Could You Walk on Mars? Gravity, Spacesuits and Distances

Walking on Mars would be easier on your legs but much harder on everything else. What 38% gravity, thin air and huge distances would mean for an astronaut on foot.

Nobody has walked on Mars yet, but astronauts walked on the Moon, and we know a lot about the Martian surface. So what would a walk on Mars be like?

Lighter, but not floaty

Martian gravity is 38% of Earth's, more than twice the Moon's. Apollo astronauts on the Moon hopped and bounced. On Mars you would be able to walk more normally, just with each step feeling light, and you could carry a heavy backpack more easily than on Earth.

The suit is the hard part

The air on Mars is too thin to breathe and almost all carbon dioxide, and the temperature is far below freezing most of the time. An astronaut would need a pressurised suit with oxygen, heating and protection from dust and radiation. Fine Martian dust also gets everywhere, which is a real engineering problem for joints and seals.

How far could you get?

A comfortable walking pace on Earth is about 5 km/h. In a bulky suit on rough ground, it would be slower. A long day of walking might cover 10 to 20 km, as long as the suit's supplies last. A full lap of Mars on foot would take years.

That is why astronauts would rely on pressurised rovers for long trips and walk only for short excursions near the vehicle.

Walk it in Trawers

In Trawers you can hop out as an astronaut at any time, walk on real terrain and climb back into the rover when you get tired. The game even has an achievement for the longest marathon on foot.