The suggestion that humans will soon establish a bustling, long-lasting colony on Mars is something many of us take for granted. What this lofty vision fails to appreciate, however, are the enormous and difficult challenges facing colonists who hope to live permanently on Mars. Unless we radically adapt our brains and bodies to the harsh Martian environment, the Red Planet will never be free from human constraints.

Mars is the closest thing to Earth in the entire solar system, and that's no big deal.

The red planet is a cold, dead place with an atmosphere 100 times thinner than Earth's. What little air exists on Mars is mostly composed of harmful carbon dioxide, which does little to protect the Martian surface from the sun's harmful rays. The air pressure on Mars is very low. At 600 Pascal, it is only 0.6% of the air pressure on Earth. You can also be exposed to a vacuum that can cause severe bending, including ruptured lungs, dangerous swelling of skin and body tissue, and ultimately death. A thin atmosphere also means heat cannot be trapped on the surface. The average temperature on Mars is minus 63 degrees Celsius, and the lowest temperature can drop to minus 126 degrees Celsius. By comparison, the coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth was minus 89 degrees Celsius at Vostok Station in Antarctica on June 23, 1982. Once the temperature drops below minus 4.5 degrees Celsius Fahrenheit, someone who is not fully clothed can expect their body temperature to drop within 5 to 7 minutes.

Mars is also lighter than commonly thought. The red planet's gravity is 0.375 that of Earth, which means an 80-kilogram person on Earth would weigh less than 30 kilograms on Mars. While this sounds appealing, in the long term, this low-gravity environment could wreak havoc on human health and could have a negative impact on human fertility.

However, despite these and other problems, there is a popular idea floating around us that we will soon be able to easily colonize Mars. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk had plans to colonize Mars as early as the 1950s, and University of Westminster astrobiologist Lewis Darnell gave one A more modest estimate, he said, is that "a significant number of people will move to Mars, and that will be 50 to 100 years ago." The United Arab Emirates aims to build a planet with a population of 600,000 by 2117 Mars cities, one of the more ambitious visions of the future.

Sadly, this is science fiction. There is no doubt that humans will eventually visit Mars and even establish a base or two, but the idea that we will soon have colonies populated by hundreds or thousands of people is pure nonsense and completely denies the enormous challenges that such a prospect poses. .

Pioneer aerospace engineer Louis Friedman, co-founder of the Planetary Society and author of "Human Spaceflight: From Mars to the Stars," likened the unfounded enthusiasm to that of the 1940s and unrealized ideas proposed in the 1950s.

Friedman told the media: "Back then, magazine cover stories like Popular Mechanics and Popular Science showed colonies in the oceans and Antarctica." He said the feeling was that humans would Find a way to occupy every corner of the planet, no matter how challenging or uninhabitable. "But that doesn't happen. We visit Antarctica occasionally, and we even have some bases there, but that's it. What's worse is that under the ocean, human operations are limited, but in reality it's really, really rare." Human colonies in these environments, not so much. In fact, while we can achieve this with relative ease, that's not the case at all.

After the moon landing, Friedman said that he and his colleagues were very optimistic about the future and believed that "we will do more and more things, such as establishing colonies on Mars and the moon," But "the fact is that no human spaceflight program, whether it's the Apollo program, the Space Shuttle program, or the International Space Station, has laid the necessary foundation for establishing a colony on Mars, such as establishing the necessary infrastructure and finding safe and viable food." and sources of water to mitigate harmful effects such as radiation and low gravity, he said that unlike other fields, the development of human spaceflight "has become static" Friedman agrees that we may establish a base on Mars. view, but "historical evidence" suggests colonization is unlikely in the foreseeable future

Rachel Seidler, a neuroscientist at the University of Florida, says many people today don't realize that. How difficult it would be to maintain a colony on the red planet

"People like to be optimistic about the idea of ??colonizing Mars," Seidler, a researcher in kinesiology and microbiology, told the publication. Expert on the effects of gravity on astronauts. “But it also sounds a bit pie-in-the-sky,” she said. “A lot of people think we shouldn’t limit ourselves based on the situation, but I agree, there are a lot of potential negative physiological consequences. ”

Nasa and other space agencies are currently working to develop and test countermeasures for the various negative impacts of living on Mars, Seidler said.

For example, astronauts aboard the International Space Station perform strength training and aerobic training in space to offset their muscle and bone loss. As for treating the negative health effects of a long-term stay on the International Space Station or long-term living in the low gravity of Mars, Seidler said: "We don't have a countermeasure yet."

In her latest In his book About the Future: Prospects for Humanity, cosmologist and astrophysicist Martin Rees discusses the issue of colonizing Mars very succinctly:

In fact, this is is a question that needs to be considered. By terraforming, scientists refer to the hypothetical prospect of geoengineering to make a planet habitable for humans and other life. For Mars, that means injecting oxygen and other gases into the atmosphere to increase surface temperature and pressure, among other interventions. A common argument in favor of colonizing Mars is that it would allow us to begin the process of transforming Mars into a habitable state. Many science fiction writers, including Kim Stanley Robinson, have explored this scenario in his acclaimed Mars trilogy. But as Friedman told the media, "This was at least a few thousand years ago." Briony Hogan, assistant professor of planetary science at Purdue University Briony Horgan said terraforming Mars was a pipe dream, a prospect "far beyond any technology we're going to have," she told the outlet.

When it comes to terrestrial Mars, there are also logistics to consider, as well as the materials available to the geological engineers who would dare to embark on such a multi-generational project. In their 2018 Nature paper, Bruce Jakoski and Christopher Edwards of the University of Colorado at Boulder sought to understand how much carbon dioxide would be needed to increase air pressure on Mars without wearing a pressure suit. Enabling humans to work on the surface of Mars. Raising the temperature allows liquid water to exist and persist on the surface. Jakosky and Edwards concluded that there was not enough carbon dioxide on Mars to form Earth, and that future geoengineers would have to somehow import the gas needed to form Earth's features.

Frankly, terraforming Mars is not necessarily impossible, but the time and technology required preclude the possibility of maintaining a large, vibrant colony on Mars for the foreseeable future.

Until then, a non-terraformed Mars will provide a hostile environment for adventurous pioneers. First and foremost, there is the intense radiation to deal with, which will expose the colonists to a constant health burden.

Hogan said there are many major challenges in colonizing Mars, one of which is radiation exposure. "This is something that 'a lot of people, including people at SpaceX,' don't think about too clearly," she told the outlet. Living underground or shielding bases could be an option, she said, but we have to anticipate that given the As time goes by, cancer incidence rates will still "increase by an order of magnitude."

"You can only be active on Mars with radiation protection," Hogan said. "We can quantify the risk for a year or so, but not beyond the very long term. The problem is you can't stay there forever ( i.e. underground or on base) once you go out and do anything, you're in trouble," she said.

Hogan noted that a recent Nature study showed that radiation on Mars was much more severe than we thought, adding: "We don't have a long-term solution yet, unless you want to risk radiation Risk of disease. "Depending on the level of exposure, excessive radiation can cause skin burns. Can cause disease, cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Friedman agrees that, in principle, we could create an artificial environment on Mars, whether by building domes or underground dwellings. He said the radiation problem might be solvable, but it was still a big problem and, in a sense, anti-human.

Life on a Mars colony would be miserable, with people forced to live in artificially lit underground bases or in tightly protected ground stations with extremely narrow outdoor access. Living in such a closed environment with limited access to surfaces can lead to other health problems associated with exclusive indoor living, such as depression, boredom due to lack of stimulation, inability to concentrate, poor eyesight and low blood pressure.

Refers to a complete disconnection from nature. Like the International Space Station, the Martian habitat is likely to be a microbial desert, with only a tiny sample of bacteria maintaining a healthy human microbiome.

Another issue concerns motivation. As Friedman pointed out earlier, we don't see colonists living in Antarctica or under the sea, so why should we expect a large group of people to want to live in a rather unpleasant place? It seems like a poor alternative to life on Earth, and is certainly worse in terms of quality of life. There's even a strong case to be made that this is borderline cruel behavior for future families hoping to breed the next generation of Mars colonists.

This assumes humans could even breed on Mars, which is an open question.

Setting aside the harmful effects of radiation on the developing fetus, there is a conceptual issue that needs to be considered when living in microgravity. We don't know how sperm and eggs will act on Mars, nor how the first critical stages of pregnancy will occur. Most importantly, we don't know how low gravity affects mother and fetus.

Seidler, an expert in human physiology and kinesiology, said human pregnancy on Mars is a thorny unknown. She said the developing fetus is likely to sit higher in the womb because of the lower gravity, which can compress the mother's diaphragm and make it difficult for the mother to breathe. Low gravity can also "confuse" the course of pregnancy, delaying or interfering with critical stages of fetal development, such as fetal descent before week 39. On Earth, bones, muscles, the circulatory system, and other aspects of human physiology developed by the force of gravity. It's possible that the human body would adapt to the low gravity environment on Mars, but we simply don't know. An artificial womb might be a possible solution, but again, it's not something we'll have access to anytime soon, nor does it solve the low gravity issues associated with fetal development (unless the artificial womb is placed in a centrifuge to simulate gravity).

There is strong evidence that any attempt to reproduce on Mars should be banned until more is known. Enforcing such a policy on the nearest planet 34 million miles away is another question entirely, although one hopes that Martian society will not regress into a state of lawlessness and complete disregard for public safety and established moral standards.

For other colonists, Mars' minimal gravity could cause serious long-term health problems. Studies of astronauts participating in year-long long-term missions have revealed troubling symptoms, including functional deterioration of bones and muscles, cardiovascular problems, immune and metabolic disorders, visual impairments, balance and sensorimotor problems, and Many other health problems. These problems may not be as severe as those on Mars, but we still don't know. Perhaps similar gravity-related illnesses will emerge after five, 10, or 20 years of sustained low-gravity exposure.

Seidler's research on the effects of microgravity suggests that this is a distinct possibility.

"Yes, there are physiological and neurological changes that occur on Mars due to the partial gravity environment of Mars," she told the media. "It's unclear whether these changes level off at some point. My research shows that in microgravity, the brain moves upward inside the skull, with some areas of gray matter increasing and other areas decreasing, and structures within the brain's white matter changes, and the movement of fluid toward the top of the head."

Seidler said some of these changes occur with the length of microgravity exposure, which ranges from two weeks to six months, but she did not. beyond this range.

"Some of these effects will eventually be stabilized, for example, there is a structural limit to the volume of fluid the skull can hold," she said. "Also, the nervous system is very adaptable. "It can 'learn' how to control movement in microgravity, despite changes in sensory input, but again, it's not clear what the upper limit is," she said. The effects in partial gravity may not be as severe, but in either case, different sensory inputs are going to the brain because they are not loaded with weight as they were in the past. This can lead to poor balance and impaired motor function, but research shows that astronauts in microgravity eventually adapt.

Seidler told the media: "There are still many unanswered questions about how microgravity and partial gravity affect human physiology." "We don't yet understand what safety or health means, and more needs to be done. "

Astronauts returning from long-duration missions had a rough first few days back on Earth, feeling sick, dizzy and weak. Some astronauts, like NASA's Scott Kelly, never feel like the same again, including decreased cognitive test scores and changes in gene function. Research by NASA's Scott Wood shows that an astronaut's recovery time is directly proportional to the length of the mission. The longer the mission, the longer the recovery time. Disturbingly, we don’t have data on microgravity exposure for about a year, leaving an open question about the effects of low-gravity exposure on the human body years or even decades later.

With that in mind, it's an open question as to what will happen when Mars colonists return to Earth. In fact, it can be a brutal experience, especially after years of living in a localized gravity environment. Children born on Mars (if that were possible) might never be able to visit the planet where their species originated.

We consider these to be health issues. There may be many other issues causing Mars-specific illnesses that affect our brain, body, and emotional health. Human lifespans on Mars may be much shorter than those on Earth, but we still don't know.

Finally, there are day-to-day survival considerations. Limited access to basic resources, such as food and water, may further limit a colony's ability to grow and thrive.

"Building stable resources to sustain life for an extended period of time is possible, but it will be difficult," Hogan said.

"We want to be close to water and water ice, but to do that we have to go north." But the further north you go, the rougher the surface conditions become. Winter is very cold and there is little sunshine. ”

Colonists will also need a stable source of food and a way to keep plants away from radiation. Topsoil, or soil, on Mars is toxic and contains dangerous perchlorate chemicals, so it also needs to be avoided. To grow crops, colonists may build subterranean greenhouses, which would require specialized lighting, genetically modified plants designed for Mars, and large amounts of water, which would be difficult to obtain on Mars.

" People don't know how complicated this is," Hogan said. "Trying to build a colony that we think is safe is going to be a huge challenge.

As Martin Rees points out, Mars and other space environments are "inherently hostile to humanity," but, as he writes in his book,

By a posthuman future, Reese is referring to a hypothetical future era in which humans have undergone extensive biological and cybernetic modifications to the point where they are no longer classified as human. Therefore, Mars remains inaccessible. Ordinary human environment, but the Red Planet may become a usable place for those who dare to change themselves and their descendants.

One possible solution is to completely change human biology to make Mars. Colonists are uniquely adapted to living, working, and having children on the Red Planet. As Rees writes in The Future:

In fact, adapting humans to life on Mars will require huge changes. >

Our DNA must be specially tailored to enable long-term, healthy life on Mars, including genetic adjustments that improve muscle, bone and brain health. These traits can be inherited so that they can be passed on to Mars colonists. Their descendants. In cases where biology isn't up to the task yet, scientists could use controlled enhancements, including artificial neurons or synthetic skins that can protect against dangerous UV rays. Nanotechnology in the form of molecular machines could deliver drugs. Performing repair work and eliminating the need to breathe and eat, these changes would result in an entirely new human species being built specifically for Mars

Synthetic biologist and geneticist Craig. "Not many things capture my imagination," Venter said during a keynote address at a 2010 NASA event. Like trying to engineer organisms, even humans, for long-term space flight, and perhaps colonies on other worlds. ”

Like some other solutions, this won’t happen quickly, and it won’t be easy. It might not even happen. Which leaves us with a rather depressing prospect: We might Trapped on Earth.

As Friedman points out, this has some pretty heavy existential and philosophical implications. If humans don't get to Mars, it means we're destined to be "a single species." of planetary species," he said. More importantly, it shows that alien civilizations may be in the same boat. "The potential for intelligent life to spread across the universe is very, very murky," he told the media.

"If we can't get to a nearby planet with an atmosphere, water and a stable surface, which in principle shows we can do it, then we're certainly not going to exceed that goal," Friedman said. "But if we are destined to be a single planetary species, then we need to realize, both psychologically and technologically, that we will live within the limits of our planet." ”

This is an excellent point. Whether we may eventually become an interstellar or interstellar species remains an open question. We must work to make this future prospect a reality, but until then, we must Making sure Earth is the only habitable planet we know of.