This is one of the most exciting pieces news I've had the opportunity to write about thus far. I love astronomy! It's the air I breathe both literally and metaphorically. The fact that we humans will be going to Mars is some of the greatest news in the history of mankind. Whether it be NASA, who has a plan in the works, or Elon Musk who believes it’s imperative to mankind’s survival that we become multi-planetary beings. What do I think of this radical statement? It’s crucial we begin to look beyond the horizons of Earth from being our only home because we’ve done too good a job of ruining it. Mars could possibly have running water from what we know, and with the help of the latest scientific technology, sustaining life on this neighbor planet may be in the works of becoming a reality.
Why the sudden burst in news? Why are hopes for a mission to Mars suddenly so high? The United States Senate recently agreed to a deal on a budget for a Mars trip at the gargantuan amount of $19.5 billion. As for Elon Musk, professional businessman who would otherwise double as a Bond villain, he and SpaceX are working on rockets that could be reused, and have executed multiple test runs with them already. A trip to Mars could have amazing implications to the human race, our understanding of the solar system and astronomy in general. There are so many factors and variables these teams have to account for and they have approximately 13-14 years to worry about all of it, including what the suits the Mars-bound astronauts will be wearing--the current rendition is illustrated below:
Here’s my hope: that the United States would include other nations in this endeavor. Why? Because this is the opportunity to begin working on humanitarian relations and setting aside our differences for the greater good of humanity. Also, if Elon Musk can lead the colonization of Mars, it could become one of the great sociology experiments of our time. There are so many aspects to be excited about both astronomically and socially.
When I received news of the NASA funding for Mars budget passing, it brought tears to my eyes. It’s just that spectacular. Say what you want about the Senate and Congress, but they pulled through this time.
There were times where it was discussed whether or not we should use the greenhouse effect to warm up Mars further because as of now, it’s pretty frigid there. This would be an intelligent use of the greenhouse effect because it makes the most sense to use our knowledge of heating up planets to further ready the conditions of Mars to maintain life.
My excitement level is out-of-this-world! If I were able to go to space and survive on Mars long enough for it to be conducive to the others, I would volunteer in the blink of an eye to be one of the million individuals Musk wants to send on the one-way trip to Mars. After years and years of waiting, watching movies like The Martian and soon to be released The Space Between Us, we are one step closer to making our childhood dreams and cinematic ambitions a reality. Mars is ready for us, and now we are finally getting ready for Mars. Three...two...one...blast off.
