Mars base. Artwork of a base on Mars, with plants in one dome providing oxygen and absorbing carbon dioxide, and people in a second dome. A manned base on Mars could be constructed from prefabricated sections brought from Earth or from materials manufactured using resources found on Mars. Such bases would be necessary because the Martian environment is inhospitable for human explorers. The atmospheric pressure is less than one percent of Earth's. Mars is a rocky desert world with no surface water. The atmosphere is mostly carbon dioxide and surface temperatures are well below freezing.