The Technograph

As a kid, I remember reading in my Junior Scholastic magazine that one day humans would live on Mars, and I distinctly remember wondering what it would be like to explore another planet. Nearly twenty years later, I wondered what progress had been made and if life on Mars is still a possibility. So I looked into it. The following is what I learned by speaking to several experts in the field. 

Imagine this: You're an astronaut. You pack your bags and board a rocket the size of a school bus. Together with a crew of eight other people (among them astrobiologists, geologists and engineers), you are launched into space for a 9 month journey. Destination: Mars. You arrive on a dusty red planet and step off the spacecraft in a suit that protects you from the dangers of solar flares and galactic and cosmic radiation. And the exploration begins.

It is just a matter of time before humans are sent to Mars, according to Jim Bell, astronomy professor at Cornell University. Fernando Abilleira, engineer at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said NASA may accomplish its ultimate goal of sending humans to Mars as early as the mid-2030's. But it will certainly have its challenges.

“It's a complicated thing to go to Mars because it's a long way away,” Bell said. “Mars is about a hundred times farther away than the moon.”

The distance raises concerns over how the crew will have supplies and resources to sustain them throughout the journey, Bell said.

There is much work to be done before the first manned spacecraft is sent to Mars. Spacecraft will need significant advancements to land on Mars, Abilleira said. Additionally, the biological and psychological effects of prolonged exposure to low gravity and isolation from Earth need to be better understood.

In addition to scientific advances, political action must occur to establish an infrastructure that will allow for strides towards Mars exploration, Bell said.

All this talk about the challenges of space exploration may cause one to wonder why Earthlings are interested in exploring Mars at all. For many studying Mars, the motivation is rooted in a desire to see if it is a habitable planet.

“As a civilization we need to expand beyond Earth to ensure the survivability of the human species in case of a catastrophic event on Earth,” Abilleira said.

Others study Mars for the sake of curiosity and a desire for challenges and adventures.

“Partly the reason is scientific, but also, partly the reason is going to be purely for exploration,” Bell said. “Because it's an adventure [and] as human beings we like to inspire ourselves and others by doing difficult things.”

Jack Farmer, geology professor at Arizona State University, says the motivation to study Mars is two-fold: “To gain insights into the history of another potentially habitable planet in our solar system and to search for a past or present life.”

“What motivates me personally is the excitement of discovering life on another planet,” said Farmer, who studies Mars fossils in search of terrestrial microbial life.

While many researchers are working in areas that will eventually come together in the launch of the first manned mission to Mars, plans for strategically working toward this goal have not yet been made.

“Currently there is no one unified plan to send people back to Mars, it's really sort of in the concept stage,” Bell said. “There is no specific schedule, no specific budget [and] no specific plan right now.” 

Note: The opinions in the article do not necessarily represent those of NASA or JPL.

Tagged with: mars, space travel, exploration, nasa