Marssized

Marssized is a design concept used in space architecture to describe systems, habitats, or mission configurations that are scaled to withstand the challenges of a Mars surface mission and long-duration spaceflight. The term encompasses mass, volume, power, propulsion, life support, and radiation shielding requirements appropriate for a crewed presence on Mars.

Core principles include modularity, redundancy, and the use of closed-loop life support; emphasis on radiation protection (for example, shielding equivalent to several hundred millimeters of regolith or water); energy autonomy through solar arrays or nuclear power; and the integration of in-situ resource utilization where feasible. Marssized configurations typically assume a crew of up to six and surface operations lasting several months to years, with supply missions limited to strategic resupply.

History and usage: The term emerged in speculative and mission-planning discussions in the 2020s and 2030s and appears in some planning documents and concept studies as a shorthand for Mars-scale system sizing.

Criticism and limitations: As a planning heuristic, Marssized is not a formal standard and may be interpreted differently by agencies; some observers argue that it can conflate mission objectives with architectural constraints.

See also: Mars habitat, life support systems, space architecture, in-situ resource utilization.