what technologies should scientists develop for people to live on mars?
Mars is the focus of much scientific study about possible
human colonization Mars and past presence of water ice make it arguably a
feasible endeavor. The surface conditions of.
The successor to the Space Shuttle
could be ready for liftoff as early as 2018. When it does take off, NASA's
Space Launch System will be able to carry 70 metric tons of supplies into
orbit. Later, it could send payloads of up to 130 metric tons into a trajectory
towards Mars. At 382 feet tall, the SLS will eventually be the largest launch vehicle ever built, and even more
powerful than the Saturn V rockets that carried the Apollo astronauts to the
Moon. "This payload capacity far exceeds the capability of current and
planned commercial launch vehicles," says the report. Along with the Orion
crew capsule (also in development at NASA), the SLS could eventually carry
astronauts to Mars and other deep space destinations.
The SLS is powered by the combustion of
liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. But SLS is only meant to carry astronauts
out of Earth orbit. For the approximately 7-month journey to Mars, using rocket
fuel to propel a spacecraft requires a large gas tank that would be very
expensive to launch off the ground. Instead, NASA might use the power of the
Sun to send cargo, supplies, and maybe even astronauts to Mars.
Developing these technologies won't be
easy. It's going to take many years and billions of dollars, and some experts
are skeptical that NASA can make it happen. There are plenty of challenges to
overcome on the “Journey to Mars”, not the least
of which is NASA's flat lining budget. But going to Mars would be pretty sweet.
Hawwa Hamza (ACFS) BATCH 1
