Despite its many problems and flaws, the Earth is still a wonderful place. Just think about it: colorful sunsets, warm ocean breezes, dogs, Doritos corn chips - how much delight! And finally, take the fact that we are not evaporating right now without a trace. Yes, life on Earth is undoubtedly wonderful - especially when compared to conditions on any of the neighboring planets.
If Elon Musk gets his way, we will all soon be relaxing on Mars. But until this happens, you will have to continue to live here on Earth. Believe me, you shouldn't take the risk and travel to other parts of the solar system before all precautions are taken. Renowned American astrophysicist, writer and popularizer of science Neil Tyson explains why. In short, being anywhere in space is a real disaster for the human body. Moreover, even being in space in a protective spacesuit does not guarantee health preservation. In other words, nowhere except on Earth could we survive longer than two minutes.
So, here is a quick guide to the solar system, where each point ends in certain death. There is one pleasant exception, however.
The sun
Let's start with the most benign option. In the sun, no doubt, you would instantly burn out. "You just evaporate," says Tyson. “It's actually so fast that it probably doesn't hurt. And yet, our luminary is not the best place to visit."
Total life time: less than one second.
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Mercury
The side of the planet facing the Sun is very hot. The maximum temperature is around 427 degrees Celsius. Conversely, the opposite side is a devilishly cold place. There frost reaches minus 179 degrees Celsius. Tyson explains that if you could get right on the line between the two poles and rotate between them, perhaps "you could live as long as you can hold your breath."
Total life time: about two minutes.
Venus
It is easy to understand that at a temperature of about 482 degrees Celsius, there can be no talk of any Venusian landscapes. "By the way, Venus has the same gravity as it does on Earth, so you can walk," says Tyson, "just for a little while, until you evaporate."
Total life time: less than one second.
Earth
Thanks to the wonderful oxygen in our atmosphere, food and water, and everything else that makes our native Earth habitable, you can easily spend 80 years here. In fact, you can live even longer if you live in the Blue Zone, that is, in one of the few places on earth where people tend to live longer than the world's population as a whole.
Total life time: about 80 years
Mars
"Mars is very cold, however, the atmosphere is very thin there," says Tyson, "so the intensity of the cold will not be as sharp as it might feel if the temperature on Earth were like that." With some warm, very, very warm clothing, you could walk on the surface of Mars until the need to breathe arose. How Musk intends to solve this problem is still unknown.
So, the total life time: about two minutes.
Jupiter
Since Jupiter is a gaseous planet, life there could be extremely uncomfortable. On - or in - this huge planet, "you would forever plunge into a gaseous atmosphere and sink until you were crushed by gravity."
Total life time: less than one second.
Saturn, Uranus and Neptune
See above. As with Jupiter, you will dive deeper into these gas giants and end up being crushed. Alas, even on the rings of Saturn there is no place with a solid surface for a walk, albeit a short one. So bummer. It looks like you will have to somehow try not to destroy the Earth.
Igor Abramov