Among many other things we’ve learned about the Red Planet, the 2001 Mars Odyssey satellite did a survey of radioactive emissions from thorium, a high-Z fertile material that can be bred in a nuclear reactor to provide a continuous supply of fuel.

If humanity establishes a long-term settlement on Mars, its distance from the Sun and the ubiquitous Martian dust make solar power a problematic source of power. A nuclear fission powerplant is a far better solution. And, if a reactor initially fueled with uranium, it can be used to breed more fissile Uranium-233. The life cycle of a thorium breeder reactor produces far less nuclear waste than a uranium-235 fission reactor and has a number of other advantages.

The biggest problem with nuclear power on Mars is the weight of the reactor and fuel that must be brought from Earth. Once the initial plant has been transported, sourcing thorium on Mars will make it a far less expensive source of power.

My WiP novel, Thorium Blues, deals with a race between a United Nations of Sol settlement on Mars and a Chinese research station to find and exploit the thorium on Mars.