Astronomy (and other Space Sciences)

https://www.space.com/41935-mars-base-alpha-2028-elon-musk.html
This is the link the professor provided for this particular discussion assignment.

Discussion :

The idea of sending people to Mars in hopes of colonizing the planet has long been out of the realm of possibilities but big thinkers like Elon Musk are determined to keep trying (link).

From what you have learned from this class:

Why is Mars considered so inhospitable?
What would be needed to ensure humans could survive on Mars? In particular, where would we get our food, our oxygen, our water and our energy?
If you were tasked with sending people to Mars, give a time-line of how they would get there, what would they bring, how long would they stay and what advice you would give anyone who wanted to go?

Make sure to:
Write a short essay or paragraph of at least 300 words.
Use concrete examples/details and avoid generalities.
Address all questions.
Use proper grammar and punctuation.
If you researched your topic and are using information from what you learned, remember to cite your sources.
Include at least 2 references in your discussion and cite your sources.
Do not plagiarize.
You will not be able to edit your assignment once you post, so please proofread and spell check before hitting post!
As part of the assignment, you must also reply to ONE of your classmates with at least 150 words. You will have to POST FIRST to see your classmates’ postings. Make sure your replies are thoughtful and relevant to what your classmate has posted. Try to build the discussion and keep it going.

Mars and the Search of Life

Name

Institution/Department

Course

Instructor

Due Date

Mars and the Search of Life

The human mission to send people to mass has been the subject of aerospace engineering, science fiction, as well as scientific proposals over the years (Buchanan, 2017). Elson Musk believes that Mars can be colonized by effectively sending people to Mars.  Mars is among the habitable planets in the solar system due to several reasons. The reason why Mars is hospitable is that; its soil contains water that can be extracted, there is sufficient sunlight to offer solar energy, the temperatures are warm, and it has an atmosphere that protects the sun and cosmic radiation (Levine and Schild, 2010). Relatively, the days and nights on Mars are similar to those of earth.

For human beings to survive on planet Mars, there are essential and basic needs, including the atmosphere, moderate temperatures and climate, cultivation, and availability of food and water. Such things are available only on Mars and Earth due to their nature. However, due to the extreme UV rays as well as the soil that is full of hydrogen, it is difficult to cultivate on Mars (Scott, 2008). Therefore, plants will need to be cultivated in environments that have tolerable temperatures. Considerably, the survival of humans on Mars would require one to live in artificial Mars habitations that contain multifaceted life support systems. Among the major facets would be the water processing structures to prevent humans from dying in a matter of days.

The total journey to Mars would take between 150-300 days, depending on the speed of the launch. They need to carry a special suit to protect them from the UV rays and a spacecraft they will live in a while on Mars. Humans going to Mars need to bring each and everything they have from earth since they are not going to find anything on Mars. The standard items that one needs while going to Mars include toiletries, clothing, sleeping bag, outdoor gear, topographic maps, food, GPS units, and personal laptop for effective adaptability.

References

Buchanan, M. (2017). Colonizing Mars. Nature Physics, 13(11), 1035-1035.

Levine, J. S., & Schild, R. E. (Eds.). (2010). The human mission to Mars: colonizing the red planet. Cosmology Science Publishers.

Scott, E. (2008). Mars and the search for life. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.