Discoveries

January 11, 2023

Red Storms

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It’s complicated sending humans to Mars.

Apart from oxygen supply, food issues and solar radiation, crewed missions also need to figure out how to power their equipment.

Astronomers have suggested using solar energy to power human missions. Unfortunately, sunlight is hard to come by in the planet’s polar regions and elsewhere.

Now, a new study suggests that wind turbines could be the solution to ensure safe exploration and a longer stay on the planet, New Scientist reported.

Researchers explained that Martian winds have around 99 percent less force compared to those on Earth because of the red planet’s thin atmosphere.

For their study, a research team collected detailed information about Mars and used the data to create a global climate model to simulate the different wind speeds across the planet.

The team also calculated how much power Earth-made wind turbines could generate and compared these figures with the estimated energy requirements for sustaining six people on Mars for a mission lasting 500 Martian days.

The researchers discovered that wind energy might not only supplement solar energy – particularly at night and during strong dust storms that block out sunlight – but also completely replace it in some regions.

Still, the authors noted that their findings derive from a theoretical standpoint and more research is needed to determine the practicalities of building wind turbines on Mars.

This story originally appeared in the January 11, 2023 newsletter, Breathing Politics.