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The ''SSI Mars team'' seeks to push the boundaries of crewed space missions and pave the way for permanent settlement of Mars and other celestial bodies. Our projects are centered on in situ resource utilization (ISRU), a broad group of technologies which make use of the scant resources on Mars for long-term surface missions. We turn Martian air and soil into fuel and concrete, eliminating the need to launch everything from Earth. At the same time, ISRU technologies can sustainably produce fuel and building materials for use on Earth, making our work a crucial step in fighting climate change. If we learn to live on the Red Planet, we can also save the blue one!
The ''SSI Mars team'' seeks to push the boundaries of crewed space missions and pave the way for permanent settlement of Mars and other celestial bodies. Our projects are centered on [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_situ_resource_utilization in situ resource utilization] (ISRU), a broad group of technologies which make use of the scant resources on Mars for long-term surface missions. We turn Martian air and soil into fuel and concrete, eliminating the need to launch everything from Earth. At the same time, ISRU technologies can sustainably produce fuel and building materials for use on Earth, making our work a crucial step in fighting [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_change climate change]. If we learn to live on the Red Planet, we can also save the blue one!
Furthermore, we are developing technologies to help explore uncharted regions of Mars, such as the planet's [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martian_polar_ice_caps polar ice caps]. Through the Mars Polar Rover Team, we are building a rover that will make a journey across Antarctica to set course for the South Pole on Earth. This mission will serve as a template to one day reach the corresponding polar ice caps on Mars.
It's not just Martian technology that our team works on – we are also pursuing breakthroughs on the Moon. One of our newest projects, a partnership with aerospace company [https://astrolab.space Astrolab], aims to construct a prototype excavator to dig through [https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/05_1_snoble_thelunarregolith.pdf lunar regolith] for eventual human settlement and construction on the Moon.
{{nowrap|The current Mars co-leads are {{Leadership|Mars=true}}}}
{{nowrap|The current Mars co-leads are {{Leadership|Mars=true}}}}