THE MARS UNDERGROUND
The space station and various other space programs were upset that their programs were not being required for a mission to Mars. They felt that their work was being devalued. The NASA administration rejected the Mars Direct plan proposed by Zubrin and Baker, two engineers who were considered outsiders. Zubrin remained determined to pursue his vision.
In 1991, David Baker left Martin to start his own firm, while Zubrin continued to try and get NASA's attention for the Mars Direct plan. In 1992, a new administration took over at NASA, and Zubrin saw a second chance. He was invited to brief Mike Griffin, the Associated Administrator for Space Exploration, who became a strong supporter of Mars Direct.
However, before NASA engineers would consider Mars Direct again, they wanted Zubrin to prove that producing rocket fuel on Mars was feasible. They gave Martin Marietta a small budget to conduct an experiment. Zubrin and his team built a machine called the Institute Propellant Plant, which successfully produced methane oxygen fuel using carbon dioxide from the Martian atmosphere. With this success, Zubrin was able to give detailed briefings of the mission plan to the engineers at the Johnson Space Center.
The lead mission architect, Dave Weaver, had concerns about Zubrin's estimates of mass, the size of the ascent vehicle, the length of the trip times, and the crew size. Weaver and Zubrin worked together to come up with a compromise mission architecture, which involved three launches for each mission instead of two. The plan, called Mars Semi Direct, was subjected to cost analysis and came back at a fraction of the cost of previous estimates.
However, despite the promising plan, NASA's astronauts have not left low Earth orbit since. There is a debate over the future of space exploration, with some arguing that NASA should continue to focus on low Earth orbit and developing technologies for the future, while others believe that NASA needs a goal like the Apollo program to drive progress.
Zubrin believes that NASA must be destination-driven in order to be productive. He feels that the lack of focus and a clear goal has hindered NASA's progress for the past 30 years. He believes that now is the time to give the American space program a goal that will get it moving again. Zubrin emphasizes that sending humans to Mars is achievable and does not require extravagant spacecraft.
The stakes are high, and Zubrin is nervous about the future of space exploration. Many people are disappointed and feel betrayed by the lack of progress in sending humans to new worlds. Zubrin believes that the purpose of spaceships is to actually travel across space and explore new frontiers, not just observe the effects of being in space.
Dr. Weiler: The Challenges of a Mars Mission
Dr. Weiler discusses the challenges of a Mars mission, including the long duration of the trip, the radiation exposure, and the psychological impact on the crew.
Radiation Exposure
According to Zubrin, the best estimates suggest that the radiation dose during a Mars mission would not create any noticeable effects. However, it is believed to increase the statistical risk of getting cancer later in life by about 1%. This increase would make the chance of getting cancer 21% for non-smokers and 40% for smokers.
Psychological Impact
Fear is a normal emotion for astronauts, and it is important for them to have a healthy fear when going into space. Some psychologists worry about the psychological impact of the isolation and confinement on the crew, but Zubrin argues that the crew will have the support of mission control and the whole world cheering for them, making their situation vastly superior to past explorers.
Living Conditions
The Mars Direct crew will spend most of their time inside a two-story habitat designed to promote psychological well-being. They will have a galley/war room area for relaxation and entertainment, as well as individual staterooms. Communication with loved ones and colleagues on Earth will be almost unlimited.
Crew Selection
The crew for a Mars mission needs to be carefully chosen and well-balanced to support each other during the 2.5-year journey. Volunteers for such a historic venture would be lined up coast to coast, as the opportunity to participate in extending the reach of the human species is of immortal significance.
Potential Martian Pathogens
If life is discovered on Mars, there is a concern about potential martian pathogens. However, Zubrin argues that the transfer of material from Mars to Earth has been happening naturally for billions of years, and if there were martian organisms that could contaminate Earth, they would have already done so. Nevertheless, NASA has protocols in place to ensure containment.
The Future of Mars Exploration
The crew's main mission objective will be to search for signs of microscopic life, following the ancient water flows. They will have a pressurized rover to explore a vast area around the landing site during their 18-month stay. If they uncover fossilized remnants of indigenous martian life, it could redefine our understanding of life in the universe. The ultimate question is whether Mars will become a new branch of human civilization, with subsequent missions exploring wider areas of the planet to find an ideal site for a base.
