3. In Situ Resource Utilization

2005: IVA-1D
2010: 2A
Priority: Medium

Investigation: Characterize potential sources of water to support In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) for eventual human missions.

Artist's concept of possible exploration programs. Image Credit: Created for NASA by Pat Rawlings
ISRU refers to finding and making use of local materials and resources for mission operations, in this case on Mars. Knowledge of this topic would allow for significant reductions in mass for travel to Mars as well as power and infrastructure on the Martian surface. Elements of interest are Carbon, Oxygen, and Hydrogen. There are already known processes that can be used to obtain Carbon and Oxygen from the CO2 in the Martian atmosphere. Hydrogen is necessary to produce propulsive fuel on Mars, and while there is evidence that it exists in three potentially useful forms, it is unclear if extracting it would be feasible or useful. We need to know how much mass, power, and equipment would be needed to produce these materials on Mars and how it compares to the resources required to ship them from Earth.

2005 Version of Investigation (old version)

2010 Version of Investigation (current version)

The measurements originally called for in the MEPAG Goals document were very detailed and only covered subsurface ice measurements. Since 2005, there have been new discoveries of hydrate minerals, methane gas, and transient fogs. The updated list of measurements consolidates the original measurements under the category “Subsurface Ice” and accounts for the new discoveries under “Hydrated Minerals” and “Atmospheric H-bearing Trace Gases”. It also includes requirements to produce planet-wide maps and in-situ measurements. These measurements are all about finding hydrogen and determining where/how to best extract it, and deciding if it’s potentially useful. The Space Resources Roundtable was instrumental in editing this portion of the document. Most of the following list of references can be found after Investigation 2A in the updated text and cover these findings.