First Footsteps: Choosing the Landing Site

The Moment the Door Opens

Picture the scene.

After months sealed inside a spacecraft, the hum of machines, the quiet conversations, the occasional thrill of seeing Mars grow from a red dot to a sprawling world below, the engines finally fall silent. Outside the window, the surface glows under a salmon sky. Rocks cast long shadows in the thin light. A voice crackles in your headset: “Landing sequence complete. Stand by to open the hatch.”

The first steps matter. They always have. Neil Armstrong’s bootprint on the Moon was more than a mark in dust. It was a signpost to a new chapter in human history. So too, our first footsteps on Mars will carry meaning beyond science and engineering. They will speak of human courage, of God-given curiosity, and of the ancient mandate to go, to fill, to steward, and to worship.

But before that boot touches soil, before the cameras roll and prayers are whispered, we have a question to answer: Where, exactly, do we land?

The Science and Strategy of Site Selection

Choosing a landing site is not guesswork. On Mars, a bad choice could be fatal; a good one could be the seedbed for an enduring colony. NASA planners, private companies like SpaceX, and international teams have spent years mapping candidate sites based on several intertwined factors:

1. Safety First

Flat Terrain & Low Rock Hazards. A stable surface reduces the risk of a crash during descent.
Moderate Elevation. Too high, and the thin atmosphere makes landing even harder. Lower elevations provide more air for deceleration and better shielding from cosmic radiation.

2. Resources Within Reach

Water Ice. Perhaps the most valuable find on Mars. Ice can be melted for drinking, split into hydrogen and oxygen for rocket fuel, and used in agriculture. Regions like Arcadia Planitia and Utopia Planitia have been flagged for subsurface ice deposits within reach of drills.
Regolith Composition. The soil must be workable for habitat shielding and potentially agriculture. Some areas have a balance of dust and rock that’s easier to process into building material.

3. Power Potential

Sunlight. Solar arrays need steady exposure, but dust storms can obscure the Sun for days or weeks. Areas near the equator offer more even lighting across the Martian year.
Wind & Geothermal. Experimental plans consider small wind turbines and geothermal systems if natural vents or hot spots exist.

4. Accessibility & Expansion

Proximity to Science Targets. Even in a survival-focused mission, crew will gather geological samples, search for signs of past life, and study the planet’s history.
Future Growth. A good first site should be expandable into a settlement with room for agriculture, industry, and, one day, a church steeple.

SpaceX’s public mission concepts lean toward Arcadia Planitia, a relatively smooth, mid-latitude plain with suspected ice beneath the surface, reachable in most launch windows, and positioned for both equatorial solar power and polar exploration.

Bridging Science and Society

Landing site selection is more than geology and engineering. It’s about laying a foundation for human community, a society that can survive, govern itself, and worship together under an alien sky.

From a pastoral lens, our first settlement site will shape how we live as much as whether we live. The creation mandate (Genesis 1:28) calls us to “fill the earth and subdue it”, not to strip it bare, but to steward it wisely. On Mars, that stewardship begins with where we plant our first outpost.

Consider:

Visibility of God’s creation. Will our habitats allow views of the Martian sky, so settlers remember the “heavens declare the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1)?
Space for fellowship. Can we design communal spaces for meals, prayer, and worship from the start, even if they are modest pressurized tents at first?
Access for service. Proximity to resources isn’t just for fuel and food. It enables us to help new arrivals, host science teams, and serve in Christ’s name.

In the book of Acts, Paul often began in a city’s marketplace or riverside, places of meeting, exchange, and influence. Our “Mars marketplace” may be a landing pad and logistics hub, but the principle is the same: go where people will gather, and plant seeds of both survival and the gospel.

A Warm Stewardship Perspective

Early site planning also has a moral and environmental dimension. The Martian environment, though lifeless as far as we know, is still part of “the heavens, the work of [God’s] fingers” (Psalm 8:3). Just as we wouldn’t pollute a mountain stream on Earth, we should resist leaving our first site littered and scarred.

Engineers already talk of “planetary protection”, minimizing contamination from Earth microbes and managing waste responsibly. For believers, this isn’t just policy; it’s obedience to the Creator who entrusted the cosmos to human care. A well-chosen site will allow for containment of hazardous byproducts, recycling systems that limit waste, and expansion plans that respect the Martian landscape.

From Footsteps to Foundations

Our first steps on Mars will not be onto permanent ground, at least not yet. The initial landing site may serve as a base camp for several years before we commit to building a true settlement. This phased approach mirrors historic frontier patterns: exploration camp → seasonal outpost → permanent town.

Landing & Immediate Shelter. Inflatable or prefabricated habitats set up within hours of arrival.
Resource Survey. Drones, rovers, and crew scouting to confirm water and mineral locations.
Infrastructure Buildout. Power generation, communications, and storage facilities.
Community Anchors. Spaces for gathering, worship, and shared meals, the early “church in the colony” (Acts 2:46-47).
Long-Term Roots. Agriculture, industry, governance, and cultural development.

Each phase will test our resolve, technology, and unity. But the choice of where to start will either smooth that road… or make it far steeper.

Preparing Our Hearts and Maps

Landing site selection is, at its core, an act of faithful foresight.

The scientists will chart orbital paths, measure sunlight angles, and model wind erosion. The engineers will run simulations of ice extraction rates and solar panel efficiency. The mission planners will weigh fuel margins against payload capacity.

But the people of God, pastors, theologians, mission strategists, must ask the equally vital questions:

Where will this community best reflect God’s glory in its daily life?
Where will we most naturally serve each other and our neighbors, both human and, if God wills, any other life we may encounter?
How can we design a first landing site that becomes a seedbed for multiplying disciples, not just multiplying buildings?

Long before our boots touch Martian soil, we can begin training leaders in cross-cultural ministry (because Mars is the ultimate “cross-cultural”), designing portable worship spaces, and shaping a theology of settlement that integrates science, stewardship, and mission.

The first footprint will fade in the Martian wind. But the choices we make before we step off the ladder will echo for generations, perhaps for as long as humanity calls Mars home. Let’s choose a place where we can not only survive the night, but also greet the dawn with praise.