The Martian Mission
4 Extra Debut. What would it take for humans to live permanently on Mars? Science sleuths Drs Rutherford and Fry investigate. From 2020.
What would it take for humans to live permanently on Mars? asks Martin in Weston-super-Mare, UK. The doctors dig into requirements and possibilities of a long-term Martian outpost.
We know that many missions to Mars have failed, for a range of reasons β malfunctions, crashes and even a mix-up between imperial and metric units. Getting to Mars β let alone decelerating from 30,000 miles per hour to a safe landing speed in about seven minutes β is not straightforward. Aerospace engineer Anita Sengupta helped land NASAβs Curiosity rover on Mars. She knows first-hand the challenges of putting a robot on the red planet.
But getting robots to Mars is an easier proposition than doing the same for humans. Even if we work out how to survive the radiation exposure on the eight-month journey and the pulverising descent, Marsβ surface isnβt easily habitable. Principal investigator for NASAβs Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission (MAVEN) Bruce Jakosky describes the conditions on Mars: Freezing, with an atmosphere containing mostly carbon dioxide and very little water, and subject to annual global dust storms.
However, this isnβt deterring space agencies and private companies from researching the challenge. The European Space Agency and Russian Institute for Biomedical Problems focussed on finding out the physiological and psychological tolls by selecting six candidates to spend 520 days in a simulated spacecraft and landing module. Diego Urbina explains the personal challenge of taking part in the Mars500 experiment.
Some private company owners have gone even further. As well as making technology based on the current physical conditions, could those constraints themselves be altered? Could Mars be terraformed, or warmed, for easier human survival? Bruce Jakosky shares just what that would take β and compares these requirements with whatβs actually available.
Presenters: Hannah Fry & Adam Rutherford
Producer: Jen Whyntie
A ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Audio Science Unit production, first broadcast on ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4 in 2020.
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- Tue 15 Dec 2020 15:30ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4
- Fri 12 May 2023 21:00ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4 Extra
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