Mars Colonization – The First Stepping Stone For Mankind To Go Out To The Stars And Beyond!

One of the biggest dreams of mankind has been to colonize outer space.  Humankind has gazed out to the stars to see what is out there and has wondered how to reach there.

Even in 18th and 19th century many scientists, philosophers and writers have pondered this issue.

However, with the advancement of space technology in the 20th century, mankind has leaped from landing on the Moon to sending payload with reusable spacecraft like the Space Shuttle.

Even the construction of the International Space Station is a serious stepping stone to the stars for the mankind.

The Mars colonization:

Of course, Mars colonization is probably the first stepping-stone for mankind to go out to the stars and beyond.  However, Mars Colonization requires lots of operational planning and equipment before it can turn into reality.

The main problem in the Mars colonization would be the ability to get the equipment and the personnel (the colonists) to Mars.  In order to accomplish this, first the payload (equipment and personnel) would have to be ferried to the Earth’s orbit with powerful Titan like rockets.

Once they achieve High Earth Orbit, the process would require only a re-usable spacecraft to travel from Earth to Mars.  For this long journey, nuclear propulsion must be used for continuous energy for the rocket engines and for the life support systems.  The journey can range from 3 weeks to 3 months depending on the trajectory used and the energy requirements to be met.

Once the equipment and the personnel arrive on Mars, the real work would begin.  Special space habitats with glass domes (of course, when we say glass we mean translucent composite materials) would have to be constructed so that the dome can be pressurized with air.

Of course, the initial air will have to be brought from Earth, but then with special life support systems the air can be purified for further use.  Since all human beings inhale oxygen and then exhale Carbon Dioxide (CO2) then it can be seen that with proper purification techniques the double oxygen atoms in the Carbon Dioxide that we exhale can easily be separated for input into the system.

Of course, the energy supply is also an important issue.  The energy supply must be powerful enough to supply power to the life support systems and to provide electricity to the entire colony.  Of course, also special air heaters and conditioners will have to be used as the surface of Mars can get very hot and very cold depending on the season and the time of day.

However, with a powerful energy source like a Nuclear Reactor, this can easily be possible without any problems.  In fact, with a nuclear reactor, it would be possible to supply uninterrupted energy to the colony for 40 years even with today’s technology.

Of course, as the technology advances everyday, there may be even further complicated systems that can allow human beings to live on Mars comfortably.

One of the other problems that would have to be solved concerning the Mars colonization would be to make adequate shielding against Cosmic Radiation and against Solar Flares.  Normally on Earth, we are totally shielded against Cosmic Radiation and against solar flares.

But with the reduced atmospheric content on Mars, the colony would need extra measures and protection against these elements.  However, it is hoped that in time all of these obstacles in the Mars colonization can be overcome with technological advancements.

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