Colonization, Preparation, and Prospection of Mars
The Future of Humanity Starts Now

Brandon Temme
November 3, 2022


According to Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, the first mission for humans on Mars is projected to be around 2050 ("Missions: Mars"). That gives almost 25 years
of research and preparation. Mars was first thought of as a second destination in the mid-1850s. It started to rapidly accelerate due to the new advancements in technology that took place in the 20th century. Telescopes and spacecraft have had a major breakthrough in the 21st century. There are two companies that have a major impact on the United States: NASA and SpaceX. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA, is the agency led by the government for studying and exploring space. Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, or SpaceX, is a company founded by Elon Musk to explore and commercialize space at a more rapid pace. NASA's newest telescope, the James Webb Space Telescope, was launched at the end of 2021 and is the most up-to-date telescope in the world. It can see up to 13.2 billion light years away and gives high-definition images of the cosmos. Now that there is access to this technology, what makes Mars humanity's next step? The colonization of Mars is possible due to its similar properties to Earth, terraforming its atmosphere, and constructing preemptive plans.

Similar Properties to Earth

Mars is farther away from the Sun, its year, or full rotation around the Sun, is much larger. A Mars year is 687 days unlike Earth's 365.25 days. All in
all, a Mars day is worth 24.62 hours and a Mars year is around 670 Mars days in total. Since there are longer years, the climate will not change as rapidly. This could benefit people such as farmers giving them more time for crops to grow.

The Martian Atmosphere

A comparison of the two planet's atmospheres.
The current atmosphere of Mars has everything needed to start civilization on it. The first and obvious element needed in the atmosphere is oxygen. It is one of the basic necessities for humans as well as other animals. There are small portions of ozone and oxygen in the martian air (Lang 3). This existence of oxygen proves that oxygen can be put in the Martian atmosphere and it just needs to be added. The existence of ozone shows that ozone can be added to the atmosphere eventually making an ozone layer. This ozone layer would protect every living thing from the solar winds that the sun produces. Mars'
atmosphere has many elements that exist in it, but there is a compound that is the most abundant. Its atmosphere is primarily CO2 with some nitrogen and argon and a few other trace elements, which means that plants can grow on Mars just by compressing the atmosphere" ("Missions: Mars"). Plants use carbon
dioxide to live so this would benefit them greatly. After plants take in energy, they put oxygen in the atmosphere which can be used by humans or animals. Essentially, this atmosphere can start a cycle for both plants and animals to live on Mars.

Mars Terraformation
Though the Martian atmosphere is helpful as it is, some qualities of it make it inhabitable. Terraforming the Martian atmosphere can create a perfect atmosphere for living on Mars. Terraforming is the act of transforming a planet to resemble Earth and make it more suitable for living. There are a couple of important reasons why Mars is not currently habitable. The first problem is that "Mars' atmosphere is far too thin and cold to support liquid water on
its surface. With an atmospheric pressure just 0.6% of Earth's, any surface water would quickly evaporate or freeze" (Mehta). This goes to show how much it needs to change so humans can survive on Mars. It needs to be heated up in some way, shape, or form. Mars has another problem: the UV rays of the Sun. This is because "The planet's lack of a protective magnetic field means the solar wind will continue stripping its atmosphere and water, reverting our changes to Mars or constantly degrading them" (Mehta). If people do not act soon, Mars' atmosphere will only get worse. There must be a way to stop these winds from hurting the second destinate planet.

More thoughts on solar winds.

Current Mars vs Terraformed Mars
Now that there are set problems with Mars' atmosphere, they must be changed. The first problem mentioned was the extreme cold temperatures. An easy way to heat up Mars is by dropping hydrogen bombs on the poles. If one were to drop hydrogen bombs on the poles, the martian ice would melt (Seleznev). In doing this, Mars can start to form a slight global warming which would lead into the Martian ice going away and reaching optimal temperatures for life. The second problem was the solar winds affecting the planet or life. NASA can currently place a magnetic field of 2000 Gauss at Sun-Mars Lagrange point 1 which would significantly help against solar winds. 10000-20000 is the goal for complete safety from solar winds (Mehta). This shield would benefit the terraforming so the efforts to change do not get reverted by the winds. Some may not know, but "Lagrange points are positions in space where objects sent there tend to stay put. At Lagrange points, the gravitational pull of two large masses precisely equals the centripetal force required for a small object to move with them" ("What is a Lagrange Point?"). The two large masses in
this case are the Sun and Mars. Having this field on Lagrange Point 1 would not have the field pulled towards either side. After this has been placed at the point, a magnetosphere will be created. The result of this sphere is a shield all of the way around the planet. This goes to show that terraforming Mars is vital to the colonization of Mars.

Opinions on hydrogen bombing.



An example of where Lagrange points are.
Preemptive Planning
There needs to be a set plan before the first mission. There must be a safe structure to live in on Mars. Oxygen can be contained in facilities so people have a confirmed safehouse incase of low oxygen levels in the atmosphere. NASA wants to use the Moon as a location to test how life on Mars would be as it is an unknown body that is closer and easier to use (Dunbar). The Moon is a celestial body that is unlike Earth. Due to the moon being Earth's, it is closer to test on than Mars itself. Once testing is done, the positive results can be used on Mars at the initial mission.

Final Analysis

The properties of Mars, terraformation of its atmosphere, and preparations for launch all make colonies on Mars possible. It is the perfect candidate for a second destination. SpaceX seems to think it can be habitable by 2050. This could be possible or maybe even earlier. This also raises the idea that it could be possible to habit other planets. For example, Venus used to be an Earth-like planet millennia ago, just like Mars. Mars started to get colder and colder due to its distance from the Sun. Venus had its own global warming from its closer distance from the Sun. This caused the planet to be the toxic inferno it is today. If Mars can be reverted could Venus do the same and become a destination for mankind like Mars could?

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