NASA’s goal is to get humans to Mars by the 2030’s. They are currently working on Mars One, a project that will be able to get humans to and from Mars. There are numerous hazards with going to Mars, radiation being one of them, so NASA is currently working on how to deal with the radiation on Mars. NASA is also building the Space Launch system, which is supposed to carry 130 metric tons, and is scheduled to launch for the first time in 2018. SpaceX is also on the race for Mars. They recently launched their Falcon 9 rocket, which brought many satellites into orbit that Elon Musk hopes will fund SpaceX’s Mars missions. Unlike NASA, Elon Musk believes that humans can get to Mars as soon as …show more content…
My third questions asked “What technology is currently in development to help a manned mission to Mars succeed?” NASA is projecting a launch date of 2018 for their concept rocket ‘Space Launch System Mk. I’, and if finished, it will be the most powerful rocket on the planet. SpaceX, on the other hand, has built and tested a rocket named ‘Raptor’ that is supposed to take humans to Mars, which is also three times more powerful than ‘Falcon 9’, the rocket that brought SpaceX’s satellites to space. Elon Musk hopes that those satellites will fund SpaceX’s Mars missions and will contribute to the production of new technology for Mars missions. There are many factors that are stopping a manned mission to Mars, but radiation is a huge part of why humans can’t live on Mars for an extended period of time. Many simulations have been done in vacuum chambers and isolated parts of Earth to simulate the Martian atmosphere, but we can’t exactly simulate the radiation on Mars. So, scientists can only brainstorm ideas of how to get around Mars’ radiation. One idea that scientists have to sustain life on Mars might be to use an igloo-like structure to house astronauts on Mars. Another involves living underground to avoid the radiation-filled dust on