Will the first Martians be robots?

摘要

If it all goes ahead, the first Mars pioneers can look forward to an amazing stay after an eight-month journey. The shiny round windows on the surface of Mars will already be visible from their Mars lander (9). Still a bit stiff, they walk to the entrance in their space suits. Luckily, gravity here is less than half that on earth. Dust and sand blow against their visors and around their boots. Behind them, kites fly in figures of eight in the red sky (7). A hatch provides access to a narrow tunnel. The corridor slopes gradually downwards before bending left. After a few more turns, they reach the end of the tunnel, and enter an egg-shaped space with rough walls (10). Daylight comes in from almost ten metres above. This rounded, almost sacred space, is one of many. Together, they constitute the accommodation for the first generation of Mars pioneers, who can now start setting things up, growing food, and getting on with whatever prompted them to come here.