Exploration activities and surface systems

Abstract

There has been no shortage of suggestions of how to send humans to Mars but little has been written about what astronauts will actually do once they have arrived safely on the surface or about the systems that will support exploration activities. Since the outcome of surface activities will ultimately determine whether Mars has the potential to sustain permanent human settlement, and because several mission profiles feature crews remaining on the surface for up to five hundred days, the subject of surface operations and systems deserves particular attention.