Oh Boy! A chance to expound on my love for “Star Trek” and “Babylon 5”!
Mars plays a role in the television series “Babylon 5” with a few episodes actually taking place on the planet. Of course “Babylon 5” takes place from 2258-2263 and there are inhabited planets all over the galaxy.
There is no real atmosphere on Mars, so everything will have to be connected with oxygen generators to create a breatheable atmosphere.
It would be rather difficult to live and work in a fully automated space suit all the time.
A dry planet, there would also have to be some way to make water (H2O). Somehow, I can’t see ships coming in several times a day loaded with water to dump into giant water tanks.
Considering the limitations of the planet, the population and facilities would have to be limited. There are only so many supplies that can be “imported” and considering the lack of resources that have to be created, the population will definitely have to be controlled…at least for the first several years.
But long before anyone can even think about living on Mars, astrophysicists, engineers, and a whole lot of other people have to figure out HOW to get there…and in a timely manner. Currently, it takes about two years to go from Earth to Mars. And it takes a very large amount of fuel just to reach escape velocity for leaving Earth’s orbit.
While all the robots roaming around Mars is a good thing; perhaps the return to the Moon is a good thing. The Moon has one sixth the gravity of Earth and would require far less fuel to achieve escape velocity and would make it much easier for a ship to reach space; but the distance issue still needs to be solved.
There are many issues that must be answered long before any human can even think about heading for Mars. But one thing is for sure….we will get there….eventually!