The installation of planetary and lunar human outposts might be an important step for future solar system exploration by both public space agencies and private companies. Humans living and working in these artificially created habitats will possibly depend, among other life support approaches, on bio-regenerative life support systems to produce and recycle oxygen and water, and to produce food. A variety of natural resources suitable life support can be readily found on Mars, and to a lesser extent on the Moon. Instead of launching all resources (e.g., water, propellant, food and other materials) from Earth, it could potentially be much more cost effective to send automated machinery to harvest resources from the Martian surface and atmosphere in preparation for the arrival of humans. The exploration of these natural resource deposits, the concentration of the raw materials contained in them, and the feasibility of mining and refinement are open questions that require further consideration. Here we address the concept of harvesting resources in situ by reviewing the potential of several large deposits of hydrated minerals found on the surface of Mars thanks to previous orbital detections. We also present estimates of water volumes potentially retrievable from specific deposits and describe additional uses of the hydrated minerals for example as fertilizer for food production.

Christoph Gross

Muna Al-Samir

Janice L. Bishop

François Poulet

Frank Postberg

Daniel Schubert

Acta Astronautica

ACTA ASTRONAUTICA 由国际宇航科学院赞助。内容基于在基础、工程、生命和社会空间科学以及与空间技术相关的所有领域的原创贡献：空间的和平科学探索、其为人类福祉和进步而开发、空间的概念、设计、开发和运营- 承载和基于地球的系统，除了常规问题外，该杂志还出版年度国际宇航大会 (IAC) 的精选会议记录、IAA 的交易以及有关当前感兴趣的主题的特刊，例如微重力、空间站技术、地球静止轨道和空间经济学。其他学科领域包括卫星技术、空间运输和通信、空间能源、动力和推进、天体动力学、地外智能和地球观测。

Acta Astronautica is sponsored by the International Academy of Astronautics. The journal publishes original contributions in the fields of fundamental, engineering, life, and social space sciences, as well as all areas related to space technology. It is dedicated to the peaceful scientific exploration of space, promoting human welfare and progress, and covers concepts, design, development, and operation of space systems, both ground-based and Earth-based. In addition to regular research articles, the journal publishes selected conference proceedings from the annual International Astronautical Congress (IAC), transactions of the IAA, and special issues on current topics of interest, such as microgravity, space station technology, geostationary orbits, and space economics. Other disciplines include satellite technology, space transportation and communication, space energy, propulsion, astrodynamics, extraterrestrial intelligence, and Earth observation.

《Acta Astronautica》由国际宇航科学院赞助，内容涵盖基础、工程、生命和社会空间科学以及与空间技术相关的各个领域的原创研究。该期刊致力于和平科学探索空间，促进人类福祉与进步，涉及空间的概念、设计、开发和运营，包括地面和基于地球的系统。除了常规研究外，期刊还出版年度国际宇航大会（IAC）的精选会议记录、国际宇航科学院（IAA）的交易以及关于当前热点主题的特刊，如微重力、空间站技术、地球静止轨道和空间经济学。其他相关学科包括卫星技术、空间运输与通信、空间能源、动力与推进、天体动力学、地外智能和地球观测。

Category	Quartile
物理与天体物理	2
物理与天体物理, 工程宇航	2

Prospecting in-situ resources for future crewed missions to Mars

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Journal Info

Category	Quartile
ENGINEERING, AEROSPACE	1