The neighborhood is Joker, and settling in it is necessarily expensive. But underground caves are one of the best options for shelter when humans finally reach the Red Planet. These hollows, which are found collectively on Earth and on the Moon, are natural buffers against the harsh conditions of Mars.
In a presentation this month at the Geological Society of America 2022 meeting in Denver, researchers identified nine major candidate caves for future exploration. All of these caves seem to extend at least some distance underground, and are close to landing sites accessible to a light rover.
These structures will provide a respite from the harsh Martian environment, said University of Arizona geologist Nicole Bardabilias. “Everything on the surface is exposed to violent radiation, possible bombardment by meteors or micro-meteorites and very large temperature differences between day and night.”
To settle for the most coveted real estate on Mars, Ms. Bardabelias and her colleagues consulted the Global Catalog of Mars Cave Candidates. This collection, based on images collected by instruments aboard the Mars Odyssey spacecraft and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, lists more than 1,000 candidate caves and other peculiar features on Mars. (Think of it as the first multiple Martian menu service.)