Mars. Colonization of the Red Planet. Exploration of Mars Reasons for the colonization of Mars

The dream of exploring Mars has long gone out of fashion. At the same time, it is absolutely unclear what the person wants to achieve there.

The astronauts trudge through the rust-red sand, euphoric from the historic moment and low gravity. Of course they have a camera with them. It takes a quarter of an hour for the first video to reach Earth. And here it is, a message from a distance of 270 million kilometers - “Mars welcomes humanity.”

Will this happen soon? Will people end up on Mars in the near future? This may be the impression these days. Over the past week, NASA's completed experiment has sparked intense reactions. Six young researchers lived in isolation in the highlands of Hawaii for one year to simulate life on Mars. A few months ago, the head of Space X and Tesla, Elon Musk, said that already in 2025 he plans to begin colonizing our neighboring planet.

Shimmering Ruby

Of course, you can dream 40 years after the robot first landed on the soft sand of Mars. But for now it is nothing more than a dream - a controlled landing on Mars. Overall, this dream should disappoint all its fans. After all, over the past decades, humanity has come virtually no closer to its realization. And so far there is no reason to talk about changes in the near future.

From the Earth's side, Mars looks promising - a shimmering ruby in the night sky, onto which dreamers and science fiction writers have long projected their desire for distant travels. A place that many would like to visit, without knowing exactly why.

Controlled landing on Mars is a dream that disappoints

If you look at Mars from a close distance, it loses its charm. This is an icy desert with an average temperature of about minus 50 degrees, where sandstorms can rage for many months. The surface of Mars is dotted with salts; it lacks both a magnetic field and an ozone layer, which protected living beings from radiation from space.

People could survive here with the help of high technology, in limited habitats where climate control would convert carbon dioxide from the Martian atmosphere into oxygen. Colonists must endure 500 days. Only then will Mars again approach Earth at a distance sufficient for a return flight. At least that’s what the researchers’ concept looks like.

World-weary pioneers of Mars

Another option, offered by private initiatives like Mars One, is to travel without a return flight. Thousands of people have applied online to make history as world-weary pioneers of Mars. Experts agree that volunteers will never fly to Mars. The financial risks of private initiatives are too great.

NASA's plans look much more thoughtful. Since the 90s, mission developments have been on the desks of researchers and are constantly updated. Thus, in the 2030s, for the first time, a small spacecraft with habitable modules, supplies and a nuclear mini-reactor may be sent to Mars. In two years, astronauts could follow them and return to Earth after their stay on the red planet.

However, so far NASA is moving along this plan in roundabout ways. The new SLS launch vehicle and the Orion spacecraft are currently being developed. Both devices are focused on lunar exploration. In the 2020s, astronauts plan to target an asteroid that will first be detected by spacecraft and placed in lunar orbit. Whether this effectively prepares Americans for a flight to Mars is a moot point.

Faster than NASA

Elon Musk plans to get to Mars faster. Already in 2018, the Space X space capsule weighing eight to ten tons should land on the planet. That would make it ten times heavier than the heaviest payload NASA has ever sent to Mars. In the end, Musk thus plans to establish regular cargo deliveries to Mars - to create infrastructure for People who can land on Mars in 2025.

NASA may throw these plans into disarray. For the agency, landing on a desert planet is not an easy topic. On the one hand, NASA's plans to send humans to Mars give it popularity. Mars features in the public works of NASA and other space agencies. On the other hand, too specific statements are fraught with danger. Each detailed plan has its own price. And an overly expensive budget can quickly cause a project to stall in political debate. This is what NASA faced when George W. Bush announced plans to send humans to Mars by 2018 in 1989. This was supposed to cost up to $540 billion, which was immediately criticized by opponents of the project.

To this day, the main reason for skepticism among political leaders is the fact that a mission to Mars will not bring any clearly identifiable profit. This could be a problem for Musk as well. Why is it necessary to send people at great expense across space and at the same time risk their lives?

New continent

Supporters of the project have three arguments ready. First, landing on Mars will give impetus to the search for extraterrestrial life. Earth's neighboring planet may have been warm, abundant water, unlike Earth, billions of years ago. Perhaps life began there, perhaps it continued in the form of microbes. Humans are better able to search for such organisms than robots.

The second reason is that Mars can ensure the survival of humanity. In the event of a comet impact, nuclear war or man-made disaster, the Earth becomes uninhabitable - a desert planet can become an accessible refuge.

But the most favorite argument is related to a person’s craving for finds. By landing on Mars, humanity will, to a certain extent, enter a new continent, the unexplored America of the 21st century. This, of course, comes with hardships. But nevertheless, such undertakings are worth it, because they expand a person’s horizons, according to supporters of the project.

The cost of space travel skyrockets when humans fly into space instead of robots.

Work in the service of science, life insurance, colossal cultural finds - these reasons, unfortunately, are untenable. Thus, many researchers have mixed feelings about the project of landing humans on Mars. The cost of space travel increases significantly when humans are sent into space instead of robots. Perhaps this money will not be enough to build telescopes or new research satellites. And in fact, humans are not that necessary to search for microbes on Mars. As its next major project, NASA plans to use a special SUV to collect soil samples from the surface of Mars and send them back to Earth. People on Mars cannot do anything more significant.

Also, avoid devoting too much of the research budget to Mars. Perhaps it has never been such a cheerful planet as PR specialists from space organizations paint it. Perhaps it was simply an ice-encrusted planet on which glaciers periodically melted due to volcanic eruptions and meteorite impacts.

Last refuge

In this case, the main reason for the permanent settlement of Mars is the fear of a global catastrophe on Earth. Whether it will be possible to really save humanity with the help of an external refuge on Mars is unclear. The chances of a colony surviving without regular supplies from Earth are very slim.

But what cannot be doubted is the historical importance of the journey to the red planet. Photos of people kicking up Martian dust will remain in the memory of an entire generation. But is this enough to generate the necessary political will?

The Martian adventure will cost hundreds of billions of francs. And SpaceX's cheaper rocket launches won't cut those costs much. Thus, financing becomes a big challenge, even for the currently incredible coalition of the US, EU, Russia and China. Today, the annual budget of NASA, which, as before, sets the tone in astronautics, is $18 billion. In its heyday during the Apollo program in the 60s, it was twice as large.

To plug these holes, we need a new, compelling reason to send humans to Mars. A business model that will attract public and private investors. Or another impulse besides collecting geological samples. As long as there is no such motive, landing on Mars remains what it was before - a dream with great potential for disappointment.

No matter how paradoxical it may sound, our Solar system is of little interest to humans. The inner planets are a combination of inconvenient conditions and the absence of any resources of interest to humanity, while the outer planets (from Jupiter onwards) are not suitable for colonization at all, since they are gas giants. Their satellites could be of particular interest, but alas, their great distance makes them also unattractive.

However, humanity will still have to spread throughout the expanses of our system in order to simply survive, since the Earth’s resources are not infinite. To do this, all suitable space objects will eventually have to be terraformed, that is, conditions similar to those on Earth will have to be created on them on a global scale. This is necessary because the use of small bases to resettle the inhabitants of the Earth there is impractical.

Perhaps, in a few thousand years, humanity will be able to master the “disassembly into atoms” of gas giants such as Jupiter and Saturn, so that later they can make huge orbital stations or even entire planets from their substance. However, in the near future, we will be forced to limit ourselves to simpler engineering methods, similar to those that we use in everyday life on Earth.

If we consider the inner satellite planets: Mercury, Werner, Mars and the Moon, then Mars will most likely be colonized first. This has a very simple explanation. The Moon, despite its proximity, is a lifeless and poor object, that is, it will not be of any interest to earthlings. Mercury and Venus, due to the conditions on their surface, consisting of enormous temperature (and on Venus also pressure), may not be colonized even in the coming millennia. But Mars... Mars is surprisingly ideal not just for colonization by earthlings, it is suitable for its complete transformation into some kind of Earth. What makes it so special?

Firstly, it may have a thick atmosphere like Earth's. The first escape velocity on Mars is 3.6 km/s; this means that the gravity of Mars is able to hold the atmosphere near it, preventing it from flying into space (the gases of the Earth’s atmosphere have a movement speed of about 2.5 km/s). Secondly, water has been discovered on Mars; Huge amounts of water ice are found not only in the polar glaciers of Mars, but also under its sandy surface. Water is the basis of our life, so if it is available in large quantities on Mars, the chances of its colonization increase significantly. Thirdly, the soil structure of Mars is similar to terrestrial volcanic sands, that is, at a minimum, it is neutral to the flora of our planet; therefore, if nutrients are added to this soil, it will be possible to grow potatoes on Mars. Well, a little icing on the cake: a day on Mars, called a “sol,” is only twenty minutes shorter than on Earth, which will be of some convenience to people living there.

However, all this may happen someday. At present, Mars is a very unattractive sight. The average temperature on the planet reaches -60°C, the atmospheric pressure is 100-200 times less than that on Earth, and the most common gas is carbon dioxide. And yet, these are the best conditions for colonization that humanity has. A separate problem is the lack of a magnetic field on Mars, which is the reason for the high level of radiation on the surface of the planet; The optimal solution to this problem is to cover the module blocks in which the colonists will live with a layer of Martian soil.

How will this process take place? Most likely, colonization will begin with the construction of a completely autonomous base for the people living there. Even taking into account all the favorable factors, a flight to Mars from Earth using current means takes from 2 to 4 months with a favorable arrangement of the planets, which happens once every 2 years. Thus, it is necessary to initially count on the fact that help from Earth in the event of an emergency situation may arrive with a serious delay and one must, at a minimum, be ready to wait a sufficiently long time in autonomous mode.

The main task of the colony on Mars will be its constant growth, and it will be necessary to localize as much as possible the extraction of natural resources and the production of station modules from them in order to be independent of the supply of raw materials from Earth.

A separate problem will be growing food for the ever-growing population of the colony. Since it will be impossible to organize a cycle of continuous nutrient cycle (like those that exist in the Earth’s ecosystems) in the first stages, some inconveniences in the nutrition of the colonists cannot be ruled out. Therefore, options for eating freeze-dried food are quite possible; it is possible to use an “amino acid cocktail” or even industrially produced food as food. The latter is now receiving a lot of attention in China and Japan, so the anecdotal “plastic mess” may become a very real thing for future astronauts. If it is possible to implement a completely autonomous food system in the colony, this stage of colonization can be considered completed.

When the population of Mars exceeds the number necessary to organize large-scale industrial production, the second stage begins: the construction of complexes to enrich the Martian atmosphere with oxygen and nitrogen. In this way, the conditions necessary for the existence of humanity without any protective measures will be achieved; Taking into account the distance of Mars from the Sun, just one layer of atmosphere will be enough to protect the surface from radiation.

Futurologists allocate about a hundred years for the first stage of colonization of Mars, and about a thousand for the second. In historical terms, this is, of course, a trifle, but will we have enough time? The fact is that if humanity continues to grow and develop at this rate, in 200 years we will face an unmerciful end in the form of death from starvation. And, we can say that humanity is currently facing a serious test of survival: will it be able to competently manage the remaining resources in order to finally leave its cradle-Earth?

Shimmering Ruby

Of course, you can dream 40 years after the robot first landed on the soft sand of Mars. But so far this is nothing more than a dream - a controlled landing on Mars. Overall, this dream should disappoint all its fans. After all, over the past decades, humanity has come virtually no closer to its realization. And so far there is no reason to talk about changes in the near future.

Controlled landing on Mars is a dream that disappoints

World-weary pioneers of Mars

Context

To Mars on immortal rockets

The Conversation 08/04/2016

How to send a house to Mars

Air & Space 03/18/2016

Mars unites Europe and Russia

The Christian Science Monitor 03/14/2016
NASA's plans look much more thoughtful. Since the 90s, mission developments have been on the desks of researchers and are constantly updated. Thus, in the 2030s, for the first time, a small spacecraft with habitable modules, supplies and a nuclear mini-reactor may be sent to Mars. In two years, astronauts could follow them and return to Earth after their stay on the red planet.

Faster than NASA

New continent

Supporters of the project have three arguments ready. First, landing on Mars will give impetus to the search for extraterrestrial life. Earth's neighboring planet may have been warm, abundant water, unlike Earth, billions of years ago. Perhaps life began there, perhaps it continued in the form of microbes. Humans are better able to search for such organisms than robots.

The cost of space travel skyrockets when humans fly into space instead of robots.

Work in the service of science, life insurance, colossal cultural discoveries - these reasons, unfortunately, are untenable. Thus, many researchers have mixed feelings about the project of landing humans on Mars. The cost of space travel increases significantly when humans are sent into space instead of robots. Perhaps this money will not be enough to build telescopes or new research satellites. And in fact, humans are not that necessary to search for microbes on Mars. As its next major project, NASA plans to use a special SUV to collect soil samples from the surface of Mars and send them back to Earth. People on Mars cannot do anything more significant.

Last refuge

InoSMI materials contain assessments exclusively from foreign media and do not reflect the position of the InoSMI editorial staff.

Municipal state educational institution

"Secondary school No. 3

with in-depth study of individual subjects"

Nomination "Man and Space"

RESEARCH

WORK ON THE TOPIC:

"Colonization of Mars"

Completed

student of class 9A

Kabachenko Fedor.

Supervisor

Bulyshchenko E. V.

2014

Annotation

Introduction.

Chapter 2. Flight to Mars and the beginning of colonization.

Chapter 3. Colonization of Mars.

Conclusion.

Literature and Internet resources.

Annotation

Man's entry into space is an important turning point in the history of the development of human society. It expands the sphere of reason, the sphere of interaction between nature and society. There is no doubt that in the future man will further explore outer space, including all the celestial bodies of the Solar System. The prediction of the great K. E. Tsiolkovsky will come true - space will bring people “mountains of bread and an abyss of power.”

Space research belongs to one of the main directions of the scientific and technological revolution. Consideration of this area in the environmental and economic aspect is of particular interest to specialists developing international cooperation programs in the field of ecology, science and technology. The development of astronautics today allows us to break away not only with our thoughts, but also with our bodies from the Earth and fly to the nearest planets. Human footprints have already been left on the Moon; Mars is ahead! Today, Mars is the most attractive object for potential colonization. It’s worth starting with the fact that this is the closest planet to Earth (not counting Venus), the flight to which will take only 9 months. In addition, despite the fact that a person cannot be on the surface of Mars without protective equipment, the conditions of the planet are very similar to those on Earth.

In my work I used literary sources ( Whipple F. “Earth, Moon and Planets”, Kulikovsky P. G. “Handbook for an Astronomy Amateur”, “Space exploration in the USSR” V.L. Barsukov 1982), as well as Internet resources ()

Introduction.

I have always been interested in everything related to astronomy and cosmonautics. He dreamed of flying to the stars and of his own telescope. But I didn’t immediately begin to think deeply about serious questions about the structure of the world, its evolution, about our place in this world, about our role...
Cosmos from Greek means “world”. In modern science: Space is the relatively empty areas of the Universe that lie outside the boundaries of the atmospheres of celestial bodies. Although space itself is often also understood with the celestial bodies located in it - stars, planets, clouds of matter.
In philosophy, space is the world as a whole, world order, an ordered Universe as opposed to chaos.
The Universe is a strictly undefined concept in astronomy and philosophy. It is divided into two fundamentally different entities: speculative (philosophical) and material, accessible to observation at the present time or in the foreseeable future. If the author distinguishes between these entities, then, following tradition, the first is called the Universe, and the second is called the astronomical Universe, or Metagalaxy (recently this term has practically fallen out of use).
Man, with his narrow scale of existence and movement on Earth, is not always able to easily and correctly assess the scale of space. To this day it is endless for us, because... we don't see its edge. But is it right to decide that space is absolutely infinite at this moment? I think not, because... the opening new horizons of the visible Universe and new horizons of knowledge can establish an amendment to our knowledge about the infinity of the World in which we find ourselves.
Undoubtedly, it is important for everyone to think about these questions and concepts at least sometimes. But I’m much more interested in studying actually observed objects located near and far in outer space. Meteorites, asteroids, comets, planets, stars, galaxies, clusters of galaxies... And how many phenomena occur with them, how many amazing events happen every moment around us.
Only recently have we come to understand that we humans consist of the same atoms and molecules as stars and planets, the only difference is in concentration and ordering. We are part of the cosmos, its product. The matter of our organisms will continue to participate in the boiling cauldron of cosmic events and transformations for a long time, even after our death.
The development of astronautics today allows us to break away not only with our thoughts, but also with our bodies from the Earth and fly to the nearest planets. Human footprints have already been left on the Moon; Mars is ahead!I decided to devote my work to the topic of Mars exploration, because I consider this issue to be very relevant, new and promising.

Purpose of the work: based on the studied literature, analyze the conditions for the use of outer space as an environmental resource.

Tasks:

Get acquainted with the history of the development of astronautics;

Colonization of Mars;

Flight to Mars and the beginning of colonization;

Research methods: search, study and analysis of popular scientific literature on this issue, generalization.

Chapter 1. Introduction to the history of man's entry into space.

Since ancient times, people have dreamed of flying into space unknown to them. For this purpose, century after century, many scientists and others dreamed of flying into outer space.

Many centuries have passed since gunpowder was invented and the first rocket was created, which was used mainly for entertainment fireworks on days of great celebrations.

The great honor of opening the way to other worlds for people fell to the lot of our compatriot K. E. Tsiolkovsky.

In 1911, Tsiolkovsky uttered his prophetic words: “Humanity will not remain forever on Earth, but, in pursuit of light and space, it will first timidly penetrate beyond the atmosphere, and then conquer all the space around the earth.”

And only in the middle of the twentieth century the era of astronautics began, which began with the launch of the first artificial satellite into orbit. This was just the first step. After this, astronautics began to develop at a rapid pace, as a result of which, just a few years later, the first living beings were sent into space - the dogs Belka and Strelka.

On April 12, 1961, the first man went into space. It was our compatriot – Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin. The whole world remembered his words spoken before the flight: “Let's go!” Gagarin's flight turned the whole world upside down and gave people hope for the future. Gagarin and his followers, within a relatively short period of time, turned outer space into a normal workplace. New spaceships began to be created, automatic vehicles were launched to the planets of the solar system, space stations were launched into orbit, man went into outer space and visited the Moon.

Thus, in 1958-1960, the first series of Soviet spacecraft flew to the Moon and photographed the far side. In 1962-1968, a soft landing and orbit around the Moon were tested. In 1969-1976, lunar rovers and scientific equipment were delivered to the Moon, and soil samples were taken. As part of this program, 42 spacecraft were launched, of which 15 completed their assigned tasks.

A similar series of studies took place in the United States, which launched 33 spacecraft. The Americans took the lead thanks to the Apollo program, which provided for the preparation of landing astronauts on the Moon. In 1961-1972, 27 flights were carried out on it, and in 1969-1972 7 expeditions were carried out. During these flights, the expedition crews worked for about 300 hours, including 80 hours on the lunar surface and collected400 kglunar soil samples.

By 1998, 62 and 64 launches were carried out under the Soviet and American program, including 33 and 47 successful ones. One satellite to the Moon was launched by Japan. In total, lunar exploration required 127 launches.

Mars exploration began with the unsuccessful launch of the Soviet Mars 1960A probe in October 1960. There were several more launches, one of which, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, almost caused the start of a global nuclear war. The Americans achieved their first success in the exploration of Mars on July 14, 1965, when the Mariner-4 apparatus passed 9846 kmfrom the surface of Mars and transmitted the first images of the planet's surface.

Until 2003, the following launches were carried out in the exploration of Mars:

USSR – 18 (including 3 who completed the program)

USA – 15 (10)

Japan – 1 (1)

EU – 1 (1)

A total of 35 launches were made, including 15 successful ones.

Few devices have been launched beyond the solar system. The first of them are the American probes Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11, designed to study the asteroid belt and Jupiter, launched in 1972 and 1973. They completed their program and went beyond the system. The Pioneer 10 satellite was turned off on March 31, 1997, when its energy reserves were exhausted, and continues its flight with a lifeless body. In 2003, there were five such distant spacecraft: Pioneer 10, Pioneer 11, Voyager 1, Voyager 2, Galileo, Cassini (USA) and Ulysses (EU) .

Now the situation has changed. Galileo disintegrated in Jupiter's atmosphere on September 21, 2003. Voyager 1, with working radioisotope thermogenerators and equipment, overtook Pioneer 10 to become the furthest Earth probe in space. Its creators believe that the AMS will operate for about 15 more years.

It is impossible not to mention such an important area of space research as launches of automatic observatories. The first orbital observatories were launched in 1962 and 1966. In 1966-1968, NASA launched two observatories OAO-1 and OAO-2 (Orbiting Astronomical Observatory). After this, the long epic of creating the Hubble orbital reflecting telescope began, which took off on April 24, 1990. Over 15 years of operation, the unique telescope received 700 thousand images of 22 thousand celestial objects. Four large observatories were launched: Hubble, Compton (removed from orbit), Chandra, Spitzer. Hubble will be replaced by the James Webb Telescope in 2013.

The USSR also had good results. In 1975, the Orbital Solar Telescope (OST-1) was created and from 1983 to 1989 the automatic telescope operated at the Astron station.

As spacecraft technology improves, the scope of deep space exploration and even interstellar space will only increase.

Conclusion: exploration of the Moon, planets and deep space showed an ambivalent result. On the one hand, this is a grandiose breakthrough in science, epochal achievements in the study of the solar system and the acquisition of a colossal amount of knowledge. From a scientific point of view, the deep space exploration program was a complete success and created a promising foundation for the future.

Chapter 2.

Today, Mars is the most attractive object for potential colonization. It’s worth starting with the fact that this is the closest planet to Earth (not counting Venus), the flight to which will take only 9 months. In addition, despite the fact that a person cannot be on the surface of Mars without protective equipment, the conditions of the planet are very similar to those on Earth.
First, the surface area of Mars is almost equal to the land area of Earth. Secondly, Martian days are similar to Earth ones and last 24 hours 39 minutes and 35 seconds. In addition, Mars and Earth have almost the same inclination of their axes to the ecliptic plane, as a result of which the seasons also change on Mars. The main factor in the possibility of potential colonization of the planet is the presence of an atmosphere on Mars, although not very dense, which guarantees some protection from radiation and also facilitates the landing of a spacecraft. Also, as a result of recent research, the presence of water on the planet has been confirmed, which gives scientists reason to assert the likelihood of the emergence and maintenance of life. Plus, it is worth noting the fact that the Martian soil in its parameters is very similar to the earth’s,
Therefore, scientists are theoretically considering the possibility of growing plants on the surface of the planet.
However, it is worth noting factors that can greatly complicate the colonization of the red planet. Firstly, this is the force of gravity, which is more than two and a half times less than that of Earth. Secondly, it is a low temperature (the air warms up to a maximum of +30 degrees Celsius at the equator, while in winter at the poles the temperature can drop to -123 degrees). At the same time, the planet is characterized by large annual temperature fluctuations. The planet's magnetic field is approximately 800 times weaker than that of Earth. As for atmospheric pressure, on Mars it is too low for colonists to be on the surface without a special suit.
The atmosphere of Mars is 95 percent carbon dioxide, so the early stages of terraforming the planet require vegetation to increase the oxygen content. By the way, the pressure of carbon dioxide may be sufficient to support the life of vegetation on the planet without additional terraforming.
However, for successful colonization of the planet, preliminary terraforming is indispensable. First, it is necessary to achieve atmospheric pressure on Mars at which the existence of liquid water would become possible. Secondly, it is necessary to create an ozone layer that would protect the surface from radiation. Plus, you need to increase the temperature at the equator to at least +10 degrees.
If terraforming is successful, the most favorable places for creating colonies will be lowlands in the equatorial zone. Among such places, scientists note primarily the Hellas Basin (the highest pressure on the planet), as well as the Valles Marineris (the highest minimum temperatures).
The plan for the colonization of Mars attracts humanity primarily because of the large reserves of various minerals on the planet: copper, iron, tungsten, rhenium, uranium and others. The extraction of these elements itself can be much more fruitful than on Earth, since, for example, due to the absence of a biosphere and a high background radiation, thermonuclear charges can be used on a large scale to open ore bodies.
Despite the fact that conditions on Mars are as close as possible to those on Earth, the colonization of the red planet requires a preliminary stage of terraforming. However, the plan to terraform Mars, according to many scientists, is potentially feasible in the relatively near future, since many factors contribute to the emergence of life here.
Firstly, it is worth noting the large supply of oxygen on Mars, mainly in the carbon dioxide compound in the polar caps, as well as in the H2O2 compound (regoliths). When regoliths are heated, they release oxygen, which can be breathed, and when carbon dioxide is heated, it turns into gaseous form and can then be used for photosynthesis. In addition, carbon dioxide in gas form will create a greenhouse effect and increase temperatures. To release carbon dioxide and create a greenhouse effect, scientists propose melting the cap at the south pole. As a result of the evaporation of carbon dioxide, atmospheric pressure will increase sufficient to hold water in a liquid state. As a result of photosynthesis, the atmosphere will gradually become saturated with oxygen, which contributes to the creation of the ozone layer, which protects the surface from radiation. To do this, it will be necessary to bring plants to Mars that could exist in the harsh climate conditions of the red planet. Perhaps these could become genetically modified lichens.
However, let's return to the very first task - to melt the southern polar cap. To do this, it is necessary to increase the surface temperature by 4 degrees Celsius. This result can be achieved in various ways. For example, it is possible to build various industrial enterprises on the planet that would release gases into the atmosphere that create the greenhouse effect. It is possible to create a greenhouse effect using large quantities of tetraphtomethane (CF4) gas delivered to Mars, but this solution to the problem will be much more expensive.
Another way to heat up the planet is to bombard the surface with asteroids from the Main Belt, but this requires complex and extremely accurate calculations. Some experts are considering the option of crashing onto the surface of Mars to achieve the same goal. However, it is worth keeping in mind that asteroid bombardment and satellite collapse can affect the rotation speed, as well as change the tilt of the planet's axis.
Some scientists propose using special mirrors - solar sails - that would increase the amount of solar radiation received by the planet (in this case, such mirrors should be located at the Lagrange point, where the total attraction of celestial objects is zero).
The planet can also be warmed up with the help of bacteria that are capable of producing oxygen and methane (or ammonia) in the presence of water and carbon dioxide (or water and nitrogen, respectively). The fact is that ammonia and methane are greenhouse gases, and the effect caused by these gases is much stronger than the effect of carbon dioxide. At the same time, methane and ammonia are able to protect the surface of the planet from harmful solar studies.
In order to further increase the temperature on the surface of the red planet, it is possible to populate it with dark bacteria, which would not only produce greenhouse gases, but also perfectly absorb light (thus reducing the reflectivity of the red planet's surface).

Chapter 3

Another problem on Mars is weak gravity, as a result of which the body begins to rebuild, blood circulation is disrupted, the body becomes dehydrated, and bone and muscle mass are weakened. These symptoms are already observed when flying in a spacecraft (at zero gravity), and during the transition from zero gravity to Martian gravity, the body experiences new stress that can lead to irreversible consequences. Scientists propose to begin gradual adaptation to Martian gravity while still in the ship two months before landing, but this option has not yet been fully studied.
The weak magnetic field on Mars also has a detrimental effect on the body, as a result of which the functioning of the autonomic nervous system is disrupted. Therefore, when landing on Mars, it will be necessary to create an artificial magnetic field in the astronaut camp. This issue has also not been fully studied.
Among other things, astronauts working for long periods in space disrupt the 24-hour cycle of human life, which disrupts the digestive system and metabolism, and also increases the likelihood of developing decompression sickness, which can result in blockage of small vessels (women are more susceptible this disease, plus they are more sensitive to radiation, therefore, according to many scientists, the participation of women in the first Martian expedition is undesirable).
And another negative factor that could hinder the first expedition to Mars is Martian sandstorms, which are still not fully understood. At the moment there is no way to predict sandstorms using a meteorological satellite, so the entire expedition to the surface of the planet becomes very dangerous in itself.

The significance of man's entry into space.

With the development of space flights, the scope of human activity is expanding. Going into space is the greatest achievement of humanity, a victory of reason over the forces of nature. If earlier all applications of scientific knowledge and technical achievements were limited to earthly boundaries, then with the beginning of space exploration, man began to gradually involve space in the sphere of his practice.

Space flights not only open up the possibility of ever deeper knowledge of the world around us. Already today there are a number of purely practical problems of great national economic importance that can most successfully be solved with the help of space technology.

One of these tasks is space television. The Soviet Union operates the Orbita system, which, with the help of artificial relay satellites of the Molniya type, makes it possible to transmit television programs and telephone conversations over long distances. Space communication lines are more profitable than terrestrial radio relay lines consisting of a chain of transceiver stations. So, in order to create a Moscow-Vladivostok radio relay line, it would be necessary to build about two hundred transceiver stations. These stations must be maintained, heated, and supplied with electricity. Currently, television transmissions from Moscow to the Far East are carried out through space using only two ground stations - transmitting and receiving and one space repeater. In addition, the relay satellite receives the energy necessary for the operation of its on-board equipment from the Sun using solar panels.

Space communication lines are constantly being improved. Experiments are underway to transmit television signals directly from relay satellites to collective antennas. And the time is not far when the entire territory of our country will be covered by Central Television programs.

Meteorological satellites are no less important for national economic purposes. The Meteor system has been in operation in the Soviet Union for several years. Two weather satellites move in near-Earth orbits in such a way as to inspect the entire surface of our planet twice within a day. Special equipment installed on board these satellites makes it possible to record various parameters characterizing the state of the earth's atmosphere and obtain operational information about the development of weather phenomena. In particular, systematic photography of cloud systems is carried out from weather satellites, which makes it possible to timely detect the formation of cyclones and anticyclones, as well as the occurrence of hurricanes and typhoons. Thanks to the use of weather satellites, operational weather forecasts have become significantly more accurate and reliable in recent years.

In addition, studying atmospheric phenomena from space will allow scientists to more deeply understand the patterns of complex processes occurring in the air envelope of our planet.

Conclusion: space exploration occupies a very special place among the scientific and technical achievements of mankind. It marks a fundamentally new relationship between earthly society and nature, which in this case acts on the scale of the Universe.

Chapter 3. A manned flight to Mars is no longer a fantasy of science fiction writers, but a clearly defined prospect seriously considered by the governments of many countries. However, despite the rosy plans of astronomers, many experts continue to argue that it is impossible to carry out a flight, much less organize a colony on the red planet, citing various factors that adversely affect human health.
Let's first consider the flight to Mars itself, which at the current stage of technology development will take about 9 months. The main danger for astronauts is solar radiation, which can destroy human tissue. The most dangerous is the solar wind, particles of which, when entering the body, damage the DNA structure, which in turn can lead to irreversible cellular mutations. Of course, there are special suits that protect against radiation, but scientists are not sure whether such suits can protect a person during such a long stay in interplanetary space. Many experts talk about the high risk of developing cancer among astronauts. At the same time, the danger increases when strong flares occur on the Sun.
Another unfavorable factor of the flight will be a person falling into weightlessness for a long period of time, as a result of which his body is noticeably reconstructed. When observing a person in a state of weightlessness, the following changes were noticed: blood rushes to the upper part of the body, the heart begins to pump blood more intensively, the body perceives this as an indicator of excess fluid in the body, as a result of which it begins to secrete hormones to “regulate” water-salt exchange. As a result of all this, the human body loses a lot of fluid. In addition, with prolonged exposure to weightlessness, muscles weaken and bones lose calcium and potassium. According to scientists, after 8 months in space a person will need more than two years to recover.
It is also worth noting the psychological aspect of a long flight. Being in a confined space and limited contacts can lead to increased aggression and, as a result, to conflicts between astronauts. However, scientists propose to solve this by creating conditions on the ship that are as close as possible to those on earth, as well as carefully selecting the crew depending on psychological health, as well as on the basis of faith, beliefs, lifestyle and other aspects.
Among other things, many experts argue about the danger of equipment breakdowns during such a long flight.
As for the direct presence of a person on the surface of the red planet, there are also many unfavorable factors. First of all, this is the same destructive solar radiation. Unfortunately, at the moment, humanity does not know any medications that could completely protect a person from the harmful effects of radiation. However, scientists are considering the possibility of constructing so-called shelters - cabins protected by thick metal walls, which can significantly reduce the radiation dose.
Another problem on Mars is weak gravity, as a result of which the body begins to rebuild, blood circulation is disrupted, the body becomes dehydrated, and bone and muscle mass are weakened. These symptoms are already observed when flying in a spacecraft (at zero gravity), and during the transition from zero gravity to Martian gravity, the body experiences new stress that can lead to irreversible consequences. Scientists propose to begin gradual adaptation to Martian gravity while still in the ship two months before landing. The weak magnetic field on Mars also has a detrimental effect on the body, as a result of which the functioning of the autonomic nervous system is disrupted. Therefore, when landing on Mars, it will be necessary to create an artificial magnetic field in the astronaut camp. This issue has also not been fully studied.
Among other things, astronauts working for long periods in space disrupt the 24-hour cycle of human life, which disrupts the digestive system and metabolism, and also increases the likelihood of developing decompression sickness, which can result in blockage of small vessels. And another negative factor that could hinder the first expedition to Mars is Martian sandstorms, which are still not fully understood. At the moment there is no way to predict sandstorms using a meteorological satellite, so the entire expedition to the surface of the planet becomes very dangerous in itself.
In addition, it is worth separately noting the harmful effects of Martian dust on the human body. Martian dust particles are too small to be completely isolated. Plus, it may contain chromic acid salts, which can cause severe harm to the human body. And finally, the electrostatic properties of Martian dust (as a result of friction) can damage equipment.
All of the above factors make us seriously think about the need to organize a Mars expedition even in the distant future. However, scientists are already focused on solving many problems, and it is quite possible that soon the mission to Mars will become quite feasible, taking into account all its aspects: technical, physiological and psychological.
Conclusion:

Studies of the Moon, Mars and deep space planets have shown mixed results. On the one hand, this is a grandiose breakthrough in science, epochal achievements in the study of the solar system and the acquisition of a colossal amount of knowledge. From a scientific point of view, the deep space exploration program was a complete success and created a promising foundation for the future. The prospects for implementing a kind of space production in the future on board specialized orbital stations are also very tempting. The fact is that in conditions of weightlessness and the vacuum of space, it becomes possible to carry out unusual technological processes that are unattainable under terrestrial conditions, in particular, to produce especially pure substances, synthesize some chemical compounds, including valuable drugs, obtain unusual alloys, and produce particularly precise parts. , for example, ideally shaped balls for ball bearings. It is possible that, over time, power plants will be carried into space, releasing heat, carbon dioxide and harmful impurities during operation and thereby polluting the earth’s environment. Entering the solar system and open interstellar space, mastering the limitless resources of space with the help of a new form of physical movement - gravity control, will bring humanity to a qualitatively new level of cosmic existence. This, in turn, will open the way to satisfying the need for continuous technological progress in all other sectors of world production, the development of which is already beginning to be hampered by a mass of environmental problems of a global, planetary nature. A huge arena of mutually beneficial international cooperation will open up for countries and peoples, capable of ensuring universal peace, guaranteed survival and environmental safety for everyone.

Conclusion.

It is not for nothing that our time is called the time of scientific and technological progress. The pace of development of science and technology has especially increased these days. Each of the discoveries and inventions had not only ardent supporters, but also zealous opponents. Apparently it couldn’t have been otherwise. The progress of humanity has always occurred and continues to occur in the struggle of opposites. One of the greats wittily noted the three stages of establishing something new. First they say about something new: “This can’t be!” After a while, you can hear: “There is something here...” And finally, a moment comes when even a zealous skeptic is sincerely surprised: “Could it have been otherwise?!”

Something similar happened with the exploration of outer space. The first Soviet artificial satellite of the Earth was greeted by many in the West with undisguised skepticism and distrust. Like, what if several kilograms of metal were thrown into space orbit, what is the benefit of this experiment, what will it bring to the world and humanity?

And less than four years later, the world was surprised and shocked by an unheard of event: a citizen of the first socialist country, Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin, made an unprecedented flight around the Earth on the Vostok spacecraft. This day and the name of the man who was the first to break the chains of gravity are forever in the memory of mankind.

The achievements of today's cosmonautics live in the thought of the first academician, Sergei Pavlovich Korolev, chief space designer. His words apply precisely to today: “This future, although not so close, is real, since it is based on what has already been achieved.”

Literature:

Dopaev M. M. Observations of the starry sky

Marov M. Ya. Planets of the Solar System.

Silkin B.I. In a world of many moons

The Computer Guide To The Solar System, Winter Tech, Version 1.20, 1989 G.

Whipple F. Earth, Moon and Planets

Kulikovsky P. G. Amateur Astronomy Guide

“Space exploration in the USSR” V.L. Barsukov 1982

> Colonization of Mars

Creation of a colony on Mars: how humanity can form a settlement on the fourth planet of the solar system. Problems, new methods, exploration of Mars with photos.

Mars offers extremely uncomfortable living conditions. It has a weak atmosphere, no protection from cosmic rays, and no air. But it also has a lot in common with our Earth: axis tilt, structure, composition, and even a small amount of water. This means not only that there was life on the planet before, but also that we have a chance to colonize Mars. It just takes a huge amount of resources and time! What does the Mars colonization plan look like?

There are many problems. Let's start with a thin layer of the Martian atmosphere, the composition of which is carbon dioxide (96%), argon (1.93%) and nitrogen (1.89%).

Atmospheric pressure fluctuations range from 0.4 to 0.87 kPa, which equates to 1% at sea level. All this leads to the fact that we are faced with a cold environment where temperatures can drop to -63°C.

On Mars there is no protection from dangerous cosmic radiation, so the dose is 0.63 mSv per day (1/5 of the amount we receive on Earth per year). Therefore, you will have to heat the planet, create an atmospheric layer and change the composition.

Colonization of Mars in fiction

Mars first appears in a work of fiction in 1951. It was Arthur C. Clarke's novel The Sands of Mars, about settlers warming the planet to create life. One of the most popular books is “The Greening of Mars” by D. Lovelock and M. Albabi (1984), which describes the gradual transformation of the Martian environment into the terrestrial one.

In the 1992 story, Frederik Pohl used comets from the Oort Cloud to create an atmosphere and water reserves. In the 1990s. a trilogy from Kim Robinson appears: “Red Mars”, “Green Mars” and “Blue Mars”.

In 2011, a Japanese manga by Yu Sasuga and Kenichi Tachibana appeared, depicting modern attempts to transform the Red Planet. And in 2012, a story appeared from Kim Robinson, which talks about the colonization of the entire solar system.

Considered methods for colonizing Mars

Over the past decades, there have been many proposals for ways to create colonies on Mars. In 1964, Dandridge Cole advocated the activation of the greenhouse effect - the delivery of ammonia ice to the surface of the planet. It is a powerful greenhouse gas, so it should thicken the atmosphere and raise the temperature of the Red Planet.

Another option is albedo reduction, where the Martian surface would be covered with dark material to reduce the absorption of star rays. This idea was supported by Carl Sagan. In 1973, he even proposed two scenarios for this: delivering low-alloy material and planting dark plants in the polar regions to melt the ice caps.

In 1982, Christopher McKay wrote a paper about the concept of a self-regulating Martian biosphere. In 1984, D. Lovelock and M. Albabi proposed importing chlorofluorocarbons to create global warming.

In 1993, Robert Zubrin and Christopher McKay proposed placing orbital mirrors that would increase the heating. If placed near the poles, it would be possible to melt the ice reserves. They also voted for the use of asteroids, which heat up the atmosphere upon impact.

In 2001, a recommendation was made to use fluorine, which is 1000 times more effective than CO 2 as a greenhouse gas. Moreover, these materials can be mined on the Red Planet, which means you can do without earthly supplies. The bottom picture shows the concentration of methane on Mars.

They also proposed delivering methane and other hydrocarbons from an external system. There are many of them on Titan. There are ideas for creating closed bio-domes that will use oxygen-containing cyanobacteria and algae planted in Martian soil. The first tests were carried out in 2014 and scientists continue to develop the concept. Such structures are capable of creating certain oxygen reserves.

Potential benefits of colonizing Mars

Let's start with the fact that the colonization of Mars is a challenge to all humanity, which will again try to visit a completely alien world. But the reason for the creation of a human colony is not only scientific passion and human ego. The fact is that our planet Earth is not immortal. An accidental failure in the orbital path of an asteroid and we are finished. And in the future, there will also be an expansion of the Sun to the state of a red giant, which will swallow us or fry us. Let's not forget the risks of global warming, overpopulation and epidemics. Agree, it is wise to prepare your own way for retreat.

Moreover, Mars is a profitable option. It is a terrestrial planet located within the habitable zone. Rovers and probes have confirmed the presence of water, as well as its abundance in the past.

We managed to get acquainted with the Martian past. It turns out that 4 billion years ago there was water on the surface, and the atmospheric layer was much denser. But the planet lost it due to a major impact, or rapid drop in temperature, in its interior.

The reasons also include the need to expand sources of resource extraction. Mars has an abundance of ice and minerals. In addition, the colony will become an intermediate point between us and the asteroid belt.

Problems in colonizing Mars

Yes, it will be extremely difficult for us. To begin with, transformation requires the use of a huge amount of resources, both human and technological. There is also a risk that any intervention we make will not go as planned. Moreover, this will not take years or decades. This is not about simply creating protective shelters, but about changing the atmospheric composition, creating a water cover, etc.

We don't know exactly how many terrestrial organisms will be needed and whether they will be able to adapt to new conditions to create their own ecology. The formation of an atmosphere with oxygen and ozone is possible due to photosynthetic organisms. But this will take millions of years!

But the time frame can be reduced if a special variety of bacteria is developed that is already adapted to the extreme conditions of the Red Planet. But even then the count goes on for centuries and millennia.

There is also a lack of infrastructure. We are talking about devices capable of extracting the necessary materials on alien planets and satellites. This means that their flights must be carried out within a time frame acceptable to us. Modern engines are not up to these tasks.

It took New Horizons 11 years to arrive at Pluto. The Dawn ion engine delivered the device to Vesta (in the asteroid belt) in 4 years. But this is not practical at all, because we are going to send them back and forth, like a delivery conveyor.

There is also another point. We don't know if there are living organisms on the planet, so our transformation will disrupt their natural environment. As a result, we will simply become perpetrators of genocide.

So, in the long term, Mars exploration is a profitable idea. But it is not suitable for those who dream of coping in a decade. Moreover, any mission will be risky, if not sacrificial. Will there be brave souls?

However, the survey found that hundreds of thousands of people are willing to make the one-way trip. And many agencies declare their desire to take part in colonization. As you can see, scientific excitement and the unknown still attract us and force us to go deeper into space and open new horizons.