The eagerness to get to Mars aboard a manned spacecraft in the next three decades, spurred after the discoveries made by Curiosity and its predecessors, has set the conquest of the red neighbour as the next "giant leap for mankind." However, there are still some challenges and questions to which science must find answers in order for the mission to succeed.
- Methods of propulsion: when Mars and Earth are closest to each other, both planets distance 55 million miles. With current technology, this distance represents between 150 and 300 days of travel. Improved propulsion methods would shorten this path, and drive humans to further and more interesting places within the Solar System, such as the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. The last two rovers to land on the Martian surface, the Phoenix and the Curiosity, took 295 and 253 days, respectively.
- Ionizing radiation: among the things that Mars might envy of the Earth there are two key needed to be understood better in order to thrive in the neighbouring planet: the atmosphere and the terrestrial magnetic field. Although Mars has both of them, they are much weaker. Thus, the level of radiation on the Martian surface exceed twice the level recorded in the International Space Station, and may increase even further depending on solar activity. What impact would have this radiation on the health of the astronauts?
- Gravity: the red planet's gravity is 3.711 m/s², only the third of the Earth. Although higher than in the Moon (1.7 m/s²), it remains unknown whether settlers would suffered any health problems associated with weightlessness, such as loss of muscle mass and bone decalcification.
- Wacht out, pollution!: Although the existence of life on Mars has not yet confirmed, some scientists, such as the Spanish researcher and expert in Planetary Geology Jesus Martínez Frías, warn that a manned mission should include precautions to avoid alter the new environment.
- We have landed! So now what?: Some scientists, such as astrobiologist Dirk Schulze-Makuch of Washington State University and co-author of the book "A One Way Mission to Mars: Colonizing the Red Planet", imagine the colonization of Mars as a process that begins for manned missions which will return to Earth. However, these first trips will soon give way to a more permanent stay. The pioneers in staying on Mars would continue to receive supplies from Earth until they could support themselves (for what the International Space Station will play a key role). Mars settlers will inhabit a place certainly quirky. First, all structures or buildings should be equipped with cabin air pressure that would make its survival feasible. Measurements made so far suggest that the level of CO2 on Mars is 52 times that of the Earth, an amount that scientists believe may probably allow the cultivation of plants. Besides, the red planet's soil has proven to contain an abundant presence of minerals essential for life.
Although supporters of the colonization of Mars argue that a human-managed scientific basis could provide valuable data for the advancement of space research, many other voices criticize the enormous expense required to put humans on the neighbouring planet, and argue that the same could be achieved for much less money using robots instead. The economic meltdown, the budget cuts in science and the success of Curiosity tips the balance in favour of the latter. The question is: for how long?
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