Parts of materials and basic necessities (primarily oxygen, water, food) from local resources, this way of conducting research will generally be more cost-effective than sending returning expeditions or creating settlement stations for work on a rotational basis. In addition, in the future, Mars may become a convenient testing ground for conducting large-scale scientific and technical experiments that are dangerous for the earth’s biosphere.

As for mining, on the one hand, Mars may turn out to be quite rich mineral resources, and due to the lack of free oxygen in the atmosphere, there may be rich deposits of native metals on it, on the other hand, at the moment the cost of delivering goods and organizing production in an aggressive environment (unsuitable for breathing rarefied atmosphere and large amounts of dust) is so high that no the wealth of deposits will not ensure the return on production.

For solutions demographic problems it will be necessary, firstly, to transfer the population from Earth on a scale incomparable with the capabilities modern technology(at least millions of people), secondly, ensuring complete autonomy of the colony and the possibility of more or less comfortable life on the surface of the planet, which will require the creation of a breathable atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere and the solution of problems of protection from cosmic radiation. Now all this can be considered only speculatively, as a prospect for the distant future.

Ease of learning

Similarity to Earth

Differences

• The force of gravity on Mars is approximately 2.63 times less than on Earth (0.38 g). It is still unknown whether this is enough to avoid the health problems that arise from weightlessness.
• The surface temperature of Mars is much lower than that of Earth. The maximum level is +30 °C (at noon at the equator), the minimum is −123 °C (in winter at the poles). At the same time, the temperature of the surface layer of the atmosphere is always below zero.
• Due to the fact that Mars is farther from the Sun, the amount of solar energy reaching its surface is approximately half that of Earth.
• Mars' orbit has a greater eccentricity, which increases annual variations in temperature and solar energy.
• Atmospheric pressure on Mars is too low for humans to survive without a pressure suit. Living quarters on Mars will have to be equipped with airlocks, like those installed on spaceships, which could maintain Earth's atmospheric pressure.
• The Martian atmosphere consists mainly of carbon dioxide (95%). Therefore, despite its low density, the partial pressure of CO 2 on the surface of Mars is 52 times greater than on Earth, which may allow it to support vegetation.
• Mars has two natural satellite, Phobos and Deimos. They are much smaller and closer to the planet than the Moon is to Earth. These satellites may prove useful [ ] when testing means of asteroid colonization.
• Mars' magnetic field is about 800 times weaker than Earth's. Together with the rarefied (100-160 times compared to the Earth) atmosphere, this significantly increases the amount of ionizing radiation reaching its surface. The magnetic field of Mars is not capable of protecting living organisms from cosmic radiation, and the atmosphere (subject to its artificial restoration) from dispersion by the solar wind.
• The discovery of perchlorates in the soil of Mars by the Phoenix spacecraft, which landed near the North Pole of Mars in 2008, casts doubt on the possibility of growing terrestrial plants in Martian soil without additional experiments or without artificial soil.
• The background radiation on Mars is 2.2 times higher background radiation on the International Space Station and is approaching the established safety limits for astronauts.
• Water, due to low pressure, boils on Mars already at a temperature of +10 °C. In other words, water from ice, almost bypassing the liquid phase, quickly turns into steam.

Fundamental achievability

The flight time from Earth to Mars (with current technologies) is 259 days in a semi-ellipse and 70 days in a parabola. In principle, delivery to Mars the required minimum equipment and supplies for initial period the existence of a small colony does not go beyond the capabilities of modern space technology, taking into account promising developments, the implementation period of which is estimated at one to two decades. At the moment, protection from radiation during flight remains a fundamental unsolved problem; if it is solved, the flight itself (especially if it is made “one way”) is quite realistic, although it requires a huge investment financial resources and solutions of a number of scientific and technical issues of various scales.

It should be noted that the “launch window” for flight between planets opens once every 26 months. Taking into account the flight time, even in the most ideal conditions (good location of the planets and the presence transport system in a state of readiness) it is clear that, unlike near-Earth stations or a lunar base, a Martian colony, in principle, will not be able to receive operational assistance from Earth or evacuate to Earth in the event of an emergency situation that cannot be dealt with on its own. Due to the above, simply to survive on Mars, a colony must have a guaranteed autonomy of at least three Earth years. Taking into account the possibility of the emergence during this period of a variety of emergency situations, equipment failures, natural disasters it is clear that to ensure survival, the colony must have a significant reserve of equipment, production capacity in all branches of its own industry and, what is most important at first, energy generating capacity, since all production and the entire life support sector of the colony will be acutely dependent on the availability of electricity in sufficient quantities.

Living conditions

Without protective equipment, a person will not be able to live on the surface of Mars for even a few minutes. However, compared to conditions on hot Mercury and Venus, the cold outer planets and devoid of atmosphere The Moon and asteroids, conditions on Mars are much more suitable for development. There are places on Earth, explored by man, in which natural conditions are in many ways similar to those on Mars. The Earth's atmospheric pressure at an altitude of 34,668 meters - the record high point reached by a balloon with a crew on board (May 4) - is approximately twice as high as maximum pressure on the surface of Mars.

The results of recent research show that on Mars there are significant and directly accessible deposits of water ice, the soil is, in principle, suitable for growing plants, and there is a fairly large amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. All this together allows us to count (if there is enough energy) on the possibility of producing plant food, as well as extracting water and oxygen from local resources, which significantly reduces the need for technology closed loop life support, which would be necessary on the Moon, asteroids or on a space station remote from Earth.

Main difficulties

The main dangers that await astronauts during their flight to Mars and stay on the planet are the following:

Possible physiological problems for the crew while on Mars will be the following:

Ways to terraform Mars

Main goals

Methods

• The controlled collapse of a comet, one large or many small icy asteroids from the Main Belt or one of Jupiter’s satellites onto the surface of Mars, in order to heat the atmosphere and replenish it with water and gases.
• Injection into orbit of a Mars satellite of a massive body, an asteroid from the Main Belt (for example, Ceres) in order to activate the planetary “dynamo” effect and strengthen Mars’ own magnetic field.
• Change magnetic field by laying a ring of conductor or superconductor around the planet with a connection to powerful source energy.
• Explosion of several nuclear bombs on the polar caps. The disadvantage of the method is radioactive contamination of the released water.
• Placement into Mars orbit artificial satellites, capable of collecting and focusing sunlight to the surface of the planet to warm it up.
• Colonization of the surface by archaebacteria (see archaea) and other extremophiles, including genetically modified ones, to release the necessary quantities of greenhouse gases or obtain the necessary substances in large volumes from those already present on the planet. In April, the German Aviation and Space Center reported that in laboratory conditions simulating the atmosphere of Mars (Mars Simulation Laboratory), some types of lichens and cyanobacteria adapted after 34 days and showed the possibility of photosynthesis.

Methods of influence associated with the launch into orbit or fall of an asteroid require thorough calculations aimed at studying such effects on the planet, its orbit, rotation speed and much more.

A serious problem on the way to the colonization of Mars is the lack of a magnetic field that protects against solar radiation. For a full-fledged life on Mars, a magnetic field is indispensable.

It should be noted that almost all of the above actions to terraform Mars at the moment are nothing more than “thought experiments”, since most of them do not rely on any existing in reality and at least minimally proven technologies, and in terms of approximate energy costs they many times exceed possibilities of modern humanity. For example, to create pressure sufficient at least for growing in open ground, without sealing, the most unpretentious plants, it is required to increase the existing mass of the Martian atmosphere by 5-10 times, that is, to deliver to Mars or evaporate from its surface a mass of the order of 10 17 - 10 18 kg. It is easy to calculate that, for example, to evaporate such an amount of water, approximately 2.25 10 12 TJ will be required, which is more than 4500 times higher than all modern annual energy consumption on Earth (see).

Radiation

Manned flight to Mars

Creation of a spacecraft for flight to Mars - difficult task. One of the main problems is protecting astronauts from solar radiation particle flows. Several ways to solve this problem are proposed, for example, creating special protective materials for the case or even developing magnetic shield, similar in mechanism of action to the planetary one.

Mars One

« Mars One" is a private fundraising project led by Bas Lansdorp, involving a flight to Mars, followed by the establishment of a colony on its surface and broadcasting everything that happens on television.

Inspiration Mars

The Inspiration Mars Foundation is an American non-profit organization (foundation), founded by Dennis Tito, planning to send a manned expedition to fly around Mars in January 2018.

Centennial spaceship

“Hundred-Year Starship” (eng. Hundred-Year Starship) - project, common goal which is to prepare for a century for an expedition to one of the neighboring planetary systems. One of the elements of preparation is the implementation of a project to permanently send people to Mars with the aim of colonizing the planet. The project has been developed since 2010 by the Ames Research Center - one of the main scientific laboratories NASA. The main idea of ​​the project is to send people to Mars so that they establish a colony there and continue to live in this colony without returning to Earth. Failure to return will lead to a significant reduction in the cost of the flight, and it will be possible to take on more cargo and crew. Further flights will deliver new colonists and replenish their supplies. The possibility of a return flight will appear only when the colony, on its own, can organize on site the production of a sufficient number of items and materials necessary for this from local resources (primarily, we are talking about fuel and supplies of oxygen, water and food).

Connection with the Earth

To communicate with potential colonies, radio communication can be used, which has a delay of 3-4 minutes in each direction during the maximum approach of the planets (which repeats every 780 days) and about 20 minutes at the maximum separation of the planets; see Configuration (astronomy). The delay of signals from Mars to Earth and vice versa is due to the speed of light. However, the use of electromagnetic waves (including light) does not make it possible to maintain communication with the Earth directly (without a relay satellite) when the planets are in opposite points of their orbits relative to the Sun.

Possible locations for founding colonies

Best places for colonies they gravitate towards the equator and lowlands. First of all this:

• Hellas depression - has a depth of 8 km, and at its bottom the pressure is the highest on the planet, due to which in this area lowest level background from cosmic rays on Mars [ ] .
• Valles Marineris is not as deep as the Hellas Basin, but it has the highest minimum temperatures on the planet, which expands the choice of structural materials [ ] .

If terraformed, the first open body of water will appear in Valles Marineris.

Colony (Forecast)

Although the design of Martian colonies has not yet gone beyond sketches, due to the proximity to the equator and high atmospheric pressure, they are usually planned to be founded in different places Valles Marineris. No matter what heights space transport reaches in the future, the laws of conservation of mechanics determine the high cost of delivering cargo between Earth and Mars, and limit the periods of flights, tying them to planetary oppositions.

High delivery costs and 26-month interflight periods determine the requirements:

• Guaranteed three-year self-sufficiency of the colony (additional 10 months for flight and order processing). This is only possible if structures and materials are accumulated on the territory of the future colony before the initial arrival of people.
• Production in the colony of basic structural and Supplies from local resources.

This means the need to create cement, brick, reinforced concrete products, air and water production, as well as expand ferrous metallurgy, metalworking and greenhouses. Saving food will require vegetarianism [ ] . The likely absence of coking materials on Mars will require the direct reduction of iron oxides by electrolytic hydrogen - and, accordingly, the production of hydrogen. Martian dust storms can render solar energy unusable for months, which, in the absence of natural fuel and oxidizing agents makes the only reliable one, on this moment, only nuclear energy. Large-scale production of hydrogen and five times the content of deuterium in the ice of Mars compared to those on Earth will lead to the cheapness of heavy water, which, when mining uranium on Mars, will make heavy-water nuclear reactors the most efficient and cost-effective.

• High scientific or economic productivity of the colony. The similarity of Mars to Earth determines the great value of Mars for geology, and, if there is life, for biology. The economic profitability of a colony is possible only when large rich deposits of gold, platinum group metals or precious stones are discovered.
• The first expedition must still explore convenient caves suitable for sealing and pumping air for the mass settlement of cities by builders. The habitation of Mars will begin from under its surface.
• Another likely effect of the creation of grotto colonies on Mars may be the consolidation of earthlings, the rise of global awareness on Earth; planetary synchronization.
• The physical image of a person reborn as a settler is a body “dried” from triple weight loss, a lighter skeleton and muscle mass. Changes in gait and movement patterns. There is also the danger of gaining excess weight. There is a possibility of changing your diet towards reducing food consumption.
• The colonists' diet may shift to lactic acid, products from cows from local hydroponic conveyor pastures set up in the mines.

Criticism

In addition to the main arguments criticizing the idea of ​​human colonization of space (see Colonization of Space), there are also objections specific to Mars:

• Colonization of Mars is not effective way solving any problems facing humanity that can be considered as the goals of this colonization. Nothing so valuable has yet been discovered on Mars that would justify the risk to people and the costs of organizing production and transportation, and for colonization on Earth there are still vast uninhabited territories, the conditions on which are much more favorable than on Mars, and the development of which will cost much more. cheaper, including Siberia, vast expanses of equatorial deserts, and even the entire continent - Antarctica. As for the exploration of Mars itself, it is more economical to conduct it using robots.
• One of the main arguments against the colonization of Mars is its extremely small resource of key elements necessary for life (primarily hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon). However, in the light of recent studies that have discovered on Mars, in particular, huge reserves of water ice, at least for hydrogen and oxygen, the question is removed.
• Conditions on the surface of Mars require development for life on it innovative projects life support systems. But since conditions close enough to those on Mars do not occur on the earth’s surface, it is not possible to test them experimentally. This, in some respects, calls into question the practical value of most of them.
• Also, the long-term influence of Martian gravity on people has not been studied (all experiments were carried out either in an environment with Earth's gravity or in zero gravity). The degree of influence of gravity on human health when it changes from weightlessness to 1g has not been studied. In Earth orbit, it is planned to conduct an experiment (“Mars Gravity Biosatellite”) on mice to study the effect of the Martian gravity (0.38 g) on ​​the life cycle of mammals.
• The second cosmic speed of Mars - 5 km/s - is quite high, although half that of Earth, which, with the current level of space technology, makes it impossible for the colony to achieve a break-even level through the export of materials. However, the atmospheric density, shape (radius of the mountain is about 270 km) and height (21.2 km from the base) of Mount Olympus allow the use various kinds electromagnetic mass accelerators (electromagnetic catapult or maglev, or Gauss cannon, etc.) for launching cargo into space. Atmospheric pressure at the top of Olympus is only 2% of the pressure characteristic of the average level Martian surface. Considering that the pressure on the surface of Mars is less than 0.01 atmospheres, the rarefaction of the environment at the top of Olympus is almost no different from the vacuum of space.
• The psychological factor is also of concern. The duration of the flight to Mars and the subsequent life of people in a confined space on it can become serious obstacles to the development of the planet.
• Some are concerned about the possible “pollution” of the planet by terrestrial life forms. The question of the existence (currently or in the past) of life on Mars has not yet been resolved.
• There is still no technology for producing technical silicon without using charcoal, as well as the technology for producing semiconductor silicon without technical. This means huge production difficulties solar panels on Mars. There is no other technology for producing technical silicon, since the technology using charcoal is the cheapest in terms of the cheapness of this material and energy costs. On Mars, it is possible to use metallothermic reduction of silicon from its dioxide with magnesium to magnesium silicide, followed by decomposition of hydrochloric or acetic acid producing gaseous monosilane SiH4, which can be purified from impurities different ways, and then decomposed into hydrogen and pure silicon.
• Recent studies in mice have shown that prolonged exposure to weightlessness (space) causes liver degenerative changes as well as symptoms diabetes mellitus. Humans experienced similar symptoms after returning from orbit, but the reasons for this phenomenon were unknown. But Mars has gravity, acceleration free fall at its equator it is 3.711 m/s², which is 0.378 of Earth’s. The journey to Mars can either be accelerated to 69 days, or part or all of it can be carried out under the influence of artificial gravity, using centrifuges or rotating compartments.

In art

• Soviet song “Apple trees will bloom on Mars” (music by V. Muradeli, lyrics by E. Dolmatovsky).
• Living on Mars is a popular science film produced by National Geographic in 2009.
• The song of the group Otto Dix - Utopia also has a mention (“... And apple trees will bloom on Mars, as on Earth...”)
• The song by Noize MC is “It’s Cool on Mars.”
• In the 1990 science fiction film Total Recall, the plot takes place on Mars.
• The song by David Bowie - “Life on Mars”, as well as Ziggy Stardust (eng. Ziggy Stardust listen)) is a fictional character created by David Bowie and a central figure in his glam rock concept album "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars".
• Ray Bradbury - The Martian Chronicles.
• Isaac Asimov - Lucky Starr Series. Book 1 - "David Starr, Space Ranger."
• The film "Mission to Mars" tells the story of a rescue mission to the planet Mars after the disaster that befell the first expedition to the red planet.
• The OVA Armitage III takes place on colonized Mars.
• Tabletop books are dedicated to the process of colonization and (in the second case) terraforming of Mars. role-playing games"Mars Colony" and "Mars: New air» .
• The terraforming and colonization of Mars forms the main backdrop to the events of Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy.
• A series of books by Edgar Burroughs about the fantastic world of Mars.
• In the British television series Doctor Who in the episode The Waters of Mars, the first colony in the Gusev crater “Bowie Base One” was developed on the surface of Mars.
• Harry Harrison's science fiction story “Training Flight” tells the story of the first manned expedition to Mars. Special attention given psychological state a person living in a closed, uncomfortable environment.
• Writer Andy Weir's novel "The Martian" tells the story of a year and a half struggle for the life of an astronaut left alone on Mars. A film adaptation of this work was released in 2015.
• “John Carter” (eng. John Carter) is a fantastic action adventure film directed by Andrew Stanton, based on the book “A Princess of Mars” by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
• “The Martian” is a film directed by Ridley Scott, released by 20th Century Fox.
• “Experience the unknown” - American Feature Film 2016 about single space flight to Mars.
• "Applied Terraforming" is a science fiction novel by Edward Cutlass about the colonization of Mars.

The primary goals of Mars colonization are to design, finance, construct, and manage the first permanent settlement on Mars. The initial goal for the Mars Homestead project is to identify the core technologies needed for a cost-effective Mars base built primarily using materials available on the planet.

Mars Colonization Project

Efforts will be focused on model projects that meet modern requirements. Their task is to select existing equipment that could be used on Mars, or to build prototypes of new equipment. These steps will lead the Mars Foundation to justify an experimental model of a Martian settlement on Earth, which will serve as a basis for research.

Creating an autonomous colony on another planet is one of the most promising tasks for humanity. Although the project requires enormous effort, the goal of expanding humanity's influence in the solar system justifies the expense. There are several aspects to this problem.

What should an autonomous colony be like? The main task is independence from the Earth. Once a colony is built, it provides habitat for the settlers to long time, preferably forever. The second goal is a stable, manageable colony that can use local resources. Unlike the mission with the planned death of the settlers, the autonomous colony has a future for them and for their children born on Mars.

Technological problems

Delivery of colonists from Earth to Mars is very the hard part plan. There are many threats inherent to space travel: solar and cosmic radiation, meteorites, physical and mental illness, etc. Plans must address each of these issues.

The main artificial habitat, with homes, storage facilities and equipment for long-term stays, would have to be built on the surface of Mars, since humans cannot live in the planet's natural atmosphere. The equipment must be technologically sufficient to allow the colonists to grow their own food, construct new buildings, etc.

There are many uncertainties about the impact of the Martian environment. The equipment must be tested entirely on Earth, but the influence of the Martian atmosphere cannot be fully tested on Earth. The safest way is the unmanned construction of a colony using automated and controlled mechanisms.

Energy is the most critical resource. It is necessary for lighting and heating greenhouses, for metallurgy and the efficiency of mechanisms. The critical path is generating enough energy to produce spare parts for power plants and greenhouses. In other words: if power plants and greenhouses cannot be supported by the energy produced indefinitely, building an autonomous colony loses its meaning.

Organizational Issues

The cost of preparing this mission is enormous. A financial assessment only helps to get a general idea.

Within a small group of colonists, a daily council of all members may be sufficient to decide matters of government, similar to the tradition of New England town hall meetings. In a growing community of some kind, representative democracy may become necessary.

As the number of members in the Martian population increases, so will the number of deaths. There will be a need for burials.

Medical Problems

Quarantine

Before landing on Mars, any crew must be isolated to ensure that its members do not suffer from infectious diseases. As a result, the Martian colony should be more or less free of pathogenic microbes, which will save medical costs. However, for children born on Mars it is even more effective program Vaccinations will be necessary to stimulate the development of newborns' immune systems.

Interbreeding

The population size should not be too small due to the risk of inbreeding.

Increased exposure to radiation may increase cancer rates. Colonists will need protection from radiation during the flight from Earth to Mars and on the surface of Mars due to the thin atmosphere and lack of a planetary magnetosphere.

Medical service

Compared to Earth, the autonomous colony's limited industrial capacity does not allow for the same level of medical care. It is impossible to produce highly complex surgical equipment and a wide variety of medicines.

A semi-autonomous colony on Mars lives largely off own production energy, food and air, using technology imported from Earth. All life systems low-tech and can be maintained using local resources.

Additional resources are regularly delivered from Earth:

— Complex medical equipment
— Medicines for treatment
— Quality products
— High-tech equipment (for example, computers)

As part of a strategy, this may be a smart step in a colonization program.

Transportation restrictions

Transporting cargo to Mars using currently available launch vehicle technology is expensive. If mass cargo transportation becomes a reality, cheaper commercial launch systems must be developed. Since delivering large loads to the surface is a difficult task, this could be done using new technology, developed specifically for this colony. Restrictions on cargo transportation, however, mean that the colony is approaching self-sustaining properties.

What if support from Earth stops?

However, if shipping were to stop, the colony would be able to sustain itself for a long time using low-tech equipment. Some settlers could then return to Earth if the possibility of space travel remains possible.

The Earth-supported colony is the simplest of all colony types. As part of a colonization strategy, this could be used to further local exploration and build more advanced colonies on Mars. This could be either a manned one-way mission or a colony with a regularly changing crew.

Requirements

To support the existence of settlers, the following basic conditions are necessary:

— Breathable air
– Food to provide energy for human metabolism
— Heating of artificial habitat

There are other conditions necessary for comfortable stay:

— Equipment for daily exercise in low Martian gravity
— Possibility of communication and privacy
— Psychological consultations
— Comparison with other concepts

Compared to an autonomous colony, this concept has the following advantages:

— Fewer new technologies should be developed
— Less weight and volume of initial transportation
- Support can be adjusted
- Possibly a small group of settlers

and the following inconveniences:

— Fixed costs
— Colonists have fewer opportunities for self-government. Control is carried out from the Earth
— Energy and food aid

The colony regularly receives fuel and food from Earth. There is no need for greenhouses. Energy production is necessary mainly to heat homes. This may be possible using nuclear energy.

Energy support

The colony regularly receives fuel from Earth. Greenhouses or biotechnology are essential for local food production. The amount of energy required is higher due to the fact that the energy efficiency factor of any food production is well below 1. Using outdated methods (artificial greenhouse lighting) the coefficient is approximately 0.001, which means transporting a huge amount of energy from Earth to Mars to feed the colonists.

The head of SpaceX, American businessman Elon Musk, speaking in the Mexican city of Guadalajara at the 67th Congress of the International Astronautical Federation, presented the project of the interplanetary transport system ITS (Interplanetary Transport System), intended for the colonization of Mars. It is assumed that a completely autonomous settlement will be built on the Red Planet. Thanks to ITS, a million people will move to a colony on Mars in half a century.

According to Elon Musk, humanity needs to colonize other worlds to survive. Mars is best suited for this, since the conditions on the planet, although remotely, are still similar to those on Earth. Neighboring Venus is too hot, and the moons of Jupiter and Saturn, where a colony could also be established, are too far away. The development of these moons, in particular Enceladus, is the next stage in the colonization of the Solar System.

Elon Musk is the founder of SpaceX (produces rockets and spaceships) and Tesla Motors (creates electric cars), and also initiated the Hyperloop project (a hybrid transport system from a vacuum train and maglev). He also took part in the creation of PayPal companies (engaged in electronic payments) and SolarCity (solar energy).

Terraforming Mars, that is, creating a climate there as similar as possible to Earth’s, according to Musk, may take several hundred years. This is a matter of the distant future. The businessman believes that in the past the Red Planet had a denser atmosphere and rivers of water flowed. Musk agrees with those scientists who believe it is possible to return Mars to its previous state. Then the planet will become suitable for agriculture without greenhouses and the life of at least primitive microorganisms.

Today, it is estimated that the cost of sending a person to Mars is $10 billion. Musk believes that 10 million is too expensive. And he proposes a program to reduce the cost of flights to the Red Planet. He intends to find money for it from private partners and enthusiasts. The state, apparently, is not helping SpaceX with this. NASA also, despite cooperation with SpaceX under the International space station, approach the project with caution.

Musk proposes to create a manned spacecraft with a capacity of 200 people. A thousand such devices should accumulate in Martian orbit. In total, about ten thousand flights are planned from Earth to Mars. The journey will take no more than 150 days, and the cost of delivering the payload will be 140 thousand dollars per ton.

The ITS concept is based on several key technologies - reusability, in-orbit refueling of ships and the use of Martian fuel. Methane is proposed as a fuel, which can be obtained on Mars from water and carbon dioxide. All rocket engines will remain chemical - ion or nuclear options are not being considered. The ITS rocket is planned to be powered by the Raptor engine, which has the highest thrust-to-weight ratio. This unit has recently been tested; the promising carrier has 42 engines. Fuel tanks for the Raptor are expected to be made from carbon fiber.

The rocket for the colonization of Mars will be the largest ever created by man: diameter - 12 meters, height - 122 meters (including the head part). The first stage of the ITS launch vehicle is an enlarged first stage of the midsize Falcon 9 rocket. It will require about seven percent of the total first stage fuel to return to Earth after the vehicle is sent into Earth orbit.

With an ITS rocket, as Musk noted, it is possible to deliver cargo to any point on Earth in a maximum of 45 minutes. The diameter of the manned spacecraft, located at the head, will be 17 meters, height - 50 meters. Loading capacity - 450 tons (including fuel). Six engines operate in space, three in the atmosphere. After the ITS presentation, the businessman answered questions from those present in the hall.

From his answers, it became known that SpaceX does not have money to independently finance the ITS project - the company makes money exclusively on NASA orders and commercial satellites. However, the situation may change. If currently, out of five thousand SpaceX employees, about 50 people are working on ITS, then over time, when investments in the project grow to $300 million a year, the businessman hopes to increase their number sharply.

To the question of Russian Anastasia about attracting foreign citizens Musk responded to the project as follows: anyone can participate in the ITS program. But for this, in addition to talent, you also need a green card. For comparison, the situation at Tesla is simpler - a quarter of its employees are foreigners.

Musk confirmed his intention to send to Mars in 2018 using a heavy rocket Falcon Heavy, which is scheduled to be tested in the fall of 2016, is an unmanned mission on the Dragon V2 ship (designed to accommodate up to seven people). After that, he plans to send spacecraft to the Red Planet every 26 months: two missions in 2020, at least one in 2022, and likely a manned mission in two years with landing on the planet in 2025. The launches are planned to be carried out on the Falcon Heavy launch vehicle under development, and the launch in 2020 or 2022 will be carried out on an ITS rocket.

SpaceX is going to call the first Mars ship Heart of Gold. Musk admitted: unfortunately, there are no guarantees that the first colonizers will be able to return to Earth. He traditionally compared the journey to Mars with the discovery and settlement of America. Let us add on our own that in Europe such migrations, like the discovery of America that preceded them, were considered by many to be madness. Whether Elon Musk will become the new Christopher Columbus or turn out to be a prudent businessman with a rich imagination - time and his affairs will tell.

Recently, dome-shaped structures on a hill were discovered on Mars, indicating that the planet was habitable in the past.

Now another image is emerging that would seem to provide strong evidence that there is more going on on the Red Planet than space agencies are telling the public.

According to images from a NASA rover, in the vicinity of Mount Sharp lie giant structures that once towered on the Red Planet.

According to "UFO hunters" as well as ufology experts, there are several structures on Mars that, despite time, are clearly visible half-buried in the harsh Martian conditions.

Many hundreds of skeptics look at such photographs with disbelief, considering them to be a work of Photoshop. However, despite the many “photoshops” that previously roamed the Internet, there has been no need for editing for the last two decades. The official NASA resource, with photo archives, gives crazy pictures of the Martian surface - you can follow this link.

Who built the structures on Mars?

While many of us may be incredulous at such an image, not seeing the destroyed man-made formations there, no one can deny that a certain degree of mystery still exists.

Looking at the image present in the article, we can clearly see several straight lines on the surface of Mars. You don’t have to be a big fan of ufology to see the remains of walls in these lines and come to the understanding that this is actual evidence of the remains of buildings of a certain civilization buried on Mars that lived for some time on the Red Planet.

In general, these are not the first “outrageous” images coming from the planet that humanity is about to colonize. A large number of strange finds are present in the immediate vicinity of Mount Sharp, and artifacts can also be seen in many other images from the Red Planet.

Ufologists say that it was not for nothing that space agencies chose Mars as the first planet for colonization, although the Moon would have been more convenient for the “first step” - in the distant past, the Red Planet was inhabited by intelligent beings, and we need to get to their technologies.

Improved image of Martian buildings/improved but not drawn, click to enlarge

The possibility that intelligent beings lived on Mars in the past is quite high. They could have existed here millions of years ago and died, or gone to other planets and left behind artificial structures. There are decent chances that most of the structures on the planet, although they died from time and climate, and are now buried under tons of Martian soil, have nevertheless been preserved.

That is why it is almost impossible to say exactly what we see in the images - the real structure artificial origin, or as skeptics say, a natural geological formation. Although most people are sure, we see a real construction of intelligent beings.

Adventures of the Curiosity rover on the Red Planet.

UFO experts believe that a couple of months after landing on Mars, the Curiosity rover photographed a mysterious creature - an alien. People's opinions were immediately divided: some were sure that this was nonsense, everything had a reasonable explanation. Others immediately started talking about falsification and concealment of information coming from the Mars rover. Allegedly, NASA artificially restrains the flow of data from Mars and posts images taken on Earth, passing them off as Martian.

By the way, this version perfectly explains the rare footage of UFOs taking off from Mars; in fact, these are helicopters taking off from the filming site, giving off glare under the bright rays of the Sun. Still others believe that there is no need to complicate everything, we are not only not the unique inhabitants of the Galaxy with intelligence, moreover, another mind knows about our existence.

We are talking about that photograph where adherents of the theory of existence alien civilizations They looked at the shadow bending over the Curiosity rover, and they say it’s an Alien. Moreover, as experts suggest, the alien, on whose back they examined the “hump” of life support systems, is repairing the Curiosity rover that broke down on Mars!

According to Michael, a specialist in a secret teleportation program, he spent 20 years on Mars! Well, more precisely, he did not live there all this time, but during the course of his work he visited the Mars Institute and, accordingly, the terrestrial colonies of the Red Planet.

As Michael says, all the technologies that we now see in our modern cosmonautics are only the tools necessary to deliver the installation of a teleportation receiver to the planet being developed. In the recent past, a teleport receiver was sent to Mars, which was before Michael Ralphie joined the secret project.

Unfortunately, Ralphie, who left the project in 1996, does not give specifics about his participation in the project, only mentioning that teleports and a colony on Mars worked before him, and he also made many trips on business between Mars and Earth.

Agree, there is something amazing in existing stories and photographs that gives us reason to think about the real history of exploration of the Red Planet.

The article talks about possible colonization Mars, its goals, dangers, technical aspects, and why it is a “one way ticket”.

Beginning of the space age

So terraforming projects without human participation are impossible, and it is the first settlers who can lay their foundation. Their meaning revolves around the atmosphere of Mars. It consists mainly of carbon dioxide, and is too thin for liquid water or normal clouds to exist on the surface. And there are proposals to populate it with bacteria that will produce even more carbon dioxide, as a result of which the gas shell of the planet will become denser, the temperature will rise and the polar caps will begin to melt, followed by warm rains.

Colonization of Mars. Selection of candidates

The launch was announced in 2011 Mars project One. Its meaning was that a wide selection would be carried out of everyone who wanted to leave the Earth, and not just existing astronauts, to establish a settlement on Mars. A little later, indeed, any person could propose his candidacy via the Internet, and if he successfully passed the test, he was enrolled in the ranks of applicants, received a specialty and waited for the opportunity.

This project is private, and everything is complicated engineering works its leadership planned to transfer it to contractors and receive their own benefit by turning the training of colonialists into a reality show.

By the way, there were a lot of people interested, and they weren’t even scared by the fact that this was a one-way flight to Mars. Since if something happens it will be impossible to pick up the settlers.

At the moment, the selection is completed, but several more are planned in the near future. In general, many people criticize Mars One, and not without reason. Since over the 5 years of its existence, very little has been done, and the dates of various events and plans are constantly being postponed. The criteria for selecting participants are also questionable.

Difficulties and dangers

The first difficulty is the direct flight to Mars itself. Colonization is complicated by the fact that even with the red planet as close as possible to us, with current technologies, the flight will take about 7 months. And all this time, the astronauts need to eat something, and there will be a lot of equipment on board. Another danger is that special means need to be developed to protect against it.

Another pressing issue is nutrition on Mars. There are no completely closed ones yet, and the colonists will have to rely only on themselves and hydroponic greenhouses. And plus for all this you need housing, at least some residential modules, which also need to be delivered, lowered without damage, assembled... After all, if something happens, the astronauts will have to wait at least 7 months for the ship with the package.

Connection

Despite the fact that the speed of radio emission is comparable to at the moments of maximum distance from the earth, the “ping” will be about 22 two Earth minutes.

Gravity

Also, another factor in the danger of such a thing as the project of a flight to Mars is that it is low compared to that on Earth and it is unclear how this will affect children born in such conditions. And the settlers themselves too.