One of the biggest problems faced by Human space explores is the need for water, Oxygen, Shelter, Energy and Food.

See also Controlled ecological life-support system CELSS

All these issues are being researched either on the here on Earth and on the International Space Station (ISS) to be able to produce food in space, on the moon and on other planets initially for Mars.

One key requirement is Food, experiments are taking place both NASA and the ISS and in laboratories around the world.

There are some good sources of information

NASA Goddard: The Beginning Engineering, Science, and Technology (BEST)

NASA: Living off the Land in the Final Frontier

Needs

As well as staying alive needs will also be day to day needs such as Hygiene, Medical and .

Many things we take for granted like toilet wipes, It has cost millions of dollars to provide this on the ISS.

All the goods will require a range of raw materials and manufacturing capability.

Materials available on Mars

The martian rocks and soil have many useful elements such as magnesium, aluminum, calcium, and potassium, silicates (minerals containing silicon and oxygen), metals such as Iron and Nickel, also hydrogen for rocket fuel, oxygen to breathe, water to drink. What's needed is a solvent to get them out.

Colonists will also need to process hundreds of kilograms of raw material from the martian atmosphere that contains about 95 percent carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen (N2) that makes up 2.7 percent of the atmosphere.

Initially CO2 could be used to generate water. Certain martian rocks (like some of Earth's rocks) contain hydrogen. When these rocks are submerged in supercritical carbon dioxide, a chemical reaction takes place. The CO2's carbon becomes "fixed" in the rock, leaving the oxygen free to combine with hydrogen producing water (Credit Ken Debelak). Mars soils contains a lot of toxic Perchlorates ClO₄ ions.

This water can then be split into hydrogen for fuel, and oxygen for breathing or as an oxidizer.

Metals

The most common metals on Mars, taken from the mean concentrations in Curiosity APXS samples:

Iron: 13.3%

Aluminum: 4.7%

Calcium 4.6%

Magnesium 4.0%

Sodium: 2.0%

Potassium: 0.7%

Titanium: 0.6%

Manganese 0.2%

Chromium: 0.2%

Zinc: 0.1%

Nickel: 0.1%

Habitat materials

Heating sulphur to around 240 °C to make concrete using Martian soil without using water, Then using a 3-D printing to construct shelters, for human use an airtight membrane would be needed and life support.

Concrete with its high compressive strength could be a very useful material, Sulfur could be easily obtain on Mars so Sulfur concrete would a straight straightforward to make by melting sulfur and mixing it with regolith.

Building using In-Situ Resource utilization (ISRU)

ISRU is the ability to use raw materials on a planetary body or asteroid for the construction of life support including habitats, oxygen plants, water production, power production (like solar panels), fuel, heating/cooling equipment, building farms for food, and so many things that here on Earth we just take for granted like toothpaste, sanitary items like toilets and even toilet rolls, clothes, etc etc.

Mining, refining and manufacturing

Most raw materials will need to be located for rich deposits and then mined using an array of sophisticated AI controlled heavy equipment, once mined the power hungry task of refining begins requiring many different smelting and chemical processing plants, the refined materials and chemicals need to be stored, then come manufacturing, the number of processes required to produce many everyday items is amazingly complex especially if we consider the absence of natural resources found on Earth like Wood, Petroleum and textiles(cotton, weave, leather etc).

A self sustainable civilisation from Earth is a long way off as many requirements for living in the harsh environments beyond Earth will require advanced technology and computing, The ability to produce even simple computing devices will be a tremendous achievement requiring a vast array of different materials and fabrication plants. Very basic electronics will be manageable for making solar panels(Energy) and wiring while power electronics are more complex requiring semiconductor production. Medical research on Mars will be different and more complex than on Earth as Radiation and Childbirth become very specialised issues.

Food

Food requirements for use in space and on Mars will very and the diet will be challenging.

Hydroponics food production in space and on Mars looks promising (SEE Space Food) any form of plant growth will need nutrients .

The first diet looks likely to initially include just vegetables, insects and maybe fish also them some chemical produced sauces and seasonings, hopefully when there is enough corn/wheat production there could be some experiments with livestock like chickens. Bread will be a luxury as 100 square feet needed to make enough wheat for 1 loaf of bread.

Aquafarming: farming of fish, crustaceans, molluscs, aquatic plants, algae, and other organisms could prove vital to Mars colonists.

Growing sufficient food even for to support a small research base with couple of dozen people on Mars will be an achievement. Food would require large volumes to grow in that is free from harmful radiation and yet have enough light. Seasonal effects on crops of light and heat is also another consideration. But most important of all will crops grown on Mars from in-situ refined regolith like ice and nutrients resources found on Mars be safe to eat!

Growing Food on Mars

ESA MELLISSA Lake project Micro EcoLogical LIfe Support System Alternative

SEE also A Human Mission to Mars , SpaceX Mars , Exploration Zones and SpaceX Mars City