Do martians exist?

Photo courtesy of google images

Photo courtesy of google images

The question has been tossed around for years, but nobody seems to know if they exist or not. Until quite recently, space had been a subject people only dreamed about, but now, with advanced technology, the answer could be close. As most people know, NASA, or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, is adept at finding cool, new things in space. A new goal of theirs for the near future is a trip to Mars. Now, getting to Mars isn’t as easy as just launching a space shuttle up there, crossing your fingers, and hoping it lands on the Red Planet. Much more goes into the process and the project would most likely be ready in the 2030’s at the earliest. Among those working towards getting to Mars are Jeff Bezos, Sir Richard Branson, and Elon Musk, all of whom have contributed ideas to reusable rockets, which would save a lot of money for other uses in the project. Mars is pretty promising of life with its water, heat source, atmosphere, and 38% of Earth’s gravity. However, humans have slow rockets, can’t stand the exposure to radiation, lack of communication, and no reliable food source – all of which prevent us homo-sapiens from exploring the depths of space. To help figure out what could go wrong and how to fix those things, it would be an advantageous decision for NASA to make a settlement on the Moon that simulates the habitat of Mars. One large step for mankind, though, is through the Lada Greenhouse, an experiment run on a space station by Russian scientists to see if edible food can be grown in space. Aboard the Greenhouse, the scientists have managed to grow bell peppers, grapes, peas, and leafy greens, which have all been deemed edible. Another advancement is the ability to get water from recycled human waste. Our waste has been found to be able to fertilize plants as well as “make” water. So, while NASA takes it one small step at a time, we still need that one giant leap to get to Mars.

Information for this article was taken from the NASA.gov website