Category Archives: Mars

Mars, the Martian

Martian Science at the Movies

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The Martian Didn’t Win, But…

It was disappointing that The Martian didn’t win any statuettes at the Oscars this year, but not surprised. Other than the total homage that Hollywood gave “Gravity” a few years ago, it’s tough for a movie with a science theme to garner a lot of mainstream support. I was rather amused that The Martian did get a “Best Comedy” nod from the Golden Globes — I suppose it was kind of funny in spots, but still, that was a rather surprising way to characterize the film.

Still, it did please me to see that the action-adventure movie about a guy who gets left on Mars and has to survive on potatoes for a few years did garner some positive attention from the Academy, even if it didn’t eventually win. Science is a big part of our technological society. Our lives depend on the output of science in many ways. So, having a positive nod was a good thing.

It’ll Be Hard Out There for a Mars Astronaut

Martian explorers in a harsh, familiar, and challenging environment. Courtesy NASA.
Mars explorers in a harsh, familiar, and challenging environment. Courtesy NASA.

The one thing the movie did with great beauty was show us how challenging the Mars environment will be for the humans who get there in a few years (or decades). Depending on which mission scenario you favor, we could see humans heading to Mars fairly soon (if the Mars One folks get their wish) or by the late 2020s (a more conservative approach). We have a good idea of what they’ll face, but the reality is going to be far different from the loads of data that are streaming back from spacecraft and landers on Mars.  And that reality won’t just include limited food supplies in case of emergencies.

For one thing, machines won’t have to face that. People will, and people aren’t  machines. People come with built-in frailties that machines never face. We also have psychological kinks that will have to be taken into account before and during the missions. And, if we’re going to explore Mars (and other worlds) we have to come to terms with the act of living (and dying) there. And, eventually, having kids there — kids who will no longer be Earthlings, but will be Martians.

Not only do we have to worry about our minds and bodies on Mars, but there are steps that humanity needs to take just to get ready for Mars missions. I’ve always said that the first step to learning to live on Mars is to go to the Moon and practice there.  Do it where rescue is only a few days away. Not months, or years.  Also, that learning curve will include families, with kids born on (in) the Moon. A first generation of the space-born, if you will.

If movies like The Martian can give a good idea of what it might be like for the generations of space explorers to come, then maybe it doesn’t matter if they win awards or not. The point is, they get made and if they don’t screw the pooch on the science (too badly), then they’re a look into humanity’s future in the solar system. It’s all good!

If you haven’t seen the movie  or read Andy Weir’s book that it’s based on, I recommend it highly!  You never know when you (someone in your family) might find it so inspirational that it leads to a career on Mars.

Curiosity, Mars

Seeing Ourselves Anew from Faraway Mars

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Contemplate Mars’s Bright Evening Star

earth from mars
Earth in the Martian twilight, as seen by Mars Curiosity Lander, January 31, 2014. (Click to embiggen.)

I know this image taken from the surface of Mars dates back to January of 2014, but I still find it fascinating to simply look at it and think about what the view means. If you can, click on this small version (right-click to open a bigger version). Then, just simply scan the darkened part of the sky.

See that little blue dot? That’s us, as seen from the Mars Curiosity rover on January 31, 2014. We’re all there, on that pale blue dot, doing our communal thing on the only planet we can call as our home.

If you were on the surface of the Red Planet and could look up at the sky after sunset, this is how humanity’s ancient home would look to you. A pale blue dot and a tiny pinpoint of light marking our Moon.

Being on Mars

What if you WERE there? Think about that for a moment. Imagine yourself there. You’ve just finished a long day of whatever it is your science team has assigned you to do, and you’re taking a moment to simply enjoy the sky before you head in for dinner (hopefully NOT potatoes!) and a movie.

Think about the work and accomplishments it took to get you there. For one thing, YOU would have done a LOT of work to get chosen for a Mars mission. Or, maybe you’re a second-generation Mars colonist. Maybe you were born there and you simply think of yourself as a Martian. The place has always been your home. And, maybe your colony’s history has been long and difficult, as humans worked to gain a foothold in the Martian environment.

No matter how you got to Mars, there you are, staring at a world that’s about a hundred million miles away. What’s happening there as you watch in the gathering night? Are countries at war? At peace? Has climate change been forestalled? Or, are millions of people suffering through the extreme weather and changing ocean levels? Do you have relatives there? What do they tell you about life on Earth? What do you tell THEM about life on Mars?

Someday, and I hope it’s fairly soon, there WILL be Martians staring back at Earth, just as Curiosity did to take this image. It’s been a long time coming, and it will make a tremendous change in humanity — change we can only dimly imagine today.

Will YOU (or your children) be the Martian who stares back at Earth?