Human Exploration - Mars Live!

Human Exploration utopia.jpg
". . . To boldly go where no one has gone before."
-Star Trek

NASA will determine when to conduct the first human mission to Mars based on numerous criteria such as: discoveries from robotic Mars mission and long-duration human exploration of the Moon; technology readiness; the ability to sustain healthy, productive crews in the Martian environment; and available resources.    NASA has developed guiding principles for exploration which include:
  • Pursue Compelling Questions - Exploration of the solar system and beyond will be guided by compelling questions of scientific and societal importance and seek answers about the origins of our solar system, whether life exists beyond Earth, and how we could live on other worlds.
  • Across Multiple Worlds - NASA will make progress across a wide range of destinations beginning with a return to the Moon.   In light of recent discoveries, they will also focus on possible habitable environments on Mars and the moons of Jupiter.   NASA will also make use of destinations like the Moon to test and demonstrate new exploration capabilities.
  • Employ Human and Robotic Capabilities - NASA will use human and robotic explorers.   Robotic explorers will visit new worlds first to obtain scientific data, assess risks to humans, demonstrate breakthrough technologies, identify space resources, and send imagery back to Earth.   Human explorers will follow to conduct in-depth research, direct and upgrade advanced robotic explorers, prepare space resources, and demonstrate new capabilities.
  • For Sustainable Exploration - NASA will pursue breakthrough technologies, investigate lunar and other space resources, and align ongoing programs to develop sustainable, affordable, and flexible solar system exploration strategies.
  • Use the Moon as a Testing Ground For Mars and Beyond -Under the President's Vision, the first robotic missions will be sent to the Moon as early as 2008, and the first human missions as early as 2015.
  • Starting Now - NASA will pursue this Vision as their highest priority.   They are realigning programs and organization, demonstrating new technical capabilities, and undertaking new robotic precursor missions to the Moon and Mars before the end of the decade.

 

The drive to explore new worlds and expand the frontier of human civilization is based in the belief that new places give rise to new opportunities. Throughout the course of human history, people braved new frontiers and migrated to unexplored regions of the Earth. These people were driven by the depletion of resources, the overcrowded living conditions, and the search for economic and religious freedom. Seldom have people arrived in a new land and then forsaken it. There have always been adventurous souls who adopted the new frontier as their own. Most of these communities became self-sufficient and helped to expand the diversity of the human race.

The settlement and colonization of Mars presents significant challenges . Mars is similar to the Earth in many ways. It has a similar length of day, surroundings that resemble the desert plains , similar seasons, and similar weather. But it is also extremely different. The atmosphere is unbreathable, the year is twice as long, the dust storms are tremendous, and the gravity one-third that of the Earth. The lack of a habitable environment is the primary concern for colony designers.

Can we make Mars into a planet suitable for human life? We know we can create structures that simulate homes here on Earth. But, could we conceivably alter a planet and make it more like Earth so that plants, animals, and humans could exist on it without life support systems? Could we increase the greenhouse effect , warm the planet, thicken the atmosphere, and melt the ice caps? Some scientists believe it is possible. How would plants and animals from Earth adapt to the longer year and the lower gravity on Mars?

Among the obstacles to overcome is the high cost of sending humans to Mars, and the fact that once there, humans cannot return to Earth easily. The systems that we design will have to be self-sufficient, reliable, and robust. It is possible to create an artificial environment for humans to live in, and the high cost of transportation may one day be reduced. This could make a future human presence on Mars not only a possibility but a reality.

 

Next... Life Support Systems (pg. 3 of 10)