Could Mars Ever Be Liveable?
By: Paige Amsberry
Why Do I Want to Know?
Life on Mars has always interested me, and I was wondering if it could ever be possible to live there. I also wanted to know if scientists were planning on a trip to Mars soon, and how many people really wanted to go.
Reason to Go to Mars
Scientists could make Mars a backup living location for humanity if life on Earth becomes untenable due to things like climate change. People could go to Mars for additional resources like water, precious materials, and additional croplands. Mars provides raw materials, such as regolith. Regolith is the material that covers the surface of Mars, which we could use to make concrete. We could make underground cave systems which could be converted to underground habitats to protect citizens from radiation. Lastly, Mars does have water on it, and the climate is very similar to Earth's.
Reasons Not to Go to Mars
First of all there is no air on Mars, so once you dropped on the surface, you would pass out quickly and die a couple minutes later. There is also no air pressure, the temperatures are incredibly cold, and there is a constant radiation from space. The soil is also toxic, so planting would require a decontamination process. There would be a limited supply of spare parts and medical supplies, so constant trips would have to be made.
Technology helping us learn more about Mars.
Mars dust storm.
Artist's concept of a habitat for a Mars colony.
Getting to Mars
By 2030, NASA hopes to send people to the edges and surface of Mars, not just to visit, but to live there for a long period of time. Sending humans to Mars could help speed up research and allow us better understanding of the history of Mars. NASA is looking into ways to make fuel, water, oxygen, and building materials on Mars. NASA is also curious to find out if studying Mars could help us find out more about our own planet and even how our solar system was born. NASA could be pipped to the post in the race to Mars, as a non-profit organization based in the Netherlands has said they will land humans on Mars by 2027.
Methods and Tools
In 1965, NASA's Mariner 4 spacecraft completed its first Martian flyby. Six years later, Soviet Union's 3 lander became the first spacecraft to land softly on Mars. In total, there has been four deployments of Mars rovers. No longer functioning Sojourner and Spirit, and still active Opportunity and Curiosity.
Conclusion
No, we probably couldn't live on Mars since there are so many complications with. There would need to be a constant stream of supplies coming from earth. That would be extremely expensive, so there would be long periods of time between each shipment of supplies come.