Travel to mars
[email protected]
THE RED PLANET
MARS
Özge Özyenginer
Physics, Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Arts and Science
Teleferik Mahallesi, Sakarya Cd. No:156, 35330 Balçova/İzmir, Republic of
Turkey
Abstract
Since humankind is consuming our planet’s natural sources we need a project that
can sustain our species. There is why “our way to Mars” project is created. Nasa is
searching for volunteers to go and stay on Mars so they can create an environment for
our kind to live. But it’s not that easy. A sample of the earth that was taken from Mars
was tested for microorganisms and resulted positively but unfortunately, NASA claims
that the evidence is not enough to create a habitat on other planets. But researches are
positive about the future of humankind on Mars. Many projects are already started and
continue to improve every day, of course, this journey will not be easy nor simple. NASA
is looking for astronauts with a sense of humor so they can reduce the stress levels of
others while working on such an extreme project. Elon Musk is planning to land on Mars
by 2024 with a crew of 100 volunteers in a 122 m^2 spaceship. NASA’s shapeshifter
project is developing and the planet to help researchers to explore where humans can’t
reach. Shapeshifter will be a combination of many robots that can move around on Mars
that humans can’t land on. This inevitable trip to Mars is a complicated project that re-
quires much effort. Even though some projects are not strictly related to this trip such as
NASA’s task to capture asteroids, it will be like a test for further projects.,
1. Introduction
The main motivation for me to choose this subject is my worry about people who
unconsciously consuming our natural sources. Even though environmental protection
companies are nonstop working to make awareness it’s not enough to compete with the
big companies and fast-moving climate changes according to these companies and un-
conscious consuming. Eventually, we will need to find new natural sources and environ-
ment to sustain our kind. We need to be space projects more due to damage humans
have done on this planet that unavoidably will cause a disaster. I will give information
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about NASA’s plans to land humans on Mars and what after projects are crested to back
up this main idea of sustaining humankind, on different sections like how they plan to do,
what will they need, etc.
2. Mars To Stay Project
Mars to Stay missions offer astronauts to be sent to Mars for the first time to plan to
stay there. The first pioneers were used in the construction of settlements by recycling
Mars unused emergency return vehicles. Mars to Stay missions are advocated to both cut
costs and ensure permanent settlement on Mars. Buzz Aldrin, one of the notable people
who defended Mars to Stay, has been especially outspoken in numerous forums, "Forget
the Moon, Let’s Head to Mars!" and on June 13, 2013, "The Call of Mars" Aldrin mentions
"to homestead Mars and become a two-planet species". Mars Underground, Mars Home-
stead Foundation, Mars One, and Mars Artists Community support groups and business
organizations also supported Mars to Stay policy initiatives. The earliest formal draft of
the Mars to Stay mission architecture was given in 1996 in the "VI One Way to Mars" pre-
sentation of the Mars VI Workshop review.
Bringing astronauts back from the surface of Mars is one of the hardest parts of
Mars missions, so the idea of one-way travel has been proposed several times. For exam-
ple, space activist Bruce Mackenzie at the International Space Development Conference
in 1998, in his presentation "One Way to Mars - a Permanent Settlement on the First Mis-
sion"), the first flight was settled on a visit as the mission could be made easier and less
costly if the astronauts did not return to Earth.
a. Risks
In the fifth episode of "Mars Direct", Zubrin suggests that radiation and zero-gravity
are very dangerous, and the Cancer rate will increase marginally for astronauts who have
been in space for a long time. Likewise, while zero drafts are known to be a problem, all
Mars to Stay mission planners are assumed to have the vitality of the muscles and im-
mune systems of immigrants settled on Mars. Several experiments, such as the Mars
gravity bio satellite, have been proposed to try this situation. But until people live there
under the gravitational pull of Mars (38% of the Earth's gravity), the long-term viability of
people at 1/3 g will remain a hypothesis. Interplanetary contamination, that is, people's
bringing possible Mars viruses to Earth, is seen as a "mere dream" because there are no
living creatures on Mars.
In the same episode, Zubrin refuses to use the Moon as a stop on the Mars path or
initially as a training place. "Traveling to Mars from lower Earth orbit is ultimately easier
than setting off from the Moon. Using the Moon as a stopover of the journey means
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spending resources elsewhere." Although the moon appears superficially as a good place
to perfect the exploration and settlement techniques of Mars, both celestial bodies are
completely different. While the Moon does not have an atmosphere and geology similar
to Mars, the temperature change and enlightenment period on its surface is much larger.
It has been claimed that Antarctica, deserts on Earth and precisely controlled chilled vac-
uum chambers made to NASA centers are better places to practice at a lower cost.
3. One Way To Mars Project
NASA plans to bring the first humans down to Mars in 2030. In the project named
"IXS Enterprise", NASA will explore the ways to establish a colony on the Red Planet,
where the human foot has not been pressed before. However, volunteers will be the one-
way tickets for astronauts. Volunteers who buy a one-way ticket will say goodbye to the
world after a 6-month Mars journey. Since the return will be very costly, all plans are
made according to the outgoing astronauts establishing a colony on Mars and staying on
the 'Red Planet’.
Fig 1. Number of people who wants ONE WAY TO MARS ticket.
$ 101.5 million was transferred to Ames, one of NASA's main research centers, for
the project. According to the project, those who go to Mars have to stay there. Simon
Worden, director of NASA Ames Research Center, has announced that space programs
are now built entirely on the outside world. The research team stated that people could
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settle on Mars' moons in 2030. Experts say the journey will decrease from 9 months to 4
months if nuclear fuel is used.
a. Currently Known Details of the Project
• Volunteer astronauts will build buildings at the designated points of Mars and will
build buildings for the people of Mars to live.
• The main goal in building these buildings will be to protect the colony that will live
on Mars from cosmic radiation, the biggest challenge on the planet. For this work, of
course, cement and brick will not be taken from Earth.
• Scientists have found the solution to this problem by combining powdered poly-
ethylene and Mars soil to make bricks.
• With the locations of the Mars colony ready to live, the first 100 Mars citizens will
set off from Earth to Mars in 2030.
• Half of these passengers will be women and the other half of these passengers
will be men. Their ages will vary between 20 and 40. These people will start living on
Mars by building families. Each family will be asked to have at least 3 children.
• The social structure of the Mars colony is one of the most discussed points of
NASA.
• Scientists scrutinize so as not to bring the fight-fight on Earth to Mars.
• Therefore, at the initial stage, all those who go to the planet will consist of Ameri-
cans and French. Muslims will not be taken away because religious wars are not wanted
on Mars.
• For the same purpose, there will be no places of worship in the Mars colony.
4. Life Was Found on Mars in the 1970s
Gilbert Levin, one of NASA's former and prominent employees, made an interesting
statement in an article he wrote in Scientific American magazine. Gilbert announced that
they had obtained a few tips on alien life during the Viking missions carried out in the
1970s. He also said in some of his articles that no proof that contradicts life on Mars.
Viking missions performed by NASA in 1970 included the first tools NASA sent to Mars. In
both Viking missions, there were separate vehicles, and these vehicles took samples
from the soil of Mars and examined biological life.
Gilbert Levin was a researcher who conducted one of the tests on Viking missions.
Levin was checking whether there was any CO2 (Carbon dioxide) by combining Mars soil
with organic compounds. Any microorganism found in the soil would digest this compo-
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nent and generate greenhouse gas. By 1997, Levin said that these tests had a positive
result. One of the Viking vehicles had found a microorganism on Mars. The positive result
obtained in the tests did not only belong to one test it belongs to four tests. It also in-
cluded tests from two vehicles. The distance between these vehicles when they were on
Mars was about 6,400 kilometers.
In the tests conducted later by NASA, no microorganism was found. The statement
made by NASA was that the evidence found was insufficient and even 'inorganic chemi-
cal reactions' to prove the microorganisms living in the soil around the landing areas of
the vehicles.
In his article published on October 10, 2019, Levin said that a microorganism test
frequently used in the world gave positive results at that time. Both Viking vehicles man-
aged to find microorganisms. Levin also commented on NASA's Mars plans today: “NASA
has already announced that it will not perform any life-detection tests on the 2020 Mars
mission. However, I believe that life-detection missions should be carried out on the next
mission on Mars. I believe I found proof of life on Mars in the 1970s. “
5. Mars One Project
The Mars One project was first started with the initiative of Bas Lansdorp, a Dutch
businessman. The dream of establishing a permanent human colony on Mars, which was
initially confused by the world, is now becoming a reality.
Lansdorp, founder and manager of Mars One company, has made a serious invest-
ment in this project but
has included many vol-
unteer investors in its
company. The goal of
this project, where seri-
ous sums will be used,
is to take the first crew
on a one-way journey to
Mars in 2024 after
sending the first un-
manned spacecraft in
2018. Thousands of ap-
plications from all over the world have been made to mars-one.com, the official site of
the project, to take part in the Mars crew. The candidates, including 4 Turkish and 6
Turks, are planned to be trained as of this year and the training will continue until 2024
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when the journey will take place. Besides, the return of the spent budget is planned with
the Mars One team, which will be broadcasted from the beginning of the Mars One jour-
ney, with a TV show dealing with the training, the journey and the process after settling
on Mars.
• 2013: A Mars Village will be built on Earth for testing. Settlers will learn how to
live on Mars here.
• 2014: The first telecommunications satellite will be manufactured to communi-
cate with immigrants during the journey to Mars.
• 2015: Groups selected from applicants start full-time training. This training will
continue until the departure in 2024. The ability of groups to cope with prolonged stay
in a remote location is the most important part of their training, in which they will learn
to repair the components of the living space, grow their medical procedures and their
food in the habitat. The primary camp simulation will be located on a relatively easy-to-
reach Mars-like terrain, and the second training camp will be located in a more remote
location, such as the northern deserts.
• 2016: 2.5 tons of material will be sent to Mars with an advanced 5-meter model
of the SpaceX Dragon capsule. Years later, when astronauts land on Mars, they will first
use these materials to live on the Red Planet.
• 2018: The first unmanned space shuttle journey to Mars is planned. The space-
craft to be sent is a test for existing technologies. This mission will also prove that the
crew Mars journey to be made in 2024 can take place. A communication satellite will be
sent along with the test shuttle and will be fixed to an orbit around Mars. In this way,
communication between the two planets is provided 24 hours a day, and the transfer of
photos, videos and other data obtained on the surface of Mars will be possible.
• 2021: Six Dragon capsules and a second reconnaissance vehicle will set off to-
wards Mars. The two Dragon capsules will carry prefabricated houses that astronauts
must live on Mars. The other two capsules will lead to life support systems. Both mod-
ules will deliver supplies and supplies.
• 2022: SpaceX company's Falcon Heavy rocket will take the top 4 settlers to Mars.
• 2023: The first colonists will land on Mars with a new model Dragon capsule.
• 2025: Four more will land on Mars.
• 2033: The population of Mars Village will reach 20 people.
6. NASA is Looking For Funny Astronauts
The American Aviation and Space Administration (NASA) is looking for funny astro-
nauts for its first manned expedition to Mars in 2033. It was announced that the institu-
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tion was working with four astronaut groups based on the researches that indicated that
a funny person would make it easier for the teams to cope with tense environments.
Prof. Anthropologist from the University of Florida, who led NASA's research. "For a
long time in a limited space, like a Mars trip, it wears the nerves. That's why you need
someone on the spacecraft to keep the morale up to keep things going," says Jeffrey
Johnson. Johnson, after four years of research in Antarctica, concluded that characters
such as "clown, leader, dude, storyteller, conciliator, and trouble partners" join teams
and make things work better in the USA, Russia, Poland, China, and India. reached similar
findings.
NASA plans to send an astronaut to the Moon in 2023 to prepare for the journey to
Mars. Russia and China also plan to organize flights in 2040. Private entrepreneurs like
Elon Musk are also working on the journey to Mars.
It is stated that the average distance between Mars and Earth is 225 million kilome-
ters and the journey can take eight months. Due to the distance, the one-sided delay in
communication can be up to 20 minutes. In other words, astronauts will be able to make
their voices heard at the control center on Earth at the earliest in 20 minutes. "The teams
will remain on their own," says the experts. Previous research has concluded that even
short-term delays in communication affect the psychology of the flight crew.
• Why makes laughing more creative?
The 50-second delay at the International Space Station has been shown to disrupt
the morale of astronauts and the subsequent workflow. Professor Astronauts are kept be-
tween 30 and 60 days in NASA's virtual space environment in Houston under the direc-
tion of Johnson. In the researches, how much the funny characters will have in the suc-
cess of space travel will be evaluated.
7. Elon Musk’s Projects
We now know how Elon Musk will carry 1 million people to Mars: Speaking at the
67th International Aviation and Space Congress held in Guadalajara, Mexico on 27 Sep-
tember 2016, Musk announced the interplanetary transport system (ITS). SpaceX com-
pany, which will develop and manufacture rockets, spaceship, rocket engines, fuel tanks,
and refueling stations to be used in this system, originally named ITS as the Mars Colony
Carrier. However, Musk, who wanted to go to Jupiter after Mars, changed the name of the
system to ITS.
Elon Musk met with Dutch entrepreneur Bas Lansdrop before developing his plan to
go to Mars. As of 2023, Bas Lansdrop, who developed the Mars One project, planned to
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send four people to Mars every 2 years, and those who went to Mars would settle there
and never come back. It would even use Falcon Heavy missiles, a more powerful version
of Falcon 9 rockets capable of carrying 9-10 tons of cargo to Mars. However, the Mars
One project seems to have gone bankrupt after 3 years have passed since my writing on
this matter. As we said, sending people to Mars is very expensive, and it is dangerous to
clog 4 people in tin cans that look like isolation cells in prisons for 6 months each time.
Lansdrop could not find the money needed for Mars One. People did not trust him and ac-
cused him of advertising for his company in the media. Elon Musk is considering return-
ing from Mars!
Elon Musk wants to reduce the cost of sending 100 people to Mars (including devel-
oping and testing prototype ships) from $ 10 billion per person to $ 200,000. Reusable
rockets and mass production will reduce these costs. Launching the Mars ship into space
without fuel and refueling in orbit will further reduce costs. However, we owe the real
revolution not to Elon Musk, to Robert Zubrin, the founder of the Mars Association and
the author of the Mars Case book. Zubrin, who founded the Mars Association after leav-
ing Lockheed Martin aviation and space company, made the first plans for NASA to send
people cheaply to Mars.
Zubrin made a plan 20 years ago to send 4-7 people to Mars for only $ 30 billion in
10 years. According to this plan called a semi indirect journey to Mars, we will first send
unmanned spaceships to Mars. This ship will land there and wait for the astronauts. As-
tronauts will go to Mars later, and when they land on the planet, they will live on the ship
that went ahead. They will use the provisions on the ship. They will synthesize return fuel
from the atmosphere of Mars using chemical reactors on board to return to Earth.
8. NASA's Task to Capture Asteroids
The content of the plan is a combination of proven technology and new technology
that can be bypassed as a cornerstone. The task of finding potential targets will be car-
ried out by the Wide Area Infrared Research Discoverer (WISE, The Wide-Field Infrared
Survey Explorer). The WISE infrared telescope launched in 2009 was sent to extract 99%
of the visible sky at the infrared wavelength. After this two-year mission, NASA gave the
vehicle the task of discovering unknown objects (NEOs, near-Earth objects) near-Earth to
perform within four months. Since these objects may be too small to reflect visible light,
they can be reasonably determined by the heat energy they emit.
This year, the importance of finding NEOs became more evident after the meteorite
exploding in the sky near the city of Chelyabinsk, Russia. The object, in this case, was so
small that it was not possible to determine it except for this method. Although WISE was
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put on hold after its second mission, the satellite that was last contacted by NASA in Sep-
tember 2012 is in good working condition. If all goes well, NASA will be able to find a suit-
able asteroid in orbit using WISE.
To capture the target of an unmanned spacecraft to be made after this stage and
bring it back to the point of reversibility; it will likely be necessary to pack the asteroid to
do this. Even if it seems a little unreasonable and we talk about huge engineered engi-
neering, it is not an ordinary rock that we are talking about. Then, the team connected to
the carrier vehicle with an Orion capsule will return to Earth with the samples taken from
the asteroid.
• How do these analyses go to Mars or to protect the Earth?
In many congresses, this plan was discussed and even the task of catching aster-
oids was presented in a way with the low budget allocated to NASA by the White house.
Of course, this view is a very closed attitude, especially when a plan for asteroid diver-
sion is needed. As of now, the studies to be carried out by packing and dragging a small
rock appear as the only way to investigate the systems required to change the paths of
the older ones; moreover, there is no need for a large asteroid for serious damage to a
city or region.
In another aspect, it is thought that many small asteroids that can be captured con-
tain minerals that started to form in the early stages of solar systems; this means that
they can be useful to investigate many existing theories about how planets and plane-
tary systems form. Also, such a task can be a good test for the Orion capsule and SLS, as
NASA will provide a plus in discovering goals such as Europa or Titan as a pioneer in im-
proving unmanned vehicle capacity.
One of the strangest space investments in the United States is that the White
House has approved a mission to go until now, despite spending substantial sums on the
next generation of spacecraft. Although the funds to be made for the ISS (International
Space Station) after 2020 are uncertain, the display of 2021 for the first manned space
launch system is another question mark. With the help of the funds to be expanded, ISS
can maintain its orbit until 2028; but for that, a new proposal must come from the USA.
Although such a task would not be an effective acquisition for a direct trip to Mars;
The equipment and complex systems to be used can be a test for the inevitable Mars
journey and can provide direction for the development of thinner and lighter solar panels.
Although the project, which is thought to provide a high scientific return, has a cost of 1.3
billion dollars, it will have an uncertain future as a result of current policies.
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9. NASA’s Shapeshifter Project
NASA is preparing a crazy plan for Mars. NASA is expected to explore the planets
that humans cannot stand with the robots that can take shape, and shed more light on
scientists. The name of these robots will be ‘Shapeshifter'. NASA has pressed the button
for a new car that is particularly resistant to the harsh weather conditions of Mars and
goes everywhere. These special robots, named NASA's Shapeshifter, which has been
making use of existing spacecraft for many years, will be a brand new solution that the
latest technology will offer. These special robots, which are expected to make a discov-
ery on Mars in the first place, are expected to be used in many satellites and planets, es-
pecially the satellite of Saturn, Titan. The most important factor in this is that
Shapeshifters will have a deformable structure.
Shapeshifter will be based on the principle that more than one robot will cluster and
create a different design. While installing combinations, Shapeshifter will sometimes
shrink to pieces and fit everywhere and will act effectively by enlarging its diameter to
travel faster. In other words, its deformable structure will take Shapeshifter one step fur-
ther than other spacecraft according to different conditions. These special robots, de-
signed for different atmospheric conditions, especially Titan, which is covered with lakes,
have the characteristics to discover a celestial body to the finest detail. A shapeshifter,
which is still under development, is expected to be sent to Titan for the first time.
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I, Özge Özyenginer, hereby declare and confirm by my submission to Blackboard
that this Project 1 is exclusively the result of my own autonomous work based on my re-
search and literature published, which is seen in the References used. I also declare that
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no part of the paper submitted has been made in an inappropriate way, whether by pla-
giarizing or infringing on any third person's copyright.
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