Mars is the fourth planet in the solar system and the closest planet to earth. Its weather and climatic conditions are most similar to earth, making it the most hospitable place in the solar system. Exploring the Martian surface will not be easy, but it will ensure the survival of the species as the conditions on earth are deteriorating over time. Many people have claimed that the mission will be expensive and is gratuitous but with so many threats such as overdue asteroid strikes threaten the survival of humans; and becoming a multiplanetary species would not only save the human race from extinction, but also enhance our technological capabilities in space.
The temperature on Mars generally varies from around -70 degrees celsius to
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According to infobaselearning.com, “Skeptics point out that the exploration of Mars with robots and unmanned spacecraft is more than adequate for scientific purposes”. In spite of their technological capabilities of exploring in space, rovers have proved inefficient on Mars.According to nasa.gov, “The Curiosity rover is about the size of a car, but it's not quite as fast. With a top speed of only 1.5 inches per second, Curiosity needs a place to land that's not only clear of rocks and other landing hazards but also full of interesting places to investigate nearby”. Curiosity, NASA’s rover that is exploring Mars reached a milestone of 10 kilometres in April 2015 since it reached the surface on August 6, 2012. As a matter of fact, a group of astronauts can cover the same distance in two to three days. With this in mind, we also need to worry about the survival of the human race. Elon Musk believes that there are two paths. “ I think there are really two fundamental paths. History is going to bifurcate along two directions. One path is we stay on Earth forever and then there will be some eventual extinction event. The alternative is to become a space-faring civilization and a multi-planet species which I hope you agree is the right way to go”. Our planet’s conditions are becoming worse continuously. Many factors such as global warming, deforestation, fossil fuels etc, not only affect the planet’s climate, but also the habitats of organisms living on Earth. Many people believe that global catastrophes are not too far away. To overcome this, humans will have to travel in space to ensure their survival, advance their technological capabilities, and improve the conditions on
This article told me much about the past, present, and future NASA missions. We are certainly learning more about the other planets in our solar systems, especially Mars, and I believe that we are doing the right thing in proposing more future missions that will help us learn more about our solar system and its planets.
Enduring Understanding: Space Exploration has changed the outlook on space & human existence throughout time as technology has improved.
Space travel is both fascinating and terrifying. The mystery of outer space captivates nearly all children and many adults. Neil Armstrong’s first words from the moon are iconic and will forever be engrained in the history of mankind. With the end of the Space Shuttle program many people have wondered if America’s space travels are coming to a close. Is space travel going to become a thing of the past? Kim Stanley Robison believes that the future of space travel, specifically an interplanetary mission to Mars, is not only fascinating, but necessary. In his short essay, “Why We Should Go to Mars”, Mr. Robinson starts with acknowledging that reasons for a mission to Mars “range from good to bad to terrible” (Robinson). He defines the range of common arguments which he believes are outlandish and seems to be wholly against the idea. His tone quickly changes as he presents what, in his opinion, are not only good but the best reasons as to why a Mars mission is not only a good idea, but a needed one.
As a country we need to start investing more money and research into space technology. Programs currently exist for this effort, but the potential for research and progress is limited by a lack of funding; compared to other government funded programs, aerospace funding is pitiful. Continued research in space technology is a necessary step in our growth and development not just as a country but also as entire human race. If we are to achieve this goal, it is necessary to increase funding for space research and technology and consider the possibility of colonizing outer space. If we limit our existence to the planet Earth, and continue to drain the resources on this planet, we will destroy the only home we have.
NASA has made great advancements, we continue to explore the vast solar system filled with magnificent sights. There is so much more out there, from black holes to some of the biggest stars coming to the end of their life cycle. With all this out there waiting for us why don't we pursue all the possibilities out there, all the knowledge and advancements we’d gain would be significant. We must continue to fund these space exploration projects to see all that there is to see. We would discover there’s more to space than we think maybe more the the life cycle of a star or more to nuclear fusion. It's important that we expand and explore to find a new planet, one day this planet will die and we need somewhere to go and something to do, if our species wish to live on. Its also paying off in many other ways. Technological advancements you see today like your phone was possible through space exploration even though you may not think of it. The space programs have made huge advancements in our world such as more fire resistant clothing and, car interior. We went from having a 70 pound micro computer with just 40 KB of memory (Less than a GB, Less than a MB(Which is 100 times smaller than a GB) so it's 40/1000 of a MB) Today we have 1 TB(1000 GB) flash drive the size of your thumb in just about 40 years. Allowing us to miniaturize
Mars is our next best hope in life on another planet. Because of science mankind can grow and harvest plants in the modified mars soil, make a thick warm atmosphere, and drink no frozen mars water. Mankind can grow and flourish more as a species with this idea of colonizing mars. With more scientific advancements we can colonize mars and we will colonize mars.
Earth has served as a good home for humans for many years, and will most likely
It is within man’s blood and nature to explore, and space is our next New World. Man’s first achievement in space travel was the launch of the Sputnik on October 4, 1957. For the next decades, space travel was roaring like a rocket, fueled by man’s desire to explore, man’s desire for knowledge, and man’s desire to beat his enemies. However, these impulses have died out as the well of government funding has been diverted to wars and debts, and the interest of the American people has been diverted to wars and debts. Amidst all these issues it is debated as to whether or not space travel is worth the money and the attention of scientists, particularly since humanity faces so many issues on earth currently. However, because of the past inventions, current services, and future benefits, space travel is indeed worth the money and attention of governments and people. It is within our hands to control man’s advancement, and space travel is the next venue to do so.
Humans have dreamed of leaving the earth and traveling space for many years, and up to this day they have taken many steps in the right direction. Yet, with every new frontier they approach, new problems loom over the horizon. All problems involved with space exploration may not directly involve space itself. Many of those problems surface right here on Earth. Some of the easier issues have been resolved, such as escaping the forces of gravity to reach outer space. More of these problems are far more arduous and the solutions need more time to be worked out properly. In “The Coming Schism” by James E. and Alcestis R. Oberg, humans have already begun colonizing space, yet there are still new problems arising. Major problems such as financing, communication and culture conflicts are important in the journey to space, because they all have the potential to disrupt progress.
To save the planet and the human species we should spread between the planets and eventually the
Mars Cannot be Colonized—Not Yet It has been exactly 45 years since any man has set foot on the Earth’s Moon. Now, after almost half a century, Mars One has released their plan on sending the first humans on a one-way trip to Mars in attempt of colonizing the red planet. While this will become a great feat for humankind if it is successful, there are numerous downsides to colonizing Mars, including a dysfunctional society, extremely high costs and unfit living conditions. Despite the Benefits, Mars cannot not be colonized because the disadvantages of colonization entirely outweigh the advantages.
Space is unimaginably vast, and the problems keeping humans from mastering the exploration of and colonization of space is equally daunting. Impressive advances have been made within the past century, and dedicated efforts to make equally impressive strides in the next hundred years are in place. Space research will not yield resutls overnight, but the information obtained along the way will have a positive impact throughout the scientific community and the world's population in turn. With a goal of extraplanetary habitation, humans can prepare protective measures for neutralizing danger and managing resources underwater, in space, and on land, domestic and alien. The scientific and cultural unity required to reach this goal has the potential to propel mankind as a species and farther through the stars than ever imagined.
The end of man’s time on Earth is inevitable; due to constant war, pollution of the environment, destruction of forests and wildlife, and depleting supply of natural resources, our remaining time on this planet is shorter than ever. Because of this, new alternative homes for humanity need to be sought out beyond the confines of Earth. However, our options on that are limited: the moon is barren, with no presence of water in any form, Mercury and Venus are too close to the Sun and pose too many problems, and anything beyond the asteroid belt is either too cold, has no solid ground, or both. This leaves one option: Mars. Its similar size to Earth, relatively close proximity, and evidence of water both underground and frozen at the poles make
Humans can expect to face some major challenges on an expedition to Mars. It has been proven that humanity can travel in space for over two years. Cumulatively, Sergei Constantinovich Krikalev, a Russian cosmonaut, has spent over eight-hundred and three days in Earth orbit (Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, 2005). The expedition to Mars would require the crew to endure a six month journey to the planet, a year of living on the planet, and a six months journey back to Earth. Russian cosmonaut, Valery V. Polyakoz, clocking in at four-hundred and thirty-eight days for just one stay in Earth orbit, shows humanity is capable of a twelve month round trip to Mars (Schwirtz, 2009).
With issues like climate change, and population overgrowth, our species faces the risks of major extinction (4). Climate change has been a man-made problem of recent years that threatens our planet. It will take huge mitigations from current and future societies to even come close to reversing climate change. Not only that, but our population has been growing at an extremely alarming speed. At our current rate, our species may not be able to survive for much longer. This is where space exploration comes in. With the recent discovery of water on mars, and the finding of Kepler-78b, it is possible that mankind can prolong our existence. The possibility of interstellar travel seems to be an option or even a necessity if we wish to continue living. Populating another planet could help solve the population crisis and climate change simultaneously. Though, it seems we are not at that point currently, which is exactly why it is imperative that the government increase funding for space exploration. Now, even if inter-galactic habitation isn’t possible, space research helps us protect ourselves from asteroids and other threats, and could also be used to find other planetary resources. Nonetheless, it seems space research is of utmost significance if we want to continue living as a