While NASA has several reasons for pursuing such an ambitious mission, the biggest is scientific exploration and discovery.
NASA is planning to send humans on a scientific round trip to Mars potentially as early as 2035. The trip will take about six to seven months each way and will cover up to 250 million miles (402 million kilometers) each way. The astronauts may spend as many as 500 days on the planet’s surface before returning to Earth.
NASA’s Artemis program aims to return humans to the Moon within this decade to prepare for a potential mission to Mars in the 2030s. The primary goal of this ambitious mission is scientific exploration and discovery.
There are many mysteries to explore on the red planet, including why Mars looks the way it does today and whether it has ever supported life, either in the past or present.
Mars is an intriguing planet from a geological and atmospheric perspective. It formed with the rest of the solar system about 4.6 billion years ago. Around 3.8 billion years ago, at the same time life formed on Earth, early Mars was very Earth-like. It had abundant liquid water on its surface in the form of oceans, lakes, and rivers and possessed a denser atmosphere.
Mars’ surface currently lacks liquid water, but scientists have found evidence of past lakes, rivers, and even an ocean coastline. The planet’s north and south poles are covered in frozen water, along with a thin layer of frozen carbon dioxide. During the summer at the south pole, the carbon dioxide layer disappears, revealing the frozen water beneath.
Today, Mars’ atmosphere is very thin and consists of about 95% carbon dioxide. It is filled with atmospheric dust from the surface, giving Mars its characteristic reddish color.
Scientists have a good understanding of the planet’s surface from robotic missions, but there are still intriguing geologic features to explore further, potentially shedding light on the formation of the solar system.
The northern and southern hemispheres of Mars have distinct features. Roughly one-third of Mars’ surface, primarily in the northern hemisphere, is 2 to 4 miles (3.2-6.4 kilometers) lower in elevation, known as the northern lowlands. These lowlands are relatively smooth with a few large craters. On the other hand, the southern two-thirds of the planet, referred to as the southern highlands, is characterized by numerous very old craters.
Mars is home to the largest volcanoes observed in the solar system. Its surface is marked by deep craters from asteroid and meteor impacts that occurred during its early history. Sending astronauts to study these features can help researchers understand the timing and nature of major events that took place during Mars’ early history.
Asking the right questions
NASA established a panel known as the Human Exploration of Mars Science Analysis Group to strategize for future missions. Recently, NASA’s scientists have the goal of identifying and evaluating the most crucial scientific inquiries related to Mars. Their aim is to determine which research questions necessitated a human mission to tackle, as opposed to relying on less expensive robotic missions.
The panel came up with recommendations for several important scientific questions for human investigation on Mars.
Two main questions are being asked about Mars. The first is whether there is life on the planet today. It is known that life on Earth formed about 3.8 billion years ago when both Earth and Mars were similar-looking planets, with abundant liquid water and Mars having a denser atmosphere. The second question is about the environmental changes that led Mars to lose the widespread, plentiful liquid water on its surface, as well as some of its atmosphere. These questions, along with other recommendations from the panel, have been included in NASA’s architectural plan for sending humans to Mars.
How do you get to Mars?
To send humans to Mars and safely return them to Earth, NASA has developed a powerful new launch vehicle called the Space Launch System and a new human carrier spacecraft called Orion.
The Artemis program, established by NASA, aims to prepare and train astronauts for living on and exploring Mars. In mythology, Artemis was Apollo’s twin sister. The Artemis astronauts will live and work on the Moon for months at a time to prepare for living and working on Mars.
As part of the Artemis I mission, the Space Launch System and Orion successfully launched on Nov. 16, 2022. This marked the Artemis program’s first uncrewed flight to the Moon. Once there, Orion orbited the Moon for six days, getting as close as 80 miles (129 kilometers) above the surface. Artemis I splashed back down to Earth on Dec. 11, 2022, after its 1.4 million-mile (2.2 million-kilometer) maiden journey.
Artemis III, the first mission to return humans to the lunar surface, is scheduled for 2026. The Artemis astronauts will land at the Moon’s south pole, where scientists believe there may be large deposits of subsurface water in the form of ice that astronauts could mine, melt, purify, and drink. The Artemis astronauts will set up habitats on the surface of the Moon and spend several months exploring the lunar surface.
Since the Moon is a mere 240,000 miles (386,000 km) from Earth, it will act as a training ground for the future human exploration of Mars. While a Mars mission is still many years out, the Artemis program will help NASA develop the capabilities it needs to explore the red planet.
