**13.7 Dangers in the habitat**

Life within the habitat structures is also full of health and safety threats. Simple survival requirements also present significant challenges that include providing water for humans and crops, creating an ongoing supply of oxygen, growing food in Martian soil and/or hydroponically, interacting with others on a prolonged basis within an confined and enclosed space, keeping Martian dust out of the habitat, dealing with circadian rhythm issues, adjusting to time differences (the Martian day is 40 minutes longer than Earth's), and dealing with delayed communications with Earth. Accumulating challenges could produce problematic behavioral and abnormal psychological patterns for some individuals.

Bringing Martian microbes into the laboratories within the habitat can present contamination worries. It can result in microbes escaping quarantines or otherwise infecting astrobiologists. An epidemic could arise if the microbes are harmful to humans.

**163**

*Astrosociology on Mars*

members of society.

geriatric physicians.

**13.9 A few final questions and thoughts**

more importantly, monitored once the settlement is active.

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.93309*

**13.8 Aging and space gerontology**

to the biomedical changes that will challenge them.

Physical epidemiologists and social epidemiologists would have to work together to track the spread of disease and the structure and procedures employed to combat its spread. There are other issues that can result in health-related problems generated in the outside environment that have both medical and sociocultural implications.

Another issue is less theoretical and actually inevitable. Space medicine will be difficult enough without the added complications of advanced aging. Many settlers will necessarily be older based on the need for them to put their expertise and training into effect. In any case, they will age. Therefore, gerontology, defined as the scientific study of old age, the process of aging, and the particular problems of old people, will become important as everyone ages under a never-before set of medical conditions exacerbated by the Martian environment. It will involve medical astrosociology in terms of how individuals handle growing old on Mars in addition

*Space gerontology* has been recognized by NASA and others for quite some time, in fact since 1978 or earlier. The advent of the Space Shuttle program with its first flight of Columbia in 1981 and the recognition that older astronauts would be traveling into near Earth orbit in microgravity, it became worrisome that little was known about the long-term effects of space travel as people age [69]. Nearing the end of the human life cycle in space ecosystems will produce changes, many of which will have never been experienced on Earth. Will ageism be a problem if, for example, not enough medical supplies exist for the younger

How will settlers handle death? What will cemeteries on Mars look like and what types of religious ceremonies will be held? What meanings will be attached to the deaths of the new Martians? It is quite possible that the ways that deaths are treated will evolve into one or more uniquely Martian versions of Earth observances. This type of sociocultural change is important for astrosociologists to study and understand. Very importantly, the added complications affecting human beings in a harsh Martian environment that will inevitably impact significantly on the internal ecosystem will make implementing healthcare extraordinarily unique and difficult. What was learned regarding living in microgravity will not apply exactly the same way in a one-third gravity field. Gerontologists who also possess social science training will prove to be invaluable members of the Martian society, just as will

What new syndromes or health complications will arise on Mars? How will living on Mars affect men compared to women? Will health issues affect ethnic groups differently? Will life expectancy change? These types of questions must be anticipated by both physicians and medical astrosociologists before arriving at Mars; and

While space medicine physicians focus mostly on the biomedical issues, medical astrosociologists concentrate on the social and cultural elements that interact with the biomedical aspects that can easily add further complications beyond the strictly medical concerns. This complicates how those reacting to the patient should handle any particular case. For example, are there religious factors that do not allow certain medical procedures or drugs? How do physicians and social scientists work together to treat patients, avoid discriminatory practices, and monitor the population to minimize epidemic potentials in such enclosed ecosystems? Medical astrosociology

*Mars Exploration - A Step Forward*

to seek other options.

**Figure 6.**

**13.6 Genetics and lava tubes**

*Terraforming Mars/image credit: NASA.*

clearly provided authorization.

**13.7 Dangers in the habitat**

mal psychological patterns for some individuals.

locations on the planet in order to thicken the atmosphere and make it breathable. Such a herculean effort would take hundreds if not thousands of years. The resource expenditures and length of the process have led proponents of Martian settlement

Genetic enhancements may better adapt humans to living on Mars physically speaking, but what will it do to the human psyche? How will it affect behavior? Is it even ethical? What about the history of eugenics? The Nazi regime in Germany instituted various forms of eugenics, which led to unethical experiments and genocide against Jews and other perceived unworthy categories of people. While altering the human body to better tolerate solar radiation, for example, may seem like a logical idea, the human experience in this area is highly problematic. Ethical questions abound such as to whether or not those who receive enhancements have

Other proposals include living inside lava tubes, as mentioned, utilizing 3D printing to construct habitat components, and creating human made subterranean habitats. While the external environment that impacts the surface is harmful to human life that currently exist, the places where humans actually live—that is, the ecosystems in the habitat structures—present potentially equally dangerous conditions as well.

Life within the habitat structures is also full of health and safety threats. Simple survival requirements also present significant challenges that include providing water for humans and crops, creating an ongoing supply of oxygen, growing food in Martian soil and/or hydroponically, interacting with others on a prolonged basis within an confined and enclosed space, keeping Martian dust out of the habitat, dealing with circadian rhythm issues, adjusting to time differences (the Martian day is 40 minutes longer than Earth's), and dealing with delayed communications with Earth. Accumulating challenges could produce problematic behavioral and abnor-

Bringing Martian microbes into the laboratories within the habitat can present contamination worries. It can result in microbes escaping quarantines or otherwise infecting astrobiologists. An epidemic could arise if the microbes are harmful to humans.

**162**

Physical epidemiologists and social epidemiologists would have to work together to track the spread of disease and the structure and procedures employed to combat its spread. There are other issues that can result in health-related problems generated in the outside environment that have both medical and sociocultural implications.
