As space agencies prepare to turn brief excursions into long-term stays on the moon and Mars, chemistry shifts from a backstage helper to a leading role. The solar system’s chemical fingerprints reveal where water and organics lie waiting, steering scientists toward sites that can support future extraterrestrial bases. This knowledge enables rockets to leave Earth with lighter loads, thus moving faster. But astronauts will also need improved materials and fuels to get beyond the moon. One option is to use resources on other planets to make fuel on-site. Another option is to use a compact nuclear reactor from Earth.
But for now, a trip beyond the moon will still take months, and the most basic human need becomes an unsolved food-science problem—keeping meals tasty and nutritious in flight, then growing or making food after we arrive. And in a world beyond Earth, the materials we bring and the materials we find become the foundation for food, energy, and everything else, so reusing and recycling become essential.
Reconnaissance, transport, sustenance, and sustainability—each link in the chain presents chemical and materials problems. Our ability to solve them will determine whether we can make it to the moon, Mars, and beyond.
