Since the 20th century, there have been several proposed human missions to Mars both by government agencies and private companies.
Most of the human mission concepts as currently conceived … See more

Conditions on the surface of Mars are closer to the conditions on Earth in terms of temperature and sunlight than on any other planet or … See more

Colonization of Mars would require a wide variety of equipment—both equipment to directly provide services to humans and production equipment used … See more

As with early colonies in the New World, economics would be a crucial aspect to a colony's success. The reduced gravity well of Mars and its position in the Solar System may facilitate See more

Gravity and size
The surface gravity of Mars is just 38% that of Earth. Although microgravity is known to cause health problems such as muscle loss and … See more

Interplanetary spaceflight
Mars requires less energy per unit mass (delta V) to reach from Earth than any planet except Venus. Using a Hohmann transfer orbit See more

The path to a human colony could be prepared by robotic systems such as the Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit, Opportunity, See more