Is colonization of Mars possible? Everything you need to know about the possible colonization of Mars. Ways to terraform Mars

24.11.2019

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Space future of humanity Text

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The following are the goals of colonization of Mars:

Creation of a permanent base for scientific research of Mars itself and its satellites, in the future - for the study of the asteroid belt and distant planets Solar System.
Industrial extraction of valuable minerals.
Solution demographic problems Earth.
The main goal is to create the “Cradle of Humanity” in case of a global cataclysm on Earth.

The main limiting factor is, first of all, the extremely high cost of delivering colonists and cargo to Mars.

At the current moment and the near future, obviously, only the first goal is relevant. A number of enthusiasts of the idea of colonizing Mars believe that with large initial costs for organizing a colony in the future, provided that a high degree of autonomy is achieved and the production of some materials and essential items (primarily oxygen, water, food) from local resources is achieved, this is the way to go research will be generally 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.

To solve demographic problems, it will be necessary, firstly, to transfer the population from Earth on a scale incomparable with the capabilities of 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, delivering the required minimum equipment and supplies to Mars 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 to a range 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 planets and 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 there are significant and directly accessible deposits of water ice on Mars, the soil is, in principle, suitable for growing plants, and the atmosphere is present in sufficient quantities. large quantities carbon dioxide . 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.
Changing the magnetic field by laying a ring of a conductor or superconductor around the planet with a connection to a powerful energy source. NASA Science Director Jim Green believes that the natural magnetic field of Mars cannot be restored, at least not now or even in the very distant future. But it is possible to create an artificial field. True, not on Mars itself, but next to it. Speaking with the report “The Future environment Mars for Research and Science” at the Planetary Science Vision 2050 Workshop event, Green proposed creating a magnetic shield. This shield, Mars L1, according to the authors of the project, will close Mars from solar wind, and the planet will begin to restore its atmosphere. It is planned to place the shield between Mars and the Sun, where it would be in a stable orbit. It is planned to create the field using a huge dipole or two equal and oppositely charged magnets.
Explosion on several polar ice caps nuclear bombs. 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 colonizing 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 for the most part they 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 the capabilities of modern humanity. For example, to create pressure sufficient to at least grow in open ground, without sealing, 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" - private project fund-raising 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 NASA's main scientific laboratories. 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 this area has the lowest background level 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 considerations of proximity to the equator and high atmospheric pressure they are usually planned to be founded in different places in the 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 make solar energy unusable for months, which, in the absence of natural fuels and oxidizers, makes nuclear energy the only reliable option at the moment. 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 greater 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 from the creation of grotto colonies on Mars could 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 up” 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. 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 the development of innovative life support systems for life on it. 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 influence of the Martian (0.38 g) gravity force on life cycle mammals.
The second cosmic speed of Mars - 5 km/s - is quite high, although it is half that of Earth, which, with the current level of space technology, makes it impossible to achieve a break-even level for the colony 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 of the 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 further life of people in 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 it will be extremely difficult to produce solar cells 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.

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 is central figure his concept glam rock 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 “Red Planet” tells about the beginning of the terroforming of Mars for the sake of saving earthlings.
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 focuses on the psychological state of 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” - film directed by

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Today, Mars is the most attractive object for potential colonization. It’s worth starting with the fact that this is the closest planet to Earth (not counting Venus), the flight to which will take only 9 months. In addition, despite the fact that a person cannot be on the surface of Mars without protective equipment, the conditions of the planet are very similar to those on Earth.

First, the surface area of Mars is almost equal to the land area of Earth. Secondly, Martian days are similar to Earth ones and last 24 hours 39 minutes and 35 seconds. In addition, Mars and Earth have almost the same inclination of their axes to the ecliptic plane, as a result of which the seasons also change on Mars. The main factor in the possibility of potential colonization of the planet is the presence of an atmosphere on Mars, although not very dense, which guarantees some protection from radiation and also facilitates the landing of a spacecraft. Also, as a result of recent research, the presence of water on the planet has been confirmed, which gives scientists reason to assert the likelihood of the emergence and maintenance of life. Plus, it is worth noting the fact that the parameters of the Martian soil are very similar to the earth’s, so scientists are theoretically considering the possibility of growing plants on the surface of the planet.

However, it is worth noting factors that can greatly complicate the colonization of the red planet. Firstly, this is the force of gravity, which is more than two and a half times less than that of Earth. Secondly, it is a low temperature (the air warms up to a maximum of +30 degrees Celsius at the equator, while in winter at the poles the temperature can drop to -123 degrees). At the same time, the planet is characterized by large annual temperature fluctuations. The planet's magnetic field is approximately 800 times weaker than that of Earth. As for atmospheric pressure, on Mars it is too low for colonists to be on the surface without a special suit.

The atmosphere of Mars is 95 percent composed of carbon dioxide, therefore on initial stages terraforming the planet requires vegetation, with the help of which it would be possible to increase the oxygen content. By the way, the pressure of carbon dioxide may be sufficient to support the life of vegetation on the planet without additional terraforming.

However, for successful colonization of the planet, preliminary terraforming is indispensable. First, it is necessary to achieve atmospheric pressure on Mars at which the existence of liquid water would become possible. Secondly, it is necessary to create an ozone layer that would protect the surface from radiation. Plus, you need to increase the temperature at the equator to at least +10 degrees.

If terraforming is successful, the most favorable places for creating colonies will be lowlands in the equatorial zone. Among such places, scientists note primarily the Hellas depression ( highest pressure on the planet), as well as the Valles Marineris (highest minimum temperatures).

The plan to colonize Mars attracts humanity primarily because large stock various minerals on the planet: copper, iron, tungsten, rhenium, uranium and others. The extraction of these elements itself can be much more fruitful than on Earth, since, for example, due to the absence of a biosphere and a high background radiation, thermonuclear charges can be used on a large scale to open ore bodies.

Despite the fact that Mars is the most favorable planet for colonization in the solar system, many scientists declare the impossibility of implementing a plan for its colonization. One of the arguments is the small amount of elements necessary to support life (hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon). Also, many experts question the practical value of terraforming the planet (since it is not possible to test this experimentally under terrestrial conditions). In addition, many scientists are very frightened by Martian radiation, as well as Martian gravity, the harmful effects of which can lead to various mutations in the human body. Plus, scientists still find it difficult to answer possible consequences long flight (it is quite possible that prolonged stay of people in a confined space can cause serious psychological problems).

The article talks about the possible colonization of 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 the first settlers 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

In 2011, the start of the Mars One project was announced. 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 very little has been done over the 5 years of its existence, 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 of danger for 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.

Colonization of Mars

Colonization of Mars- creation of human settlements on the planet Mars.

An important step for the future of humanity. Mars is the focus of both speculation and serious research into possible colonies.

Mars is the planet to which travel from Earth requires the least energy expenditure, with the exception of Venus. Travel in the most economical semi-elliptical orbit requires about 9 months of flight time; With an increase in initial speed, the flight time quickly decreases, since the length of the trajectory also decreases.

Similarity to Earth

Differences

Ease of learning

Without protective equipment, a person will not be able to survive on the surface of Mars for even a few minutes. However, compared to the conditions on hot Mercury and Venus, the cold outer planets and the atmosphereless Moon and asteroids, the conditions on Mars are much more suitable for exploration. There are places on Earth, explored by man, in which the natural conditions are in many ways similar to those on Mars. Atmospheric pressure at an altitude of 34,668 meters is a record high point reached balloon with a crew on board (May) - approximately corresponds to the pressure on the surface of Mars. The extremely low temperatures in the Arctic and Antarctica are comparable to even the coldest temperatures on Mars. There are also deserts on Earth, similar in appearance to the Martian landscape.

Main difficulties

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

high level of cosmic radiation;
strong seasonal and daily temperature fluctuations;
meteorite hazard;
low atmospheric pressure.

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

stress;
adaptation to Martian gravity;
orthostatic instability after landing on the planet;
disturbances in the functioning of sensory systems;
sleep disorders;
decreased performance;
metabolic changes;
negative effects from exposure to cosmic radiation.