Finding about Possible Life on Mars

All the space enthusiasts are waiting for one of the defining moments of the 21st century and perhaps the most exciting event in their lifetime a human mission to Mars, an initiative of project Mars One, which will motivate future generations too. Mars One consists of two firms, the not-for-profit Mars One Foundation and the for-profit company Mars One Ventures which wants to establish the first human settlement on Mars. It will help to answer many questions about Mars.

Mars, the second smallest planet in our solar system has always been a topic of discussion between scientists and space agencies to find a new habitat for humans after earth. Several types of research have been carried out about mars and many of them gave us results which changed the way we think about the planet. In fact, many countries have tried sending the mission to mars and have failed several times but many of them have also succeeded and reached mars. India is also amongst one of those countries, who have successfully entered the mass orbit. But it’s still a mystery, that is life even possible on the red planet and if yes, how many years will it take for a manned mission to reach mars. I am pretty sure it is really a hard nut to crack which needs collective efforts and co-operation from all the nations.

A successful businessman from Netherlands Mr. Bas Lansdorp (Mechanical engineer from University of Twente) studied about the planet and sold some of his company’s shares to start a new venture called the Mars One.

Mars One is basically an organization which is planning for the first manned mission to mars and establishing a colony there to study about the planet. Their prime goal is that ‘Human settlement on Mars is the next giant leap for humankind’. The existing technology is sufficient for turning this concept into reality. No new suppliers or any kind of advancement in any field is required for carrying out Mars One Mission. The mission has many stages and can be executed through the existing technology as announced.

MARS ONE TECHNOLOGY

Mars One aims at first human settlement on Mars. This procedure will use the technology developed by third party suppliers which are proven to be operable through various tests. Few of these expert services supplied by different nations are as follows:

Simulation Outpost

Simulation Outposts will be built by MarsOne on Mars, which will act as the main area for technology evaluation and try out. Space X Falcon Heavy is suggested for use and will undergo many tests before the final decision is announced. Many satellites, cargo, rovers are needed to travel through space and land on Mars for which scientists have thought of several rocket launches carrying the components.

Mars Transit Vehicle

Current calculation suggests that around 7 months are needed for humans to reach Mars through space. The Landing Module and Transit Habitat are the two main stages of the vehicle. Once the crew has reached Mars they are supposed to leave their living quarters behind and land on the surface using the Landing Module of the vehicle.Landing Module consists of many landing capsules designed to perform necessary functions as specified below:

1. It will generate breathable air, energy, and water.                                                        
2. It will carry many spare components along with food and other components.           
3. It will carry Human crew to Mars.
4. It will carry Rovers to the surface of Mars 

                                                                       

Rovers 

Two rovers are planned to descend on Mars before any human landing is planned. The first rover will evaluate all possible conditions and will choose the appropriate location for setting up an outpost which can also be a suitable location for transporting components. The second will transport all landing capsules on Mars.

Mars Suit 

                              

A special suit has been designed which is officially termed as MARSSUIT which will protect the astronauts from extreme temperature and weather conditions on Mars. It also aims to protect from harmful radiations and aids the astronauts for breathing in such a thin atmosphere.

Communications System      

                                                                                     

Earth will have a ground station which will transmit and receive messages between Earth and Mars. Two communication satellites are also designed for the same.

Source: www.mars-one.com

Mr. Saksham Kaul & Mr. Siddharth Kumar 

BCA II (M)