Caves of Mars Project

[3] Caves and other underground structures, including Martian lava tubes, canyon overhangs, and other Martian cavities would be potentially useful for crewed missions, for they would provide considerable shielding from both the elements and intense solar radiation to which a Mars mission would expose astronauts.

They might also offer access to minerals, gases, ices, and any subterranean life that the crew of such a mission would probably be searching for.

[3] The program also studied designs for inflatable modules and other such structures that would aid the astronauts to build a livable environment for humans and other Earthian creatures.

The article also discusses skylights and radiation proof glass at length however this is probably due to the lack of advanced solar panels and LED lighting technology available during the publication in 2000.

The idea was to develop preliminary versions of some aspects of a Mars cave habitat such as using argon breathing mixtures and other new life support systems on mouse test subjects.

The MOMIS experiment has successfully completed multiple runs however the HUMIS experiment was deemed out of the scope of the investigation and although efforts were made to find test sites, the work done was reflected in a "Cave Astrobiology" exploration-level class at Penn State College during the spring semester of 2004.

Their final proposed system is an airlock unit with multiple extending telescoping legs to all of the cave walls.

[3] The project showed crickets and mice could breathe argon mixtures for extended periods without apparent problems.