Life On Mars
- erudite .
- Apr 28, 2022
- 3 min read
By Sanam Marjan
Life on Mars
By Sanam Marjan
Why Mars out of all other planets? Its proximity and similarities to Earth raise the interest. Cumulative evidence suggests that during the ancient Noachian time period, the surface environment of Mars was covered with liquid water which may have been habitable for microorganisms. Yet habitable conditions do not particularly indicate life.
Scientific searches for evidence of life started in the 19th century. Which focused on phenomenology. Recent scientific studies emphasise the search for water, chemical biosignatures in the soil, rocks at the planet’s surface, and biomarker gases in the atmosphere.
Mars has a cold climate and lacks plate tectonics or continental drift. Meaning it has remained unchanged for more than 3.5 billion years. May hold the best record of the prebiotic conditions leading to life.
Liquid water being present in ancient Mars and the finding of Organic compounds inside sedimentary rocks and boron on Mars supports the possibility of habitat of Gale Crater on Mars.
Currently, the surface of Mars is covered with ionising radiations, and Martian soil is rich in toxins. Hence, the consensus is that existence of life could be found or is preserved in the subsurface that is away from the present-day toxicated surface processes.
In the mid 17th century, Mars’s polar ice caps were discovered. William Herschel, in the 18th century, proved that the ice caps grow and shrink alternately. In the Summer and winter of each hemisphere. By the mid 19th century other similarities between Mars and Earth were deciphered. For example, the length of a day on Mars is similar to a day on Earth. And the axial tilt of Mars was similar to Earth’s. This meant it experienced seasons like Earth.
Why is living on Mars a bad idea:
We do not know if our body would survive the 9 months flight to Mars- A microgravity environment can be detrimental to our bodies. It can cause the heart to weaken, muscle to atrophy, and bones to crumble. The 9 months needed to go to Mars along with the time spent there with only one third of the Earth’s gravity might be too long to slow down the effects and might become irreversible.
In case of emergency, help can only reach Mars every 2 years- The window for launch to Mars from Earth only happens approximately every two years and two months.
Mars’s atmosphere does not give protection against solar and cosmic rays- Mars's atmosphere is only 1% as dense as Earth and does not have a radiation belt to protect us from the solar and cosmic rays. The consequence of this lack of protection means longer exposure to these rays which is deadly to the human body.
Mars’s atmosphere is not breathable- Mars’s atmosphere is thin and does not allow the correct pressure for our lungs to inhale the oxygen needed. Furthermore, it barely contains any oxygen, so humans need to recreate an indoors living environment and can only go out in pressurised suits.
Growing food in Mars is unpredictable- the solid of Mars is alkaline and needs to be decontaminated to be used to grow plants. And we are unsure if it is even possible.
Potential sources of energy are low- Mars is further away from the sun therefore, solar power is only 40% as effective as on Earth and even lower in cases of dust storms. Wind power won't be useful due to the lack of an adequate atmosphere and geothermal energy won't work as Mars is colder than Earth.
There are more reasons why the mission is hard and the time frame promised by Elon Musk is impossible to achieve. Starship, the rocket needed to travel to Mars, is still in development. And even if it is built in time, we have to figure out for starters how to eat and create power.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_on_Mars
Comments