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Future Mars and Martians

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

I’m working on a project that requires me to think hard (and write about) what future colonies and research stations on Mars might be like. There’s no question that people will be heading to the Red Planet within the next decade or so. Humans have been fascinated with the place for millennia. but the details of the first missions are still pretty much in discussion. I’m not too concerned with those, although I do hope they happen soon. I’d love to see what happens to humanity when the first people set foot on Mars. It isn’t going to be a quick jaunt (as I wrote in my now-famous and still-popular fulldome show MarsQuest).

What I’m more interested in now is the second generation or even the third generation of Mars settlers. What will they be like? Will they be moms and dads with kids? Where will they live? What populations from Earth will they represent? What will their cities be like? Will they have money? Universities? Companies? Pets? What will Martian children be like? There are so many unknowns, which is understandable since we’re talking about the future here.

Living on Mars

The technical aspects are actually pretty straightforward. Figuring out where to live will be guided by conditions on the Red Planet. The UV radiation alone will force people to live underground or in well-shielded structures. Where do the materials come from for those structures? Will the first Martian cities rise above the surface, or extend below it?

Imagine Mars explorers landing here on the Red Planet, using Mars maps with crater names that people of Earth have provided. Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech. Click to enlarge.

I also wonder what the Martian Gross National Product will be? At first, it will simply be knowledge. After a while, though, there will have to be some other trade relations with Earth, as Mars becomes self-sufficient. I suspect that the planet and its inhabitants will have to learn to stand on their own very quickly since help is months away (at the fastest). The people will need to be resilient in the face of a non-Earth-like habitat. Their children will be unlike any humans born before them — and, I suspect that successive generations of Martians will have different DNA from the rest of us.

It’s an interesting thought experiment, trying to imagine what the Martians 50 years or 100 years from now will be like. I suspect the whole scenario will play out similar to some science fiction books (such as Kim Stanley Robinson’s Mars series), but with distinctly different outcomes based on whatever and whoever it is we are at the time those missions are set up. Someday, however, I’d like to think that Martian parents will take the kids out for some stargazing, and maybe see Old Earth from the observatory. What stories will they tell the kids?

Studying a Comet Long Term

This four-image montage shows the spectacular region of activity at the 'neck' of 67P/C-G. This is the product of ices sublimating and gases escaping from inside the comet, carrying streams of dust out into space. ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM — This four-image montage shows the spectacular region of activity at the ‘neck’ of 67P/C-G. This is the product of ices sublimating and gases escaping from inside the comet, carrying streams of dust out into space. ESA/*Rosetta*/NAVCAM

I’ve been a comet fan since my grad school days. That was when I got pointed at Comet Halley and told, “study these images, and let’s figure out what’s happening with the plasma tail”. So, I pored over images of the comet taken from 1985-1986. I made lots of measurements and worked on papers with my team members. Eventually, we figured out what was happening with the plasma tail (hint: it’s affected by the solar wind). It was a pretty exciting time in my life, standing at the “frontier” of comet science (at that time) and opening my mind to the idea that what happens in the solar wind can make intricate “designs” in the shape and behavior of a plasma tail.

During that whole time, I was also intrigued by what a comet REALLY looks like. We didn’t have any close-up pictures of a comet nucleus. Sure, we had the Fred Whipple model of a chunky block of dusty ice (or icy dust, if you prefer) to study. And, there WERE some Giotto spacecraft images of the Halley nucleus. But they had to suffice until we could get REAL close-ups. What was needed was a long-term study of a nucleus. That’s what the Rosetta mission has done at the nucleus of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

Rosetta Orbits a Piece of Solar System History

For the better part of two years, the Rosetta spacecraft has visited the comet. It studied the chemical composition, sent back images, and gave astronomers the longest “timelapse” look at a comet ever. Along with its Philae lander, which functioned for only a short time, Rosetta is a great achievement. It’s something the European Space Agency and scientists around the world can be very proud to have sent. They’ve orbited a major piece of solar system history. They opened a window into the distant past when comets formed from materials that existed before the Sun and planets did. Studying a comet is like opening a treasure box.

In a few weeks, the mission will send its final images and data, and on September 30, 2016, the orbiter will do a slow crash landing on the surface of the comet. Its last messages should contain some very high-resolution images and data. You can follow the Rosetta mission at the ESA Website for the mission and track the spacecraft’s final days and weeks.

Rosetta: the Executive Summary

It’s been an amazing couple of years. Sure, we see what the comet’s surface looks like with its icy plains, boulders, and rocky inclusions. However, Rosetta’s chemical analysis on the comet’s ices and dust reveal information about the comet’s origins in the early epochs of the solar system’s formation. It also shows that the comet contains ingredients crucial to the formation of life. Mind you, Rosetta didn’t find life. However, uncovering the ingredients of life tells an important story. What did it find? Rosetta detected the amino acid glycine as well as the element phosphorus in the comet’s ices. These are key elements in our DNA and cell structures.

Comets as a Source of Water?

Another question astronomers wanted to answer was “Did Earth’s water come from comets?” Rosetta showed that the comet’s water chemistry is slightly different from Earth’s water. That means that ocean water on our planet didn’t all come from comets like 67P. Understanding where Earth’s water came from is still a big question in planetary science, and now astronomers are looking at other comets and asteroids for keys to the mystery.

I’m looking forward to the last images and data from Rosetta. I’m sure many comet fans, scientists, and graduate students are, too. There’s enough work in the treasury of information the spacecraft sent back to keep whole teams busy for years. In the end, even though Rosetta will no longer be working, its work WILL live on. That’s a major legacy for any mission!

The Spacewriter's Ramblings

Living and Working on Mars: What Will it Be Like?