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If humans land on Mars by 2037 as NASA hopes, they'll need cities modeled on ones that already exist in extreme climates on Earth. Here are six high-tech (and a few low-tech) cities that would have a passing shot at survival in the Martian climate. Of course there are the obvious choices, like research stations in Antarctica. But there are other possibilities, like the instant city model developed at Black Rock City, home to arts festival Burning Man, which you can see here nestled in a Martian crater. And there are others potential Martian city models that might surprise you, like ones in Nunavut, Canada and in ancient Native American pueblos.
We've superimposed structures from Earth onto real Martian landscapes created by the Martian rovers and satellites orbiting Mars. You can see smaller photos of the original Earth structures next to each.
Black Rock City
Above, you can see what Black Rock City, home to Burning Man, would look like in a Martian crater. Why this city? Erected swiftly every year in the barren playa of Black Rock Desert in Nevada, the city is like a beta test for instant colonies erected in harsh alien climates. People use vehicles and temporary buildings to shield themselves from extreme temperatures and sandstorms. Would it work on Mars? If the buildings could provide atmosphere, yes. A Martian colony will need fast, temporary housing and will also need to be profoundly careful with the ecosystem on the planet. So the Burning Man credo of "leave no trace," meaning leave no trash or non-environmentally appropriate items, will become the credo of Mars too.
Anarctica
Already there is an international program devoted to simulating life on Mars in the arctic region. And Kim Stanley Robinson, author of the Red Mars trilogy, spent several seasons in Antarctica to get a feel for what it would be like to live on Mars. Many researchers have speculated that the new high-tech Antarctic science station, pictured here on a Martian landscape, would be perfect for the frigid, windy climate on Mars. It's placed on hydraulic legs that can lift or lower the station so that winds can blow underneath the station, and snow (or on Mars, sand) doesn't get packed around the walls.
Dubai
A vast city that grew out of a harsh desert climate over the past two decades, Dubai could provide a model for the Martian desert too. The problems? Even though the city grew quickly, it's not "instant" enough to provide a good colony blueprint. And the amount of power and raw materials required to build skyscrapers on this scale might not work on a planet whose natural resources are not as plentiful as the Earth.
Las Vegas
Like Dubai, Las Vegas is literally a city in a Martian-esque landscape (although Vegas is hot rather than freezing, the way Mars is). Much of Vegas is already under a dome, in the sense that most action on the strip takes place in vast, climate-controlled casino-malls. Would it provide a good model for a city on Mars? While Caesar's Palace might work as a domed city, the problem here is the same as in Dubai. The resources and water required to keep this city running on full power probably wouldn't exist on Mars.
Nunavut
The far-northern territory of Nunavut in Canada is an excellent analog for Mars. Cold and dry, the region is home to cities and peoples who are used to surviving the cold without the vast resources of a wealthy land like Dubai. Here, you can see the John Arnalukjuak School in a small city in Nunavut, which was built to withstand subzero temperatures while also using modest power. Low to the ground and insulated, the building is precisely the kind of shelter that would keep Martian kids of the future warm while they learn all about those weird old people from Earth.
Pueblos of United States and Mexico
The natives who lived in what later became Mexico and the United States built homes directly into rocky slopes, and later used clay to build vast, interconnected homes that stayed warm in winter and cool in summer. Small windows kept the worst of the desert wind out, and the thick clay walls provided excellent insulation. Obviously a pueblo alone wouldn't work as a Martian colony, but pueblo-style dwellings with atmospheric controls, low to the ground and interconnected, made from thick Martian clay, might be just the ticket for a Martian city.
Image spiffing by Stephanie Fox.
Image of the North American Pueblo at Taos by Bobak Ha'Eri. Image of Las Vegas by MattSims. Image of Nunavut school by eanoee. Image of Black Rock City from Incredimazing. Octal has a great set of photos of Dubai, including the one we used above that captures how much it is literally growing out of a barren desert.
Comments
Tataouine?
Or more interestingly, all of the different levels of Cappadocia?
Eh, you just wanted the graphic designer to earn her money. And well done at that.
I am So a Pueblo Martian.
Lovely graphics too. Free Mars!
I'll practice changing Burning Man to Mars as the topic of this sentence from now on.
"Yeah, I know you dig it, but I'm pretty sure its not going to be my thing. Maybe if I have the money next year ok?"
@aspiringexpatriate: Yeah, I like the Nunavut one the best I think. Though Black Rock City does look lovely in a Martian crater.
This is some nice (quickly done) graphic spiffing, Stephanie. We need some canals though, yes? Cheers!
@Garrison Dean: Man, you say that *every* time we ask about Burning Mons.
@Stephanie A Fox: I do believe those "craters" are actually calderas on top on one of the giant shield volcanoes on Mars. Burning Mons, indeed.
@Stephanie A Fox: Yeah, by the time he goes to Mars it will be totally uncool.
@Gopherit: Nice and toasty there.
Of the many things possible colonization of Mars will involve, an environmentally conscious "leave no trace" mentality will absolutely not be one of them.
@Eirias: Oh I think it will have to be. Too much to lose if a tiny amount of precious water goes to waste. So people might litter, but they won't waste precious resources.
Spiffing indeed! Nunavut and Antarctica look the most practical of course.
Before I saw the picture, when I read "pueblo", I was thinking more of Mesa Verde -- tuck that into a Martian cliff and roof/wall it over, ta-da.
Also, I'll totally take Garrison's seat in the spacevan to Burning Mons.
Las Vegas has something none of the others have, a MONORAIL. Can you imagine a martian city without a monorail? I can't.
Pueblos.. I think i read that the north pole is several kilometers lower than the mean for the planet, good place to start. Or down in Valles Marineris. Pueblo in a deep valley . Keep what air you have in one place.. OD dome over a nice deep crater.
The image of Dubai on Mars cracked me up, but then Vegas was just over the top.
These megacities didn't arise out of the barren desert because they were somehow especially suited for the environment -- they did because of, in the case of Vegas, an enormous influx of money, and in Dubai, an easily-exploited labor pool -- rather brute-force solutions to overcoming inhospitable conditions by throwing resources at them. Manufacturing paradise.
I liked the pueblos, though. Reminded me of the Mars on Futurama. Where the buggalo roam!
As smarter writers than me have postulated, all humans on Mars have to be underground, or under domes. There is no air. There is no magnetic field, so all that radiation from Sol will cook anything on the surface. Still, some pretty pictures. Take the crater colony and do as Kim Stanley Robinson said and put in under big tent-domes. Mars sucks for humans, we're better off on big ships that could move behind Mars to escape solar storms. And the gravity is too weak.
@Editor:
Mexico is in North America. You mean Mexico and the American Southwest. To be more accurate, you might want to refer to the three groups of people generally believed to have built most pueblo dwellings, the Anasazi, Hohokam, and Mogollon.
Fix your post before it becomes an international incident!
@Stephanie A Fox: Burning Mons? Is that an, um, 'social disease'?
@mikethegirl: I've always considered Mexico 'Northern Central America' myself.
Comment on Six Earth Cities That Will Provide Blueprints for Martian Settlers Great piece! One of the first things I thought of after returning from my first Burning Man is how well some of the basic concepts would work in a Mars colony. The first cities on Mars will be tent cities. And to keep the colonists sane and happy, I can see some regular carnivale parties becoming a part of the social life. Mars colonists will party hard you can bet that! Who will be the first colonists to smuggle psilocybin mushroom spores to Mars? That would be the easiest psychoactive to grow and harvest in those conditions.
@AmishJohn: Central america is a social designation. American's don't want to be grouped in with Mexicans. There is no such thing as Central America on maps.
Changed to "United States and Mexico."
John Arnalukjuak High School is in Arviat. Thats the name of the small city in Nanavut. Arviat.
What about those concrete "dome homes" they've been building in hurricane zones lately? They look ideal for this, though there isn't a "dome city" or even a "dome village" yet.
@Evil Tortie's Mom (and @Grey_Area, @gods-n-clods, and @aspiringexpatriate): Thanks for the spiffing comments!
@AmishJohn: Depends on who you ask.
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