Mars: Possible new home for Humankind

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest in the solar system. It has a thin atmosphere, a cold and dry climate, and a surface that is rich in iron oxide, giving it a reddish hue. Mars also has two small moons, Phobos and Deimos, which orbit close to the planet.

Mars has long fascinated humans as a potential destination for exploration and colonization. Since the dawn of the space age, several robotic missions have been sent to Mars, revealing its geology, climate, and history. Some of the most notable missions include the Mariner, Viking, Pathfinder, Mars Exploration Rover, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Phoenix, Curiosity, and InSight.

However, sending humans to Mars is a much more challenging and complex endeavor than sending robots. It requires overcoming many technical, physiological, psychological, and ethical hurdles. Some of the main challenges include:

– The distance and duration of the journey. Mars is about 225 million kilometers away from Earth at its closest point, and about 400 million kilometers away at its farthest point. Depending on the alignment of the planets, it takes between six to nine months to travel from Earth to Mars using current propulsion technologies. The return trip would take another six to nine months, making the total mission duration at least one year and a half. This means that the crew would have to endure long periods of isolation, confinement, and boredom, as well as exposure to cosmic radiation and microgravity, which can have negative effects on their health and well-being.
– The landing and ascent. Landing on Mars is notoriously difficult due to its thin atmosphere, which provides little drag to slow down the spacecraft. The atmosphere also varies in density and temperature, making it hard to predict the optimal landing trajectory. Moreover, the surface of Mars is uneven and rocky, posing hazards for landing sites. To land safely on Mars, the spacecraft would have to use a combination of aerobraking, parachutes, rockets, and airbags or skycranes. To take off from Mars, the spacecraft would have to carry enough fuel and propellant to escape the planet’s gravity and rendezvous with an orbiting vehicle or another spacecraft.
– The surface operations. Living and working on Mars would pose many challenges for the crew. They would have to adapt to a harsh environment with low temperatures, low pressure, high radiation, dust storms, and limited resources. They would also have to deal with a 24-hour and 39-minute day-night cycle, which could disrupt their circadian rhythms and sleep patterns. Furthermore, they would have to cope with a communication delay of up to 20 minutes with Earth, which would limit their ability to receive support and guidance from mission control or their families and friends.
– The ethical implications. Sending humans to Mars raises many ethical questions about the purpose, value, and consequences of such a mission. Some of these questions include: Why do we want to go to Mars? What are the benefits and risks of going to Mars? Who should go to Mars? How should we treat Mars and its potential life forms? How should we deal with the possibility of contaminating Mars or being contaminated by it? How should we handle conflicts or emergencies on Mars? How should we govern ourselves on Mars?

Despite these challenges, many scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, and enthusiasts believe that sending humans to Mars is not only feasible but also desirable and inevitable. They argue that going to Mars would advance our scientific knowledge, technological capabilities, and cultural horizons. They also claim that going to Mars would inspire future generations, foster international cooperation, and fulfill our human curiosity and spirit of exploration.

Several organizations and agencies have proposed or planned human missions to Mars in the near or distant future. Some of the most prominent ones include:

– NASA: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is the leading space agency in the world and has been exploring Mars since the 1960s. NASA’s current vision for human exploration of Mars is based on a three-phase approach: Earth Reliant, Proving Ground, and Earth Independent. The first phase involves conducting research and testing technologies on the International Space Station (ISS) in low Earth orbit. The second phase involves conducting missions in cislunar space (the region around the Moon) using the Orion spacecraft and the Gateway station. The third phase involves conducting missions to orbit and land on Mars using the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Deep Space Transport (DST) vehicle. NASA aims to send humans to orbit Mars in the 2030s and land on Mars in the 2040s.
– SpaceX: SpaceX is a private aerospace company founded by Elon Musk in 2002 with the goal of making humanity a multiplanetary species. SpaceX has developed several reusable rockets and spacecrafts such as the Falcon 9,
Falcon Heavy,
Dragon,
Starship, and Starlink. SpaceX’s vision for human exploration of Mars is based on a four-phase approach: Flyby, Red Dragon, Early Colonization, and City Building. The first phase involves sending an uncrewed Starship to fly by Mars in 2024. The second phase involves sending a crewed Starship to land on Mars in 2026, carrying cargo and experiments. The third phase involves sending multiple Starships to Mars every two years, carrying more crew and cargo, and establishing a self-sustaining colony. The fourth phase involves sending thousands of Starships to Mars over decades, carrying millions of people and building a city on Mars.
– Mars One: Mars One is a non-profit organization founded by Bas Lansdorp and Arno Wielders in 2011 with the goal of establishing a permanent human settlement on Mars. Mars One’s vision for human exploration of Mars is based on a one-way approach: No Return. Mars One plans to send a series of robotic missions to Mars starting in 2022, followed by a series of human missions starting in 2031. The first human mission would consist of four crew members who would land on Mars and never come back. They would be followed by more crews every two years, who would join the existing settlers and expand the colony. Mars One claims that its one-way approach is cheaper, simpler, and safer than a return approach, and that it would create a new branch of human civilization on Mars.
– China: China is an emerging space power that has been developing its space program since the 1950s. China’s current vision for human exploration of Mars is based on a three-stage approach: Orbiter, Rover, and Sample Return. The first stage involves sending an orbiter and a rover to Mars in 2020, called Tianwen-1 (meaning “Questions to Heaven”). The orbiter would study the Martian atmosphere, surface, and subsurface, while the rover would explore a landing site in Utopia Planitia. The second stage involves sending another orbiter and rover to Mars in 2028, called Tianwen-2 (meaning “Heavenly Questions”). The orbiter would act as a relay station for the rover, which would collect soil samples from different locations on Mars. The third stage involves sending a spacecraft to Mars in 2030, called Tianwen-3 (meaning “Heavenly Answers”). The spacecraft would rendezvous with the orbiter and rover, retrieve the soil samples, and return them to Earth for analysis. China also plans to send humans to orbit and land on Mars in the 2040s or 2050s.
– India: India is another emerging space power that has been developing its space program since the 1960s. India’s current vision for human exploration of Mars is based on a two-stage approach: Orbiter and Lander. The first stage involves sending an orbiter to Mars in 2013, called Mangalyaan (meaning “Mars Craft”). The orbiter successfully entered Martian orbit in 2014, becoming the first Asian nation to do so. The orbiter has been studying the Martian atmosphere, surface, and mineralogy, as well as searching for signs of methane and water. The second stage involves sending a lander and a rover to Mars in 2024, called Mangalyaan-2 (meaning “Mars Craft-2”). The lander would carry scientific instruments and experiments, while the rover would explore the landing site and conduct soil analysis. India also plans to send humans to orbit and land on Mars in the 2030s or 2040s.

These are some of the most ambitious and visionary plans for human exploration of Mars that have been proposed or planned so far. However, they are not the only ones. There are many other organizations and agencies that have expressed interest or intent to send humans to Mars in the future, such as the European Space Agency (ESA), the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Blue Origin, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and more.

The future of human settlements on Mars is uncertain but exciting. It depends on many factors such as technological innovation, scientific discovery, political will, public support, economic feasibility, environmental sustainability, ethical responsibility, and human aspiration. It also depends on you. What do you think about going to Mars? Would you like to go? Why or why not? How do you imagine life on Mars? What are your hopes and fears for the future of humanity on Mars? worldnewsstudio.com/mars-possible-new-home-for-humankind/