Colonizing Mars
In order to colonize Mars for the first time, we must overcome multiple obstacles that will prevent us from doing so. Some of the major obstacles include oxygen, food, and Water.
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Food: A Major Obstacle for Colonizing Mars
Living on Mars: Water
Christopher Fields
Mrs. Eckstein
English I Honors
7 December 2016
In order to have successful colonization on Mars, we must overcome multiple obstacles, including the lack of available food on this Red Planet. Evidence for this is shown in the article, “A Path Strewn with Hazards,” which outlines the obstacles humans would have to face when reaching Mars, stating, “If we are to colonize Mars, we can’t expect that all of the pioneers’ food will be shipped from Earth. They’ll have to grow their own - like these plants in the greenhouses in National Geographic Channel’s MARS.” This quote shows that if pioneers will be successful in colonizing Mars, they are going to need to grow a sustainable amount of food on the planet itself. The Martian soil has all of the required nutrients for plants to grow, excluding bacteria. This is shown in Andy Weir’s novel, “The Martian.” In the novel, the main character (Mark Watney) states, “I found a big container and put a bit of water in it, then added the dried poop… once I get some Martian soil in here, I can mix the manure and spread it out. Then I can sprinkle the Earth soil on top… dozens of species of bacteria living in Earth soil, and they’re critical to plant growth. They’ll spread out and breed like . . . well, like a bacterial infection.” This evidence implies that the problem concerning the lack of food on Mars can be solved if space missions are sent with a supply of Earth’s soil, seeds, and bacteria that will not cause disease (unlike human waste). In summary, a successful colonization of Mars is dependent on food, and one possibility for solving this problem is mixing Earth’s soil, Mars’ soil, and bacteria to create soil available for growing crops.
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Works Cited
David, Leonard. “A Path Strewn with Hazards.” USA Today Special Edition. Nov. 2016. Print.
Weir, Andy. The Martian. New York: Random House, 2014. Print.
Tiffany Trotter
Mrs. Eckstein
English I Honors
7 December 2016
One of the big problems with living on mars is the ability to get the fresh water that is necessary in order to survive. This is even stated in “A Path Strewn with Hazards”, when they inform us that it “...will be essential in anchoring a lasting outpost on the planet. You may be asking, how would we get the water we need, without making expensive trips back and forth? A solution to this is to just access the water currently on Mars. It is important to remember that Mars, though it doesn't have any liquid water, still has a good amount of water--in the form of ice. This fact is mentioned in the article “Yours mars questions answered”. They tell us “Water on Mars is either on the subsurface or near the poles in the form of ice.”. We could get this Martian ice by using rovers or some other spacecraft to mine the frozen water, then filter it for drinking use; That way we could get the water on the planet, without having to rely on supply ships to bring more water every time there is a need for it. Having accessible water on Mars also opens up the chance to grow crops on Mars, this will also help with the food problem. To summarize, water is not only imperative to colonizing Mars, but there is a way to access it conveniently and efficiently obtain it for use.
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Works Cited
David, Leonard. “A Path Strewn with Hazards.” USA Today Special Edition. Nov. 2016. Print.
Cutler, Jacqueline. “Your Mars Questions, Answered.” Usa Today Special Edition. Nov. 2016. Print.
One of the many obstacles that we face colonizing Mars is the lack of drinkable water . There have been some recent studies on how to get water. As Mars One states in their FAQ, “On Mars, water can be extracted from the soil.” In order to do this a rover takes martian soil from a high concentration of water in that area(around 40-45 degrees North latitude). Than the rover dumps the soil in water extractor. The water extractor heats up the soil, and then the water turns into water vapor. The water vapor is collected and stored for use. Each container can hold about 1500 liters, and the average person drinks about 3 liters a day. Most of the water used can be recycled, and the water that can't will be replaced by “martian water.” Also takes less
energy to recycle the used water. We have came up with an alternative way to get water on Mars, and it will better help the colonization of Mars.
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Works Cited
“Will the astronauts have enough water, food, and oxygen” Mars One. N.p, web. Dec 6 2016
http://www.mars-one.com/faq/health-and-ethics/will-the-astronauts-have-enough-water-food-and-oxygen
Owen Wilson
Mrs. Eckstein
English I Honors
7 December 2016
How do we get water on Mars?
