Terraforming Mars: How to Make the Red Planet Habitable

The dream of making Mars habitable – terraforming the Red Planet – is moving from science fiction to the realm of serious, if centuries-long, engineering challenges. A recent workshop summary from Pioneer Labs, a non-profit focused on Martian microbial engineering, lays out a surprisingly detailed roadmap, and it’s gaining traction as NASA’s Artemis program progresses towards eventual human missions. This isn’t about a quick fix; it’s about fundamentally altering a planet, and the implications for humanity – as a multi-planetary species, or simply as a civilization grappling with existential risk – are enormous.

For decades, Mars has been characterized as a freeze-dried desert, a stark contrast to the warmer, wetter planet it once was. The core idea behind terraforming isn’t to create a second Earth, but to *reverse* the planetary clock, restoring conditions conducive to liquid water and, ultimately, breathable air. The Pioneer Labs report, prepared for their 2025 Green Mars Workshop, outlines a phased approach. Initially, human presence will resemble Antarctic research stations – isolated, self-contained modules relying on life support systems. Over time, these could expand into larger, pressurized habitats, potentially housed within impact craters. The real transformation, however, hinges on establishing a global ecosystem, starting with hardy microbes and eventually progressing to plant life.

This isn’t simply a matter of technological prowess. The report highlights critical unknowns. Recent data suggests a lower-than-expected concentration of frozen carbon dioxide at Mars’s south pole – a key component for building a substantial atmosphere. While redirecting volatile-rich asteroids and comets is proposed as a solution, it represents a monumental undertaking. Furthermore, Mars lacks a global magnetic field, meaning any newly created atmosphere will be slowly stripped away by the solar wind. Pioneer Labs suggests this atmospheric loss could be managed for at least a hundred million years, but it’s a fundamental limitation.

The Forward Look

The terraforming discussion is shifting from “if” to “how,” and that’s significant. The immediate impact isn’t a Martian colony tomorrow, but a surge in investment and research into key enabling technologies. Expect to see increased funding for astrobiology, genetic engineering (specifically extremophile organisms), closed-loop life support systems, and advanced materials science. The biggest near-term development will be the refinement of techniques for in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) – essentially, learning to live off the land on Mars.

However, the ethical considerations are equally important. Introducing terrestrial life to Mars raises questions about planetary protection and the potential disruption of any native Martian life (however unlikely). The long timescales involved also demand a level of international cooperation rarely seen in large-scale engineering projects. The next five years will be crucial for addressing these challenges and solidifying a concrete, internationally-backed plan. The 2025 workshop summary isn’t just a technical blueprint; it’s a call to action, and a signal that humanity is seriously contemplating its future beyond Earth.

Lewis Dartnell was reading An Introduction to Mars Terraforming, 2025 Workshop Summary by Devon Stork and Erika DeBenedictis Read it online at: arxiv.org/abs/2510.07344.

This article appeared in the January 2026 issue of BBC Sky at Night Magazine