Is Mars' going to be our next home in future?

 From hostile deserts, to lonely islands and therefore the highest mountains, where there's area to expand into humans do thus. So, it's hardly shocking that we're already creating preparations to line foot on Mars, and to form the primary permanent colony outside of Earth -- perhaps even terraform another planet and switch it into a second blue home. But wait, before we are able to get to the good future stuff, we tend to 1st need to complete the second section of colonization; making a semi-permanent outpost to organize the bottom for a bigger human presence. 

image source: Pixabay

But doing thus are going to be ugly. Even for Associate in Nursing philosophical system species like America, Mars is extreme. initially look, Mars looks acquainted -- polar ice caps, giant valleys, liquid water below its surface, and daily barely longer than Earth's. the perfect place for America to travel. sadly, Mars is really a chilly, radioactive  desert wherever the bottom is toxic and respiratory is not possible. Mars is awful. You nearly actually don't desire to travel there. The pioneers doing the toil on Mars can have Associate in Nursing intensely disagreeable life, stuffed with improbably difficult issues ne'er encountered before. however there area unit lots of folks willing to try to to that employment and that we have the technology to change them to try to to it. For this text, we are going to assume there are previous missions to Mars to scout out an honest place for Associate in Nursing outpost, store resources and instrumentation, which there is already a moon base that is a hub for Mars missions. 

The first major challenge for our outpost, is that the proven fact that Mars is incredibly energy poor. thanks to its distance from the Sun, solar energy is merely four-hundredth as effective as on Earth. however even this weakened daylight is commonly obscured for days by monumental dirt storms. solar energy alone can in all probability not be enough. Alternatives, like wind generation, and heat are impossible as there is hardly any atmosphere and Mars' interior is way too cold. Initially, nuclear technology can be the sole choice. Since Mars does not have simply accessible radioactive  components, the fuel has to return from Earth at the side of the reactor. If we tend to do set it up, it may power our little outpost for the primary few years. sadly, all that energy will not be terribly helpful if we will not breathe. Mars' atmosphere is merely 1 Chronicles as dense as Earth's, and largely created of greenhouse gas. So, currently habitats have to be compelled to be pressurised and stuffed with a man-made atmosphere manufactured from chemical element and atomic number 8 -- that comes with a lot of issues. 

image source: pixabay

Corners and flat walls area unit weak points therefore the habitats can have rounded and sleek shapes to handle the strain of nice pressure variations between the inside and exterior. The airlocks have to be compelled to be terribly airtight and work absolutely on every occasion. while not an in depth magnetic field, or a dense atmosphere, half all radiation returning from area reaches the bottom. an individual on the surface would be subjected to fifty times the radiation that they might get on Earth. 3 years on the surface of Mars exceeds the radiation dose limits obligatory on NASA astronauts for his or her entire career. This will increase cancer risks considerably. to forestall that, we tend to may protect our habitats with a thick layer of frozen greenhouse gas, that may be harvested directly from the atmosphere. Covering the solid with a meter of dirt, would additional increase the amount of protection. Sadly, this suggests nearly no windows. From the within, most living areas are going to be window less tunnels. From the surface ,they'll appear as if burial mounds. All of this could still not be patient all the radiation, however cut back it simply enough to be survivable for long periods of your time. It won't, however, shield anyone World Health Organization ventures outside. 

image source: Pixabay

So, unmanned  robots are going to be used for routine work on the surface, whereas our crew stays within. Staying within may be a sensible plan for an additional reason: Mars dirt. It's abundant finer than dirt on Earth, thus it may realize its means into the gears or physical science of our machines. as a result of it is also terribly dry, it's electro-statically charged; jutting to everything, like spacesuits. it'll be not possible to avoid carrying legion Mars dirt into our environment, and into the lungs of our crew. to create this even worse, Mars' soil is stuffed with terribly poisonous salt salts. Constant exposure may be deadly. This downside will still be overcome although. area suits, as an example, may be created in a very means that they ne'er actually enter the bottom, however keep hooked up to the surface of the habitats. Okay, great. currently we've safely isolated humans in terms of energy and air, and guarded them from cancer ,we simply have to be compelled to feed them. Water is simple to come back by if a settlement is positioned close to the Martian poles with their thick layers of ice. Growing food may be a totally different reasonably challenge although. Mars' soils area unit base-forming and lack the very important chemical element compounds that plants have to be compelled to grow. Before we are able to grow something, we are going to need to clean the soil that is tough and pricey. Then, the soil will be impregnated victimisation recycled biological waste. All of this can take plenty of your time ,and is incredibly energy-intensive. 

So, we'd  use aquaponics to boost fish and plants along -- creating the astronauts' diets a lot of varied and attractive at constant time. this can be a vital psychological boost for our overworked crew. All of those things do not solve one basic downside though: Mars has solely thirty eight p.c of Earth's surface gravity, that may cause muscle-wasting, bone loss, and vessel issues. whereas this can be solved  within the future by fixing rotating living areas, for now, our crew needs to bear low gravity and exercise plenty to slow the degradation down. The crews can in all probability need to rotate each few years, once being stuck inside in tight areas while not windows. With the same people, performing the same routines day-in day-out with little contact from the outside world, and a lot to worry about. Like Antarctic scientists or submarine staff, they will undergo intense psychological screening to make sure they're mentally resilient enough to handle this lifestyle for several years. Establishing the first real infrastructure on Mars will be extremely taxing work that only a group of very determined, and competent, people can do. 

Luckily, we have enough of these on Earth. And there you have it! A small Mars base that will survive for at least a few decades -- as long as it's getting a constant supply of resources, parts, nuclear fuel, and crews from Earth. Unfortunately, Mars and Earth are separated by millions of kilometers and orbital periods that leave only a narrow travel window every two years. If there's an emergency in the colony, Earth wouldn't be able to help until the next travel window opens. Helpers may arrive on a planet filled with corpses. Settling Mars will be the toughest challenge we have ever faced. It will be gruesome work to establish the infrastructure we need. But we're stubborn, and we like extreme challenges. If we push through Phase Two of colonization, anything is possible. Cities illuminating the dark Martian night, a hub for travel between the planets, industries setting foot in orbit terraforming a true multi-planetary future. Going to Mars is hard but worth it. And if we're lucky, we might be around long enough to see it happening and cheer on the people who take on these challenges for the benefit of all.