Living on Mars For years, scientists have been curious about Mars, the "Red Planet," and whether or not humans would be able to live there. Recent research has proved that there is water on the planet, and in fact, NASA is now planning for a manned mission to Mars in the 2030s. Would you like to be a part of this great mission? Then, there are a few things you might want to know about Mars. Mars' Time On Mars, you'll get extra time in the day to do the things you want to do like sleep in! Mars rotates at almost exactly the same speed as Earth, making its days just 37 minutes longer than our own. But that's nothing compared to the extra time you'll get in a year: the Martian year is far longer, lasting 687 Earth days. That means seasons on Mars are about twice as long as they are on Earth. For example, in one year you can enjoy about seven months of spring, six months of summer, a little more than five months of fall, and only about four months of winter. 1
Mars' Atmosphere The air on Earth is about 21% oxygen and 78% nitrogen, but the atmosphere on Mars consists of 96% carbon dioxide and less than 0.2% oxygen. If you try breathing the air on Mars, you will quickly breathe your last breath. However, according to scientists at NASA, on Mars it is highly likely there is still water on the polar ice caps and possibly under the planet's surface. The water could be used to produce oxygen by splitting up the hydrogen and oxygen atoms. The polar ice caps are an average of three kilometers thick. If they were completely melted, the Martian surface could be covered with about 5.6 meters of water. Mars' Climate Mars gets about 60% of the sunlight we experience on Earth, and the average temperature on Mars is minus 63 C. If it were not for a shelter specially designed to protect you, you would not survive the cold. More serious is that giant red dust storms frequently cover the entire planet, and they can throw dust up to 40 kilometers into the air and last for months at a time. Furthermore, Mars lacks the protective ozone layer we have in Earth's atmosphere. Therefore, don't forget to take some serious sunscreen with you, like SPF 1000. Otherwise, you would get severely sunburned there. 2
Mars' Gravity You don't have to struggle to lose weight on Mars. It has a gravity that's only 37.5% of Earth's, which means that if you weighed 60 kilograms, you would weigh only about 23 kilograms on Mars. However, that is not completely good news because the reduced gravity would be a serious problem for your skeletal system. Normally, our muscles and bones have to work to stand up against the force of Earth's gravity. But due to the reduced gravity on Mars, our muscles would quickly shrink. In experiments, rats sent to space lost a third of their muscle mass in their legs within a few days. 3
Special Attractions on Mars Above all, you could enjoy the exotic scenery on Mars. The Martian air has a permanent cloud of dust, giving the daytime sky an orange color. In addition, Mars is home to the highest mountain and the deepest, longest valley in the solar system. Olympus Mons is the tallest volcano in the solar system, reaching 25 kilometers above its surrounding plains. Also, Valles Marineris is a giant system of valleys about the distance from Los Angeles to New York. Other attractions of the Martian scenery are the two moons, Phobos and Deimos. I am sure you, like Carl Sagan, would love to see this great scenery. Maybe we re on Mars because of the magnificent science that can be done there the gates of the wonder world are opening in our time. Maybe we're on Mars because we have to be, because there's a deep nomadic impulse built into us from hunter-gatherers. And the next place to wander to, is Mars. But whatever the reason you're on Mars is, I'm glad you're there. And I wish I was with you. - Carl Sagan 4
Supplementary Reading Tomatoes Grown in Martian Soil Do you think it's possible to grow tomatoes on Mars? You may think that's just limited to our imagination. But with fast-developing science and technology, we may be able to turn such an imaginative idea into reality in the very near future. Recently, a group of scientists from the Netherlands reported impressive result from their Martian soil experiment. They simulated the conditions of growing vegetables on Mars by using soil from a volcano on Hawaii. They reported that they had succeeded in growing 10 different species, including tomatoes, peas, and radishes, and that the vegetables may actually be safe for humans to eat. They even argued that their vegetables were possibly healthier than those grown in Earth soil. There are some concerns, however. The most serious one is related to the safety of eating those plants. Other scientists pointed out that Martian soil could contain heavy metals like lead and iron, which would make vegetables grown on Mars dangerous for human consumption. Nevertheless, it's pretty exciting to know that it's possible to grow food crops in soil on the Red Planet, so we can enjoy a "Martian meal." One day, astronauts visiting Mars will be able to sustain themselves with that food. Surely, the Martian soil experiment could be a significant step toward building colonies on Mars in the future. 5