Mars is Calling, but Will We Answer?

Humans have been wanting to colonize Mars for ages, and according
to new research, it seems more realistic now than ever before.

225M Km is the average distance between Earth and Mars. It seems incredibly far away, but we
could be living on the red planet sometime in the future. Here’s how it would be possible.

1 First, we would need to find a location for the settlement. Caves seem to be the most adapted
location for humans, as they could protect from Martian hazards such as radiations and a
temperature that fluctuates between -5 and -87 °C, which is not ideal for humans. A team of
researchers at the Geological Society of America Connects 2022 presented 169 caves that
were all within 100km of a potential landing site on Mars. According to experiments made on
Earth, researchers of the THEMIS missions concluded that some of these would provide
complete protection from the radiation and would be easy to seal.

2 Second, Martian settlers would need a way to communicate with Earth. Currently,
communication between Earth and Mars ranges from 3 minutes to 22 minutes due to the
speed of light, meaning that it would make it almost impossible to have a discussion with
someone on Earth while being on Mars. Additionally, communication can be blocked for two
weeks when the Sun is directly between Earth and Mars, but according to the Astrodynamics
Specialist Conference, a satellite placed at a specific location close to the Sun could serve as
a relay for communication during this period.

3 Third, the colony would need to be profitable in order to be sustainable. The economy of Mars
wouldn’t be a problem because of the planet’s proximity to the asteroid belt, a region in the
solar system filling the space between Mars and Jupiter’s orbit. From Mars, it would be
possible to travel to the asteroid belt and mine it. The cost of the expedition wouldn’t be a
problem either because the belt is estimated to have over $10000 Quadrillion Dollars of
minerals. NASA has already launched a spacecraft in October and is expecting it to arrive in
2029 to study the asteroid belt.

4 While colonization of Mars remains possible, it is important to remember that the planet is
not as adapted for humans as Earth is. So why would we want to colonize Mars? As the Greek
poet Ovid said, “The harvest is always richer in another man’s field.”