The Human Mission to Mars: Where Do We Stand?
NASA has been setting the bar for space exploration since the program’s foundation in 1958. From orbiting a man around the Earth to sending one to the moon, their work has always been groundbreaking. Most recently, NASA has set their eye not on the moon, but on the planet Mars.
Scientists are hoping to discover evidence for sustainable life on Mars. To do so, their Mars Exploration Program is focusing on a strategy known as “Seek Signs of Life.” Past missions reveal that at one time (between 3.8–3.5 billion years ago), Mars was very similar to Earth, especially its climate. Scientists want to know whether microbial life existed on Mars as it did on Earth then. This could potentially indicate current microbial existence and the possibility of sustaining humans in the future.
Before humans can be sent to the Red Planet, scientists need to understand the interaction between all geologic and climatic processes and how this has affected Mars over centuries.
Before humans can be sent to the Red Planet, scientists need to understand the interaction between all geologic and climatic processes and how this has affected Mars over centuries. NASA has set four goals that need to be met in order to determine if life can be sustained:
1. Determine if life ever arose on Mars.
Although recent explorations have shown that liquid water was once present on the Mars, “Seek Signs of Life” will need to confirm the presence of organic molecules essential for life (carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulfur) before humans can be sent. They also need to confirm that there are no excessive environmental hazards like UV radiation.
2. Characterize the climate of Mars.
Although Mars’ climate was once very similar to Earth’s, it now has a thin, cold atmosphere that may not be capable of sustaining life. Scientists will need to analyze rocks, soils, landforms, and weather patterns before confirming that the climate is suitable for human life.
3. Characterize the geology of Mars.
In order to meet this third goal, scientists will perform the same tasks necessary to complete the second: analyzing rock and soil patterns in order to better understand Mars’ history and entertain its future possibility of sustaining life.
4. Prepare for human exploration of Mars.
As one would expect, it is extremely difficult to send a human into space and land them on an unknown surface, so it will take extraordinary practice and experience with precision landing. Scientists also need to understand the health hazards these astronauts may face and what precautions can be taken to protect their health.
These are all long-term goals, building up to the ultimate goal of landing humans on Mars by the 2030s. NASA has also set three thresholds to prepare themselves for the challenge of sending a human further than ever before. The above goals are a part of a threshold known as “Earth Independent,” work on which will continue into the 2030s and beyond. The second threshold is known as “Earth Reliant,” which focuses on sending astronauts to its new International Space Station in order to develop deep space systems and study life support and human health in space. This work will continue until about 2024, and also overlaps with the third threshold, “Proving Ground,” which will begin in 2018 and continue to 2030. These missions will take place near the moon in an area referred to as “cislunar space” by NASA. A yearlong mission will be launched in order to determine if humans can handle the long journey to Mars. Astronauts will collect asteroid samples to return to Earth in order to test spacewalking and sampling techniques, a necessary part of the human journey to Mars.
This may seem like an impossible mission, and it is certainly not without its challenges. However, that was also true of NASA’s previous missions. Ultimately, our progress on the mission to Mars can be summed up with one quote from NASA:
“…It’s an achievable goal. There are challenges to pioneering Mars, but we know they are solvable. We are well on our way to getting there, landing there, and living there.”
