A couple of days ago, NASA launched the Europa Clipper mission to orbit Jupiter’s moon, Europa. The mission should reach the Jupiter system in 2030, and then the orbiter will research the surface of the ice crust covering Europa’s ocean for four more years. Europa is an oceanic world with volcanic activity, and exobiologists believe that Europa’s underwater geothermal activity makes it the Solar System’s #1 possible shelter for alien life.
Even ahead of Mars.
It is a dry, barren planet that, even if life could have been found there, would be lost to Europa’s bottomless ocean, potentially full of underwater lifeforms. The best Mars can offer is simple bacteria living just below the surface, toasted by UV sunlight because of its thin atmosphere.
I am excited by Europa’s perspectives, but I have put so much time and emotion into my Mars studies. I dream of its weird Cydonia hills and rocks resembling pyramids and a sphinx, with his face looking up into the Martian sky…
I think the American Mars exploration program will likely reveal, in five to ten years, that Mars once hosted life, at least a primitive one. Who knows, though, as Mars was a much warmer and wetter place around a billion or more years ago. NASA’s rovers doing field research on site have proved this.
NASA plans to send humans to Mars after 2030. First, a manned orbital station will be set up, making circles around the planet. Second, people will land on the Mars surface with an orbiter high above their heads as a backup.
I want to join an expedition, though it is unrealistic for me. On the other hand, NASA has officially declared that it is hiring engineers for future manned missions to Mars. I am only a journalist; I could broadcast live reports, but technical people and biologists are needed much more.
As a dream come true, I imagine landing on the rusty red and dry Martian surface and exploring the grand monuments of Cydonia—you never know what’s there until you actually walk in there.
Yes, I would like to see Mars first-hand before I die, and return to Earth safe and sound.
Would I go to Mars?
It’s a good week to write about this after the drama surrounding Musk’s successful capture of the SpaceX booster. That accomplishment can be construed as a pre-cursor to travel, eventually, to another planet. And Mars will probably be the first. By the way, I honestly think Thunderbird 3 was a far sexier machine that Musk’s rocket. And Alan Tracy was a much sexier man than Musk.
Anyway, I digress. No, I wouldn’t go to Mara. I’m not a scientist, and the thought of a round trip which could take four or five years of my life away, most of it curled up in a tiny tube, just to visit a lifeless, soulless and dusty shithole of a planet, leaves me cold. Which I would be at night. Very cold. And dusty. Very dusty.
I could look up at the sky, and it would seem very similar to what I see from Earth, except there would be little light pollution. There would of course be a bright extra dot visible – my home, planet Earth, just a tiny blue speck, roughly the same size as Mars is from here. Big deal. I bet the T.V. reception would be crap as well.
I love astronomy, and I do hope that humankind will be able to utilise Mars to learn, discover and increase our astral knowledge, but count me out.
The moon? Now that’s different. Another lifeless, soulless and dusty shithole, but at least it’s only a few days travel each way, and my home planet looks extraordinarily beautiful from there. You may book my ticket there anytime. Just check the T.V. reception is ok……….
Would I go to Mars?
You betcha’ I would go. The end. …
Well damn, I suppose that was too short to turn in for our blog this week.
When you think about it, this would be a brutal trip. Locked-up in a small room for six or eight months, then dumped into an environment so bad even the dirt will kill you. In the film The Martian, astronaut Mark Watney survives being stranded on the Red Planet by farming potatoes in Martian dirt fertilized with feces. In real life, calcium perchlorate, a toxic salt, will kill spuds and you too. Are you sure you still want to go?
Even Elon says some from the first group may not make it. My mind goes to the first few groups of colonists who came from Europe to America, a bunch of them died and unlike going to Mars, they had no idea what they were getting into. Mark Watney (played by Matt Damon), could just radio back and ask for instructions.
All this brings up the question: WTF? We must be completely crazy. What is it that makes humans do such stupid stuff. Folks dive to the Titanic; that’s killed people. Sergey went to the Himalayas and he knows that has killed people. What drives sane people to do seriously dangerous shit?
So yeah, I would go to Mars, not for fame or fortune but because… I have no idea.