Is there Life on Mars?

A standout amongst the most intriguing and entrancing planets in our nearby planetary group is the planet Mars. If seen by humans, they would be amazed at the actual sight of Mars. Mars is the fourth planet from the sun and the last of terrestrial objects. The planet is known for his blazing red look and its dangerously volcanic surface. “Mars” comes from The Roman God of war, Ares. Mars surface is mostly covered with rocks, volcanoes, and craters thanks to the great amount of geological activity on the Planet. The size of Mars is actually very small compared to the planet Earth, Mars’ mass is only 1/10 of that of Earth. Along with the volcanoes that occur on Mars, Mars is known for having the most devastating dust storms in the solar system as seen in the movie “The Martian”. An interesting fact that is left untold by many is that Mars holds the largest mountain in the solar system. The name of this mountain is “Olympus Mons, a shield volcano, is 21km high and 600km in diameter. Despite having formed over billions of years, evidence from volcanic lava flows is so recent many scientists believe it could still be active” (Space Facts). Mars is an intriguing planet and questions rise if people could really have life on the planet.

Human life on mars sounds a little out of the ordinary, but what if humans can actually live on this planet. The problem with living on Mars is the amount of radiation a human body would intake. This amount of radiation could be dangerous if heavily consumed by humans. Alongside the radiation, the planet Mars is cold and there isn't much air or oxygen on the planet making it incredibly difficult to relax. The measure of gravity on Mars is essentially not as much as that on Earth which would make it difficult to move around. It would influence a normal weighted human to turn out to be very beneath normal weight. Another issue with living on Mars is that there are insufficient supplies that we required every day to make a real existence on Mars. In order to live through the amount of radiation, Stephen Petranek states “[On Mars] they’re going to have to stay indoors most of the time because once they go outside they’re subject to radiation,” concedes Petranek. “So people will mostly live underground, or in very shielded habitats. It will be a very shielded lifestyle and they’ll have pressurized vehicles to get around in so they don’t have to wear space suits”. Living on Mars would be very troublesome without water, yet revelations have demonstrated that water on the planet is there. So as to vanquish lack of hydration, an individual living on Mars must slice through the surface so as to get some water. Getting nourishment on the planet Mars is a probability, an individual could utilize the dirt on Mars to develop plants to eat on. The other option is to have a care supply dropped on Mars that contained the food needed. If enough humans made life on Mars maybe they could change the atmosphere of Mars to make it one that is safe. According Matt Williams, from the Universe Today, “humanity could make a few planetary renovations. Basically, we could change Mars itself through the process of terraforming. To do this, we’ll need to release megatons of greenhouse gasses to warm the planet, unleashing the frozen water reserves. Perhaps we’ll crash a few hundred comets into the planet to deliver water and other chemicals too”. Life on Mars seems out of the reach, but it is never out of the question.

In order to observe if life can be suitable on Mars, NASA sent a mission to Mars using a rover named Curiosity. This mission left the United States on November 26, 2011 and landed on Mars on August 6, 2012. The rover is very technologically advanced in the way it was built, it contains wheels that allow the hard movement on Mars to become easier. One of the most important features on Curiosity is the arms that stretch out that can read various amount of information that is key to the researchers. Elizabeth Howell, writer from space.com, explains the importance of the arms, “Curiosity's 7-foot arm can pick up samples from the surface and cook them inside the rover, sniffing the gases that come out of there and analyzing them for clues as to how the rocks and soil formed. The Sample Analysis of Mars instrument, if it does pick up evidence of organic material, can double-check that. On Curiosity's front, under foil coverse, are several ceramic blocks infused with artificial organic compounds. Curiosity can drill into each of these blocks and place a sample into its oven to measure its composition. Researchers will then see if organics appear that were not supposed to be in the block. If so, scientists will likely determine these are organisms hitchhiking from Earth”(William). Thanks to NASA, this mission will give us a better understanding if human life can make a living on the planet Mars. One day Earth might fall to pieces and we have to find a living on Mars.

Mars is such an interesting planet that it is used as the setting for many science fiction movies and stories. One movie in particular that shows how life is on Mars is the movie, “The Martian”. In this movie, astronomer Mark Watney and his crew are on a mission to Mars when a terrible dust storm blew right through them causing confusion. Mark Watney was pushed away from the group during the storm. Thinking that he died from the storm, the team decided it was best for their safety that they got out of there. In reality, Mark actually survived the storm and had to find a way in order to survive on Mars. Watney first way of surviving was finding food and water. He grew potatoes in order to help his starvation and burned hydrazine to get water in order to help his dehydration. NASA finally find Watney on a picture of Mars from a satellite and realizes that they needed to save him. Watney then goes to the Mars Ascent Vehicle that was left behind and he establishes connection with NASA and obtaining orders from them. NASA eventually sent the same crew that left him on Mars back to retrieve him back to safety. Mark Watney showed us in this movie how life on Mars could maybe be a possibility.

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