Fine!

I outlined the cheapest mitigation elsewhere in this thread - a propellant depot or other human activity at L1.

The Martian atmosphere that our friend doesn't believe in takes care of most radiation already. A meter of regolith over habitations does the rest, for humans.

The radiation levels are already tolerable for crop plants, and we can grow them in 0.1 Bar and millibars of O2.

Now the absence of a global magnetic field's effect on human health is quite unknown. It may be a nothingburger, or we may need to set up magnets in habitats, but we don't have the required data.

Reply to this note

Please Login to reply.

Discussion

Other than radiation the magnetic field is probably not important. But you can't set up a civilizations that's all underground.

I used to have a friend in Montreal. In winter, they can use a network of tunnels under their city to go shopping, to work etc. Underground construction and living is a mature industry on Earth. Mars will require new techniques for new materials (in situ resource utilisation), but it is one of the easier challenges.

It works in Montreal only for those with cushy indoor jobs living in close proximity to downtown.

Facts