Colonizing Mars may seem to sound as part of a science fiction movie or plot, however, what is science fiction in the past is now slowly turning into science reality. Today, the odds of having a human colony on Mars is increasing, and within the next two decades, most probably man is already setting up its very first base in the Martian landscape.
Jason Crusan, the former chief technologist for space operations in NASA, and is now the director of the Advanced Exploration Systems Division in the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate for NASA.
Thanks to his undying passion as well as his powers as a high-ranking official in NASA, he pursues the thought of exploring the possibilities of having a human base on Mars in order to commence the age of space exploration.
How Plausible is a Mars Mission?
It takes one year to reach Mars and the first missions will be set in 2020, starting with flights to the moon and then to Mars. By 2030, Crusan is very determined to see NASA be well prepared for the technological systems needed in establishing a Martian colony.
Crusan tells news.com.au, "We're going to need people to learn how to operate machinery and live off the land ... Mars has a very harsh environment so we're gonna need people to maintain machines and operate those machines and be able to produce oxygen and the water we'll need. A lot of those infrastructure activities are going to be critical to any kind of permanent settlement."
The Future of Humanity Lies in the Hands of a Human Settlement on Mars
He adds, "When people see those hard achievements on the horizon and they want to be the first person to do that, and the fact that there are tens of thousands of people around the world clamouring to do a mission like this is really inspiring."
If one was to compare the future Mars colonization mission to that of the Apollo moon missions, the scale of difficulty and risk is far greater.
Despite the odds, one thing is for sure. And that is if man ever gets to successfully create a human settlement on Mars, then the whole human species' survival over the next millennia will increase significantly. Truly, living in Mars would serve as an inspiration for all and will echo through millennia and epochs for millions of years.
