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from the curiosity-will-get-the-best-of-you dept.
Many hopefuls have signed up for a one-way ticket to the red planet. But if they aren't prepared, the trip may be a short one.
NASA has a plan to land astronauts on its surface by the 2030s. Private spaceflight companies like SpaceX have also expressed interest in starting their own colonies there, while the infamous Mars One project has already enlisted civilians for a one-way trip to our planetary neighbor in 2020.
While many may dream of living their remaining days on Mars, those days may be numbered. The Martian environment poses significant challenges to Earth life, and establishing a Mars habitat will require an extraordinary amount of engineering prowess and technological knowhow to ensure the safety of its residents.
Though we may soon have the launch vehicles needed to transport people to Mars, a lot of the technology required to keep astronauts alive on the planet just isn't ready--and it may not be for many years. For those eager to get to Mars as soon as possible, take caution: A number of tragic outcomes await if you head that way too soon.
(Score: 4, Informative) by lothmordor on Thursday May 28 2015, @09:12AM
Ugh. I seriously dislike articles like this. If Popular Science is trying to say, "Mars won't be open for tourism for a while." then I guess they make a good point.
However, I believe they are doing a disservice to the people actually trying to make humans a multi-planetary species. Certainly, there are some hard engineering problems to solve - but they -are- solvable, and we don't need 30 years to do it before we send the first manned missions. Most of the issues brought up in the article are far less serious than the author implies, or are only brought up in light of the laughable Mars One program.
Entry, Descent and Landing - This is hard. Propulsive landing is likely the way to go, and almost certainly what SpaceX has in mind. Of course, whichever EDL system is chosen will need to be demonstrated first using an unmanned craft.
Freezing to Death - This complaint is almost an engineering detail. We know how to build insulation and heaters. Optimizing the system to be lightweight and use power sparingly is important but this isn't a show stopper.
Starving due to insufficient CO2 for crops - This is a problem only for Mars One, not a serious mission. A serious mission will bring enough food for several years, with a resupply option from Earth. For longer term self-sufficiency, pumping in a little bit of the 96% CO2 Martian atmosphere is a no-brainer.
Suffocation due to too much oxygen - Again, this is only a problem for the reality TV show. Excess O2 would be removed and stored for a variety of needs or vented outside. The ISS life support system [wikipedia.org] and submarines are good examples showing we know how to maintain a breathable atmosphere.
Radiation Exposure - Radiation is a real problem, but it is also a manageable one. Smart design of the spacecraft can minimize in-space crew radiation exposure by keeping cargo mass between the Sun and living quarters, but some cosmic ray exposure is unavoidable. On the surface, radiation is less of a worry thanks to the atmosphere and the planet blocking the sun at night, but a long duration mission or permanent colony would still want some sort of shielding. Likely this would involve burying most structures.
Unfortunately, I feel articles like this feeds fuel to politicians that want Mars as a goal - but not as a destination. Just another feasibility study, another research program, another facility in their district to pour federal dollars into the local economy.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 28 2015, @09:31AM
Especially with quoting temperatures on the poles. There's an extremely easy way to avoid those: Just don't try to settle at the poles.
Quoting this article: [space.com]
Let's compare it with temperatures we know from earth: [wikipedia.org]
So the lower temperatures are just in the same order of magnitude as on Mars equator, but the highest ones are much colder than the highest ones on Mars. Any yet Vostok station seems to survive those conditions.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by kaszz on Thursday May 28 2015, @10:24AM
The poles is likely a place where any expedition would have to land or at least venture because that's where the water is.