A Mars Outpost

Artist's concept of possible exploration programs. This close-up view (S85-31477 and S85-31478) of a human Mars mission and construction of a permanent base are two of the many options being studied that could impact the space station. A study for NASA outlined surface and transportation requirements for a Mars base used information synthesized from many studies on potential human Mars missions. This artist's concept depicts such possibilities as greenhouses, segmented traverse vehicles, tunneling machines, water wells and robotic front end loaders. Artwork done for NASA by Pat Rawlings, of Eagle Engineering Incorporated.