Regardless of how much we may like “The Martian” movie that had Matt Daemon in the main role, we all need to be realistic and say that surviving on the Red Planet, even for a single day, is an extremely challenging task. However, nobody has ever been able to go to Mars yet, but some people are optimistic that Elon Musk is telling the truth when he says that he will be able to land humans on the Red Planet in the near future.

Mars doesn’t have an environment made for humans, that’s for sure. Mars has a harsh environment compared to Earth. The atmosphere is thin, and it’s composed mostly of carbon dioxide. The atmospheric pressure is very low, and the breathable oxygen is practically non-existent. The surface temperature is also not friendly either, as it ranges from 125° C at the poles to 20° C near the equator.

Let’s also not forget about the radiation planet Mars has, as it doesn’t have a protective magnetic field and a thick atmosphere such as Earth. The surface of Mars is being bombarded by harmful radiation from the Sun and Cosmic rays.

The reasons why Mars isn’t a habitable place for humans could continue, but we may be able to survive there for a single day if we have a cosmic suit and other aces up our sleeves. Let’s see what else would we need for a trip to Mars in order to have a chance of surviving there for at least one day:

Water:

Liquid water is indispensable for all forms of life as we know it, which means that we couldn’t possibly live without it. There is some water on Mars in the form of ice, and if someone goes there, he would need a way to extract, purify, and store that water for drinking and other needs.

Food:

We, as human beings, need energy in order to function correctly. From intellectual endeavors such as trying to solve an algebra problem to basic tasks such as the simple act of walking, we need to burn energy. We can get the right amount of energy from the food we eat, which means that you would need a supply of nutritious food to sustain yourself for at least one day on Mars. Therefore, snacks, prepackaged meals, and possibly hydroponically grown vegetables could indeed come in handy on the Red Planet.

Shelter:

As we said, Mars is far from being a habitable planet. In other words, our neighboring planet has pretty much everything it can in order to kill us if we go there unprotected, and phenomena such as radiation, extreme temperatures, and other hazards, are anything but friendly. This means that you would need a sturdy shelter or habitat. You could consider to that regard a a spacecraft or an inflatable structure, for instance.

If you go to Mars even for a single day, you will need to find a way to run equipment, in-life support systems, and recharge batteries. This means that you would need a reliable source of power. Nuclear power, solar panels, and even other energy sources could be used for such a purpose.

There could be numerous dangers in space in general and on planet Mars in particular. This means that basic medical supplies and equipment would be necessary for illnesses, injuries, and emergencies.

If you ever go to Mars, you will, for the first time, appreciate the importance of breathable oxygen. That’s because Mars has a very thin atmosphere that is primarily composed of carbon dioxide, which is incompatible for us human beings. In order to survive such an environment, you would need a source of breathable oxygen. It can be done through oxygen tanks.

Surviving on Mars is nothing easy – in fact, we don’t even know with absolute certainty that it is indeed possible. We will know for sure if humans can inneed survive on Mars or not if space agencies will find a way to send us there. Until that moment, anything else is pure speculation and propaganda.