Abby Norman and Karla Lant opine that NASA current plans, first outlined in 2010 and later in 2015, place humans on the red planet in the 2030s. They are currently developing the necessary capabilities to make it happen in tandem with other agencies and private companies. NASA is collaborating with private innovators, like engineering professor Behrokh Khoshnevis, to 3D print structures on the Moon with the eventual goal of creating similar structures that can withstand the radiation of the Martian atmosphere.
Elon Musk sees colonizing Mars as a necessity, and SpaceX has a congruently ambitious timeline for Mars exploration in place. The UAE has plans for a Mars Colony by 2117. Although the ESA is currently more focused on its plan for colonizing the Moon, they did announce a joint Mars venture with Russia back in 2011. Even the Mars One Foundation is taking the non-profit approach to what is essentially the same goal ... the establishment of a permanent human settlement on Mars.
But the social and political aspects of how a Martian colony would function are just as problematic as physical challenges and health problems. A human being is a social animal and he lives in a group, he said. Group problems affect many challenges and troubles, and we should consider now how we can prevent such typical human problems like conflicts, wars, cheating, etc.
There is also concern about maintaining life on Mars. First, we would need a large enough colony to avoid problems of consanguinity, and we would need a suitable technological and medical support system. Each medical worker would need to be specially trained to sustain and extend life on Mars in particular, which is, of course, something that basically no one in medicine at the moment is trained to do. In that respect, preparing for life on Mars might begin with changes here on Earth where we will have to reconsider everything we know about learning, relating, working, and be willing to redefine our life expectations.
Resource Portal for I2M Clients, Associates, and Geoscientists
Managed & Built by I2M Consulting, LLC | © 2010-
Managed & Built by I2M Consulting, LLC | © 2010-