Rapid advances in space exploration, combined with the doom and gloom that fill the daily news, are causing more and more people to cast romantic glances at the stars. The idea of exploring and colonizing Mars has long passed from a futuristic dream to a tangible and almost inevitable goal. More and more organizations are now experimenting and making plans to send people directly to the Red Planet.
NASA is planning the Orion mission, which will send two to six people to explore Mars. In addition, the European Space Agency, many private enterprises, Russia, India, China and Japan also plan to send people to the fourth planet from the Sun.
Many organizations and scientists warn that we are using Earth's resources too quickly to keep life here. Unfortunately, some people took these findings as meaning that we need to leave Earth and migrate to other planets as quickly as possible.
Scientists warn that we do not need to view Mars as the "next Earth" that can meet all the needs of humanity if we destroy our planet. Neil De Grasse Tyson says technology has the ability to terraform, rearrange and reshape Mars to make it more like Earth. But he also adds: "If we have the power to turn another planet into Earth, we can return the Earth to the Earth."
With all the uncertainty surrounding the future, we must focus on doing both. However, if your curiosity outweighs your fears, you should know what you will have to deal with when you decide to travel to Mars.
Loneliness
Promotional video:
Severe loneliness is actually not a mild inconvenience - it can cause serious health problems. Even if Mars does finally become popular with travelers, there is little chance that it will replicate all the closely related societies and communities that have been created on Earth over the centuries.
To overcome the dire consequences of not having a large number of interlocutors, travelers to Mars may prefer talking to robots and challenging activities for one.
Loss of muscle mass
If you've seen footage of astronauts aboard the International Space Station, you couldn't help but notice that they spend quite a lot of time exercising on the cycle track and other simulators. They do this because the change in gravity has a tremendous effect on the muscular structure of the body.
On Earth, we hardly notice the work that our "anti-gravity" muscles are doing, namely the quadriceps, the muscles of the neck and back. But without the daily pressure of gravity on these parts of the body, they will quickly lose their normal function.
Countermeasures are currently being developed to keep the bodies of astronauts in working and healthy condition - especially the muscular system - for short flights. But no one has ever spent decades on another planet. Therefore, it is simply impossible to study the consequences of such a stay without having lived on another planet for ten years.
Muscle health also directly affects the skeletal system, reproductive health, and organs.
Lack of oxygen
There are several ways to create oxygen from other materials during space travel and planetary exploration. But the oxygen level on Mars will not soon be fully equal to that on Earth.
The body needs oxygen for almost all vital functions, from breathing and digestion to cell division and growth. In the future, solid oxide electrolysis will allow the extraction of oxygen from carbon dioxide, which makes up 95% of the atmosphere on Mars.
Temperature drops
The atmosphere of Mars is so thin that the planet practically does not retain heat. The average temperature on the planet is -62 degrees Celsius. That is very, very cold.
If you thought that forgetting heavy gloves when going to another planet is excusable, albeit unpleasant, do not forget that there will be no department stores where you could buy warm blankets.
An incredibly long journey
Imagine an endlessly long road trip. While probes can get to Mars fairly quickly, it will take much longer for humans to get there. Even relatively short travels that require a lot of energy will take 400 or 500 days. We'll have to thoroughly stock up!
Radiation
First, you will be roasted by radiation on the way to Mars. Then the radiation will fry on Mars, if you do not follow the instructions and hide from it at every opportunity. And if you decide to head back, you know what? The radiation will fry you too.
Both galactic cosmic rays and energy particles from the sun can cause irreversible damage to the human body. Just staying on the Red Planet leads to radiation exposure, 100 times higher than the Earth's norm, and trips there and back are even more risky.
High-energy particles and tiny particles of radiation can pass through the body and other materials. Along with this, causing damage to DNA and cells.
In the human brain, this leads to deterioration and seizures. In the eyes - to cataracts, in the lungs - to cancer, the skin is destroyed and even burns. A person's heart and digestive organs are weakened, and a person can remain sterile forever.
Still, don't worry too much. The materials used to protect against the harmful effects of radiation are getting stronger and more flexible.
Claustrophobia
NASA and other space organizations test people for extreme claustrophobia before choosing a crew. According to astronaut Chris Hadfield, he found the trials fun, including being tied up in a small black bag and not told when he would be released.
Hadfield said that "being stuck in a dark, cramped place indefinitely is a great opportunity and a pleasant time to think, sleep and relax." For most of us, this would be a much more frustrating experience.
Nevertheless, even the most steely and brave of the chosen astronauts see the light at the end of the tunnel as they spend their days in incredibly tight spaces. After all, they know that they will return home, where loved ones, fresh air and wide skies are waiting for them.
Imagine that you have to spend the rest of your life on Mars, traveling between small compartments and stations to avoid radiation and maintain proper oxygen levels. You can never go out and travel outside your camp without a claustrophobic suit and helmet.
Hostile life forms
There is a reason astronauts carry weapons into space for decades "just in case." The space arsenal includes 1960s orbital survival knives, machetes and even machete pistols and just pistols.
While the main reason for carrying weapons in space is that astronauts may have trouble returning to Earth if they land in unsafe terrain or hostile territory, the second reason is much less common. While no conclusive evidence of intelligent life has yet been found, the existence of extraterrestrial organisms is almost guaranteed based on fossil evidence. In addition, the likelihood that other life forms exist is so high that it is almost beyond question.
In 2016, scientists determined that the probability that we will be the only advanced species in the galaxy is less than 1 in 60 billion. If we look at the unique properties of species and individual creatures only on our planet, the chances that we will encounter hostile or friendly Martian life forms are also high.
Think about the times when you had to live with an annoying or unpleasant neighbor, and then multiply that by a million to estimate the consequences of living together on a planet with a life form you don't like at all.
Eye problems and loss of vision
NASA started asking astronauts about their vision after space travel back in 1989. When the astronaut returned home, scientists tried to determine how damaged his visual skills were. At first they didn't believe it. Many astronauts have experienced serious vision problems that manifested themselves after leaving Earth.
Since then, NASA has decided to conduct systematic research. They began to conduct more detailed trials, including binocular indirect ophthalmoscopy (a method of looking at the back of the eye through the retina), cycloplegic refraction (a method of eliminating various problem areas by relaxing others with eye drops), and extended studies (which provide a clearer picture of the eye in due to the expansion of the pupil with eye drops).
Vision problems after space travel sometimes lasted for many years or even remained forever. It turned out that the eye itself, in fact, changes, along with the brain and cerebrospinal fluid. A possible culprit is intracranial hypertension, or high pressure on the brain and spine.
Valery Polyakov currently holds the record for the longest trip into space - 437 days. Given the various complications and variances in distance, a trip to Mars would easily take several hundred days just to get there. The longer you stay in a low-gravity state, the higher your risk of developing medical problems.
Space madness
Even before humans flocked to the stars, scientists were concerned that space travelers would end up becoming "impulsive, suicidal, sexually obsessed thrill seekers." They thought that confined space and lack of modern comfort would drive space travelers crazy. But in reality, the first professional astronauts were steel, calm and courageous even in life-threatening situations.
As many of today's darkest fears were ultimately debunked, the idea of space madness has become something of an urban legend. Nevertheless, we have examples of people who could not cope with the pressure of space. Some displayed strange behavior after a short trip out of the atmosphere.
Traveling to Mars will take much longer than today's short space trips, and the symptoms seen on these trips are likely to be exacerbated by the long journey. In addition, the brain is made up of a lot of water. The effects of changes in gravity on the brain are barely understood.
NASA is currently studying astronauts aboard the International Space Station for changes in brain plasticity. During their travels, astronauts perform small tasks, such as rotating pictures with their minds. The rise and fall of their skills is tracked over time.
Ilya Khel