“The War of the Worlds” is a science fiction novel by H. G. Wells, and it generated interest in Mars. That was back in 1898. An architecture studio ABIBOO has now undertaken an exercise to design sustainable cities on Mars. The studio has a global reach with offices around the world. Two of them are in the United States. The days of fantasizing might soon be history. The capital city named Nüwa will be at Tempe Mensa on Mars. It will be one of five planned to set the ball rolling. The proposed buildings would be vertical and built into the side of a cliff.
Such a construction could lessen the effect of atmospheric pressure and radiation. ABIBOO plans to use natural resources available on Mars to build the city. It would make use of carbon dioxide and water from the red planet to create the necessary steel. The city would have amenities similar to what exists on Earth. Alfredo Muñoz is the founder of ABIBOO. He told a media outlet: “We had to do a lot of analysis based on computing and working with the scientists to try to understand what are the circumstances that we will face.” America, China, and the UAE are already in the skies of Mars with different missions. They and others like them want a foothold on the red planet.
Daily Mail UK mentions a tentative timeframe.
Construction could begin by 2054 and occupation, not before 2100. The capacity of Nüwa would be 250,000. The roots of the name Nüwa are in Chinese mythology. She is the goddess who protects humans.
Food will have to be from Mars
The plan envisages cultivation to meet the needs of food for the city folks. The city would have “'Green-Domes” to act as parks for the residents or growing experimental vegetation.
The designers feel microalgae could enter the food chain. Recreational facilities could follow the existing pattern of Earth. The project's success would depend on how best scientists can harness the powers of artificial intelligence, robotics, and Renewable Energy. These are the three vital components for settling down on a distant planet.
Daily Mail UK says to Travel to Mars from Earth, one would have to rely on shuttle service. It would leave every 26 months, and the trip could be between one and three months. The cost of a one-way ticket could be around $300,000. In April 2018, NASA expanded its plans for the colonization of Mars.
Sustainable city on Mars
According to Euro News, the red planet Mars has always been a big draw for humans, and there are plans for building cities on the alien surface. A certain section of people is hopeful that fantasy could turn to reality. There will be five cities, and plants would produce oxygen. Food for inhabitants would be mostly plant-based, while solar panels would produce the energy. Mars is smaller than Earth, and trips would take advantage of the planets' configuration when Mars is closest to Earth.
Future settlers have to realize that humans have to adapt to the harsh environment on Mars, which would not be an easy task. As far back as November 2017, a media report mentioned some reasons to build a colony on Mars.
Mars specific challenges
Alfredo Muñoz, the founder of architecture studio ABIBOO, explains various challenges specific to Mars. One of these is gravity, which is much less than that on Earth. The company is in favor of using resources available on Mars to build the cities. An international team of scientists and academics would be involved in the project. As to a possible time frame, the company expects the construction to start by 2054 with completion by 2100. The Americans have a head start over others with their robots exploring the planet from different angles. NASA has already inducted a team of astronauts for its Artemis mission to the Moon and Mars
