Mars has always been one of the main planets that society has been fascinated by since its discovery. We have made many discoveries and continually keep learning more about the Red planet. As technological innovations improved, scientists and engineers have worked together to design semi-autonomous systems that would go to Mars and take atmospheric observations such as the composition of the planet through the use of satellites like Mars Odyssey and Mars Express. Also, there are rovers such as Curiosity (Mars Science Laboratory aka “MSL”) and the Opportunity rover. These rovers have served as our geologists in the planet Mars. We have used all the data collected from satellites and the rovers to better understand how the human species can flourish in the Red Planet and how we can better prepare ourselves for a permanent shelter in Mars.
Luckily, there are 3 main aerospace companies who have taken the challenge and are currently working towards getting humans to the Red planet as soon as possible. The first initiative to attempt to get humans to Mars is by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration). NASA has a lot of expertise in terms of space exploration because they have been the only agency in the US to land anything in another planet. The problem with NASA currently is the lack of funding from the federal government. NASA’s plan to land a human on Mars is “affordable with the right partnerships (international, commercial/industrial, intergovernmental, etc.)” (Kramer). NASA needs more financial help in order to complete their biggest missions. NASA plans to use the Orion Multi Purpose Crew Vehicle (which is still being tested) to transport astronauts from Earth to Mars.
The next big contender in this new space race to Mars is SpaceX. SpaceX is a new private aerospace company that has succeeded with many rocket launches to Low Earth Orbit. In contrast to NASA, SpaceX is not being affected by a limit in their budget. The CEO of SpaceX, Elon Musk, “spoke about SpaceX going public on the stock market — perhaps to raise the necessary funds” (Anthony). SpaceX is thinking of using their Falcon Heavy Launch Rocket to give their spacecraft a good of momentum to cruise through empty space rapidly between the Earth and Mars. SpaceX doesn’t have any experience in landing any manmade object on another planet or moon but their prior success in other missions makes them very likely of accomplishing their goal to colonize Mars.
The most daring initiative is by Mars One thus far. Mars One plans on settling a permanent settlement on Mars. They intend on sending a small group of humans on a one way trip to the Red planet. The biggest problem I see with Mars One is that they don’t truly have any experience at all in the Aerospace field. Mars One has never launched a rocket nor has collaborated with another agency on a project. Mars One intends to make money for this task by creating a Reality TV show out of the humans that are settled in Mars. As Mars One states, “Mars One is not an aerospace company. Therefore, the required systems are to be designed and built by established aerospace companies with relevant experience” (Mars One). The honest truth is that not many aerospace companies are up for such a daunting task. They will put their reputation on the line by using systems that have never been truly tested on Mars and at the same time Humans will be heavily dependent on them. Another problem is that Mars One does realize “we don’t have [the] to technology to pull it off yet” (Dickerson). Technology improves gradually, so it is going to take a few years for aerospace technology to allow space travel to Mars to be more easy and more cost efficient.
Throughout all projects regardless of location many factors become a problem immediately. All companies must take into consideration, food supply, how to filter and provide a continuous flow of breathable air, and how to protect astronauts from radiation. On a voyage to Mars, all these factors become an extremely big problem due to the length of the voyage, which is about 200 days in outer space. While each company is taking a slightly different approach of how to get humans to Mars, I’m confident that each company will eventually reach the Red Planet but I don’t think many will stick to their projected timeline.
References:
Anthony, Sebastian. “SpaceX Says It Will Put Humans on Mars by 2026, Almost 10 Years Ahead of NASA.” ExtremeTech. N.p., 18 June 2014. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.
Dickerson, Kelly. “Two MIT Students Just Schooled a Company Trying to Send People to Mars.” Tech Insider. N.p., 21 Aug. 2015. Web. 23 Oct. 2015
Kramer, Miriam. “Manned Mission to Mars By 2030s Is Really Possible, Experts Say | Space.com.” Space. N.p., 14 Jan. 2014. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.
“About Mars One – Mars One.” Mars One. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.