Elon Musk said he will send human beings to Mars within four years. The SpaceX founder tweeted that an uncrewed vessel would travel to the red planet first. If this is successful, people will be able to travel there, and the billionaire even visualizes building cities on the planet within two decades. “Being multi-planetary will vastly increase the probable lifespan of consciousness,” he said.
The vessel that will be used is the largest rocket ever built – the Starship. It measures around 400 feet tall and generates 16.7 million pounds of thrust when lifting off, almost double that of NASA’s Space Launch System.
Mr. Musk has long dreamed about bringing people to Mars, saying he initially wanted to settle the planet with a million people, hoping it would make humanity safer and provide alternatives to planet Earth. The billionaire entrepreneur believes it is essential to cultivate life so that supply deliveries from Earth are unnecessary and humans can become a “multi-planet species” to ensure our long-term sustainability and survival.
Experts, however, do not necessarily share Musk’s view, and some believe humans cannot possibly live on the red planet. British scientist Patrick Moore addressed the issue some years ago, saying the planet’s atmosphere is not conducive to human life, particularly given the high level of carbon dioxide in the air. Moore concedes that Mars is more likely to sustain life than any other planet in our solar system but questions whether or not people could even get there safely. He cited solar radiation as a particular hazard to those making the journey. Solar radiation is the energy emitted by the sun and is vital for life on Earth, but lengthy exposure causes a number of health problems, including cancer.
For people to live on the red planet, they would need to build self-contained regions with devices that inject oxygen into the atmosphere and provide enough water for survival. Experts say a purpose-built colony would need energy production facilities that did not rely on the sun because dust storms frequently block it out. According to experts, dust on the planet is a crucial issue and may be a significant obstacle to human life there.
