A new approach is described for the manned exploration and colonization of Mars. Instead of individual missions launched from Earth that carry all of the supplies needed for the journey to Mars, life support and operations on Mars, and the return trip to Earth, a compact robotic nuclear powered factory unit, termed ALPH, is landed on the North Polar Cap of Mars. Using the H2O ice available from the Polar Cap, plus CO2 and N2 from the Martian atmosphere, ALPH – robotically manufactures and stockpiles hundreds of tons of liquid H2 and O2 propellants, liquid methane and methanol fuels, breathable liquefied N2/O2 air, plastics, and foodstuffs (algae and yeasts) in advance of a manned landing. All of these supplies are produced and in place during the 2-year period before the astronauts leave Earth, greatly reducing risk to them and the mission. After landing, the astronauts use the stockpiled supplies for their explorations and the eventual return to Earth. While on Mars they use subsurface thermally insulated cavities in the ice sheet, produced using waste heat from ALPH, as habitats, with full shielding against cosmic radiation. ALPH will enable establishments of a permanent manned base on Mars that eventually can grow into a large colony of ～500 persons. ALPH uses a compact water cooled reactor with commercially available, well developed Zr/UO2 cermet fuel, and a conventional steam power cycle plus existing industrial process technology to produce the various supplies. Using ALPH astronauts could land at a fully stocked base on Mars with safe habitats, in 2018 AD.
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