NASA plans to ship people on a scientific spherical journey to Mars doubtlessly as early as 2035. The journey will take about six to seven months every manner and can cowl as much as 250 million miles (402 million kilometers) every manner. The astronauts could spend as many as 500 days on the planet’s floor earlier than returning to Earth.
NASA’s Artemis program plans to return people to the Moon this decade to follow and put together for a Mars mission as early because the 2030s. Whereas NASA has a number of causes for pursuing such an formidable mission, the most important is scientific exploration and discovery.
I’m an atmospheric scientist and former NASA researcher concerned in establishing the scientific questions a Mars mission would examine. There are a lot of mysteries to analyze on the pink planet, together with why Mars appears the way in which it does at the moment and whether or not it has ever hosted life, previous or current.
Finding out Mars can inform researchers extra concerning the formation of the photo voltaic system. J. Bell/NASA by way of AP
Mars Geology
Mars is an intriguing planet from a geological and atmospheric perspective. It shaped with the remainder of the photo voltaic system about 4.6 billion years in the past. Round 3.8 billion years in the past, the identical time that life shaped on Earth, early Mars was very Earth-like. It had plentiful liquid water on its floor within the type of oceans, lakes, and rivers and possessed a denser ambiance.
Whereas Mars’ floor is completely devoid of liquid water at the moment, scientists have noticed proof of previous lakes, rivers, and even an ocean shoreline on its floor. Its north and south poles are coated in frozen water, with a skinny veneer of frozen carbon dioxide. On the South Pole throughout the summer time, the carbon dioxide veneer disappears, leaving the frozen water uncovered.
Immediately, Mars’ ambiance may be very skinny and about 95% carbon dioxide. It’s crammed with atmospheric mud from the floor, which provides the ambiance of Mars its attribute reddish shade.
Scientists know fairly a bit concerning the planet’s floor from sending robotic missions, however there are nonetheless many fascinating geologic options to analyze extra carefully. These options might inform researchers extra concerning the photo voltaic system’s formation.
The northern and southern hemispheres of Mars look very totally different. About one-third of the floor of Mars – largely in its northern hemisphere – is 2 to 4 miles (3.2-6.4 kilometers) decrease in elevation, known as the northern lowlands. The northern lowlands have just a few giant craters however are comparatively easy. The southern two-thirds of the planet, known as the southern highlands, has numerous very outdated craters.
Mars additionally has the largest volcanoes that scientists have noticed within the photo voltaic system. Its floor is peppered with deep craters from asteroid and meteor impacts that occurred throughout the early historical past of Mars. Sending astronauts to check these options will help researchers perceive how and when main occasions occurred throughout the early historical past of Mars.
Mars’ volcanoes tower over any of the best mountains on Earth.
Asking the Proper Questions
NASA shaped a panel known as the Human Exploration of Mars Science Evaluation Group to plan the long run mission. I co-chaired the panel, with NASA scientist James B. Garvin, to develop and assess the key scientific questions on Mars. We needed to determine which analysis questions required a human mission to deal with, somewhat than cheaper robotic missions.
The panel got here up with suggestions for a number of necessary scientific questions for human investigation on Mars.
One query asks whether or not there’s life on the planet at the moment. Bear in mind, life on Earth shaped about 3.8 billion years in the past, when Earth and Mars had been similar-looking planets that each had plentiful liquid water and Mars had a denser ambiance.
One other query asks what kind of environmental modifications led Mars to lose the widespread, plentiful liquid water on its floor, in addition to a few of its ambiance.
These questions, alongside different suggestions from the panel, made it into NASA’s architectural plan for sending people to Mars.
How do You Get to Mars?
To ship individuals to Mars and return them safely to Earth, NASA has developed a brand new, very highly effective launch automobile known as the Area Launch System and a brand new human provider spacecraft known as Orion.
To arrange and prepare astronauts to stay on and discover Mars, NASA established a brand new program to return people to the Moon known as the Artemis program.
In mythology, Artemis was Apollo’s twin sister. The Artemis astronauts will stay and work on the Moon for months at a time to arrange for residing and dealing on Mars.
The Artemis program plans to return people to the Moon in anticipation of ultimately sending people to Mars.
The Area Launch System and Orion efficiently launched on Nov. 16, 2022, as a part of the Artemis I mission. It made the Artemis program’s first uncrewed flight to the Moon, and as soon as there, Orion orbited the Moon for six days, getting as shut as 80 miles (129 kilometers) above the floor.
Artemis I splashed again right down to Earth on Dec. 11, 2022, after its 1.4 million-mile (2.2 million-kilometer) maiden journey.
Artemis III, the primary mission to return people to the lunar floor, is scheduled for 2026. The Artemis astronauts will land on the Moon’s south pole, the place scientists imagine there could also be giant deposits of subsurface water within the type of ice that astronauts might mine, soften, purify, and drink. The Artemis astronauts will arrange habitats on the lunar floor and spend a number of months exploring it.
For the reason that Moon is a mere 240,000 miles (386,000 km) from Earth, it’ll act as a coaching floor for the long run human exploration of Mars. Whereas a Mars mission remains to be a few years out, the Artemis program will assist NASA develop the capabilities it must discover the pink planet.
Joel S. Levine is a Analysis Professor within the Division of Utilized Science at William & Mary. This text is republished from The Dialog underneath a Inventive Commons license. Learn the unique article.