LIVING IN MARS

People may be able to reach Mars in one of many ways. In connection with the Constellation Program, NASA prepared one detailed plan, Constellation, which was cancelled by President Obama in 2010. However, the plan, whose basic steps are outlined below, could be revived during a more favorable economic period.

1. The first spacecraft will be launched into orbit around Mars. The craft will be used for the return to Earth and wIll be loaded with fuel and food supplies for the astronaust return journey.

2. Spacecraft No.2; called Cargo- 1, will deliver materials such as exploration vehicles, plants and foodstuff, it will also contain the surface power system, most likely a small nuclear reactor.

3. The third. spacecraft will be residential module laden with plenty of supplies and a scientific lab. This spacecraft will be the astronauts primary base once they arrive. The craft will land near Cargo-1 and will also hold an additional nuclear reactor.

4.Two years after the second and third crafts are sent, a fourth piloted craft, containing six astronauts and a second surface habitat, will follow. After 500 days on Mars, the astronauts will get in the return spacecraft and head home.

In 1951, the now famous author Arthur C. Clarke wrote a slim novel entitled The Sands of Mars. lt was one of the first attempts to describe the colonization of our neighboring planet, and there is little doubt that the novel inspired many of the scientists who have subsequently devoted time to researching Mars. Clarke's science fiction, imagining domed cities in which people could walk about freely, just as on Earth, made the idea of colonizing Mars very appealing. There were red deserts and plants. The temperature was so high and the air so dense that it was possible to go outside wearing only Mars appropriate clothing and an oxygen mask. Real Mars explorers will almost certainty never have such an experience. Even though research indicates that Mars is much less similar to Earth than we once thought, that has not curbed interest in building bases and colonies. Recent research has also revealed both good and bad news when it comes to the chance of establishing a permanent settlement. Promisingly, there appear to be large quantities of ice right beneath the surface in many places on Mars. Easy access to water would certainly make it less complicated to establish a base. Unfortunately, the atmosphere is very thin, with a pressure similar to that found 18.6 miles above the Earth. And there is no ozone layer protecting against ultraviolet radiation from the sun, which means that it would always be necessary to wear a space suit when going outside. Another issue hindering Mars exploration is the difficulty of landing. The thin, erratic atmosphere is able to slow dolwn probes weighing up to a couple of tons, and those can descend by parachute. But this would be impossible with a 30 to 60 ton spacecraft, which is the expected weight of payloads carrying all the necessary survival supplies for a manned mission on the planet. The last phase of the landing would have to be facilitated by braking rockets, which would require fuel to be carried millions of miles from Earth. This presents such a problem that it's forcing scientists to consider the possibility of producing fuel on Mars for the return trip. The barren polar desert landscape of Devon Island in northern Canada is a lot like Mars. Consequently, a small trial base has been established here.

COSMIC CAMPING

The residential module will be compact and will only contain what is absolutely necessary for exploring and living on Mars.

ESTABLISHING A BASE

Most manned missions plan for 500 days spent on the planet, but it's possible that astronauts would begin establishing a permanent base in connection with the first landing. Because of the enormous distance and long travel time, it would be necessary to consider staying on Mars for many months, perhaps even for several years. The first base will most likely be modest, and will encounter obstacles large and small from dust invading everything to cosmic radiation. The first base would also most likely be prefabricated It would be built on Earth and sent to Mars on board an unmanned spacecraft, which would limit its size. A good estimate is a cylinder with a 26 foot diameter and a height of 36 feet, as envisioned by the Mars Society, which is led by engineer Robert Zubrin. For years, the organization has tried to prepare for man's trip to Mars, including by building models of bases in Arctic Canada.

THIRD TIMES A CHARM

The society is now designing its third and most sophisticated model, the three story Euro-MARS, meant to house six astronauts for almost two years. On the ground floor will be scientific labs for the anatysis of most samples on the spot, which will be necessary since it will not be possible to bring much back to Earth. Scientists will rely heavily on an electron microscope, which can look for microorganisms, and an X-ray spectrometer, which can be used to determine the mineral makeup. A gas chromatograph can be utilized to examine the samples' organic substance content.From the ground floor, the astronauts will he able to access the surface by passing through two air locks; between the two locks will be a repair shop. On the first floor will be the living room, kitchen, bathroom, a storm cell and an exercise room. Exercise wilt be crucial, because the gravity of Mars is roughly one-third of the Earth's. In order to keep their bones and muscles fit, astronauts will have to exercise for one to two hours a day. The storm cell will be necessary in case of solar eruptions, which entail dangerously high radiation levels and occur because Mars has a very thin atmosphere and no magnetic field whatsoever. Though the base will of course be designed to be as comfortable as possible, astronauts will spend quite a lot of time outside the base doing research. A large part of their job will consist of driving around in large "tractors," complete with

pressure cabins and air locks, allowing them to leave the vehicle and do fieldwork. Some of these expeditions may last several weeks and take them up to 310 miles away from the base.

PLANTS AND FUEL

The two main tasks of the first base will be the production of food and rocket fuel. Plants will be grown in greenhouses, which presents the unique challenge of maintaining a terrestrial environment and climate on Mars. One idea has been to create genetically modified plants, which could be altered to cope with ultraviolet radiation and low temperatures and survive on very lithe water. The second vital task for the astronauts will be the production of fuel. They will use the Sabatier process, which involves a simple reaction between hydrogen imported from Earth and CO2, from Mars atmosphere. In the process, hydrogen and CO2 are converted into methane and water. The water produced can then be separated into oxygen and hydrogen by electrolysis; the hydrogen can be reused in the process, while the oxygen can be utilized to burn methane in the rocket engine. The operation will require a lot of energy, so a small nuclear power station will have to be built rather quickly close to the base, likely being carried to the planet aboard one of the early spacecraft.

THE DREAM OF COLONIZATION

In the short term, man's presence on Mars will most likely resemble the Amundsen Scott South Pole Station. But the dream of colonizing Mars remains strong, and as space operations gradually become less expensive, the emergence of a real colony is not impossible. It would mean establishing something possibly like the domed cities described by Clarke in his 1951 novel, and it would present an entirely new set of challenges. A modest green house and small plants would no longer be enough; a closed biosphere would be necessary, including both plants and animals, so as not to have to import food from Earth. Another issue would be the transportation costs of building materials, though it's not impossible that most could be created on the planet. In the 1980s, scientists realized that it would actually be quite easy to manufacture bricks on Mars. According to engineer Bruce MacKenzie of the Mars Homestead Project, the best material for building the first city on Mars is brick, which can be made by simply taking some surface dust, adding water, and then squeezing, drying and baking it. It is also possible to produce mortar and cement, so the first buildings on Mars could very be neat redbrick houses.

However, the low temperatures and the radiation from space present special challenges. One solution could be to build the houses in ditches and subsequently cover them with cement. Or, builders could construct a dome over the entire settlement, which could be built in the shape of a square. Under the dome, there could be green plants and perhaps an artificial lake as well. Living beneath such a dome would, however, come at a price. The gravity on Mars is only 38 percent as strong as the gravity on Earth, and children born and raised on the planet might not be able to travel to Earth, because of their muscles and bones adaptation to the weak gravity. Even settlers who had gone to Mars as adults would probably face great difficulties if they wanted to visit Earth again.

TERRAFORMING MARS

In the foreseeable future, a Mars colony could at most support a few thousand people, but if it were possible to terraform the planet, it could, in theory, support a much larger population. Terra forming changing the temperature and atmosphere of a planet enough to enable humans to live unconstrained on its surface is possible in theory. Scientists know that Mars was once very similar to the Earth. According to geologists, there may have been a large ocean in the Northern Hemisphere some 3 billion years ago, just as there were rivers and active volcanoes. At that time, Mars was both warmer and more humid, But recreating thisscenario would be a project that would demand patience ever the course of many generations. Even in the most favorable conditions, it would take several thousand years to convert the red planet to a blue and green globe resembling the Earth. Nevertheless, scientists have already begun to consider how to undertake such a spectacular project. The first person to present the idea was Carl Sagan, who suggested terraforming Venus in 1961.1n the following years, Sagan came to play a central role in the exploration of the solar system, and in 1973 he described how it would be possible to terraform Mars. Since then, the idea has been taken up by several other scientists, the most well know of  whom is James Lovelock, a scientist and environ mentalist who first proposed the Gaia hypothesis

about the Earth as a self-regulating superorganism. In 1984, he and Michael Ailaby wrote The Greening of Mars, in which they first described the possibility of using chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) gases to create an extensive global varming effect. Raising the planers temperature would be the first step in successfully terraforming it. There are three possibilities  first, as Lovelock suggested, by enriching the atmosphere with powerful CFC gases that are much more efficient all warming than the CO2 that is already present. The second possibility would be to increase solar radiation by placing giant mirrors in orbit around the planet. Finally, fine dust, perhaps from the two small moons Phobos and Deimos, could be spread over the polar caps,allowing Mars to absorb sunlight more efficiently.

ADDING MELTED ICE TO THE ATMOSPHERE

If the polar caps were melted on purpose, then the billions of tons of ice and snow found there could contribute to the atmospheric density and thus to global warming. But if scientists hope to generate a seriously denser atmosphere, it may also be necessary to include the ice found below the surface, which melts once it is brought into contact with the air. Bringing the ice into the open vvould probably

require using powerful explosives or perhaps bombarding Mars with giant rocks and meteors, which could crack the surface open. But even after hundreds of years of endeavors, the atmosphere would still be cold, thin and almost devoid of  oxygen. Consequently, biologists would take over for the next few steps, introducing a robust fauna. At first it could be customized moss and lichen, followed by pine trees. The plants would generate fertile topsoil and convert atmospheric CO2 into oxygen. Later, scientists hypothesize, genetically modified animals that could survive in the tough climate could follow. The last step in colonization would be to leave the domed cities and occupy the entire planet, though this is not on the horizon in the foreseeable future. Only with the investment of significant time, energy and financial resources might science one day transform the red planet.

Source: Science Illustrated Magazine, Edition Jan'12*)