Humans to Mars?
Ken Brandt
Director, Robeson Planetarium
and Science Center
JPL/NASA Solar System
Ambassador Master Teacher
01/22/14
Happy 111h Anniversary!
The ‘Big Four’
Dennis TitoBas Lansdorf
Buzz AldrinElon Musk
1. Dennis Tito’s Flybycompare to Apollo VIII, 1968
Mission overview animation
MarsOne
MarsOne quick
facts:• Launch in 2025
• 2 Males/2 Females
• One way trip
• First robotic mission 2018• Financing via media/advertising revenues
Mission Overview
01/22/14
Who ARE these people?
01/22/14
663 candidates remain• -Interviews currently happening• -24 finalists will begin training late 2015• -Includes questions about the mission and
Mars
01/22/14
Mars 2018 lander/comm orbiter: establish landing site, payload
01/22/14
MarsOne Habitat
Buzz Aldrin’s cycling Orbit, diagrammed
Elon Musk’s SpaceX plan to be announced Fall 2015:
01/22/14
Obstacles
-Untested technology on Mars-MIT feasibility study summary findings (2014):
first death by suffocation at T+68 days100% humidityrepeated component fail will exhaust sparesmass too great for safe Mars landingproperly supplying will require 15 ‘pods’ landing safely on Mars
Citation: http://web.mit.edu/sydneydo/Public/Mars%20One%20Feasibility%20Analysis%20IAC14.pdf
Obstacles, continued
-Unsafe radiation levels as measured by Curiosity on Mars-Peroxide and other soil contaminants, to include perchlorate-regional/global dust storms-landing site insufficiency of water, other components to be used on Mars-psychological effects of long-term space flight-medical issues unable to be resolved by crew-unrepairable equipment/critical components of habitat growth chamber, etc.
Is there extant Life on Mars?
01/22/14
ALH84001 microbial Fossils?
Recent salt depositIn a Martian gully?
Briny water on Phoenix’s leg?
Diurnal cycle of nutrient use?
Viking II, 1976
Broccoli can grow here.
Methane releaseFrom non-volcanicRegions on MarsCuriosity, 2014Curiosity, 2013
The Charge: Is Mars harboring ‘illegal aliens’?
01/22/14
The evidence:1.Labelled release experiment, Viking, 19762.Meteorite ALH840013.Methane gas release4.Water droplets on Phoenix’ Arm5.Possession of all necessary elements for life6.Abundant evidence of flowing and standing liquid water of neutral pH7.Existence of liquid water below the surface8.Each alone, not enough. But taken as a whole?