to a material refining complex
(Kentucky Foundation, n.d). Scientific equipment such as microscopes,
spectrometers, seismometers, and other tools will be located in the

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laboratory module of the base, where any materials for scientific analysis will
be transferred to. There will be drivable vehicles that will transport the
astronauts across the terrain with little or no maintenance, and contain a
pressurized cabin for the comfort of the driver (Loff, 2012). For temperature
control, an automatic water coolant system will be installed to make sure
that the base constantly has a livable temperature. A module for agriculture,
based on the Veggie module on the ISS, will provide a large portion of the
food supply for the crew, and will be monitored by the resident botanists
(Herridge, 2014). Robotic drone will also be on site when the astronauts
arrive, and can be used for various purposes to assist operations on the
surface. Finally, communications systems will use high gain antennas to
communicate directly with the Deep Space network on Earth, with
emergency low gain antennae that can communicate with the satellites in
orbit around the planet, which can send the signal to Earth if something is
ever wrong with the main antennae. The cost for these systems will be
astronomical, so new designs will be needed in an attempt to mitigate cost
values. In addition, these systems will need to be field tested on Earth to
assure that they operate at maximum capacity and are able to function well
for the crew. Time to construct and activate these systems is also something
that needs to be kept in mind as well, as they need to be up and running in a
few weeks after the crew lands.
Mission Timeline

April 2025:
Three cargo vehicles lift
off for Mars, complete
with rovers that will
begin assembling the
base before the crew
January 2026:
First set of rockets take off for Mars,
two crew transport vehicles and one
cargo vehicle. This is at a time of
opposition between the Earth and
Mars, so this will give the least travel
time (Sheehan, 1996).
September 2026:
October
Crew2026:
arrives with secondary
Basecargo,
is fullyand
completed
and
will use the
scientific/mining
operations
capsules as resting
areas until
havethe
begun
in
full
force.
base is completed by the
Supply
missions
will arrive
rovers
and themselves.
from Earth Every four months.

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September 2035:
Crew leaves Mars to return to Earth
after completing their mission. Again,
this is a time of opposition, so travel
time is the shortest.
May 2036:
Crew returns to Earth

Outpost Location
Eos Chasma- 13.6S, 317.5E

The base will be located within the Valles Marineris, in a section known as
Eos Chasma. This location is a large valley in itself with smooth areas to land,
with some irregular and jagged landscape to the southwest. This place is
believed to have been formed from the sudden eruption of underground
water that rapidly eroded the area (Arizona State Univeristy, n.d.). This would
be a great place to set up base, because it has smooth landing sites, plus it
is a place where water flowed in the past, which aids in the success of the
science goals established for the mission. Also, finding the source of these
underground waters could shed a lot of insight on the past of the planet, and

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perhaps even lead to current sources of water. Granted, this region is home
to strong winds that have ruled out this location for a rover landing site, yet
solutions should be developed to solve this current problem, as this region
suggests that it has a huge wealth of scientific information to discover.
Risks/Dangers
There are numerous dangers to the Mars surface base mission. Radiation,
the most pressing concern of the mission, will be constantly bombarding the
astronauts, both in-transit to Mars and on the surface. Mars has no global
magnetic field to defend against radiation from the sun (Tate, 2013). There
would also be a lot of exposure during the trip there, and the ship would
have to be heavily shielded to protect astronauts against radiation.
Claustrophobia is also a risk as the astronauts, as they will be in a confined
space for a long time, and this may cause anxiety, which will hinder their
ability to work their best. This can be combated by having the candidates
undergo self-exposure techniques, gradually getting them used to being in
confined spaces (n.a., 2014). There is also the danger of extreme injury in
the case of an accident while on-site or in-transit. They will not be able to
return to Earth to be treated, so they must be able to prevent major injuries
and take safety very seriously. If needed, medical supplies that can handle
intense trauma will be a part of the main manifest, and packed with the crew
capsule instead of the cargo vessel. Mars itself is also a huge risk, as it
cannot support human life. On the surface, temperatures drop down to about
minus 80 degrees Fahrenheit, so suits will have to be made that can
withstand these temperatures (Sharp, 2012). Dust storms can prove to be
hazardous to machines, as the fine dust can cover solar panels and get into
cracks, damaging hardware. Heavy winds can also create dust devils, which
could potentially damage the surface base and its occupants (Moore, 2015).
Finally, a large danger is with the astronauts themselves. The astronauts that
are chosen to be a part of this mission must be the best people for the job. If
they are not able to handle periods of long isolation in one area, or are not
prepared for it, then they will not be able to survive the in-transit period.
They also need to be able to survive on the surface of Mars and be trained to
use all pieces of equipment necessary to operate the base, along with two
qualified engineers whose main priority is to oversee system functions. .
When a manned Mars mission is planned, an extension to the astronaut
training program called the Mars survival training will be created. This
extension would require in-situ simulation, specialized equipment training,
and, as a final test, spend a year in an isolated module to simulate the
transit period. Constraints to this program would involve the need for extra
funding, the extended time that would be needed to train these astronauts,
and the increased probability of Candidate dropout that would occur from
this harsh training period. However, this would effectively train astronauts to
be able to survive and operate Mars, and make them able to hit the ground

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running after the in-transit period. All of these hazards can be mitigated with
proper planning, training, and equipment.
Crew Responsibilities
There will be many responsibilities that have to be handled on the surface of
the planet, and must be divided among the crew before the mission sets off.
There will be a crew of 15 people, and there must be a small group of
mission leaders who are in charge of making the important decisions. These
leaders should be in charge of making major decisions in the face of
emergencies, and serve as the representatives of the base to Earth. It should
be a group of five individuals who come from different countries, so as to
keep with the international effort theme. These people will share some of the
normal responsibilities of the other astronauts, and will only be called in to
be leaders if the need arises. All of the astronauts must be proficient in at
least two fields needed for the mission, which includes engineering, geology,
psychology, chemistry, medicine, and possibly botany. Engineers will make
up the majority of the crew, as the ability to run all of the equipment and
oversee system operations is highly important. Geologists and chemists are
important because they are the scientists that will farther the science goals.
Psychologists and doctors are needed to look over the physical and mental
welfare of the crew, and botanists will be needed to run the agriculture
attachments that will help the base become self-sufficient. Finally, miners will
be needed to operate the mining machinery and oversee mining operations.
These will be divided among the population of fifteen for the initial mission,
and in the future, there will be future jobs that will be implemented in the
future, as the base grows and the crew increases.

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Citations
Abney, M., Hawley, K., Junaedi, C., Perry, J., Roychoudhury, S., Walsh, D.,
"Compact and Lightweight Sabatier Reactor for Carbon Dioxide Reduction"
NASA. Web. Retrieved from
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Anonymous. "Claustrophobia" (2014). NHS Choices. Web. Retrieved from
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/claustrophobia/Pages/Introduction.aspx
Arizona State University "Eos Chasma: Down In the Valley" (n.d). Arizona
State University. Web. Retrieved from http://themis.asu.edu/feature/54

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Kentucky Foundation "Mining Related Equipment" (n.d) Mining Internet
Services Inc. Web. Retrieved from
http://www.coaleducation.org/technology/modern_equipment.htm
Herridge, L. "Veggie Plant Growth System Activated On International Space
Station" (2014). NASA. Web. Retrieved from
http://www.nasa.gov/content/veggie-plant-growth-system-activated-oninternational-space-station
Loff, S. "Next Generation Vehicle for Space Exploration Driving New Tech
Here on Earth" (2012) NASA. Web. Retrieved from
http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/technology/space_exploration_vehicle/index
.html
Moore, T. " The weather on Mars is both totally alien and somewhat Earth-like
all at once" (2015). The Washington Post. Web. Retrieved from
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weathergang/wp/2015/10/18/the-weather-on-mars-is-both-totally-alien-andsomewhat-earth-like-all-at-once/
NASA "Space Launch System" NASA. Web. Retrieved from
http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/sls_october_2015_fact_she
et.pdf
Sharp, T. "Mars' Atmosphere: Composition, Climate, and Weather" (2012).
Space.com. web. Retrieved from http://www.space.com/16903-marsatmosphere-climate-weather.html
Sheehan, W. "The Planet Mars: A History of Observation and Discovery"
(1996) Arizona Board of Reagents. Web. Retrieved from
http://www.uapress.arizona.edu/onlinebks/MARS/APPENDS.HTM