The Feasibility and Challenges of Mars Colonization

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Into- Why colonize another planet? With so many planets in the universe, why would Mars be the most feasible option? For one, it is relatively close to earth. Another reason why Mars is a viable option for sustaining a human colony is that it has recently been confirmed by the Mars Phoenix lander that there is water ice below the Martian surface [5]. Additionally, it has been determined that Mars has had a geological evolution similar to that of earth, and that its climate cycles resemble earth's as well. Even though we have confirmed the possibility of colonizing Mars, there are certain limitations posed by our current technology and by the space environment that could make traveling to Mars lengthy, expensive, and dangerous. -Insert VASIMR rocket info- Because the
For this reason, humans living on Mars would experience some of the same negative health effects exhibited by astronauts in microgravity. It has been shown that in weak gravity, humans can lose muscle mass at a rate as high as 5% a week [13]. Also, because they are not bearing weight in a gravity-less situation, humans in space lose bone mass. This can be dangerous both because it increases the risk of skeletal fractures, but also because as the bones deteriorate, the calcium stored in them enters the bloodstream and can cause other health problems including kidney stones [14]. Blood pressure also changes without gravity. Because gravity ordinarily pulls blood down towards the limbs, in the absence of or in weak gravity, blood pressure equalizes. This causes higher blood pressure in the head, which signals the body to begin to lose blood, which in turn effects the heart muscles [13]. "If you have less blood," explains Dr. Victor Schneider, research medical officer for NASA headquarters, "then your heart doesn't need to pump as hard. It's going to atrophy."

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