As human civilization modernizes and populations expand, Earth’s resources are being depleted at a faster rate than ever. This also leads to high amounts of fossil fuel emissions, which is another weighing factor in terms of Earth’s habitability. According to the UN Environmental Programme, our “resource extraction has more than tripled since 1970, including a fivefold increase in the use of non-metallic minerals and a 45 percent increase in fossil fuel use” (UNEP). 

The greatest minds are coming together to relocate humans to Mars, preparing for the day when Earth may no longer be able to sustain human lifestyles.

Why Mars?

Mars, also known as the Red Planet, is what scientists consider the most habitable planet for humans after Earth due to several similar characteristics. 

Temperature is a definite factor when it comes to supporting life, and evidence has led NASA scientists to believe that Mars potentially held liquid water on the planet’s surface hundreds of thousands of years ago. They believe that there is a very high chance that life has evolved in that environment before, even though Mars is currently much colder than Earth. 

Adding on, Mars’s atmospheric pressure and elements were once thicker in the past as well. According to NASA, model one reveals a prediction of “a stable northern ocean” and that “Mars had an ancient atmosphere as thick as present-day Earth’s, made primarily of carbon dioxide with 10 percent hydrogen (H2).” A thicker atmosphere on Mars better shields the planet from harmful radiation, traps heat, and provides essential gases to sustain life, which further supports scientists’ theories. 

Ultimately, proof of Mars’s previous life sustenance provides humans with hope for plausible habitability in the future.

Model 1: This image is an interpretation of what Mars looked like when liquid water [blue] and icy glaciers [white] existed on its surface hundreds of thousands of years ago.

F. Schmidt/NASA/USGS/ESA/ DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum)

Visitors on Mars

Successful rover landings already count as a step closer to humans’ ingression toward Mars. Currently NASA has successfully handed five Mars rovers: Sojourner, Spirit, Opportunity, Curiosity, and Perseverance. These landings required multi-stage processes and a months-long journey.

Getting to Mars

Still, humans had yet to step foot on the Red Planet.

Even though Mars is considered Earth’s neighbor, it is still roughly 140 million miles (225 million kilometers) from Earth, without considering fluctuations due to its planetary orbit around the sun. Due to the large and varying distance of the planet, a successful Mars mission requires proper calculations and self-sustenance. 

As far as humans are concerned, there are several more considerations regarding a visit to Mars, such as medical well-being and vital sustenance. Because there is more to take into account, landing humans on the planet is a more difficult task. Furthermore, humans require more space for travel than compact rovers, necessitating the development of new spacecraft. 

NASA’s ongoing Artemis Mission and Elon Musk’s ambitions are already prospects of humans landing on Mars. The Artemis Mission aims for a sustainable presence on the Moon, which sets the foundation for future human missions to Mars. For example, there are plans to establish lunar bases on the moon to utilize it as a launchpad to Mars. Moreover, Musk’s tweet on X, with him replying “2029” to a photo of an envisioned Mars landing, hints at his timeline of colonizing Mars. Currently in development, SpaceX’s Starship rocket is aiming for human missions to Mars. The Starship is claimed to be a reusable rocket that is large enough to hold heavy cargo and, eventually, humans.

Space technology is becoming more and more distinguished in the realm of science and will continue to be attentive in today’s world. It will carry future generations of the human population toward new celestial opportunities and may become the sole factor in determining the continuation of human life.

Mars, here we come.

NASA. “Hazard: Distance From Earth - NASA.” NASA, 1 Aug. 2024, www.nasa.gov/hrp/hazard-distance-from-earth.

---. “Is Mars Habitable? We Asked a NASA Scientist: Episode 2 - NASA.” NASA, 17 Nov. 2023, www.nasa.gov/solar-system/is-mars-habitable-we-asked-a-nasa-scientist-episode-2.

Steigerwald, William. “NASA-Funded Study Extends Period When Mars Could Have Supported Life - NASA.” NASA, 26 July 2023, www.nasa.gov/solar-system/nasa-funded-study-extends-period-when-mars-could-have-supported-life.

Torchinsky, Rina. “Elon Musk Hints at a Crewed Mission to Mars in 2029.” NPR, 17 Mar. 2022, www.npr.org/2022/03/17/1087167893/elon-musk-mars-2029.

United Nations Environment Programme. “We’re Gobbling Up the Earth’s Resources At An Unsustainable Rate.” UNEP, www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/were-gobbling-earths-resources-unsustainable-rate.