Mars, The Next Giant Leap The year is 2030 and a spaceship to Mars is underway. The countdown begins, but is it carrying humans? Or does it even exist at all? The year 2030 is only 13 years away and these are questions many are going to have to answer; however, questions like these never stopped humans in the past such with the discovery of the “New World” and the first man on the moon. Although a manned mission will be costly and could be done with robots, human exploration has only proven to help humans thrive and advance with the challenges that will have to be faced. A dangerous journey and a leap into the unknown never stopped Christopher Columbus or Neil Armstrong into bringing a new era to mankind. As of 2017, Earth has more than …show more content…
At the time, scientists were not completely sure that the moon did not have any living organisms or bacteria. The team had to stay in quarantine for three weeks to make sure they did not bring back any bacteria that can be a threat to humans on Earth. It was once thought that the moon could be habitable, but from the exploration of the moon and countless research, it is now evident that the moon has no life and cannot support any. Then, what makes Mars so special? Mars may be over 30 million miles further from the sun than Earth, but the two planets have many similarities, starting with the history. Scientists believe the red planet to have volcano activity millions of years ago similar to that of Earth, leading many to believe life can live on Mars. The planet has an atmosphere even with its distance from the sun that can one day support humans. However, because of the distance, Mars has an average of -81°F and a year of 687 days; but just like Earth, Mars is tilted on its axis at about 25 degrees giving it Earth-like seasons and has features like mountains, valleys, and volcanoes. The planet’s days also range at around 24 hours but has half the diameter of Earth, making the gravity of Mars three eighths that of Earth. This means that if someone were to weigh 100 pounds on Earth, they would weigh 38 pounds on Mars. Evidence of water on Mars and even life came in the …show more content…
Humans could help Mars and even life on Mars grow. One proposal for a quick way to change Mars’ climate was from Elon Musk, a billionaire known for SpaceX, Tesla Inc., and lots of other companies. Musk proposed to “drop thermonuclear weapons over the poles” (Fredrikson). As many scientists are skeptical, Mars would have to warm up to support human life. Another idea is to have factories on Mars release greenhouse gases that are frozen in dirt and polar ice caps into the atmosphere. There are also plans to release a bacterium called Deinococcus radiodurans into certain areas to detoxify the soil. Mars’ soil contains high levels of certain metals, oxidizing species, and radiation. D. radiodurans can survive high levels of radiation and many other harsh environments. The bacterium is being genetically modify to be able to microterraform Martian soil into supporting plant and human life. However, plants like asparagus, potatoes, and marigolds have already been seen to grow in soil similar to Mars. Completely terraforming Mars would not be easy and is a process thought to take thousands of
Based on both Mars and Earth having had very similar geology, I feel that these two planets did in fact mirror each other as defined earlier. They both share having had a magnetic field, a thick rich life supporting atmosphere, volcanoes, plate tectonics, liquid water and share similar interiors. The planets orbits are within the habitable zone and also conditions post Mars forming would have allowed it to have been an early Earth. I hope this discussion has been informative and an interesting read. Please comment below if you have any questions, comments, or concerns. My thanks also goes out to NASA and others for the webinars, slides, and information on these topics that allowed me to write in the first place.
Because of the large extent of greed that the humans had towards the planet Mars. The human practically wiped out the human race, and it all started because they were greedy and wanted Mars to themselves. Just like Tom had to lose his life to other people’s greed, so did millions of Martians, because of the greedy humans who were oblivious and insensible to the impact it would have on
Mars has a thin atmosphere, that would block some of the radiation meaning only light shielding would be required to protect the populace living there. The average person living on Mars would only take in an average of 11 millisieverts (mSv) a year, much less than the international space agencies maximum of 1000 mSv (Seedhouse). This means that the it could be safe to work and live on mars as long a six years before exceeding safe radiation levels. With the presence of water and it being safe from radiation the main problem a population would have is producing food. The study on PLOS one proved that the Moon had vary little chance of growing food however mars is quite the opposite. In some cases plants such as tomatoes, carrots, and rye actually grew and lasted better in the simulated Martian soil than in the Earths (Wamelink). This means that even though the soil might be devoid of life now, it has the capability to grow and sustain a population, allowing the future possibility of a Mars mission to be a possibility. Furthermore, proving that a Mars mission could be independent from Earth, and not have to rely on shipments of the basic requirements to survive. NASA has proven it wants to go to mars however such a large undertaking comes at a cost, and it is one that NASA just cannot afford it at the
Mars is our next best hope in life on another planet. Because of science mankind can grow and harvest plants in the modified mars soil, make a thick warm atmosphere, and drink no frozen mars water. Mankind can grow and flourish more as a species with this idea of colonizing mars. With more scientific advancements we can colonize mars and we will colonize mars.
Mars is the fourth planet from the sun at about 228 million-km (141 million miles) and the last terrestrial planet from the sun. The next five planets in order from the sun are gaseous. Mars follows closely behind Earth but is comparatively smaller, with about half the diameter of Earth and about one-tenth of Earth’s mass. Thus the force of gravity on Mars is about one-third of that on Earth. Though it is much smaller, Mars does have the same surface land area as Earth. Other than Earth, Mars posses the most highly varied and interesting known terrain in our solar system. The surface of Mars is a very hostile place however it is more like Earth’s surface than any other planet in our solar system.
Have you ever looked up in the sky and wondered if there is life elsewhere in the universe? Have you ever looked at a photograph of Mars and wondered if there really was ever life on it? People have a wide variety of opinions regarding these questions and with good reason. As far back as the broadcast of H. G. Well's novel, "The War of the Worlds", the world has been fascinated with the possibilities of what Mars may hold. Over time, the majority of people have come to realize that there is no way that life can currently be on Mars. Those who are uncertain think there may be microscopic bacteria underground.
When will American astronauts go to the moon again? To Mars? Are private companies even planning on going? Space travel is the exploration of space and it is important because it is crucial for humans to keep learning more and more about space. To find out if there is really an asteroid that is going to hit the earth.
An alternative proposition to make Mars suitable for human habitation is terraforming Mars; to deliberately change it’s environment to provide Earth-like ecosystems and that are suitable for humans. Terraforming Mars would be a long time in the future, it would take more than 50,000 years to terraform Mars if we started now. Other sources state that “it would be hundreds of years before the thin Martian atmosphere could be transformed into an oxygen-rich cradle for life” (Livescience.com). Turning Mars’s cold atmosphere into a warm one, having a thick carbon dioxide atmosphere with oxygen for humans to breathe, and restoring its habitable state, is possible. And there is no reason to think that Mars is sterile or even hostile to life forms,
Mars, the beautiful red planet, is the most similar planet to earth. The terrain in general is very close to what we are used to on earth, minus the vegetation. Earth and Mars both contain polar ice caps. Mars also has water throughout the planet, but it is mostly subsoil.
Would you like to be renown in international history? You would be known by people all around the world for being among the first people to permanently settle on Mars. Sending humans to Mars is a huge part in human history. According to the Mars one website it will be a one way journey, those who go will never return to Earth. Applicants must be over the age of 18, and be able to adapt to a new environment.
The Science Behind ‘The Martian’ SPOILER ALERT: Please be aware that there are spoilers ahead. If you haven’t watched The Martian, go watch it. I mean it. You have been warned.
It is only about half as wide. Mars runs 4,220 miles across. Furthermore, Mars isn't that far from Earth- only a little bit more than 48 million miles, being the closest planet to Earth besides the uninhabitable planet of Venus. There are 2 moons surrounding Mars; Phobos and Deimos, named for Mars' dogs in Roman mythology. Phobos and Deimos are believed to be asteroids sucked in by Mars' atmosphere.
Scientists will be looking to find microorganisms like these on planets such as Mars, as it is known to have similar vents on its surface. (http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/extremophile.html, 2014). During their meeting, they also outlined their plan to search for alien life and told the media that they would be launching the "Transiting Exoplanet Surverying Satelitte" in 2017. (http://theweek.com/speedreads/index/264761/speedreads-nasa-we-will-find-alien-life-within-20-years, 2014). NASA outlined its plan to search for alien life, and said it would launch the "Transiting Exoplanet Surveying Satellite" in 2017.
Mars soil composition is unique because of its large deposits of oxidized iron dust. It also contains a compound called perchlorates, an ester of perchloric acid. According to studies, microbes survive well on perchlorates, which means that plants may still be able to survive in Mars soil. That doesn’t mean that the crops would be edible, the chemical would make the crops dangerous to eat.
Humans can expect to face some major challenges on an expedition to Mars. It has been proven that humanity can travel in space for over two years. Cumulatively, Sergei Constantinovich Krikalev, a Russian cosmonaut, has spent over eight-hundred and three days in Earth orbit (Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, 2005). The expedition to Mars would require the crew to endure a six month journey to the planet, a year of living on the planet, and a six months journey back to Earth. Russian cosmonaut, Valery V. Polyakoz, clocking in at four-hundred and thirty-eight days for just one stay in Earth orbit, shows humanity is capable of a twelve month round trip to Mars (Schwirtz, 2009).