Scientists have long dreamed of sending humans to Mars. A manned mission to Mars is far more than setting foot on another planet; it’s a bold undertaking that could potentially transform our species forever. And while sending humans to Mars might be our most challenging project of all time, getting there will require time, money, and resources. And the only place that’s going to be capable of funding such a mission is the U.S. government.

Scientists from NASA and the University of Arizona calculated what Human Settlement on Mars could look like. They used data from past and present Mars missions to extrapolate what a future settlement could look like. Their predictions indicate that 70,000 to 140,000 people could inhabit the planet.

Everyone dreams of exploring Mars one day, but NASA says realistically we should see our first steps in space in the 2030s. The planet is still out of reach, however, due to both time and money. But NASA’s recent Mars InSight lander, which landed on the red planet on Nov. 26, 2018, gave us a glimpse of what life on the red planet could look like.

Although we’re a long way from living on the Red Planet, we’ve now sent dozens of probes, rovers, and satellites to explore the Red Planet. We’ve explored its atmosphere, its landscape, its rocks, its water, and even its atmosphere. Mars has been the subject of hundreds of science fiction stories, and has inspired scientists and artists for decades. We’ve made tremendous leaps in our space exploration efforts, and with SpaceX, Blue Origin, and even NASA’s own Mars plans, a manned trip to Mars is closer than ever.

Science fiction is filled with strange creatures, alien planets and, of course, space battles. While it may seem far-fetched, recent developments in space exploration, such as using the Falcon Heavy rocket to launch humanity’s first private satellite, have us closer than ever to making it to Mars. What we do know is that Mars has a lot of potential. For starters, it has all the ingredients needed to support life: water, oxygen, and carbon dioxide. Thanks to the Curiosity Rover, we know that Mars also has volcanic activity, something we don’t often see on Earth.

Mars has always been known as a planet with potential. However, recent discoveries have shown that Mars has a lot more to offer than what we originally thought. Yes, Mars has water, but because it’s frozen into ice at Mars’ surface, it can’t be used for drinking. However, this ice could be melted and treated before being sent to the planet’s poles, where it could be converted into drinking water, similar to how ice is used in space cooling. Since Mars is 100 million miles from Earth, it’s too far away to be reached by traditional rockets. Instead, scientists think that it will require something more advanced, like something called a “space elevator.”

To say nonetheless, Mars definitely does have a lot of potential to inhabit humans, and while no official research has actually been made to see what a population living on mars would look like, the human race is definitely taking steps to make it happen. If you have any ideas on what a populated mars could look like, you could always tell us down in the comment section.