Multiple rover missions to Mars over the last many years have given us a lot of information about Mars, its terrain, atmosphere, mineral deposits, water, seasons, dust storms, and more.  All this information will be helpful for manned missions to the Red Planet in the future.  SpaceX, the space company founded by Elon Musk aims to launch its first cargo mission to Mars in the year 2022 and send people to the Red Planet sometime in 2026.  US Space agency NASA is advancing many technologies to send astronauts to Mars as early as the 2030s.  China also plans to send its first crewed mission to Mars in 2033, with regular follow-up flights, under a long-term plan to build a permanently inhabited base on the Red Planet and extract its resources. 

The first few manned missions to Mars will likely be short-duration ones that will involve: landing a crew of 2 or 3 astronauts on Mars, conducting planetary exploration activities, collecting rock and soil samples, conducting a few scientific experiments on the Martian surface, and returning to Earth.

Here are six technologies that NASA is working on to make Mars science fiction a reality:  (source: NASA website)

Astronauts bound for Mars will have to travel about 140 million miles into deep space. At present, a one-way trip to Mars takes anywhere between 7 and 9 months depending on how powerful the rocket is, and how close Earth and Mars are when the rocket is launched.  For future expeditions to Mars involving humans, we need to cut down to and fro travel time to make it more bearable for humans to stay in space for extended periods of time.  This requires powerful rockets with advanced propulsion systems.  A propulsion system is what drives a rocket engine.  The propulsion system may use solid fuel, liquid fuel, or even nuclear fuel to provide thrust to a rocket.  We need a propulsion system that gives higher thrust to the rocket, enabling the rocket to travel faster and reach Mars sooner.

It is too early to say which propulsion system will take astronauts to Mars, but we know a nuclear-powered propulsion system can significantly reduce travel time to Mars. NASA is advancing multiple options, including nuclear electric and nuclear thermal propulsion systems.  A nuclear electric rocket is more efficient, but it doesn’t generate a lot of thrust.  Nuclear thermal propulsion, on the other hand, provides much more “oomph" (thrust).

Whichever system is selected, the fundamentals of nuclear propulsion will reduce the crew’s time away from Earth. The agency and its partners are developing, testing, and maturing critical components of various propulsion technologies to reduce the risk of the first manned mission to Mars.

When a spacecraft carrying astronauts enters the Martian atmosphere and starts descending to the surface to land, its kinetic energy is converted to heat energy.  This heat energy can be so intense that the temperature around the spacecraft can reach up to 5000 degrees Fahrenheit, hot enough to burn up the spacecraft itself and killing all astronauts on board.  We need a heat shield to protect the spacecraft during its descent into the Martian atmosphere.  A heatshield is nothing but a protective layer or covering on the outer surface of a spacecraft.  The heatshield is made up of special composite materials that can withstand very high temperatures.  The heat shield protects the spacecraft by reflecting, absorbing, or redirecting heat generated upon its entry into the atmosphere.  The same concept is used when a spacecraft re-enters the Earth's atmosphere after a rendezvous in space.   

Watch the below video to understand how a heat shield works during a spacecraft's entry into a planet's atmosphere:

NASA is working on an inflatable heat shield that allows its large surface area to take up less space in a rocket than a rigid head shield (currently being used) would do.  The technology could land spacecraft on any planet with an atmosphere. It would expand and inflate before it enters the Martian atmosphere to land cargo and astronauts safely.

The technology isn’t ready for the Red Planet just yet, but NASA has planned some flight tests to demonstrate the working of an inflatable heat shield during its entry into Earth's atmosphere.  Based on these tests, the inflatable heat shield may be put to use on a Mars mission later. 

NASA is working on high-tech spacesuits for astronauts to walk safely and comfortably on the surface of Moon (during an upcoming manned mission to the Moon).  Astronauts will wear NASA’s next-generation spacesuits called the "exploration extravehicular mobility unit" or xEMU and undertake lunar exploration.  The spacesuits prioritize crew safety while also allowing moonwalkers to make more natural, Earth-like movements and accomplish tasks that weren’t possible earlier.   

Future upgrades to the spacesuit will address Mars-specific requirements.  Spacesuits for astronauts exploring Mars may include life-support functionality in the carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere and modified outer garments to keep astronauts warm during the Martian winter and prevent overheating in the summer season.

Mars is an very uneven and rocky planet.  The surface is strewn with rocks and boulders of all sizes.  Moreover, Mars has deep craters, valleys and mountainous terrain.  In order for humans to travel on the Martian surface, say from one colony to a nearby colony, or to a workplace, we need a Buggy that can carry a few people.  The buggy has to be designed such that it can move up and down rocks and small boulders, climb up and down hills and craters and also move across uneven valleys.  

To reduce the number of items needed to land on the surface of Mars, NASA plans to combine the first Martian home and vehicle into a single rover complete with breathable air. 

NASA has conducted extensive rover testing on Earth to inform the development of a pressurized mobile home on the Moon. During future manned missions to the Moon, astronauts will be able to live and work in these rovers pressurized with oxygen.  They will be able to offer feedback to help refine the rover capabilities for astronauts living and traveling on Mars.  NASA’s robotic rovers will influence the Martian pressurised rover design, too – everything from the best wheels for Mars to how a larger vehicle will navigate the tough terrain.  

These pressurized rovers are called Space Exploration Vehicles (SEVs).  Unlike the autonomous rovers on Mars today, the SEVs can be driven on Moon or Martian surface by the astronauts themselves.   They will have everything inside that astronauts need to live and work for weeks. They can drive in comfortable clothing, tens of miles from the spacecraft that will launch them back to space for the return trip to Earth.  When they encounter interesting locations, astronauts can put on their high-tech spacesuits to exit the rover and collect samples and conduct science experiments.  

Like we use electricity to charge our devices on Earth, astronauts will need a reliable power supply to explore Mars. The system will need to be lightweight and capable of running regardless of its location or the weather on the Red Planet.

Mars has a day and night cycle like Earth and periodic dust storms that can last for months, making nuclear fission power a more reliable option than solar power.  NASA has already tested the technology on Earth and demonstrated that it is safe, efficient, and plentiful enough to enable long-duration surface missions.  NASA plans to demonstrate and use the fission power system on the Moon first, then on Mars.

Human missions to Mars may use lasers to stay in touch with Earth.  A laser communications system at Mars could send large amounts of real-time information and data, including high-definition images and video feeds.

Sending a map of Mars to Earth might take nine years with current radio systems, but as little as nine weeks with laser communications. The technology would also allow us to communicate with astronauts, to see and hear more of their adventures on the Red Planet.

NASA proved laser communications is possible with a demonstration from the Moon in 2013.  The agency’s next demo will work through different operational scenarios, perfect the laser pointing system, and address technology challenges from low-Earth orbit – things like clouds and other communications disruptions.  Another laser communications payload will venture to deep space to help inform what it takes to use the same technology millions and millions of miles away from Earth.

Below, you will find two types of activities:

1. Digital Activity

2. Physical Activity

You can use the knowledge acquired in this module to complete and submit either a digital activity, or a physical activity or both.  The choice is yours, but submitting at least one activity per module is important to receive participation certificate at the end of the bootcamp.

Complete ANY ONE of the below activities using a digital or AI tool of your choice:

• Design a 3D Model of a Spacecraft with heatshield.  Use the 3D printer in your ATL to build a physical model of the Spacecraft.

• Design a 3D Model of a Space Exploration Vehicle (SEV).  Use the 3D printer in your ATL to build a physical model of SEV.

• Design a 3D Model of an astronaut in a Spacesuit.  Use the 3D printer in your ATL to build a physical model of the astronaut.

• Build an animation video involving an astronaut walking on the surface of Mars.

• Build an animation in which a Space Exploration Vehicle (SEV) moves across the Martian surface.

• Create an eBook, Video, Alexa Quiz, or Chatbot providing information on the technologies required for first humans to arrive on Mars. 

Customize or enhance the above activities further as per your interest and bandwidth.

If you need guidance in using AI-based digital tools, please click here.

Submitting your Digital Activity: Click the "Submit Activity" button at the bottom of this page to submit your digital activity.  In the submission form, paste the link to your digital creation directly from the online tool, or paste the link to your digital creation from your Google Drive folder.  Ensure that the link has "public access" or "Anyone with the link can view".

Submitting your Physical Activity: Take a photo or video clip of your physical prototype or model and upload it to your Google Drive folder.  Click the "Submit Activity" button at the bottom of this page to submit your physical activity.  In the activity submission form, paste the link to the photo or video uploaded on your Google Drive folder. Ensure that the link has "public access" or "Anyone with the link can view".