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Mars Pros And Cons

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Society is in the midst of a great debate surrounding whether or not to establish a colony on the Martian surface. Those opposed insist that numerous health risks associated with such a lengthy mission exist and the monetary costs would be a burden too large to bare (Huff; Do et al. 222). However, proponents of the plan argue that Mars is an opportunity for society to restart and improve its conditions (“Founding Declaration”). More support comes in the form of the red planet being labeled as a world of potential life (“Founding Declaration”). Consequently, humans must explore in order to find any such life (“Founding Declaration”). With improving technology, more money, and less risk, a Mars trip is within society’s reach and should be pursued as soon as possible; to disregard such an influential opportunity would be to strip society of the chance to improve and gain valuable knowledge.
As prominent astronomer and astrobiologist Carl Sagan once claimed, “The sky calls to …show more content…

According to National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) science writer Sarah Frazier, several strategies for dealing with this radiation already exist, and more are continually being investigated. Many of the prevailing methods of dealing with radiation in space involve shielding astronauts and equipment from being exposed to it (Frazier). The particles in radiation can be stopped by particles of similar sizes; one of the most abundant particles meeting this criterion is hydrogen, which is readily available in common materials such as water and plastic (Frazier). This means that water already needed for the crew could be strategically placed in planetary shelters and used to stop particles from reaching the crew (Frazier). Astronauts could utilize a similar strategy by recycling their trash and fabricating blocks of plastic from it

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