In other words, for any meaningful and long-lasting human presence on Mars, we would likely want to alter the planet and its atmosphere to make it more habitable for human life.
And while Mars is thought to have plenty of frozen water at its poles and in underground deposits, the logistics of tapping into these resources could be quite difficult. Because of the atmosphere and temperature swings, meaningful occurrences of liquid water on the planet’s surface are almost impossible. Indeed, the average temperature on Mars is −55 ☌ (−67 ☏), dust storms are frequent and potentially deadly, and the planet has extremely low atmospheric pressure (about 1% of Earth). As Elton John wisely noted, “Mars ain’t the kind of place to raise your kids”.
