At the 67th International Astronautics Congress in Guadalajara, Mexico, Elon Musk gave a speech that was more anticipated than any other billionaire's and inventor's speech. Musk spoke about how humanity is on the verge of its new future - free solar energy, independent cars and space travel await us. The first serious step on the path of the colonizers of the universe will be Mars - a planet that has attracted people for more than a hundred years. The project of colonization of Mars according to Musk involves the construction of a self-sustaining station-city there - this will become possible in 50 - 100 years. Despite all the boldness of such statements, the projects for the colonization of Mars appeared long before Musk - we have collected the most striking of them.
1940s: Terraforming Mars
The idea to slightly warm up the Red Planet by targeted nuclear strikes on the nitrate deposits is an idea that appeared even before the nuclear bomb. The term "terraforming" was coined by science fiction writer Jack Williamson - in one of his stories he described in detail the ways to make a lifeless planet suitable for colonization. It was then that the basic principles of this futuristic science were born, on which scientists, including Elon Musk, are betting today. His proposal to bomb Mars with thermonuclear charges is nothing more than a primary terraforming that will cause a greenhouse effect and warm the planet to acceptable temperatures.
1950s: Werner von Braun Project
The first detailed vision of an American space flight to Mars was the brainchild of Wernher von Braun, a former Nazi scientist who worked at NASA after World War II. His 1952 book, Project Mars, was the first widely disseminated plan to build a colony on Mars. Von Braun envisioned a fleet of 10 massive spacecraft assembled in space and orbiting Mars, carrying 70 people, along with food and survival essentials.
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1960s: Modular stations at the equator of Mars
A landing party from several spaceships, upon reaching Mars, becomes modular dwellings for the crew. At the same time, auxiliary premises with greenhouses and greenhouses are created on the surface of the planet, supplying the pioneers with food. For the new arrivals, the authors of the project envisaged the deployment of inflatable dwellings in the form of tents, designed for 70 people of a permanent contingent.
1980s: The Mars Underground and the Mars case
In the late 1970s, after successful manned missions to the Moon, many scientists came up with the idea of sending the first colonizers to Mars. Mars Underground has become the first sign in modern plans to populate the planet. It was within the framework of this project that serious research began on the capabilities of not only technology, but also people. The space exploration project included an interesting scheme for the shuttle transfer of the first settlers - the Moon was supposed to be used as a transshipment spaceport. Scientists do not abandon such plans to this day.
1990s: Robert Zubrin and Mars Direct
All of the work of NASA scientists in the 1980s went to pieces when the first administration of George W. Bush cut funding for the Martian program to almost zero. Driven by personal enthusiasm, scientist Robert Zubrin began developing a new program, which was several times cheaper and abandoned the idea of shuttle transportation. According to Zubrin's plan, the ships of the colonialists went straight to Mars and began the construction of residential blocks on the spot. A key feature of the project was the creation of small settlements of 10-20 people, who lived in their own residential modules with everything they needed - a gym and private rooms for each settler were provided in the houses.
2000s: Mars One
The private project Mars One involves a flight to Mars, followed by the establishment of a colony on its surface and broadcasting everything that happens on television. The largest reality show in the history of the planet is planned to be launched in 2022, but due to insufficient funding, the project is still at the concept stage. In 2013, Mars One began to select future astronauts who will be trained in the necessary skills, pass tests for a long stay in an enclosed space in rocket and colony simulators. The group of astronauts will necessarily include different genders and representatives of different peoples. The aerospace company Lockheed Martin has expressed an interest in providing the colonists with a spaceship, but the matter has not yet gone beyond fantasy.
