Extending humanity to other worlds in the Solar System is at the very limits of our modern technology. And unless there are dramatic discoveries in new propulsion systems or we learn how to build everything out of carbon nanotubes, the future of space exploration is going to require living off the land.

The technique is known as In-Situ Resource Utilization or ISRU, and it means supplying as much of your mission from local resources as possible.

And many of our future exploration destinations, like Mars, have a lot to work with. Let’s look at the raw materials on Mars that missions can use to live off the land and the techniques and technologies that will need to be developed to make this possible.

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References:
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20160005963.pdf
https://space.nss.org/the-promise-of-mars-by-robert-zubrin/
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7038
https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/msa/ammin/article/103/7/1011/537180/gypsum-bassanite-and-anhydrite-at-gale-crater-mars
https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/jarosite-in-the-noctis-labyrinthus-region-of-mars
http://fti.neep.wisc.edu/neep533/SPRING2004/lecture19.pdf
https://www.nature.com/articles/ngeo1923
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/242525435_Perchlorate_on_Mars_A_chemical_hazard_and_a_resource_for_humans
https://mars.nasa.gov/news/curiosity-finds-evidence-of-mars-crust-contributing-to-atmosphere/
https://mars.nasa.gov/resources/8200/boron-sodium-and-chlorine-in-mineral-vein-diyogha/
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6544
https://mars.nasa.gov/mars-exploration/missions/viking-1-2/
https://www.nasa.gov/jpl/msl/pia18387
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20110015862.pdf
https://phys.org/news/2019-04-methane-route-storage-renewable-energy.html
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/9159/213d6ad79bd800d07525bc37463588742662.pdf
https://www.icis.com/explore/resources/news/2007/11/05/9075777/ethylene-uses-and-market-data
https://www.universetoday.com/144136/using-bacteria-to-build-a-base-on-mars/
https://madeinspace.us/press-releases/made-in-space-wins-nasa-contract-to-develop-hybrid-metal-manufacturing-system-for-space-exploration/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gfS5k8juDM
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-01157-w??utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=commission_junction&utm_campaign=3_nsn6445_deeplink_PID7596969&utm_content=deeplink
https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lunarisru2019/presentations/5066_Mueller.pdf
https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/centennial_challenges/3DPHab/latest-updates-from-nasa-on-3d-printed-habitat-competition

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Episode 37: Names Are Hard -- A Deep Dive into WFM’s Shared World