During these gloomy days it’s good to see real progress, I can’t stop admiring SpaceX and Musk for their big ambitions and rate of progress, how well and how quickly they execute on ideas. All the other companies and even agencies are far behind. As Tony Stark said - you should be so ahead of the curve that other people don’t even see the curve - I think if it’s true about anyone, then it’s Musk and SpaceX.
Mars is fascinating. I am excited about what we will learn about the planet in the coming year. Will establishing a colony on the planet have a meaningful impact on our lives or will it be a very expensive endeavour into unknown."old news" but still cool:
Perseverance rover + Ingenuity Mars Helicopter
- Launch: July 30, 2020
- Landing: Feb. 18, 2021, Jezero Crater, Mars
NASA - Mars Perseverance Rover
NASA - Mars 2020
Landing video:
First full color image from Perseverance at Mars:
First recorded Audio from Mars: Audio From Perseverance
I’m a big fan of going to Mars and colonizing it etc, but I seriously doubt it will end up as imagined, or at least within the optimistic timescale. I think it will be very relevant to be a large outpost, to do R&D, a closer base to the asteroid belt for resources, and a great adventure which many should at least try, but we are very very far from making it anything Earth like. No magnetic field, no atmosphere, even after terraformation it still has to develop the oceanic and wind streams which shape the planet, not even talking about ecosystems. Genetically modified humans could survive better, so it’s interesting what our species will evolve into under those circumstances, most likely within decades from the first arrivals, that might be something that can work out better than waiting for a full scale terraformation.
Well said! You are very right in that Mars lacks a lot of what makes earth a planet with life. However scientist could search for traces or clues for whether life has ever existed on Mars.
+ adventure, not for a whole life but for a while, also this could be said about any of the other objects in the solar system. Unless it’s fun and exciting, all the utilitarian advantages seem less inviting.
I agree, the notion of exploring other living worlds is much more exciting than exploring dead ones, or barely living ones, period.
That weak magnetic field of mars means colonization of the red planet will only be a pipe dream.
In theory with lots of fusion reactors a stronger magnetic field will be achievable. I’m pretty sure if were had to find a way, even if not easily and with time, but we would find one.
Why is a magnetic field essential for colonisation?
Because you will die of radiation if there is none. Living under glass domes with ice insulation is like living in a terrarium, no seasons, no change in the environment - not suitable for a whole life.
It is the first layer of defense for a planet from dangerous cosmic rays as well as the dangerous radiation from the sun. The magnetosphere is what protects the atmosphere in a planetary system.
www.nasa.gov
