Man has always been navigating to new places from early caravans to where we are now with space exploration. We are now at the point where we want to colonize another planet. That planet happens to be Mars, and it’s sought out for more than just study as its natural resources could help take us into the space-age.

The problem that arises from this expedition with; how are we going to colonize Mars, and what are the steps that need to be done in order to make this a reality?

Today, we will look further at the steps that need to be achieved so we can accomplish Mars colonization.

Steps to Reach Mars

The goal to colonize Mars is set for 2030, and here is what’s needed.

1. Build Advanced Technology for Reaching Space

The problem we have now is getting astronauts into space. Currently, we still rely on the same systems of strapping massive rocket fuel tanks onto a shuttle and sending a crew up. This has to be made into an easier process to reach space.

Currently, Boeing and SpaceX are both working on a simplified way to launch high-tech spacecraft into the stratosphere to get crews up to space pronto. The goal is to have a fast turn-around to get people up to space daily, and it’s more than just crew’s its valuable equipment as well. There needs to be a lot of gear, so this means bigger space crafts also.

2. High-Tech Rockets

People a lot of the time think bigger is better, but when it comes to rockets smart-technology is needed. The only way to do this is through advanced technology we already have and advanced fuel-cells that can push payloads further and further.

3. Figure out Tricky Landings

Past missions to Mars have been rocky to say the least. Past missions descended onto the surface of Mars typically ran into friction and thermal effect problems. Also they ran into problems where parachutes don’t have the stopping power like they do on earth so equipment gets damaged.

SpaceX has started working towards a solution that the new high-speed crafts will have reverse thrusters when starting to go into a landing. SpaceX has stated they have the right technology to now get large vehicles to the surface of Mars.

4. Build a Moon Base

Before any teams can be sent to Mars, there needs to be a prototype within an acceptable distance to test equipment and other set ups that are needed. The US plans to start working on this project sometime in 2018. Besides using this base as a beta test, it could be a future launch port for future space travel and has plans to tests to do on asteroids as part of a redirection program.

Part of being on the moon will involve long-term housing and having the right supplies for future voyages. Current technology like RFID chips will be used to keep track on science tests for animals and a means to keep track of inventories that are vitally needed.

Health Concerns

Colonizing Mars would by no doubt be a major progress in humanity. This, however, comes with a price. especially concerning healthcare. Emergency medicine, for instance, would be a major concern when you are a year’s travel away from Earth. 

As mentioned in Vox also, “How do you cram all those people together in relatively tight quarters for six months at a time en route to Mars? How do you mitigate the health impacts from radiation exposure midflight, or from zero-gravity environments that will cause bones and muscle to decay? NASA has been studying this stuff, particularly with astronaut Scott Kelly spending 340 days on the International Space Station, but there are lots of unknowns here.”

Thus, healthcare is major concern that has to be taken into account when talking about colonizing Mars.

Final Thoughts

Even though 2030 is a ways off, this goal for reaching Mars is reachable. Companies like Boeing and SpaceX have already started with to make new shuttles to reach space in a timely fashion, and they are working on bigger shuttles that use the latest technology.

Once the beta-testing starts on the moon and operations are going smoothly we will know it’s only a matter of time before we do indeed make a transition over to Mars.

Author

Carl Aamodt

Title: Super-Connector at Outreach Mama

Carl is a super-connector with OutreachMama and Youth Noise NJ who helps businesses find their audience online through outreach, partnerships, and networking. He frequently writes about the latest advancements in digital marketing and focuses his efforts on developing customized blogger outreach plans depending on the industry and competition.