Colonizing the Planet Mars

The major reason behind considering Mars as a planet for human colonization is the presence of an atmosphere. Terraforming or transforming the atmosphere of Mars' to suit human beings, is an option considered by scientists today. With the discovery of water on its surface, the colonization of Mars can turn into a reality in the near future.

Transportation
The approximate time required to reach Mars is 9 months. Reducing the time spent in traveling is possible, however, not with the presently used chemical rockets. It would require space propulsion technology. Use of constant-acceleration technologies is another option. Ion drives and solar sails are the constant-acceleration technologies and it can cut down the traveling time to a few weeks.

Terraforming Mars
Mars is more suitable for human inhabitation than any other planet or even the Moon. There have been speculations about transforming or terraforming the present conditions on Mars to suit human beings. The idea has drawn objections and criticism from the world over.

Solar Radiations
The atmosphere of Mars is not as thick as that of the Earth. It allows ionizing radiation to enter Mars' environment. More research needs to be undertaken to obtained detailed inputs about Mars' atmosphere.

Communication between Mars and Earth
NASA and European Space Agency (ESA) have placed communication satellites in the orbit of Mars. These satellites are relay equipments used in communication. Communication delay between Mars and Earth, attributed to the speed of light is in the range of 3 to 22 minutes. The possibility of conversation by means of telephones, however, doesn't seem practical because of the time lag.

Robotic Systems
Creating a path to Mars for regular traveling is necessary. The robotic systems used currently, can be used for the purpose of traveling as well as further research. NASA's robotic mission, 'Mars Exploration Rovers', has sent two unmanned rovers, 'Spirit' and 'Opportunity' to Mars, till date. The robotic systems have reduced transportation cost to Mars and were also useful in finding ice and water on its surface. Establishing bases for landing spacecrafts and setting up permanent bases on the surface of Mars can be done with the help of such space vehicles.

Locations for Establishing Colonies
Different regions of Mars are being studied. Due to the presence of ice caps, polar regions are looked upon as possible areas for setting up colonies. Natural caves are found in the equatorial regions of the planet and there is a possibility of water reserves being present in these caves. As the surface of Mars is not fully explored, scientists are awaiting more useful information. The topography of Mars may be varied and diverse than what has been predicted.

Advocating Colonization of Mars
'Mars Society', an organization founded by Robert Zubrin, promotes and advocates the colonization of Mars. It was established in 1998 and does the work of educating people and governments about the benefits of exploring and colonizing Mars.

'Mars Drive' is another group that supports space exploration and colonization of Mars. Founded in 2005, this group has branches in Europe, North America and Australia.

Areas of Concern
The atmosphere of Mars is very thin. Its density is about 1% of that of the earth. It creates a problems for heavy spaceships on the surface of Mars. Thus, a specially designed braking and landing system is needed. The currently used robotic systems for landing on Moon and Mars cannot be used in this case. The effects of Martian gravity on human health have not been studied yet. So, it is difficult to predict whether Mars can support human life in the long term. The dust storms which affect Mars form another area of concern. These storms reduce the solar radiations reaching the surface of this planet.

Setting up colonies on Mars is challenging, both from the economical and technological point of view. However, efforts are being taken to resolve the issues and remove all hurdles. Let's hope that a human colony on Mars becomes a reality in the near future.