What differentiates the engineering challenge of Phase Two shielded domes from Phase One 'birthing pods' regarding environmental control?
Phase Two treats the habitat as a permanent, artificial Earth environment managing air pressure, gas mix, AND radiation shielding
The two proposed phases of habitat design represent escalating levels of complexity in environmental engineering. Phase One focuses narrowly on immediate survival and shielding via small, buried 'birthing pods,' requiring perfect localized control for a short duration. Phase Two, however, represents a far greater engineering task. It requires the creation of large, pressurized, shielded agricultural domes that must replicate Earth's environment perfectly across multiple parameters—specifically air pressure, gas composition, and radiation shielding—treating the habitat not just as temporary shelter but as a permanent, self-contained artificial Earth ecosystem maintained on Mars.
