LIFE ON MARS?

NASA’S PERSEVERANCE HAS BREATHED NEW LIFE INTO THE IDEA OF HUMAN LIFE ON THE RED PLANET

- ABRAHAM JEWETT

When it comes to Mars, the future is now.

NASA’s Perseverance touched down on the Red Planet in February, and the car-sized Mars rover has been providing Earth with the clearest images of the Martian landscape to date.

Nicknamed Percy, it was designed to explore a crater, Jezero, as well as to scout the planet for evidence of former microbial life, collect rock and soil samples, test oxygen production, and prepare for potential future manned missions.

Getting an up-close and personal look at the Martian world has sparked global interest and reignited the debate on the plausibility of making the planet habitable for human life.

BRING A JACKET

Unfortunately for anyone hoping to set up camp millions of miles away, the probability of making Mars compatible to human existence is slim.

The Red Planet’s atmospheric pressure is a mere 0.6% of that which exists on Earth, and with an average temperature of -81 degrees Fahrenheit, any liquid water (a major factor in a planet’s climate) would quickly evaporate or freeze.

Along with water, a planet’s atmospheric condition, density, and distance from the sun all play a role in how hot or cold it is. The existence of seasons and the presence of a magnetosphere also play a part, to a lesser extent.

So, is there any way we could heat up the planet enough to keep astronauts from turning into human popsicles?

Sort of. But not really.