👨🚀 What if humans lived on Mars?
0.38g, thin air, radiation — a survival engineering problem.
Try it: Planet Gravity Laboratory
On Mars (gravity 3.71 m/s²) you would weigh 259.7 N — a scale would read about 26.482 kg. Your mass (70 kg) never changes.
The science
On Mars you'd weigh 38% of Earth weight (Gravity Laboratory, select Mars). The air is 1% as thick as Earth's and mostly CO₂, temperatures average −65 °C, and without a magnetosphere, surface radiation is far higher than on Earth. Habitats, suits and radiation sheltering are not optional.
Immediate consequences (modelled)
Settlers need pressurised habitats, oxygen production (like MOXIE demonstrated), and water mining from ice.
Possible long-term consequences (hypotheses)
Long-term health effects of 0.38g on bones, muscles and child development are unknown — an honest open question.
Assumptions: Current Mars data from NASA rovers and orbiters.
Limitations: Does not model climate, geology, biology or engineering in full detail.
Reference: NASA Mars human exploration research