There are many arguments why a plan to send humans to Mars is unwise. Here is a summary of only a few of the issues.
The journey
Radiation in deep space is greater than once thought. Once astronauts leave low Earth orbit, radiation comes from both the Sun and the cosmos itself. The spaceships are not shielded with lead, which is what we use to block radiation on Earth, because lead is too heavy to carry in large quantities to space.
Read Also: Ethiopia Is The Most Important Country In The History Of Mankind(Read)
Astronauts wear a radiation detector, and in the course of their lifetimes they are only allowed exposure to a set amount of radiation. Once that has been reached, that astronaut will no longer be able to go to space. Simply traveling one way to Mars, not even counting the return trip, will expose astronauts to more radiation than allowed during their lifetime.
The trip will use all the available fuel. They will need to have fuel for the return trip, and therefore an arrangement will have to be made to get a fuel depot on Mars before humans get there. The alternative is find a way to make the fuel on Mars itself, and this technology is not yet possible.
The trip takes 8 months each way. Traveling for 8 months in a small enclosure will be difficult for astronauts.
Bone loss of astronauts in microgravity is 1% to 3% per month, even with two hours of exercise a day. The low gravity on Mars, once astronauts get there, will not be sufficient to stop continuing bone loss.
Vision problems and possible blindness happens when astronauts are exposed to long term microgravity. It’s not known if this happens for long terms of low gravity like on Mars. The eyeball becomes elongated in low gravity and astronauts who once had 20/20 vision often have to wear glasses for the rest of their lives back on Earth.
Living on Mars
Dust on Mars. Mars is brown and very dusty. This dust is invasive and gets everywhere. There are dust devils and dust storms that sometimes cover the entire planet.
The cold. Mars is very cold. Average temperatures are minus 80 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 60 degrees Celsius).
Shelter is needed.
The air is poisonous and thin. The Martian atmosphere is too thin to support life and poisonous to humans. Astronauts will need to either bring enough oxygen with them for the entire trip or be able to generate enough oxygen from Mars itself. Research is presently underway to test the feasibility of this idea.
Food. Nothing will grow on Mars because the soil, or what we call regolith, is full of perchlorates. Between the cold, the thin atmosphere and the poisonous soil, astronauts will have difficulty growing their own food.
Water. There is no liquid water on Mars and frozen water is at the poles, not where we want to be. Astronauts will need a constant supply of water. Food and water are very heavy and a 2 to 3 year supply brought from Earth is difficult.
Radiation. Not just in space, but radiation on the surface of Mars is worse than once thought. Too much exposure will cause cancer and kill anyone exposed to it for extended periods of time.
Mars and Earth line up every 2 years. Because the orbital speed of Earth is faster than Mars, a return trip to Earth, or a supply ship from Earth takes 2 years. There must be enough food, water and oxygen for at least this amount of time in order to survive.
These are just some of the many issues that will have to be addressed before anyone visits and steps foot on Mars, and stepping foot on Mars is a long way from having a colony of people living there.
Why does it take so long to get to Mars? Well, both Mars and Earth are moving targets. The two become aligned for a transfer orbit about once every two years.
Here is an animation depicting how that works. You’ll notice the little blue circle, which represents Earth/Moon, travels about three quarters of the way around the Sun from launch to arrival at Mars according to this fairly accurate animation.
That’s your 8 months of travel time. Launch opportunities happen every 26 months.
