Glossary
Astronomical- relating to astronomy.
Evolve- develop from a simple to a more complex form.
Aerospace- the technology and industry with both aviation and space flight.
Perception- the state of being or process of becoming aware of something through the senses.
Martian- relating to the planet Mars.
Atmosphere- the gases surrounding the earth or another planet.
- How was Mars discovered?
Could you imagine living on a planet besides Earth? Well, a planet similar to Earth was discovered around the 1600’s by an astronomer named Galileo Galilei. According to NASA, “Galileo Galilei observed Mars with a primitive telescope, becoming the first person to use it for astronomical purposes.” Galileo saw that Mars was close to four times bigger at certain points of its orbit than at others. This created many questions for astronomers in the 1600’s. But, with the increase of technology, astronomers can now collect data from Mars using a spacecraft. According to Elizabeth Howell, a contributing writer for Space.com who is pursuing a Ph.D. part-time in aerospace sciences states that, “Mariner 9 was the first spacecraft to orbit another planet. It arrived at Mars in 1971 and changed our perceptions of the Red Planet.” Mariner 9 took images of Mars and collected information from it, NASA would receive all of this info and use it to expand their knowledge of the planet. Because of Mariner 9’s success, NASA can now continue to build more spacecrafts and collect data.
-Is there life on Mars?
Mariner 9 found evidence that water once was flowing on Mars. Charles Choi, a contributing writer for Space.com and Live Science states that, “The possibility that there were once oceans on Mars leads many to wonder if life ever evolved on Mars.” If there were oceans on Mars, then there would be a greater possibility of living organisms where the oceans once were. Professor McEwen, the principal investigator on Nasa’s HiRISE telescope told a conference in Tenerife attended by Professor Stephen Hawking and other Nobel laureates that “Life probably still survives in pockets below the surface where it would be warmer and they were sheltered from cosmic radiation.” If this is true, then NASA would have to dig at least 6 feet under Mars’s ground to look for live organisms. It would take a lot of time and patience to find something.
-Could Mars be our backup planet?
Mars is very similar to our planet, astronomers believe that we could live on Mars. According to a press release by the Near Earth Tracking Project, “An asteroid large enough to wipe out France hurtled past the Earth at a distance of a half-million miles just days after scientists spotted it.” This shows that an asteroid was really close from hitting our planet, and another one could come any day now. A recent article posted by Popular Science states that, “Given the risks humans pose to the planet, we might also someday leave Earth simply to conserve it, with our planet becoming a kind of nature sanctuary that we visit now and again.” We wouldn't just leave our planet if something horrible happens to it but, we might just leave it to save it. In conclusion, Mars could soon be our next home.
-Do people want to live on Mars?
Earth has been our planet for over 200,000 years, no human has ever lived on another planet. But, could soon change. Felgentreff, an entrepreneur and vice president of a start-up organization outside San Francisco says, "I've always had a curiosity for all things science, especially when it comes to space exploration." Many people are curious about what's out in space. It’s so big and there’s still so much that we haven't discovered yet. Felgentreff also states that, "It's a one-way ticket to anywhere. I would probably die on Earth if I stayed here too." He’s basically saying that life is too short to not enjoy it and risk your life to explore space. Also, there were 200,00 people that applied to travel to Mars.
-For how long would people survive?
If Mars ever were to become our backup plan, then we would need to know for how long we could live there for. Sydney Do, a researcher and Ph.D. candidate in the Aeronautics and Astronautics department at MIT states, "A lot of the technologies you need to sustain life on Mars are very much in development or there aren't even development programs existing that could support life." We haven't yet discovered to correct technology that we need to live on Mars. According to Matt Williams, a writer for universe today says that, “There’s also virtually no air pressure, and temperatures are incredibly cold. And of course, there’s the constant radiation streaming from space.” Mars and Earth have many similarities but major differences as well. If the air pressure isn't normal, than that can affect our lungs and ears.
Credits:
Created with images by skeeze - "world earth planet" • skeeze - "solar system planets space" • Comfreak - "all universe earth" • skeeze - "mars planet space" • dbnunley - "Aldebaran Night" • NASA Goddard Photo and Video - "Curiosity Touching Down, Artist's Concept"