Mars?....Or Bust. Most Likely Bust.
A high profile individual with considerable, beyond the limits of comprehensible, disposable income has rather lofty ambitions of colonizing Mars.
I am not an astrophysicist nor am I a rocket scientist. I do know that Fat Bottomed Girls make the rockin' world go 'round (thanks Dr. May.) However since I was a wee lad I did have a fascination with anything space. I would watch most attentively any television show, movie or read any book about "The Final Frontier." My toys were almost exclusively astral themed - Star Wars, Star Trek, The Black Hole etc. In the '80's whenever the Challenger space shuttle had a launch, our teachers often rolled in the television so we could watch. That was consistently by far my favorite school day. (Except for the sombre day that it exploded. Upon which we were rushed back to class in silence with no option of discussing how we felt about it. Just back to our times tables and cursive.) I did poorly in high school mainly due to boredom, adolescent distractions and indulgences. But I did excel in Earth Science and Literature.
As an adult I still avidly follow the Star Wars franchise (yes I'm one of THOSE) and many of my favorite authors write in the sci-fi genre - Arthur C. Clarke, Robert Heinlein etc. One of my favorite coffee mugs has the solar system on it.
As you can see I have immersed myself in quite a few matters of space throughout my life even though I have no official qualifications. I feel I can expound somewhat extensively on the subject.
Back to the red planet.
I am in favour of space exploration and exploring the expansive great beyond but colonization of our planetary neighbour logistically has several holes. If you support the notion, more power to you. However, before you pack your freeze dried food and charge your iPhone for the long journey there are some well established facts about Big Red that I feel you should be aware of.
First the basics. Mars is smaller than Earth. The diameter at the equator of Mars is about half that of the Earth. The circumference of Mars is also about half that of Earth. The volume of Mars is 15% of the volume of Earth. So if you could crack the Earth open like an egg, about 6.5 planets the size of Mars could fit inside.
Next the challenges.
Because Mars is smaller than Earth, the pull of gravity on the surface of Mars is only 38% as strong as the pull of gravity on Earth’s surface. If you remember the Moon landing footage the astronauts bounced about seemingly happily as if in an interstellar bouncy castle. Mars would provide for much the same results. If Mars were to be colonized then some items would have to be fastened to the ground as it were. On the positive side, fatigue and related health issues would be lessened significantly due to decreased gravitational resistance. Often our fatigue feels accelerated by gravitational resistance to our movements.
Earth rotates around its axis like a spinning top. The time it takes for Earth to complete one full rotation is what we call a day which lasts around 24 hours on Earth. Mars spins a bit slower around its axis than Earth, so each day on Mars is a little longer. It lasts 24 hours and 37 minutes. (A Martian day is called a "sol" by the way.) Therefore a day/sol on Mars would be slightly longer. For us that means our present means of Earthly timekeeping would now be irrelevent. A new system of timekeeping would have to be developed for the extra 37 minutes. You think jet lag is bad? Wait until you experience planet lag. If we reach a point of consistent planetary travel, our circadian rhythms would be misfiring often.
Planets also travel in an orbit around the Sun. This would be like having that spinning top draw an oval path around a point on the floor. The time it takes for Earth to complete one revolution around the Sun is about 365 days (365 1/4 to be precise - hence the leap year.)
Mars has a larger orbit than Earth. Since Mars is further from the Sun, its orbit goes all the way around Earth’s orbit. Mars also moves through the solar system more slowly than Earth. Because of the size and speed of its orbit, a year on Mars lasts 669 sols, equivalent to 687 Earth days. To accommodate this future Martians would have to develop a new calendar. The concept of "months" is based on the activity of Earth's moon. Therefore the present calendar wouldn't apply off planet. On Mars expect to wait longer for your Martian birthday. As a plus you have more time to pay your Christmas debt down. The younguns of course will be disappointed at the longer wait for Santa Claus. But from which North Pole will he be based?
Earth’s atmosphere, what we call air, has 78% nitrogen and 20% oxygen. There are also small amounts of other gases, including carbon dioxide. People could not breathe the atmosphere on Mars. It is 96% carbon dioxide and only 0.145% oxygen. The Martian atmosphere is also “thin.” This means that it is 100 times less dense than Earth’s atmosphere. The concept of "stepping outside for fresh air" will be non existent. The air will have to be mechanically generated and contained within enclosures. Your new Martian home will need an air supply installed. (Great business idea for those with entrepreneurial spirit.) A walk in the park will require a good old fashioned space suit.
Speaking of walks in the park, the climate on Mars is colder, drier and harsher than in any place on Earth. Earth’s average temperature is 14 °C, but the average temperature on Mars is a chilly -63 °C. Mars is colder than Earth because it is farther from the Sun. Sun on your face, getting your Vitamin D for seasonal depression? Good luck with that. The atmosphere of Mars is also too thin to trap heat on its surface. Better pack your UV lamp aka "Happy Light."
A vast ocean system of liquid water covers 71% of Earth’s surface. There is water on Mars too, but the cold temperatures and thin atmosphere mean that liquid water cannot exist for long. At least not on the surface of the planet. Fancy going for a swim? Better include an enclosed (don't forget the oxygen tanks) swimming pool as part of the proposed Martian infrastructure.
Please don't misunderstand me, I am enthusiastic about space research and exploration. However recognize that considering Mars as a Plan(et) B if Earth finally breaks down as life support, will be an astronomically (pardon the pun) complex challenge. Perhaps we should take some of those intended Martian colonization resources and redirect them on the improvement of this big blue and white orb we call our Earthly home. Rest assured there's much work yet to be done in environmental preservation. (Paper straws aren't going to cut it, let's be real.) For now let's consider Mars as a cool place to visit and leave it at that.
Scientific data source: https://letstalkscience.ca/educational-resources/backgrounders/earth-vs-mars
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