Mars: the conquest to reach the red planet.
Mars: the freezing red planet of sand and rock far off into deep space, a planet shrouded in mystery.
Human space exploration has pushed the envelope of what’s possible in human space exploration through large projects such as the Apollo and Gemini missions of the 60’s and 70’s. This was a time when anything was possible and continuous human space travel was thought not to be centuries away but mere years at that.
It is now projected that humans will be landing astronauts on Mars possibly by 2030. However, there are many different theories to exactly when how ever the most prominent is the year 2030.
“To be able to make it feasible and affordable, you need a sustainable budget”states Chris Carberry, executive director of the explore Mars inc from space.com
Recent breakthroughs in technology as well as discovery’s by NASA’s Mars Rover Discovery promise a bright future for space travel to the red planet.
And a recent discovery of flowing water on Mars only furthermore proves the importance of a manned mission to Mars.
However, the big question many people ask is it worth the risk? There are many issues that are faced in pursuing the mission, whether that be a technological issue, a fuel issue, or a plan issue on how to get to the red planet. “I think that it is a very exciting idea”… However Johnson later added that “I would like to see that money spent on fixing issues back here on Earth first” .
The manned mission to mars been debated since the 70’s with those who were for the mission and those individuals who didn’t support it. Some people don’t support the mission because they feel that we aren’t doing enough to save our own planet with all of the issues that are faced today like global warming.
Of all of the proposed Mars missions one of the impassioned advocates of the operations and the effort to get there is Dr. Robert Zubrin. Zubrin has been with the concept since pretty much the very beginning. He also has pushed for the mission to get underway since the 1980’s and hasn't backed down on the idea since.
Having a large background in aerospace engineering he is all for the mission. Zubrin said
“this thing has got to get underway.” Zubrin added that “it has many similarities to Mars as you are likely to find anywhere on Earth.”
The possibilities of what can be done on Mars is endless, according to Zubrin.
If a manned mission is launched Zubrin and others believed that its possible to answer those questions and make new discoveries on the red planet. If launched the knowledge gained will change what humans know forever and surely benefit the human race.
Think of it this way almost everything one uses in your daily life has been a product of some form of space exploration. For example the hand held vacuum cleaner was derived from space knowledge by NASA engineer Frank Rudy in the early 1980’s during the shuttle program. There have also been many other inventions that have been derived from space travel.
NASA is responsible for most of the inventions if not all that have been derived from space exploration.
NASA has even created different types of foods and drinks such as Tang, which was created as a drink for the astronauts which was popular in the 60’s and 70’s. In addition, NASA created freeze dried food which came to be known as space food. Not only has space exploration created these inventions it has also created new types of renewable energy platforms.
NASA created solar panel technology which is an important renewable energy producer which saving us millions of dollars per year on energy costs. Solar panel technology also on top of saving money it also is saving our planet by generating energy with sunlight instead of burning fossil fuels which are destroying our atmosphere by releasing more CO2 into it.
More recently NASA created memory foam which is what most modern day mattresses are made of which helps us sleep better.
Other inventions include Shoe insoles, cordless tools, water filters, and scratch resistant lenses are among many other everyday inventions NASA created that we use in everyday life.
