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An article I read a couple weeks ago basically said that. They are planning on sending supplies there ahead of time. The people that go then will use it to get set up. They will hope to produce oxygen and create a stable environment to survive in. Then, on a regular schedule more and more will follow.
I wonder how long it will take for babies to be born there. I'd predict not long. People grouped together in confined areas tend to do that.
I think it would be more prudent to find out whether they can separate the carbon and oxygen from the CO2 in the atmosphere before sending anyone there.
At least then they will be certain to have fuel to burn and oxygen to breathe before they arrive.
They will obviously have to grow their own food, which leads to other issues. Such as:
Can Martian soil be used, or
Are there Martian microbes that could prove toxic to humans or Earth plants, or
If Martian soil cannot be used and plants must be grown hydroponically, where do they get all the water that will be required, or
What are the effects of growing plants in 37.5% Earth's gravity, or
Will the plants need protection from the solar radiation bombarding Mars, like humans will?
These are just a few of the unanswered questions that need to be answered before even considering colonization of Mars.
Still, the Mars One project faces some tough issues. Lansdorp says colonists would have to grow plants using a chemical process called hydroponics, which does not use soil.
There's no shortage of people who can meet that criteria.
There's no shortage of people who can meet that criteria.
LOL! So it seems.
The idea of hydroponically growing plants on Mars may sound feasible, but I'm not so sure all plants are suitable. In addition, hydroponically grown plants still require nutrients in different amounts (depending on the plant) in order to grow. Over time, nutrients in a hydroponic solution has to be replenished. Does Mars contain the right kind of nutrients for plant growth?
The idea of hydroponically growing plants on Mars may sound feasible, but I'm not so sure all plants are suitable. In addition, hydroponically grown plants still require nutrients in different amounts (depending on the plant) in order to grow. Over time, nutrients in a hydroponic solution has to be replenished. Does Mars contain the right kind of nutrients for plant growth?
I think we can create the optimum environment for just about every plant, assuming they have the water, nutrients, minerals, and fertilizer. Artificial lights can be used to create the ideal day/night cycle, and the Martian atmospheric composition is perfect for plants.
They would also need to plant more than they consume. Plants can and do fail, even in perfect conditions. Which means they would also need a means to preserve and store food. Thankfully, there is a lot of dry-ice about.
...assuming they have the water, nutrients, minerals, and fertilizer.
All plants need water, but in varying amounts. Nutrients, minerals and fertilizer are pretty much lumped together in the same boat. Does Mars even have the kind nutrients, not to mention in a usable form, required for a wide range of plant growth for people to be self-sufficient? Extracting such minerals in itself would be a major undertaking, especially for a handful of people.
If we assume there is sufficient nutrition available, then, of course, it would be necessary to have sufficient growing space for the crops. Remember, the point of the OP has to do with a one-way 'suicide' mission, that those who volunteer are not going to be returning to Earth. With that in mind, they will have to make do with whatever Mars has to offer. If supplies need to be transported to them on a routine basis, then the inhabitants cannot be truly considered as being self-sufficient, nor would it be a 'suicide' misson although it would still be very dangerous. I think it could indeed be possible to send people to Mars by 2023, but a one-way suicide trip would amount to nothing more than an act of sheer madness.
We can probably assume that plants are not going to be growing out on the Martian plains. They'll have to be raised in an enclosed space. The amount of space needed would depend on the number of people on such a mission. If the object of the mission is to pave the way for other people, in effect to establish a colony, that would require a lot of enclosed space for crops. The point is that it's not a simple matter of shipping a few people off to the Red Planet in 2023 or so just to see what happens. A lot of questions need to be answered first, and robotic missions are the best way to do that. We need to first know what exactly the planet has to offer in order to provide self-sufficiency. We need to carefully proceed step by step.
I personally think the idea of the so-called 'one-way trip to Mars' is a fantasy that hasn't been fully thought through. A more sensible plan, with regard to manned missions, is to forget about one-way trips and look more at extended missions that still allow the return of people who go there. It is going to require some remarkable and large scale technologies to build a suitable habitat and environment that's going to be larger than a jail cell for people to live the rest of their lives there. Unless some truly radical changes in technology occur, I think Mars will become a research station, much like Antarctica, for at least the next hundred years or more.
Reminds me of a bunch of people living in the bottom of the sea, someplace and the tension kind of got the best of them.
Ring any bells?
Ha! Sealab 2021.
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