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Devin Jimenez

Professor Rebecca Morean

English Composition 1201

25 April 2020

What are the benefits of going to Mars?

Imagine planet Earth is no longer inhabitable. Our species can no longer survive the

conditions on it. How could we make sure the human species can continue to survive? This idea

was once a plot for a sci-fi movie, but with new research and technology, a possible destination

for us would be Mars. Traveling to Mars would provide many benefits. Some of these benefits

include ensuring the survival of humanity, discovering new life, improving our quality of life on

earth, and it would give a huge political, economic advantage to whoever gets there first (Orwig).

Ensuring the survival of humanity is a necessity. One day the earth is going to be

unhabitable or overpopulated so we will need to find a way to make sure our species can survive.

Throughout history, there have been many events that happened that made multiple species go

extinct. The dinosaurs are a perfect example of this. They could not survive the catastrophe that

happened. Something similar could happen to the human species and we would need a plan to

make sure we could survive. That plan would be making Mars a place for humans to live on. If it

were possible to colonize Mars, we would be able to extend our survival for many years to come.

Mars has been chosen because the atmosphere is very similar to Earth’s. We would be able to

adapt easier because one day on Mars is equal to one day on Earth. Scientists have found traces

of water on the surface which makes them believe Mars is more identical to Earth that what was

originally thought. For these reasons, Mars is the top candidate that would help us survive. The
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faster we can study how humans could live there; the better chance we would be able to make

Mars habitual.

Whether it is stopping global warming, pollution, over population, or a natural disaster,

getting to Mars would help us learn how to save Earth. Once we got there it would be easier for

us to study the surface and atmosphere. In doing so, we could discover what happened to Mars

and use that information to make sure the same doesn’t happen to Earth. Some of that

information would drastically change life on Earth. It could be anything from helping us stop

pollution or global warming to giving us access to new agriculture and medication resources. It

has been suggested by scientists that these new resources would change our everyday life. In

recent years, NASA has sent automated robots to Mars so they can harvest some of the resources

and to prepare for the arrival of humans. By using this technology, it has been discovered that

Mars already has an abundance of useful resources. One of these resources that was discovered

was silicon dioxide which is used for making glass products such as fiber glass. There have also

been a lot of mineral resources such as iron, titanium, aluminum, sulfur, and calcium that were

discovered. The automated robots sent back information suggesting that food can be produced on

the surface by using an artificial light source. The resources for survival on Mars are there, and

there is a lot that we can learn from them.

Another benefit of traveling to Mars would be to discover new life forms. Doing this

could answer one of humanities biggest questions about being the only species in space. With the

discovery of water, it is believed that there was life on Mars. According to scientists, the best

place to discover new life would be in water that is underground. Potential life forms could be

there because the underground water would protect them from radiation (Lambright). Another

theory is that the life forms found on Mars could be very similar to what we have on Earth. In
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1996, there was a meteorite that was found in Antarctica that was proven to be from Mars. On

this meteorite scientists claimed that there were traces of life on it. The rock had contained

structures that resembled bacteria-like lifeforms. Finding new life would be a revolutionary

discovery and it would change how we think. It would also open a new set of scientific

questions. Some of these questions would be, is that life similar and related to human species?

The only way to make these revolutionary discoveries is to get on the surface of Mars.

During the Cold War, multiple countries were racing to get to the moon and explore

space. The country that got there first, proved to be more technological advanced than the others.

The same goes for Mars. If a country can get to Mars, it would provide national prosperity and

raise the moral of its citizens. This would make a huge statement that the country is capable of

great things, arguably the greatest achievement in human history. More importantly, it would

dramatically improve the nations outlook and economy. New resources would be introduced

which would provide a numerous amount of benefits for the economy. New and promising

industries would help bring revenue and jobs into the country. It would open the door for new

trades between countries. Even though the country that got to Mars first receives all the praise, it

would help the global economy. Multiple countries would work together and find a way to get

there with the new resources they received. The economic benefits would be never ending.

As with any other expedition, traveling to Mars comes with many risks. Some of these

risks include making sure humans can survive the trip, having precise instruments that will never

malfunction, and most importantly, the cost of the trip. All these risks would vary and be

difficult to prepare for. Even with simulations and multiple exercises, this trip would be very

unpredictable. Many people would argue that the risks are to great for this journey, but there are

individuals out there that would be willing to take these risks.

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The most important thing for this mission to work, would be the survival of the

astronauts. Space travel is compared to hiking Mt Everest. It would be dangerous and very

unpredictable because Mars and space both have unforgivable environments. Every component

of the equipment must function correctly. If something malfunctioned, the consequences would

be deadly. A good example of this would be the Space Shuttle Columbia that disintegrated in the

atmosphere in 2003. Foam insulation on the space craft broke off and caused hot gases to get

inside and destroy the internal wing structure. This made the Columbia unstable and break apart.

In order to avoid fatal catastrophes, properly trained individuals need to be prepared for any

situation. These reasons will make the astronaut selection very difficult. They will need to

undergo multiple tests and simulation exercises. Along with these tests, the individuals will need

to have a bachelor’s degree in engineering, physical science or mathematics. Candidates will

need to have at least three years of professional experience or at least one thousand hours of pilot

in command time in a jet aircraft. On top of that the candidate will need to be in excellent shape

and be able to pass NASA’s physical examination. However, even with these requirements, there

are many other skills that can be an asset for being selected. Scuba diving, wilderness and

leadership experience, and being able to speak multiple languages are skills that would be taken

into consideration. Once candidates are selected, they will need to undergo an intense process

before they will be ready for space travel. Some of these processes will include learning how to

spacewalk, how to do robotics, flying airplanes, and operating the International Space Station.

Along with required training, there would be many legal issues as well. The astronauts would

need to sign multiple documents that explain all the risks expected on this journey. They would

not be able to sue the company for any consequence that can happen. For these reasons, finding

the right candidates for this mission will be a big factor for this to be successful.
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Another big factor in going to Mars is the cost. Since 1998, NASA’s budget has

increased by more than fifty two percent (Amadeo). They are funded by the government, but

their budget provides incentives for businesses that partner and support their projects such as,

deep space exploration. A lot of the major projects and missions that NASA has accomplished

have all came from private business funds (Clark). A big supporter of a Mars mission is Space X

founder Elon Musk. He is currently building a spacecraft that will travel to Mars multiple times

so he can send one million people there by 2050. Musk announced that the funds needed for this

will be from a huge public-private partnership, including using his own personal profits. In 2019,

President Trump announced a budget increase of an additional 1.6-billion-dollar fund for NASA

to find ways to travel into deep space (Foust). It is estimated that the cost of sending four people

on a one-way trip to Mars would be roughly 6 billion US dollars (Chang). For every mission

after that, it would cost about 4 billion. All these costs can increase if there are malfunctions or

issues. The costs would always be changing due to the unpredictability of this mission. In order

to get the funds for this, the public will need to be persuaded into supporting a journey to Mars

(Steinburg). The pubic will need convinced that the funds are worth it and that the possibility of

its passengers dying overcomes the risks.

In summary, if you look into the future at all the possibilities from a scientific standpoint,

the pros of going to Mars outweigh the cons. The discoveries that can be found would change

every aspect of life dramatically. It would be the biggest discovery and achievement of all human

history. In history, a lot of the biggest achievements have all included big risks. There are

numerous individuals who are willing to risk in all for the good of mankind. A good example is

there have been two hundred thousand people that have volunteered to join Elon Musk in his

expedition to Mars. These volunteers know the risks, but it isn’t stopping them from signing up
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to go. More recently, getting to Mars has been considered a necessity for the human species to

survive due to the condition Earth is currently headed for. No one has made it to Mars yet, but

with the advancements that have been made in recent years, getting there is very possible within

the next century.

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Works Cited

Amadeo, Kimberly. “How $1 Spent on NASA Adds $10 to the Economy.” The Balance, The

Balance, 27 Feb. 2020, www.thebalance.com/nasa-budget-current-funding-and-history-

Accessed 1 March 2020

Chang, Kenneth. “For Artemis Mission to Moon, NASA Seeks to Add Billions to Budget.” The

New York Times, The New York Times, 14 May

2019.www.nytimes.com/2019/05/13/trump-nasa-mars. Accessed 1 March 2020

Clark, Stephen. “NASA Announces Funding for Moon and Mars Mission Tech.” Spaceflight

27 Sept. 2019, spaceflightnow.com/2019/09/27/nasa-announces-funding-for-moon-and-

mars-mission-tech/. Accessed 28 February 2020

Foust, Jeff, and Jeff Foust. “NASA to Receive $22.6 Billion in Fiscal Year 2020 Spending

Bill.” SpaceNews.com, 17 Dec. 2019, spacenews.com/nasa-to-receive-22-6-billion-in-

fiscal-year-2020-spending-bill/. Accessed 29 February 2020

Lambright, W.Henry. Why Mars : NASA and the Politics of Space Exploration. Johns Hopkins

University,Press,2014. EBSCOhost,search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=662192&site=eds-live. Accesed 1 March 2020

Mars One. 2020. Mission Budget - Finance and Feasibility - Mars One. [online] Available at:
<https://www.mars-one.com/faq/finance-and-feasibility/what-is-mars-ones-mission-
budget> [Accessed 25 March 2020]

Mars One. 2020. Risks and Challenges - Mission - Mars One. [online] Available at:
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<https://www.mars-one.com/mission/risks-and-challenges> [Accessed 25 March 2020]

Orwig, J., 2020. 5 Undeniable Reasons Humans Need to Colonize Mars — Even Though It's
Going to Cost Billions. [online] Business Insider. Available at:
<https://www.businessinsider.com/5-undeniable-reasons-why-humans-should-go-to
-mars-2015-4> [Accessed 25 March 2020].

Steinberg, Alan. “Space Policy Responsiveness: The Relationship between Public Opinion and

NASA Funding.” Space Policy, no. 4, 2011, p. 240.