Mars as a new Earth: why Elon Musk wants to colonize it and what is stopping him

SpaceX founder Elon Musk has been burning with the idea of ​​establishing a colony on Mars for years. What problems need to be solved along the way?

Elon Musk hopes to establish the first colony in a maximum of 10 years / Photo: Wikipedia, REUTERS

Billionaire with cosmic ambitions considers the moon only a transfer site, and chose the Red Planet as its main goal.

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We figured out why Elon Musk needs Marshow the satellite of the Earth will help on the way to colonization, and what right now prevents the billionaire from sending people to explore the new world.

Why not the moon

Despite the fact that the moon is much closer, the goal of the colonialists was still not her.

The most banal reason Mars simply has more resources: it is rich in carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen and oxygen. They can be mined from carbon dioxide and permafrost.

This is what a terraformed moon might look like, photo wikiwand.com

For example, at the end of 2021, huge reserves of water ice were discovered on Mars. In addition, the moon not getting enough natural sunlight for growing any kind of plants.

The water below the surface in the Mariner Valleys turned out to be at least 40%, photo esa.int

The absence of an atmosphere, sudden changes in the weather and barren radioactive surface.

Mars as a second Earth

Meanwhile, Mars in the distant future could even terraform humanity if it created huge magnetic shield from the sun.

Gradually, humanity could turn Mars into a new Earth, photo wikiwand.com

As a result, the planet will be able to retain heat near the surface, the pressure will increase, and the climate will improve and become habitable, according to NASA scientists.

If the surface temperature rises, it will be possible to create favorable environment for human and animal life, as well as growing plants.

Although the Moon is not going to be colonized, it could be a stopover on the way to Mars. Now future Martians need energy-intensive travel from Earth up to 8 months one way.

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In the same time, staging post on the moon will save time, energy and money of martian rockets.

Why is it too early to fly to Mars?

Despite the ambitious plans of Elon Musk, the colonization of Mars will not be possible if scientists and engineers do not figure out how to protect people from other gravity, pressure and radiation.

The same space radiation will kill human health still on the way: an astronaut, having flown to Mars and back, will receive such a dose that he will no longer be able to return to space.

You also need to figure out what to do with the air pressure on Mars: it can be compared with pressure at an altitude of 30 km.

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We’ll also have to adjust colonists to Martian day, which is 40 minutes longer than ours.

Experiments with the Mars Time watch showed that people can withstand the Martian day and night schedule for a maximum of three months without a break.

Don’t forget that terraforming is the process is not even the next 100 yearsand Mars is very cold.

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The average temperature on the surface is approximately -63 C. The absolute maximum in summer is 21 C, and at the poles the temperature drops to -140.

In fact, the colonialists are faced with the task of building simulator in the middle of the imaginary Antarctic at the height of winter.

Elon Musk’s Dream Chart

SpaceX plans to send the first mission to Mars as early as 2026, and after the first flights, preparations for colonization should begin, says Elon Musk.

: Elon Musk showed a tower that will catch the steps of Starship with its paws

He hopes the rocket Starship will be able to deliver 100 people to Mars, refuel and go with the astronauts back to Earth.

The first colony, according to Musk’s plan, should settle on a new planet in a maximum of 10 years. The long-term goal is to build a self-sufficient city with people and animals.

Cattle will be delivered there separately on the space analogue of Noah’s Ark. Space X hopes to found a full-fledged settlement in about 50-100 years.

What prevents the future ark

So far, Elon Musk’s plans and timelines look very blurry. First, the Raptor 2 engine is just being tested, albeit successfully.

Raptor 2 successfully withstood a pressure of 300 bar, breaking a new record, photo Wikipedia

Most likely, need another month to several months work while SpaceX starts qualifying the Raptor 2 as well as the Raptor 2 Vacuum or Boost for the first Starship prototypes.

The Starship spacecraft itself is also not going so smoothly: before flying to Mars, test launches of both the ship itself and its superheavy booster are needed. In addition, bureaucracy interferes.

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SpaceX planned to send the rocket on its first orbital flight in January or February 2022, but US government agencies have banned testing until at least spring.

Starship will not be able to start testing until the end of February, photo Wikipedia

The authorities took themselves at least another two months to completion of the environmental review. So the process may take longer.

How will the colonists live?

A well-equipped colony is only the first step towards a new space society, and a natural question: who will manage it?

When asked about how he sees the political future of Mars, Elon Musk said that the first colonies could, like the first US colonies, be governed by direct, or natural democracy.

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It means that The red planet won’t need a parliament: people themselves will vote for laws and make judicial decisions – perhaps through electronic voting systems.

Such systems are actually controlled by artificial intelligence, in one interpretation or another, science fiction writers have repeatedly described. Whether they work on Mars, time will tell.

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Source From: Segodnya

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