The Future of Mars

Lets say that no life is found with this current Mars mission and subsequent unmanned Mars missions. Nasa may decide to create a semi permanent settlement on Mars. This would involve creating our own air, water and food supplies. This would not be a simple task. Transporting the necessary equipment at this stage with the astronauts is not feasable due to cost and craft size limitations. We would have to send ships in advance. One to handle the creation of drinkable water from the frozen ice if H2O is discovered. Then the creation of oxygen for breathing and hydrogen for fuel, again from this water. Food will be another problem and if plants are to be send in the form of seeds, or plants, a greenhouse with the proper atmosphere will have to be created prior to mans arrival to ensure sufficient supplies. What if Nasa or some other organization decides to make Mars more permanent? Who's to say that this decision of who goes and what the long term purpose will be is all up to Nasa? Wha...

One scenerio with Mars is this IMHO. Mars has a rotation or a day that is similar to earth. 24 hours, 37 minutes, 23 seconds is a standard Mars day. Is it possible that Mars does not have life at all and that the longer Mars day has some bearing? Maybe the distance from the sun, and the slightly longer rotational day was not sufficient to create the right environment for the formation of life? Even if Mars does not have the building blocks for life to exist, will we use Mars as a stepping stone for future missions that takes man beyond our solar system? This is certainly a possibility. We can certainly use Mars to position observatories and high gain telescopes to aid in our search for earth like planets. What if we do eventually locate a planet around a distant star that is approximately the same in characteristics to our earth? The distance away from the star is approximately the same and with a 24 hour rotational day? Will there be life on this planet or can life be easily transp...

Let's presume that the "Mars Exploration Rover Spirit" sent by Nasa does discover water. What are the future considerations? Well, with liquid water, this would be the perfect breeding ground for a chemical reaction. Be it organic or inorganic. Anything organic would prove that life exists on Mars. Anything inorganic would indicate that there is a potential for future chemical reactions or that reactions have occured depending on the molecule(s) discovered. I am not convinced at this stage that we will discover any complex molecules or organisms on Mars yet that would have derived from the presence of water. We will have to keep our eyes open to see what the Rover Spirit uncovers.

Currently there has been over 40 attempts to land on Mars. Either by the Russians, Europeans, Japanese but only the United States have been successful. All are looking for the presence of liquid water at this stage. Water happens to be one of the key elements for the creation of life as we know it. If and when we do find water, this will certainly pose a question. Did Mars at some point have life or does life still exist on Mars in some primitive form? As for water, this will certainly increase humanities need and interest in sending a person to Mars. We will be able to use water for living and also assist in the creation of oxygen for breathing. Will we discover water in liquid form? The next few weeks and months will bring some interesting reports from the current Mars rover.

We are on the verge of setting a "FOOT on Mars" just like we did in the 70's with the lunar man missions. What is the "Future of Mars"? We are not sure yet but before we do actually send a person to Mars, I can suggest some ideas on what may transpire in the short and long term. Bob