The Race to the Red Planet We have figured out how to do something sensational on Mars and that is extract oxygen from the atmosphere. We are doing it on a small scale now, but hopefully we will be able to scale up enough for a base in the future on Mars. It would be an incredible help to not have to transport oxygen. While we are doing this mechanically, perhaps we can eventually add trees and plants which will also contribute to creating a breathable area on the planet while we consider terraforming the entire planet. Many scientists think the way to go is with bacteria. It is believed that there was a point in time on earth when almost all the oxygen we have was created by cyanobacteria. Cyanobacteria are single celled and blue-green. They create photosynthesis and throw off oxygen. One thing I have to wonder about is now that we found Mars is leaking atmosphere into space, will that hinder terraforming? Our tiny Mars helicopter is breaking records every day. It is being said the helicopter can only fly for about 90 seconds at a clip and go as far as about 980 feet. It is limited to an altitude of about 15 feet. Still, we have to remember the atmosphere of Mars is only about 1 percent as that of earth so there is not a lot of atmosphere to hold the machine up and just getting it to fly under these conditions was incredible. The name of the machine is Ingenuity which befits its capabilities. The Mars rover is Perseverance. The rovers have been getting more sophisticated with every model. A lot of people would like to know how fast it can travel and the answer is a staggering speed of 1/10th of one mile an hour which is about 2 blocks in New York City. The Chinese have announced their plan to land a rover on Mars. It is named the Tianwen-1 and is expected to land in May, 2021. The name means Quest for Heavenly Truth. The probe is in orbit around Mars, having made it on February 10, 2021. The probe is a lander with the rover attached. We all know how tricky it is to land on Mars, so it will be interesting to see if the Chinese can pull it off and then get their rover to work. The Chinese space agency, China National Space Administration or CNSA has said they will attempt the landing sometime in May or June. It seems they are being extremely cautious because getting the landing and the rover rolling on their first attempt will be quite a feather in their cap. This may make them feel they are now on an equal footing with NASA. When nations get to the moon and Mars, it can be because of the original American and Soviet space programs which paved the way for some of the techniques we all use today. I am not saying doing these things is easy, what I am saying is they don’t have to start from scratch as was done in the early days of space exploration. The first country to try and reach Mars was the Soviet Union when they launched Marsnik 1, in 1960. It never made it into orbit around the earth. The U.S. landed on Mars in 1976, when the Viking 1 touched down. Quite a few countries are planning a mission to Mars in the future. The United Arab Emirates has sent a mission there which is in orbit around the planet. In 1998 the Japanese launched a mission to Mars named Nozomi. It flew by the planet missing going into orbit. The European Space Agency cooperating with the UK Space Agency launched a Mars lander in 2003 named the Beagle 2. It was carried on the Mars Express Orbiter. It was sent toward the planet from orbit and was never heard from again. There is something about Mars which is alluring. Every country on earth would love to have the capability to send a probe there, it is just the fact it is beyond the capabilities for some countries to do it. Some don’t have the financial means to do it, while others don’t have the technology. No one talks about it much, but you can’t help get the idea perhaps some or all of these countries think intelligent life might have existed on Mars once and finding proof of that would be quite a prize. We know Elon Musk wants to colonize Mars and be the first one to send astronauts there. He is feverishly trying to develop the rocket which he wants to hold 100 colonists. He is up to the 15th reiteration of it which he intends to test fire soon. He has enough funds where he can do this on his own if he has to. Musk has said he thinks his huge rocket will possibly be ready by 2023, and will be fired later this week as of the writing of this article. Not everyone is happy Musk landed some NASA contracts, especially Blue Origin the company owned by Jeff Bezos, who lost out to SpaceX and is trying to take steps to reverse the decision. It is amazing how flying to the ISS, International Space Station and even the moon is getting routine. Hopefully after traveling to Mars becomes routine, we can start to get companies into the asteroid mining business. Once that happens the riches of the asteroid belt will help everyone on earth, or at least I hope so. These asteroids contain tremendous riches which can better the lives of every citizen of this planet in so many ways. First of all, this will create a lot of jobs, reducing unemployment and create new business opportunities to companies and people who service the workers. It could usher in a new golden age for the citizens of earth. As we spread out from earth to other planets and moons, far more opportunities will present themselves, which should make it better for everyone. While I will no longer be around, hopefully my grandchildren will benefit from this.
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