Issues with colonizing Mars! From the complexities of getting humans there and back to obstacles in living on the red planet.


#7 Freezing Temperatures

The coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth was in Antarctica at a remarkably low -128.6 degrees Fahrenheit. But this frigid climate isn’t far from the norm for Mars, which has an average surface temperature ranging between -125 and 23 degrees fahrenheit depending on season and location. Just like on Earth, though, there are some extremes that can prove either comfortable or lethal for Earthlings. At the equator, Mars can reach a high temperature of 68 degrees fahrenheit at noon, while the lowest condition at either pole can drop as low as -243 degrees fahrenheit! Other methods of measuring temperature on the red planet include a soil estimate of 81 degrees fahrenheit and a daytime air temperature of 95 degrees fahrenheit, measured by the Viking Orbiter and The Spirit rover respectively. While certain technological developments might be made to allow humans to live through this planet’s erratic temperature fluxuations, the reality is that Mars may prove too cold to last for extended periods of time with such an unpredictable and dangerous climate.

#6 Hydration Issues

Looking at the surface of Mars, it’s plain to see that at one time, there was water on the now desolate planet. Two massive ice caps of permafrost stretch across the poles of either longitudinal end of Mars, and tests have shown that more frozen water exists below the red planet’s surface. In fact, scientists believe there is so much water on the planet, both under its surface and frozen in its ice caps, that were it to be melted, it could cover the entirety of the planet to a depth of 115 feet! Due to its atmospheric pressure level, though, it is impossible for a large body of water to exist on Mars in its current state. It’s thought that there was a time billions of years ago in which the planet could have sustained microbial life forms, but today Mars is in a subfreezing state and is extremely arid. But not all hope is lost, as scientists investigate the area beneath the surface in hopes of finding some sort of habitable environment.