Concrete on Mars: Options, challenges, and solutions for binder-based construction on the Red Planet

As humans prepare to colonize Mars, there will be a need for locally-sourced concrete to build durable, habitable structures. However, conventional terrestrial formulations would not be well suited to the unique resources and conditions prevalent on the Martian surface and near-surface. Plaster of Paris or water (which would bind by freezing) would be the most appropriate binders. Water for concrete would be produced from ice or by condensation out of the atmosphere, and local aggregates could be used in a similar manner to those on Earth. Unique mixing, casting, compaction, and curing methods will be required for the low-temperature, low-gravity, low-pressure conditions. Concrete elements could effectively support gravitational, wind, seismic, and micrometeoric loads. Concrete structures would preferably be buried under a 7–10 m layer of Martian regolith in order to counter-balance aerostatic loads and to protect against the hazards of cosmic and solar radiation, wide temperature swings, and deliquescent salts.