What should we learn?
Many scientists believe that people will be able to live on Mars someday. That day
may come sooner than you think. As you read the article, ask yourself: What do we
need to learn about Mars to live there?
Travel to Mars
Iscreen:
magine this ad popping up on your computer
“Have the vacation of a lifetime!
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Let us organize a trip to our neighbor
planet, Mars, for you. Explore
the natural wonders of the best
little planet in the solar system.
Visit Happy Face Crater, and
discover just how interesting
a crater can be. See Olympus
Mons, the biggest volcano in
the solar system. Grab a friend
and dance in the light of not
one moon, but two!”
Of course, you should not
start packing just yet. Right
now, it is not possible to take a
vacation on Mars. Before you can
do that, some difficult problems
have to be solved.
ONE-WAY TICKET? The first problem is
distance. The cold, hard facts are that
Mars is at least 33.9 million miles away, so
it takes a lot of fuel to get there. Transport would
be difficult. Even at a speed of 18,000 miles an hour,
the highest speed at which spaceships go today, the
trip would take months. Moreover, the trip might be
one-way. It takes so much fuel to go to Mars that the
ship might not have room for fuel to return home.
This picture of Mars, taken
by one of the Viking orbiters,
shows some of the craters on
the planet.
Unit 3
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BUNDLE UP AND BRING OXYGEN Getting to Mars
The Air on Mars
is one thing. Living there is another. Mars is so
argon
cold that you could freeze to death quickly there.
1.6% oxygen
The average temperature near the ground is 60
nitrogen
.13%
2.7%
degrees below zero. It would feel colder than that,
however, because Mars is also windy. Winds can
blow at speeds up to 80 miles an hour.
Worse yet, it would be impossible to breathe
without help. Less than 1 percent of the air on
carbon
Mars is oxygen. To live there, you would have to
dioxide
bring—or make—oxygen for yourself.
95%
Even if you had enough oxygen, you would
probably get sick. Scientists have discovered
that living in outer space for a long time can
Information is from “Mars Facts,”
http://athena.cornell.edu/mars_facts.
change the human body. Cosmic rays—highspeed particles zipping around the galaxy—could harm your cells. In
addition, living in a weightless environment for so long could cause
your heart, muscles, and bones to grow weak.
Special clothes, light oxygen tanks, and good exercise routines are just
some of the possible solutions to these problems. Inflatable shelters—
rubber or plastic homes that have walls filled with air—might solve some
of the weather and health problems for people trying to live on Mars.
PACK A BIG LUNCH That leaves just a few more big problems—namely,
getting food and water. Exploration of Mars has shown there are no
plants or animals there. That means there is nothing to eat. Mars does
have a small amount of groundwater, but it is frozen solid. Long ago,
there was probably water on the surface of Mars, but it is gone.
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Reality Central
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The distance does not make travel to Mars impossible.
Though scientists cannot bring Mars closer to Earth, they can try
new power sources, which might make the distance seem shorter.
One possibility is nuclear energy. National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) officials say it might be possible to use a
small nuclear reactor to produce energy on the ship. That way, the
ship would have an almost unlimited power supply. It could travel
faster, too. In fact, the trip to Mars might take only two months.
q
If you happen to be planning a Mars vacation well ahead of time,
relax. The food and water problems could possibly be solved before
long. To get water, for example, people might melt the ice that is on
Mars. The water could then be recycled to grow grain and vegetables
inside shelters. Though finding food on Mars would not be as easy
as going to the supermarket, with these special gardens for fruits
and vegetables it would no longer be the problem it is today. On the
other hand, you might want to pack a chicken or two. Mars probably
will not be ready for livestock for quite a while.
One small problem remains: getting along with other
travelers. The first people to go to Mars and build a
settlement will spend a lot of time together. Scientist
Richard Berendzen puts it this way: “Five or six of
your closest friends in a room the size of your living
room for three years—that’s a tough thing to do.”
One thing on Mars is not a problem: time. A
Martian day is about 40 minutes longer than
an Earth day. A Martian year is almost
twice as long as an Earth year. That is a
long time to wait for a birthday.
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Find It on the Page
1. About how long would it take
to get to Mars with today’s
fuels?
2. What kind of fuel might
shorten the trip to only a few
months?
3. List three problems that have
to be solved before people can
live on Mars.
Use Clues
4. Why might scientists be so
interested in exploring Mars?
5. What advice would you give to
people getting ready to travel
to Mars?
6. If you had a chance to travel
to Mars, would you take it?
Explain.
Connect to the Big Question
Now that you have read the article,
what do you think we need to learn
Unit 3
79