Journey to the Red Planet: Dream or Reality

    

 Mars, (commonly known as the red planet), is the most probable planet after earth to sustain life. However, there are a lot of challenges we need to overcome in order to make a trip to this planet. Here are a few of them.

     Considering discoveries made so far, the planet is known to contain water. The water is however in the form of ice as the atmospheric pressure of mars is less than 1% of ours here on earth. The amount of water on mars (as ice and hydroxyl ions) if converted, could cover the entire planet's surface to a depth of about 600 meters.

     The atmosphere of Mars consists of about 96% carbon dioxide, 1.93% argon and 1.89% nitrogen along with traces of oxygen and water. The atmosphere is quite dusty, containing particulates about 1.5 µm in diameter which give the Martian sky a tawny color when seen from the surface. This is obviously not the kind of air we are used to inhaling, besides only a limited amount of oxygen can be transported there for use through storage in tanks.

     Of all the planets in the Solar System, the seasons of Mars are the most Earth-like, due to the similar tilts of the two planets' rotational axes. The lengths of the Martian seasons are about twice those of Earth's because Mars's greater distance from the Sun leads to the Martian year being about two Earth years long. Martian surface temperatures vary from lows of about −143 °C (−225 °F) at the winter polar caps to highs of up to 35 °C (95 °F) in equatorial summer. The wide range in temperatures is due to the thin atmosphere which cannot store much solar heat, the low atmospheric pressure, and the low thermal capability of Martian soil. The planet is 1.52 times as far from the Sun as Earth, resulting in just 43% of the amount of sunlight.

SpaceX's Starship

     Another relevant factor in human exhibitions to mars is the transport system.Whatever spacecraft makes it to the Red Planet one day will need to be extremely large, able to carry lots of heavy equipment and capable of sustaining a crew for many months on end. It may have to be assembled in orbit, from components brought up in multiple launches by a new generation of heavy-lift rockets, which themselves will be a major engineering challenge. In overcoming this giant hurdle, companies and agencies all around the world are racing to make a break through. SpaceX has designed a system dubbed the Starship that the company claims will be the world's most powerful launch vehicle. A former astronaut, Franklin Chang Diaz who holds a PhD in plasma physics from MIT, knows a few things about rockets. Through his firm Ad Astra Rocket Company he's been developing a plasma rocket engine called VASIMR. It could be the key to a Mars vehicle that will be faster and more efficient than any old-style chemical rockets.

      A lot of progress has to be made. Many solutions are to be developed. A few examples include; water  processing facilities, mining plants, safe and efficient power sources, appropriate shielding, improved space suits, a shuttle to take all these over there, just to mention but a few.

     In conclusion the facts are clear but it all depends on development of efficient systems and monumental technological advancements. Until then the question still stands : Dream or Reality.