화성 현지자원활용 연구 동향과 지질학적 과제

초록

As space exploration aims long-term habitation in the extraterrestrial planets, in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) on Mars has emerged as a key technology for sustaining life and building infrastructures. ISRU is considered as one of the main objectives within NASA’s recent Moon to Mars architecture, which designates the Moon as a technological testbed and expands ultimately to Mars. Lunar missions, including Artemis, are currently demonstrating technologies such as oxygen extraction, polar ice mining, and regolith-based construction, thereby providing an essential framework for the subsequent implementation of ISRU on Mars. Mars exhibits significant resource potentials, characterized by a CO2-dominated atmosphere, extensive subsurface and polar ice deposits, hydrated minerals, and basaltic regolith. These materials provide essential feedstock for the ISRU commodities, such as oxygen, water, metal, and construction materials. Ongoing ISRU research has focused on developing technological methods for extraction and processing. However, the ISRU using Martian resources requires a comprehensive and robust geological understanding of the distribution, depths, and mineralogical composition. In particular, the presence of buried ice, hydrated minerals, and silica-rich phases in the mid-latitude regions of Mars is directly associated with the availability of resources; however, detailed petrological and mineralogical investigations into their origin, spatial distribution, and the physical properties remain constrained. Thus, geological sciences will play a central role in establishing the scientific framework for ISRU development on Mars, providing integrated insights from mineralogy, petrology, geophysics, and related disciplines. Ultimately, a rigorous geological understanding is essential not only for evaluating the feasibility of ISRU but also for ensuring the long-term sustainability of human exploration on the Martian surface.

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