Using ISRU and RPS for Research Of Life in Mars’ Ice Caps

My mission’s destination is Mars’ Planum Boreum, for research of the ice caps for signs of life using rovers and on-site human researchers. To establish In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU), or self-sufficiency, we will be mining the nearby asteroids in the asteroid belt for materials such as water, nickel, and palladium. RPS is important in this mission for several reasons. Firstly, RPS provides an energy source that produces energy by using Plutonium-238 as fuel. RPS also produces excess heat that is useful on the coldest part of Mars and in the freezing asteroid belt. The compactness of RPS furthers the possibilities of what can be brought in the rocket taking humans and rovers to Mars. Its reliability in dark environments greatly benefits this mission, as the north pole of Mars is completely dark for half of a year straight, making solar power a non-viable option. My special power is my problem solving skills. On the rocket headed to Mars, there isn’t space for every piece of technology that could possibly be needed. Instead, researchers like me will have to design and build parts needed for the mission without assistance from Earth, because of the large delay in travel and communications. Problem-solving skills are important to help maintain the self-sufficiency of this mission, efficiently solve emergencies, and diminish the impact of the communications delay. With the combination of ISRU and my special power, this mission will change human perception of life as we know it.