Will we be able to visit Mars by 2030?

Can we travel and settle here by the 2030's?

Mars, the red planet, is the most habitable planet close to earth. For many centuries, humans have dreamed of flying to mars and more recently, of settling on the red planet. In fact, NASA has set the goal of having Americans travel to and settle on mars by the mid-2030's, only about 12-15 years away. The outgoing president Trump was going to make this goal a strong possibility, but now with the new Biden administration, the goal's future is less clear.

The atmospheres of mars versus earth

There are many difficulties to overcome before humans could live on the red planet. First and most importantly, the atmosphere is different than earth, and the main gas we need to survive, oxygen, makes up a much smaller part of the martian atmosphere than on earth, as you can see in the picture above. Furthermore, the soil is not able to be grown in and would have to be modified with fertilizers and other chemicals in order to grow food and produce oxygen. The gravity is weaker than on earth, so settlers would have to exercise a lot to maintain their muscle mass. The sun's radiation is much stronger on mars due to its thinner atmosphere, which means settlers would have to be protected from this as well. Finally the temperature is extremely cold, similar to the antarctic. Despite these very significant difficulties, they could be overcome using our ever-growing technological abilities.

Mars according to Ray Bradbury

I hope that we do colonize mars and bring to life the dream of our Waukeganite writer Ray Bradbury. In his famous book , The Martian Chronicles, Bradbury portrays the first human settlers on the red planet. It is a classic book with excellent stories. Perfect to read over winter break.

Question: would you be willing to travel to mars and settle there?

Comparing the atmospheres of Mars and Earth

Humans don’t have to set foot on Mars to visit it

Surprise! First peek inside Mars reveals a crust with cake-like layers