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The Decolonization Of Mars

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A lot can be said about Mars. It was named after the Roman God of War, Mars, for its red color. One of the biggest topics of conversation regarding Mars is whether or not us humans should be looking to colonize the Red Planet. I won’t be getting into the debate of privatized or public space programs because in the end they are both working towards a common goal of getting to Mars. The points I will layout through this essay will be, is Mars habitable, how much money it will cost to get to Mars, some thoughts from Stephen Petranek and is it an actual solution.
When we get to the topic of habitability on Mars, we have to focus on the main points. Is the atmosphere able to sustain life? Are we able to grow food to feed animals and ourselves? …show more content…

If we could get an easily replenish able source of sustenance for people to eat on Mars, imagine what we could do to help countries in need. This is the other side to the argument of whether or not we should colonize Mars. The side that says no, feels like we should focus on fixing Earth instead of bailing. The longevity of living on Mars is speculation as of right now, because we aren’t there yet.
“The U.S. Civilian Space Program gave the estimated date of 2030’s-2040’s for humans to step foot on Mars.” (Bushnell para. 14) Given this estimation which is 13-20 or so years in the future excites me, as well as frightens me. “A round trip to Mars is expected to take 360 days or longer.” (Shuchman para. 6) Miriam got this information from Curiosity’s trip to Mars. Shuchman believes it isn’t ethical to send an astronaut on a long trip because it might mess with safety standards. The astronaut’s exposure to radiation during the flight could pose severe risks to his/her health in the long term. (Shuchman para. 12) She gives the analogy of the failed 1912 mission to the South Pole …show more content…

Food, shelter, water, and clothing. This is for Earth, when we get to Mars, we would need oxygen as well. What has been stated earlier in the essay was having supplies brought to Mars earlier than our intended arrival, and some of the stuff there could be dry food. In his Ted talk, he states that about 80% of the food we would eat on Mars would be dry foods, and the other would be grown gradually over time. Petranek says in his Ted talk that about 15-20% would be grown from hydroponics. What this means is that plants would grow without soil, because Martian soil is toxic. It is considered to be toxic because NASA’s Curiosity rover found perchlorates in the Martian ground. We wouldn’t be able to grow food easily until there is running water on the surface, and we found an easier way to make the dirt able to be used for farming practices. I personally wouldn’t enjoy having to eat dried foods for a long time while living on Mars, but some other people might. I would need the greens and vegetables to thrive for an extended amount of

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