Publisher's Synopsis
The currently known resources on Mars are massive, including extensive quantities of water andCO2 and therefore C, H2 and O2 for life support, fuels and plastics and much else. The regolith isreplete with all manner of minerals. In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) applicable frontiertechnologies include robotics, machine intelligence, nanotechnology, synthetic biology, 3-Dprinting/additive manufacturing and autonomy. These technologies combined with the vast naturalresources should enable serious, pre- and post-human arrival ISRU to greatly increase reliabilityand safety and reduce cost for human colonization of Mars. Various system-level transportationconcepts employing Mars produced fuel would enable Mars resources to evolve into a primarycenter of trade for the inner solar system for eventually nearly everything required for space faringand colonization. Mars resources and their exploitation via extensive ISRU are the key to a viable, safe and affordable, human presence beyond Earth. The purpose of this paper is four-fold: 1) tohighlight the latest discoveries of water, minerals, and other materials on Mars that reshape ourthinking about the value and capabilities of Mars ISRU; 2) to summarize the previous literature onMars ISRU processes, equipment, and approaches; 3) to point to frontier ISRU technologies andapproaches that can lead to safe and affordable human missions to Mars; and 4) to suggest animplementation strategy whereby the ISRU elements are phased into the mission campaign overtime to enable a sustainable and increasing human presence on Mars
