Russia: Oxygen Plus Argon Equals Future Martian Air?

While NASA plans on finding ways for us to "recycle our air," Russia is trying to find the perfect balance for a breathable atmosphere on board a future Martian spacecraft.

(Universe Today) Volunteers in Russia are testing the ability of humans to breathe argon-enriched air, as part of a research program that simulates a manned trip to Mars. Researchers want to know if humans can survive breathing air similar to that found on Mars. Of the experiment one Russian scientist said, "Our experiments show that argon combined with the right portion of oxygen is safe for humans. I tested it on myself and I'm OK, and volunteers are also doing fine."

Despite the fact that argon is apart of the Martian atmosphere, some may wonder why the scientists chose that over nitrogen, since their is more nitrogen than argon on the red planet.

The answer lies with the fact that argon is a lot safer than nitrogen, as the latter has the potential to bond with oxygen (via static heat), which can form Nitric Oxide--or even worse, Nitrogen Dioxide), which can be fetal towards humans.

Argon on the other hand is not only non-toxic, but it can resist bonding with other elements (as it is more stable) giving future astronauts fewer headaches to worry about.

This makes Argon the perfect "filler gas" (as pure oxygen is too dangerous), and this experiment may make it possible for humans to one day visit, and perhaps live on Mars.

Mercury Before Mars Equals Space Faring Civilization?

Orbiting a little over one light second away from the surface of Earth, the Moon is an obvious choice in our quest to revisit the stars.

Harboring helium-3 withing its crust, the Moon could help "jump start" our journey into the cosmos financially, if not pay for itself by selling future space stations oxygen via its lunar rocks.

Even though the Moon may benefit our species tremendously, visiting Mars may be harder to justify economically.

For corporations, stock holders may not see the value in visiting the red planet for short term gains (or profits). Meanwhile tax payers may grumble at politicians spending money on another world without seeing any immediate benefits towards Earth.

Such a scenario could easily lead towards humanity delaying (or even skipping) Mars, opting instead to visit the asteroid belt in order to harvest its precious metals.

While mining the asteroid belt would benefit humanity financially, it may not motivate our species to choose a second home en mass outside of the gravitational influence of Earth.

In order to justify Mars, our species may have to look towards the first "rock" from the sun, Mercury.

Described by some as "A Mini-Earth in Moon's Clothing," the planet Mercury shares a few similarities with Earth's Moon.

Orbiting "recklessly close" towards the surface of the Sun, solar energy on Mercury is about 6 ¹/₂ times greater than that on the Moon (or Earth), making the world a prime location for solar powered satellites.

Its close proximity towards the Sun has a few scientists predicting that its crust may be loaded with helium-3, which would make it an ideal "next step" after humanity is done depleting reserves on the Moon.

Mercury may also have an abundance of metals within its crust as well, which could make it an attractive location for future mining corporations (who may consider asteroid mining too dangerous for their employees).

Despite the fact that this world has a global magnetic field, this sun baked world may not attract a large population due to the fact that it lacks an abundance of water.

While lunar colonists would probably be able to import water from Earth, Mercurian settlers may have to look elsewhere as Earthen gravity could make importing water (not to mention food) from the homeworld very expensive.

Since Mars has an abundance of water (in the form of ice), future Mercurian corporations could easily contract explorers to filter and export this precious liquid "sun-ward," launching a whole new industry on Mars.

This could make Mars economically attractive to future Earthlings, who may consider settling the planet en mass in order to reap the benefits of interplanetary trade.

This ultimately could help push our species towards other promising worlds (such as Callisto, Ganymede and Titan), enabling our species to become a space faring civilization.

Note: Due to lack of time, images will be added later on.

Update: Images inserted.

Future Martians May Have To Be Mountain Climbers

(Image Credit: NASA)

Hosting the solar system's largest "mountains" and canyons, Mars is home to an array of geological features that would put Earth (or any other solar body) to shame.

While driving an "over sized golf cart" upon rusty soils will be fun, in order to understand the crimson world's past, future Martians may have to figure out a way of navigating up the side of a rusty Martian cliff.

(SpaceRef) Initial human missions to Mars will be a precious commodity wherein a maximum amount of information is gathered by each crew. As was the case during innumerable terrestrial missions of exploration, the Martian terrain that visiting crews must traverse in order to gain an understanding will often be difficult. This is accentuated by the fact that Mars is a world of geology - one whose surface area is equal to dry surface on Earth. Human crews will be called upon to use a variety of skills and tools to traverse the Martian surface - including those often associated with hiking, mountaineering and technical climbing. While rovers and other mechanical devices will be employed, it should be assumed that skills commonly associated with rock climbing, caving, and mountaineering on Earth will also be required.

The article by Keith Cowing goes into greater detail of what future Martians will need to survive on that world, which may require a whole new space suit design (note: this is something Louise Riofrio may be able to assist with).

While mountain climbing on Mars will challenge even the most fit person on Earth, it may be rewarding experience for any future colonists--especially when one is able to reach the summit at the top.

Video: Google And Virgin Partner For Martian Colony

After realizing that going to the Moon was not their cup of tea, the Mountain View giant has decided to partner up with Virgin Galactic to launch the first Martian colony funded by corporate dollars instead of governmental taxes.

(Google Press Release) "Some people are calling Virgle an 'interplanetary Noah's Ark,'" said Virgin Group President and Founder Sir Richard Branson, who conceived the new venture. "I'm one of them. It's a potentially remarkable business, but more than that, it's a glorious adventure. For me, Virgle evokes the spirit of explorers such as Christopher Columbus and Marco Polo, who set sail looking for the New World. I do hope we'll be a bit more efficient about actually finding it, though." [...]

"Virgle is the ultimate application of a principle we've always believed at Google: that you can do well by doing good," said Google co-founder Larry Page, who plans to share leadership of the new Martian civilization with Branson and Google co-founder Sergey Brin.

"We feel that ensuring the survival of the human race by helping it colonize a new planet is both a moral good in and of itself and also the most likely method of ensuring the survival of our best – okay, fine, only -- base of web search volume and advertising inventory," Page added. "So, you know, it's, like, win-win."

The plan calls for terraforming the planet within a 100 years, using the newly improved Virgle One spaceship to transport citizens willing to brave the dangers of Martian weather, radiation and wildlife in order to settle the red planet (via the Open Source Planet).

Despite the fact that experts have pointed out that terraforming Mars may be a bad idea, Sergey Brin has decided to lead the charge and is asking humans with Earthen citizenship to join him in his quest to conquer the crimson planet.





Sergey Brin is asking interested users to not only fill out the necessary forms online, but to also submit a video proving why they should be one of the lucky few to join him and several hundred pigs on the surface of another world.

Note: While Brin works out getting the permits for establishing a Martian colony, Larry Page is working on the Jupiter mission which involves settling the moons Ganymede and Callisto in the hopes of expanding Virgle's empire across the solar system.

In other related news, Microsoft has decided to partner with the Saturn Corporation (a division of General Motors) to colonize Titan in the hopes that its methane lakes will help ease the energy crisis on our home world.

Microsoft hopes this initiative will help ease public tension after the software giant imprisoned Yahoo! employees on Mercury after they resisted its attempts at taking over the company.

Note: Microsoft and Google are still suing each other in court over the right to colonize the dwarf planet Ceres, which they believe holds the key towards settling Mars.

NASA: Can You Handle The Phoenix? (Video)

It looks as if another NASA video has surfaced, this time highlighting the Phoenix Mars Mission in order to determine whether or not life existed on the red planet's north pole.

While the overall purpose of this mission is focused on the evidence of life frozen beneath the frosty surface, this stationary "rover" could help scientists determine the exact composition of Martian soil.

This could enlighten humanity as to whether Martian soil is potentially fertile or extremely barren (if the latter, we may have to "manufacture" our own fertilizer, which will not make many people happy).

Aquarium Homes For Mars (And Other Radiation Worlds)

(Article inspired by Clark Lindsey of Hobby Space)

Imagine waking up every morning, excited by the mere fact that you are living a hundred million miles away from your home planet, Earth. You slowly ease out of bed, being very careful not to jump too high lest you bump your head against the ceiling (a minor setback of living within reduced gravity).

After briefly enjoying a few hops in a third of your weight, you slip on your gravity suit (due to doctors orders), feed the pigs and dream about someday actually seeing a Martian sunrise from your underground outpost, instead of going above ground at night due to radiation.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the awe inspiring red planet.

Despite the fact that this potential reality may not look too exciting, it is one many governments on Earth would be content with, as they would rather have their astronauts bored to death than "microwaved" via solar radiation.

While some may argue that anti-radiation drugs and portable magnetic shields would allow us to roam the red planet at will (as well as any other radiation safe world), both of these items may increase the overall cost of solar outposts, which may encourage tax payers to grumble about the price tag.

Instead of reducing astronauts into future cave dwellers, why not enclose these future space homes within thick layers of glass and liquid water?

Of the many materials used to protect humans from radiation exposure, lead, aluminum and water are probably the "easiest ways" shield our fragile bodies from the wrath of the Universe.

Even though most colonists would probably prefer a "wall of lead" (or even aluminum) around them, launching the material from Earth (or mining via the asteroid belt) may prove to be very costly, especially when one adds taxes to the final bill.

Water ice on the other hand seems to have placed its finger prints on every solar world save four (Mercury, Venus, Luna aka Earth's moon and Io) and would provide a far cheaper means of securing our foothold upon these semi-hostile worlds.

Although using water as a cheaper alternative may sound reasonable to some people, using glass may not. After all, would it not be easier to simply use thick, translucent plastics instead of heavy glass?

While plastic does have its advantages over its older friend, it may be easier to create glass off world, mainly due to the fact that silica, one of the main ingredients of of sand (or quartz if you live on Earth) can be used to "easily" create glass on other worlds.

On Mars silica is present within the soil, while on other worlds such as Callisto, and Ganymede, silicon is contained within the crust, respectively. This may be true of the other worlds orbiting Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, although NASA will have to confirm this with future probes (and hopefully rovers).

While water and glass may help provide an inexpensive way of shielding colonists from harmful rays, scientists could also grow radiation eating fungi within the watery walls. This would provide further protection, especially if a lunar colony operates within its host planet's radiation belt.

Even though it would probably be wise for off world settlers to also carry portable magnetic fields and anti-radiation drugs with them, they would only have to seriously consider using them if they were going to travel well outside the protection of their base, or if they received warning of an impending solar storm.

Aquarium homes may not be the "end all" solution for us dwelling in the heavens, but they could allow humans to actually raise their kids upon the surface of other worlds (beholding their beauty), instead of below it.

NASA To Starve Mars, Feed Outer Planet Missions

(Hat Tip: Space Pragmatism)

After having successfully launched (and landed) two rovers on Mars, with a third on the way, NASA is readjusting priorities and focusing on the outer gas planets.

(Red Orbit) However, Griffin referred to a recent evaluation from the US National Research Council which gave NASA an "A" for its ventures to Mars, while it received a "D" for outer planets and a "C" for research and analysis.

He announced that a major robotic mission to the outer planets was in the works. "We've rebalanced our planetary science portfolio accordingly," Dr Griffin told the conference.

"As I discussed elsewhere, we've learned more, and had more questions to answer, about the many other planets and moons in our Solar System.

"So after Mars Science Lab - the current planetary sciences flagship - we are now planning in earnest for an outer planets flagship to Europa, Titan or Ganymede."

Even though news like this will not make the Mars Society very happy, NASA's new direction will probably help out Jovian scientists who have been patiently waiting to launch their own probes (and perhaps rovers) to the outer planets.

While Europa and Io are too radioactive for human settlement, Jupiter's other siblings (Ganymede and Callisto) may hold much promise for our future species, along with Saturn's Titan (which may rival Earth in beauty).

Moon Society: What About Lunar, Martian Railroads?

Probably one of the few organizations out there that may live to see their world conquered within "its lifetime," the Moon Society is proposing that future Lunar (and Martian) transportation might have revisit the same technology that helped America conquer the wild west.

(Moon Society Blog) On the Moon and Mars, we aren't going to find building materials that we can "throw together" to provide shelter from the cosmic elements. We will need pressurized structures. Pressurized modules made in a first quickly industrializing settlement can be shipped by the railroads to points along the route to provide the nucleus of new settlements. Pressurized modules have to be handled with care. Try to haul them overland on unimproved roads and the stresses of bouncing around are going to compromise seals and maybe open cracks. Rails on the other hand will provide a smooth low-friction ride to a prepared siding complex where they can be dropped off and docked with one another to provide an instant starter outpost. [...]

Why take the train when we can fly on Mars? I do believe that we can, but I also think that aviation on Mars will be uncomfortably pushing the envelop and that because of that, it may be risky for some time. [...]

Another thing I have never heard a Mars aviation fan (other than myself) concede is that the equivalent of 125,000 feet on Earth only describes the situation in spring and fall when much of the polar carbon dioxide snow over both polar caps is vaporized. As we go into either summer or winter, a significant part of the atmosphere, as much as 30%, will freeze out over one or the other poles. If Mars flight is possible only seasonally, it will not become the backbone of transportation on Mars.

Rails may provide a more "realistic solution" to conquering both the red planet (as well as the Moon), although they will probably have to be enclosed (or underground like a subway) in order to keep Martian and Lunar dust from setting on the rails via static electricity.

While there are many space organizations promoting their "topic of concern," the Moon Society is one of the few that actively promotes and/or includes ideals from other groups, even when it is not within their total best interest.

Note: Currently the Moon Society is looking for a "few good space geeks" to help them work out the nuts and bolts (no pun intended) of building these off world rails. Interested users can join their Google Group forum in order to submit their ideas.

Radiation Safe Worlds

Of the 83 colony worlds that dance and prance around our golden star, only six worlds (excluding our home planet) hold the potential of being future homes, nine if you include Mercury, Pluto and Charon.

Despite the fact that future technology could eventually open up all of these worlds for human habitation, only a few of them may attract "the masses" after the first person sets foot upon their dusty soil due to the "evil R word"--radiation.

Contrary to the various rumors, taking heavy doses of radiation does not turn one into the Hulk, one of the members of the Fantastic Four or Spider Man via a radioactive spider bite.

Radiation, whether cosmic or solar has the potential of seriously roasting you alive, if not turning one into a vegetable.

Even though humans can tolerate "various degrees" of radiation, our bodies seem to be quite content with the level of background radiation our species receives on planet Earth, which is about 0.35 REM's (aka Roentgen Equivalent Man) a year.

Higher doses of radiation can prove to be fatal towards future colonies, and some researchers do not recommend levels above 50 REM within a year or 25 REM during a 30 day period as it can lead towards some serious side affects (as highlighted in the chart below).

While radiation can be countered by using water, lead and aluminum, parents may be hesitant to breed upon foreign planets and moons (let alone raise kids upon them) if it will result in their children acquiring serious birth defects.

In order to determine which worlds are "family friendly," one only has to look at how much radiation a world receives to determine whether or not it is suitable for large populations or should be left alone for industrial space companies.

Starting out with Mars, one often dreams about metropolises dotting the surface of that crimson sphere. While Mars may hold much promise for future colonies, its annual dose of 15-20 REM may give some settlers second thoughts.

While future Martians may be able to combat the threat of radiation by building cities within its lumpy magnetic field, the red planet as a whole may not spawn dense cities until a globe sized artificial magnetic field can be constructed.

Moving outward to the Jovian system future space settlers may find more fortune living on Jupiter's moon Callisto. Orbiting just outside of its angry parents radiation belt, Callisto receives approximately 0.01 REM a day (or about 3.65 REM a year).

Coupled with its prime location in the outer solar system, Callisto may outpace its Martian rivals population wise, and may be second only to Earth as far as future inhabitants go.

Unfortunately Jupiter's other lunar daughters do not fare as well as Callisto, with all three of these worlds (Ganymede, Europe, Io) bathed in Jupiter's harsh radiation belt, putting them at a disadvantage compared to their much colder, "uglier" sister.





Traveling further outward towards Saturn, one may find it strange that humans may call the smog world of Titan home sweet home. While its surface may be hidden from the human eye, its atmosphere may be thick enough to protect residents from both solar rays as well as Saturn's radiation belts.

Even though there are other worlds such as Luna (aka Earth's moon), Ceres, and even Ganymede that may eventually be civilized by our ever growing race, these worlds may not conquered right away due to the "invisible killer" lurking in the shadows.

While it would not be surprising to see scientists and industrial corporations setting up shop on these hostile worlds, the bulk of humanity may choose to remain on these radiation safe worlds until over population forces them to conquer these overlooked spheres roaming silently among the stars.

Turning Martian Air Into Fuel?

(Hat Tip: Mars News)



(Image Credit: NASA)

If humanity is every going to subdue the red planet, then they will need an inexpensive way to transport goods and personal across its crimson deserts.

Instead of looking towards the distant sun to energize our future Martian rovers, why not pull fuel from the "abundant" Martian air?

(Renewable Energy Access) Using concentrated solar energy to reverse combustion, a research team from Sandia National Laboratories is building a prototype device intended to chemically "reenergize" carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide using concentrated solar power. The carbon monoxide could then be used to make hydrogen or serve as a building block to synthesize a liquid combustible fuel, such as methanol or even gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.

The prototype device, called the Counter Rotating Ring Receiver Reactor Recuperator (CR5, for short), will break a carbon-oxygen bond in the carbon dioxide to form carbon monoxide and oxygen in two distinct steps. It is a major piece of an approach to converting carbon dioxide into fuel from sunlight.

Even though the inventors probably designed this technology to help the world to become energy independent, it may have a more practical use on the crimson world millions of kilometers away.

While future colonists may be able to power their space ports using innovative solar technology, it may be in their best interest to make their vehicles "solar independent," thereby giving them more freedom to explore the red planet.

John McCain: Go To Mars...Yeah

(Hat Tip: Space Pragmatism)

It looks as if presidential contender John McCain is not only serious about winning the white house (which looks a little closer after he won New Hampshire) but also perhaps Mars as well.

(Hobby Space) Today John McCain was at Dartmouth College on a final rally before the primaries in the Granite state There I had the opportunity to ask him this question: "Senator, what is your vision for America's space program?" [...]

He replied "Sure" then paused, "whats my vision?" he asked as though trying to clarify my question "...go to Mars. Yeah..."

Other presidential candidates from both sides have also given "their blessing" towards space exploration, even if they are at odds with President Bush's Vision for Space Exploration (or VSE).

With the presidential primaries heating up, the space community must identify (and support) candidates who desire to spread our civilization beyond our home world, as space has the potential of solving our current energy woes.

Virtual Worlds To Keep Martian Astronauts Sane?

(Image Credit: NASA)

While NASA has dedicated hundreds (if not thousands) of scientists and engineers to ensure that the future humans traveling to Mars make it back to Earth in one piece, they have paid a lot less attention to the fact of them getting homesick.

In order to help lift their spirits (and perhaps counter cabin fever) NASA is considering building a "Second Life" virtual world that would enable them to communicate with friends and family.

(Wired.com) While aerospace engineers are designing the Ares rockets to be deployed in the Mars missions, a more starry-eyed contingent at NASA is testing networking and virtual reality technologies that they think will connect the first wave of Mars pioneers with their families, friends and colleagues back on Earth, in a 3-D virtual world cut from the mold of Second Life or World of Warcraft.

"We want to help our remote explorers 'phone home' in a way that lets them sit around a dinner table with their family, help their children with homework and analyze the latest findings with their Earth-bound peers," says Jeanne Holm, chief knowledge architect at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

The initiative is the latest in the space agency's enthusiastic push into virtual worlds. In May, NASA set up its own island in Second Life to enable online collaboration on technology projects, and the agency is working to create 3-D simulations of the orange-red deserts of Mars, so astronauts can experience the Red Planet before going there.

Even though constructing this virtual world make sense for lunar astronauts, creating it for Martian explorers may be a bit over the top. Mars is approximately 20light minuets away from Earth, making such "virtual interaction" useless, at least in real time.

NASA would probably be better off designing a system allowing astronauts to post video messages to their family (and vice versa) than designing a virtual world for them to play in.

Note: If NASA however decided it needed to send video games in order to help the astronauts pass boredom, they might want to consider contacting this company.

NASA Plans On Kidnapping Martian Soil

Even though NASA has already sent robots to see if Martian soil is fertile, the space agency still desires to study the red dirt under terrestrial eyes.

(Mars Today) NASA and an international team are developing plans and seeking recommendations to launch the first Mars mission to bring soil samples back to Earth. The ability to study soil from Mars here on Earth will contribute significantly to answering questions about the possibility of life on the Red Planet. Returned samples also will increase understanding of the useful or harmful properties of Martian soil, which will support planning for the eventual human exploration of Mars.

A task force named the International Mars Architecture for Return of Samples, or IMARS, recently met in Washington to lay the foundation for an international collaboration to return samples from Mars. NASA hosted the meeting. IMARS meeting participants included representatives from more than half a dozen countries and NASA, the European Space Agency, or ESA, the Canadian Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

Retrieving soil from the red planet could help humanity finally determine whether or not Martian soil is toxic or fertile towards Earthen life.

While Mars has yet to prove itself to be worthwhile financially, future samples would at least help remove the "danger excuse" from colonizing the planet, something the Mars Society would definitely enjoy.

Blue Mars: Coming To A Video Game Near You?

(Image Credit: Avatar Reality, Hat Tip: Mars News)

While NASA and the private space industry struggle to make the final frontier more relevant to the masses, it looks as if a video game by Avatar Reality may help stimulate the population by providing a "Second Life-like" environment.

(Star Bulletin) Make the planet Mars, populate it with ultra-modern cities, flying cars and millions of gamers, and that's what they call a whole lot of fun. [...]

Blue Mars is set 170 years in the future, when advancements in technology have allowed humans to terraform Mars into a habitable planet. The world is the creation of former Square developer Henk Rogers , who founded Avatar Reality Inc. in mid-2006. Rogers is also the chairman of another Honolulu company, Blue Planet Software Inc., which licenses the Tetris computer game.

While video games may seem silly to some people, ideas like these may help encourage the upcoming generation about the importance of Mars without boring them to death with a list of reasons why humanity should settle the planet.

Video games are becoming more and more popular with people of all ages (including Grandparents), and what better way to reach out to those who will (hopefully) inherit the red planet by presenting it in a format that they will enjoy?

Should We Grow Lichen On Mars?

(Image Credit: L. Sancho, via New Scientist Space)

Lichen, known for growing upon rocks, trees and run down buildings seems to be able to thrive in an hostile environment that would kill most (if not all) complex life forms.

(New Scientist Space) Once in Earth orbit, the lid of the container opened and the samples were exposed to the space environment for nearly 15 days before the lid resealed and the capsule returned to Earth.

The lichens were subjected to the vacuum of space and to temperatures ranging from -20°C on the night side of the Earth, to 20°C on the sunlit side. They were also exposed to glaring ultraviolet radiation of the Sun.

"To our big surprise, everything went fine after the flight," says Rene Demets, ESA's project scientist for the Foton project. "The lichens were in exactly the same shape as before flight."

In order to survive the hostilities of space, the lichens reverted to a dormant state until they were able to encounter more favorable conditions again. Ironically (according to the article), if it were not for the low levels of oxygen on Mars, lichen would probably be able to thrive on the red planet.

Although often referred to as a single creature, lichen is in reality two separate organisms (algae and fungi) that help each other survive in what many would consider to be hostile, bitter environments.

If scientists can figure out how to enhance the lichen genes and adapt them to Martian soil, we may be able to eventually grow crops on that red desert world.

Delicious: Martian Menu May Include Bugs

Often seen as a nuisance in the west, bugs may be a future staple of Martians everywhere--at least according to Japan.

(Discover Magazine) Now insects may become the next food frontier for space cuisine. The Space Agriculture Task Force, affiliated with the Japanese space agency, is looking for ways to feed astronauts on extended missions, like on a stint to Mars. A long stay on the Red Planet would require travelers to grow their own food, but a vegetable- and grain-based diet doesn't efficiently supply fats and amino acids.

While they lack the appeal of a ripe banana or a juicy steak, Martians may end dining on these "cute" creatures out of necessity, rather than as a delicacy. Bugs would be easy to raise and grow, and could be easily fed on leftovers from colonists veggie dishes.

However, if humanity ever desires to support large populations on Mars, pigs may provide a much better option.

Colonizing Ceres Before Mars Could Save The Red Planet

Some people say Mars is our next home. Other people say Mars is utterly worthless. Regardless of the viewpoint, humans will probably end up visiting the place for "eternal glory," if not for scientific reasons.

Whether or not our species actually settles the red planet is highly questionable. Unlike Earth's Moon, Mars lacks major resources of any kind that would make colonizing the planet worthwhile. Unless those crimson deserts can provide some return on investment, it may be wiser to turn Mars into a penal colony, than attempting to recreate the world into a second home.

But humanity may be able to justify settling Mars by diverting its attention towards the asteroid belt first--and the key towards conquering the asteroid belt, as well as Mars may lie upon the dwarf world Ceres.

Despite their major differences, both Mars and Ceres share a few similarities. Both worlds harbor abundant supplies of water, respectively, and both worlds are located closer to the metal rich "zone" of the asteroid belt than our home world.

Ceres however is located within the "mineral field of dreams," dancing around the sun between 2.5-3 AU (or astronomical units). This places the icy world in the heart of the metal rich zone, the majority of which can be found orbiting our star between 2 and 3.5 AU.

Its prime location gives it an enormous advantage over the red giant, as well as a motivation for both national governments and companies to visit this lonely dwarf planet.

Ceres also has a lower gravity well than either Earth or Mars, making rocket launches off of the asteroid king very inexpensive. Boasting 3% Earth gravity, Cerian colonies would be able to easily transport precious metals back to our home world (from other asteroids) without the need for large amounts of rocket fuel.

Ceres's prime location as well as its gravitational benefits could (like Earth's moon) help jump start our solar economy, if not give it a second wind. But how would an active mining industry aid a future Martian colony? After all, if Mars has very little to offer our species financially, why even bother colonizing it?

Despite the fact that Ceres has an abundant supply of water, that supply is finite and will not last forever. As the number of asteroid colonies increase throughout the asteroid belt, so too will the demand for water. Although Earth has plenty of water to spare, it may be simply too expensive to rocket the precious liquid to quench the thirst of asteroid minors.

As the demand for water increases, so will the cost of transporting it from Ceres's dwindling supplies. While launching water from Earth may not be affordable, launching it from Mars probably will. With only 38% Earth gravity, the crimson planet would have a much shallower gravity well than our blue home world, enabling it to meet the future water demand at an affordable price.

Although Mars may ultimately provide a second habitat for humanity, it may make business sense to refocus our efforts on the asteroid belt first. Not only would it sustain political support from various Earth governments over time (mainly because of the money), but it would satisfy the "why space" questions in the public, without resorting to a short hand list.

(Image Credits: NASA)

Note: Due to lack of time, images (and some links) will be added later.

Update: Added several paragraphs as well as edited a few sentences for grammar and clarity. Also added several images and links as well.

Russia, NASA Team Up In Quest For Space Water

The head of both Russia and America's space agencies signed an agreement to cooperate as they search both the Moon an Mars in the quest for "liquid gold."

(USA Today) The agreements signed by NASA Administrator Michael Griffin and Russian Space Agency chief Anatoly Perminov deal with putting Russian instruments on board NASA probes that would be sent to the moon and Mars.

"These two projects demonstrate the commitment by our countries to continue to look for opportunities where it's mutually beneficial to cooperate," Griffin said. "When these opportunities happen it's our intent to work together to bring them to fruition."

This partnership should help out both NASA and Russia, as it will lessen the cost of finding the best locations for a moon base, as any habitation near water is considered prime real estate.

This could also help relieve some of the space war rhetoric, as the last thing humanity needs is a cold war in space.

Raising Pigs On Mars

Orbiting our celestial star at an average distance of around 228 million kilometers, Mars is often romanticized as the next home world for humanity. Scientists and space enthusiasts alike often wonder what would life be like living on the red planet, and dream of the future culture that will emerge there.

The first explorers upon Mars will probably rely on supplies previously shipped to the red planet in order to survive upon this harsh world. But in order to settle on this crimson globe, future Martians will need to import fruits, vegetables, grain, trees and pigs--yes pigs.

Pigs represent many things to many people on Earth. To some pigs are smelly, ugly, awful creatures that only look half way descent when staring in a children's film. To others they are delicious beasts who fit perfectly into ones personal barbecue.

Regardless of the viewpoint, pigs may serve a useful purpose on Mars, and could ultimately determine the fate of not only future colonists, but whether or not Martians thrive upon that rusty world.

When compared to Earth, Mars is a nightmare, medically speaking. Orbiting hundreds of millions of kilometers away from the nearest advanced hospital (that is fully equipped), future colonists will be in trouble if any of them required an organ transplant.

If finding a matching donor on Earth was not hard enough, imagine trying to locate one on Mars, especially if future settlements are spread out all over the planet? Since pigs already share many biological traits with humans, they may make prime candidates for people looking to replace a failing organ (or two).

Not only would these Martian swine make excellent "donors," but they may also help determine whether or not it is safe for mothers to carry babies full term on Mars.

When compared to Earth, Martian gravity is only about 38% as strong as our home world. While this may not pose any problems for humans venturing to the crimson planet, it may pose a threat to future humans intending upon raising kids upon the red deserts.

Since pigs probably breed a lot faster than humans, scientists could study how gravity affects several generations in the long term without endangering a future soul from our own species. If any problems did arise, pigs would give scientists an opportunity to develop drugs to counter side affects early on, which would aid future humans down the road.



Another reason Martians may desire to take along Miss Piggy (and friends) is the fact that pigs (especially wild ones) will often eat anything one puts before them.

If future colonists raising crop encounter any of their plants spoiling (for whatever reasons), they would be able to feed the decaying leftovers to our pink (and sometimes black) friends, leaving nothing to rot. Future colonists could then take the pig waste and turn it into fertilizer for their crops, which may be a better option than using our own.

As far as food goes, pigs would also provide an excellent alternative to just simply eating "fruits and berries" on Mars. Pigs would also be much easier to transport than say, cattle, as a little piglet would weigh much less than a baby calf (as launching objects to GEO can cost between $5,000-$10,000 per pound).

For those who prefer to love on their animal friends (instead of dining upon them), pigs would make excellent pets. Having an intelligence greater than dogs as well as a love for cuddling, space faring kids may enjoy raising their pet Wilbur or Babe.

While humans could also transport chickens, fish, cats and dogs to Mars, these may be a little harder to justify expense wise, making the former two a delicacy and the latter couple an exotic Martian pet.

With all of the benefits of transporting (and raising) terrestrial swine to the crimson world, it may not be too surprising to see Mars in the future being labeled as "the pig planet."

Congress Opposes Human Missions To Mars?

While NASA prepares itself to once again visit the Moon, it looks as if the US House of Representatives is proposing a bill that would ban all human missions towards Mars.

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