Mars is rated "Beginner" in the game and is the first world for most players. It is forgiving: all ores and all ice types are there, temperatures are moderate, gravity is pleasant. You still cannot breathe outside. All values come from the planet data sheet.
At a glance
| Value | Mars |
|---|---|
| Gravity | 3.7 m/s² (37.8 % of Earth) |
| Day length | 1,200 s, day share 46.5 to 53.5 % |
| Year | 668 solar days |
| Air pressure | 2.1 to 2.7 kPa |
| Air | 95 % carbon dioxide, 3 % nitrogen, 1.4 % oxygen, 0.6 % pollutant |
| Temperature | noon 276 to 283 K (3 to 10 °C), night 221 to 226 K (−52 to −47 °C) |
| Sun | 495 to 720 W/m², about 52° high at noon at the start location |
| Weather | dust storm |
| Start locations | Canyon Overlook, Butcher's Flat, Finders Canyon West, Hellas Crags, Donut Flats |
The air: almost pure carbon dioxide
According to the data sheet, each grid cell of 2 × 2 × 2 m holds only 9.1 mol of Martian air. That gives the pressure of 2.1 to 2.7 kPa – depending on temperature.
Two worked examples show what that means:
- Oxygen: 1.4 % of 2.7 kPa is about 0.04 kPa of partial pressure. Your lungs need at least 16 kPa (see Survival: the first minutes) – outside, a factor of 400 is missing.
- Filling a room: a room of four cells needs about 1,330 mol for normal pressure. Outside, four cells contain 36 mol. Drawing in and compressing air is not enough for breathing air; you need ice.
The high CO₂ share is a gift for the greenhouse, though. Plants breathe in carbon dioxide, and an Active Vent followed by a Filtration gets it out of the outside air for you.
Pressure and walls
Inside 101 kPa, outside at most 2.7 kPa: the walls have to withstand a difference of about 99 kPa. The Iron Wall (Type 1) manages 200 kPa and is easily enough. On Mars you do not need to save on walls, only to build them airtight.
Temperature: cold nights
The world's bare temperature curve runs from 240 to 261 K. Because of the thin air it warms more during the day and cools more at night: 3 to 10 °C at noon, down to −52 °C at night. So water freezes every night. Water lines outdoors freeze; plants and water tanks belong inside.
For heating, plan one Wall Heater per room. How much heating power you really need depends on room size and construction – a Gas Sensor with Temperature will tell you.
Sun, wind and power
At 495 to 720 W/m² the sun is weaker than on the Moon, but reliable. The day share varies with the seasons between 46 and 54 %. Plan batteries for the night, which lasts a good half of the day. How much a Solar Panel delivers here is worked out by the Solar calculator.
There is little wind: according to the data sheet an upright wind turbine delivers at most 50 W without a storm, a large one 125 W. Much wind comes only with storms.
Weather: dust storms
The first dust storm comes after at least 7 game days, then in pauses of 3 to 11 days. It lasts 2 to 10 minutes and lets only 30 % of the sunlight through. During the day it cools by 20 K, at night it warms by 30 K. Storms act up to 500 m altitude and cause damage – do not leave sensitive equipment unprotected. Solar panels actually tend to deliver more in a dust storm: because of the damping formula a 2 × 2 m panel reaches about 710 instead of 512 W. In return a normal panel loses 6 % of its health per minute on average; the heavy variants are protected. More in Solar arrays: alignment, tracking, day and night.
Resources
Mars has the full range. On the surface there are veins of iron, copper, gold, coal, silicon, cobalt, silver, nickel and lead, plus all four ice types: water ice, oxite, volatiles and nitrice. Uranium joins them at depth.
For your first breathing air oxite is the key: one piece releases 22.5 mol of oxygen and 2.5 mol of nitrogen when it melts. For 21 kPa of oxygen in a four-cell room at 20 °C you need about 276 mol – a good twelve pieces of oxite.
First steps
- Build a shelter from iron walls and seal it.
- Melt oxite and nitrice for breathing air, water ice for drinking water.
- Solar panels and a battery for the night.
- Get the furnace running – ore lies on the surface.
- A greenhouse with CO₂ from the outside air.
Next steps
- All values and curves: Planet data sheet
- The other worlds: Moon: vacuum, full sun and solar storms, Mimas: vacuum, low gravity, Europa: cold and oxygen, Venus: heat and acid, Vulcan: lava and methane air
- Understanding gases and pressure: Atmosphere and pressure
- Growing plants: Farming: light, water, temperature and air for plants