Living on Mars is a concept so near but a location so astoundingly far. At a changing range of 33 million to 249 million miles from Earth, this red planet currently has a population of zero. The idea of sending humans to Mars isn’t new. Constantly, astrophysics and astronomers propose plans of sending humans to reach Mars, and even with all the challenges, the possibility of humans living on Mars draws the attention of NASA, Boeing, and SpaceX alike. So, why can’t we just go to Mars as Matt Damon did in The Martian or explore it as Brad Pitt did in Ad Astra? To answer that, let’s look at what this red planet offers.
Presuming this is read on Earth, we live in an atmosphere with 21% oxygen, which allows us to respirate. When it comes to Mars, we are looking at a different composition, where conditions aren’t as habitable as there is only 0.13% oxygen, with a majority of CO2, a chemical compound extremely harmful to Humans. As if this isn’t dangerous enough, Mars contains other environmental hazards. The planet’s temperature averages around -51°F, which is similar to the coldest winter temperatures in Antarctica. Additionally, the daily atmosphere on Mars makes it hard to ensure human safety. The planet has major levels of radiation and dust storms that span for weeks at a time, resulting in heavy winds and dangerous loose particles. In addition to these hazards, Mars’s small mass creates 1/3 of Earth’s gravity, restricting the safety of human movement and space travel.
Commonly, science fiction deals with its own exploration challenges, but in many movies, TV shows, or books, breathing, eating, and drinking on Mars is not a large-scale issue. For example, in The Martian, the crew is supported with life-supporting technology called “the Oxygenator,” a machine that shows that the oxygenator separates CO2 into carbon and oxygen, dividing usable oxygen from the carbon, allowing people to breathe on Mars. This issue is not a small one as it is one that scientists are exploring, but similar technology has been mirrored to get closer to human Mars exploration. NASA has accomplished a similar life support machine in their MOXIE experiment. This Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment has successfully created oxygen from CO2, suggesting a possibility of defying the limits of what is possible on Mars.
Furthermore, food is necessary for human survival, even in an environment like Mars. As this dry environment lacks soil and water, crops would have to be grown innovatively, such as tank farming or aquaculture, two opinions NASA explores. Lastly, the biggest problem faced on Mars is the current lack of water, compared to the warmer temperatures and prevalent water sources in Mars’s past. Mars is extremely cold and dry, so water is found to be ice under the surface. Unfortunately, due to the lack of water on the surface and the large amount of CO2 in this ice, systems like regenerative perchlorate reduction would have to be further developed to clear the existing water.
While the concept of living on Mars is fascinating, its environment offers large challenges, with current knowledge and experience of space exploration, we have yet to solve. With an extremely cold and dry atmosphere and a lack of resources like food and water, scientific advancements are needed before humans can make it to the red planet. While we may not be able to live out our dreams of living on Mars, the possibility of Mars being our next home is a goal that may be possible in the distant future.
In Orbit 