LIFE ON MARS!!!
LIFE ON MARS
The possibility of Mars is a subject of huge interest in astrobiology due to its proximity and similarities to earth. to date, no proof has been found of past or present life on Mars. cumulative evidence shows that during the ancient Noachian period, the surface environment of Mars had liquid water and may have been habitable for microbes.
while early work focused on phenomenology and bordered on fantasy, the modern scientific inquiry has emphasized the search for water, chemical biosignatures in the soil and rocks at the planet's surface, and biomarker gases in the atmosphere. the existence of habitable conditions does not necessarily indicate the presence of life.
HUMAN COLONIZATION OF MARS
Some of the main reasons for colonizing Mars include economic interests, long-term scientific research best carried out by humans as opposed to robotic probes like curiosity, opportunity, etc. and sheer curiosity. surface conditions and the presence of water on Mars make it arguably the most hospitable of the planets in the solar system, other than earth. 
human colonization of Mars would require in situ resource utilization(ISRU); A NASA report state that "applicable frontier techs include robotics, machine intelligence, nanotech, synthetic biology, 3-D printing/additive manufacturing, and autonomy. this technology combined with the vast natural resources should enable, pre- and post-human arrival ISRU to greatly increase reliability and safety and reduce the cost for human colonization of Mars".
IS THERE LIFE ON MARS
Some of our friends at the Lakeview museum of art and science in Peoria, Illinois, wonder whether there is life on Mars. this is an idea that has intrigued people for centuries, and one that I, perhaps like you, have wondered about for most of my own life.
Earth is the only place that we know for certain support life. many claims have been made by observers who thought they saw evidence of life on Mars, but we now know they were tricked by the very difficult measurements. from the earth, even with our most powerful telescopes, we just cannot see enough detail on Mars to answer this question. we need a close-up look at the planet. while robotic spacecraft has given us wonderful views, no humans have ever tried to journey to Mars, and no such mission will be attempted for many years. in fact, whoever will turn out to be the first people on Mars may be your age today, and when you are an adult, perhaps you will watch- or even participate! as people make the first voyager to that planet. NASA is working hard now to discover whether there is life on Mars.
A HABITABLE ENVIRONMENT
When searching for life, most astrobiologists agree that water is key. all forms of terrestrial life require water, and while it is possible that life could evolve without the precious liquid, it is easier to search for conditions that are known to be optimal, rather than conditions we suppose could be. "5 bold claims of alien life.
this raises a problem on Mars. the planet today is dry barren, with most of its water locked up in the polar ice caps. the planet's thin atmosphere allows radiation from the sun to irradiated the surface of the planet, adding to the environment's challenges. evidence for water first showed up in 2000, when the image from NASA's Mars Globe Surveyor found gullies that appeared to have formed from flowing water. but Mars wasn't always a desolate wasteland. scientists think that, in the past, water may have flowed across the surface in rivers and streams, and those vast oceans covered the planet. overtime, the water was lost into space, but the early condition on the wetter planet could have been right for life to evolve. one estimate suggests that an ancient ocean could have covered as much as 19 percent of the 17 percent covered by earth's Atlantic ocean.
"with Mars losing that much water, the planet was very likely wet for a longer period of time than was previously thought, suggesting it might have been habitable for longer," said Micheal Mumma, a senior scientist at Goddard, said in a statement.
SEARCHING FOR LIFE
When NASA sent the first lander down on the Martian surface, one of the experiments performed sought traces for life. though Viking's results were deemed inconclusive, they paved the way for other probes into the planet's environment.
The exploration of Mars was put on hold for more than two decades. when examination of the planet resumed, scientists focused more on the search for a habitable environment than for life, and specifically on the search for water. the slew of rovers, orbiters, and landers revealed evidence of water beneath the crust, hot springs -considered an excellent potential environment for life to evolve- and occasional rare precipitation. although the Curiosity rover isn't a life finding mission, there are hopes that it could pinpoint the location that later visitors might explore and analyze. a future mission to Mars could include sample return, bringing pieces of the martian crust back to earth to study. more experiments could be performed by a remote robot explorer and would be more controlled than have lain on earth.
"Mars 2020 will gather samples for potential return to earth in the future. it's time for the sample-analysis community to get serious about defining and prioritizing Mars sample science, and in helping to make the case for the future mission that would get those sample home," David Beaty, co-leader of NASA's retired sample science board and chief scientist for the Mars Exploration Directorate at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, said at a 2017 workshop.
but the hunt for Martian life may be stymied by concerns over how to prevent infecting the red planet with earth life. current international policies impose heavy financial burdens that make exploring potentially habitable regions of Mars an extra challenge.
ARE WE THE MARTIAN
The transfer of material from Mars to earth and presumably back again has sparked some debate about the possibility of contamination early in the history of life. some scientists argue that a meteorite from earth could have traveled to Mars or visa-versa. debates rage over whether or not tiny organisms would be hardy enough to survive the voyage through a freezing, airless, radiation-filled vacuum and kick off life at its new home. the idea of such seeding is not limited to interaction with Mars. some have proposed that debris from outside the solar system could even be responsible for spawning life on earth. but in terms of the red planet, it is possible that scientists might one day find life on Mars - and it could be a close relation.
MAIN STEPS TO COLONIZATION ON MARS
STEP 1: BUILD TECHNOLOGY TO GET ASTRONAUTS TO SPACE
Currently, the United States relies on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft to get astronauts to the international space station. that is set to change, as private spacecraft companies have taken on the challenge of building a system to launch humans and cargo spaceward: Elon Musk's SpaceX is working on the Dragon robotic launch vehicle while Boeing is building its CST-100, Logsdon said. Musk has also said that SpaceX's robotic launch vehicle could head off to Mars as soon as 2018.
STEP 2: BUILD BIGGER SPACECRAFT
A Mars voyage requires a spacecraft that can carry multiple people, along with all the supplies for a three-year round-trip, including potential cargo items, said Bret Drake, an engineering specialist with Los Angeles-based aerospace corp., a nonprofit organization that researches launch vehicles, satellite system, ground control systems, and space technology for the federal government.
STEP 3: BUILD BIGGER ROCKETS
Launching a bigger spacecraft into deep space requires bigger rockets on any launch vehicle used. NASA plans to conduct a second test of what will be the world's largest rocket, which will be part of the SLS, sometime in 2021, according to NASA. SpaceX is also developing the falcon heavy rocket, which is designed to launch a heavier payload, including people, into space.
STEP 4: STICK THE LANDING
After people enter Mars orbit, they need to land on the red planet. with the past mission, friction, thermal effects, and parachutes could provide the deceleration needed to land. but a parachute won't have enough stopping power for such heavy craft.
STEP 5: FIGURE OUT LONG-TERM HABITATION ON A SPACE STATION
Astronauts have logged many weeks and months on the international space station (ISS), demonstrating the feasibility of long-term habitation systems, such as those that provide safe water, process waste, and filter air in space. similar systems could be used for a stay on Mars, experts say. the difference, however, is that the ISS is in low earth orbit, just a few hours trip to the home planet. if anything breaks, the earth can still come to the rescue. that won't be possible on Mars, which is at least a six-to nine-month journey, even when the planets are at their closest point to each other.
STEP 6: AVOID DEADLY COSMIC RADIATION
Astronauts going on a Mars mission will need protection from two forms of radiation: solar proton events and galactic cosmic radiation.
STEP 7: GET TO THE MOON
Before making the three-year round-trip to Mars, many of these long-term space systems will be tested in cislunar orbit, according to NASA's timeline of the journey to Mars. something between 2018 and 2030, NASA plans to send crewed missions on spacewalks in the region of space near the moon. some of these missions could last a year, in preparation for the epic voyage to Mars.
STEP 8:BUILDING HOUSING ON MARS
that's it. so now what you think about life on Mars after reading this blog?
Reference
my astrophysics teacher Celeste Carbonell
my astrophysicist sister Georgina
my favorite astrophysics teacher or sister Katy Rodriguez Wimberly
book, essential astrophysics, by Kenneth R Lang
the search for life on Mars, by Elizabeth Howell and Nicholas booth
BY: Pradyumn Kumar Sharma
Tags: Astrophysics, astronomy, NASA, ESA, space science, space exploration, star, telescopes
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