Humans to Mars?

Ken Brandt

Director, Robeson Planetarium

and Science Center

JPL/NASA Solar System

Ambassador Master Teacher

01/22/14

Happy 111h Anniversary!

The ‘Big Four’

Dennis TitoBas Lansdorf

Buzz AldrinElon Musk

1. Dennis Tito’s Flybycompare to Apollo VIII, 1968

Mission overview animation

MarsOne

MarsOne quick

facts:• Launch in 2025

• 2 Males/2 Females

• One way trip

• First robotic mission 2018• Financing via media/advertising revenues

Mission Overview

01/22/14

Who ARE these people?

01/22/14

663 candidates remain• -Interviews currently happening• -24 finalists will begin training late 2015• -Includes questions about the mission and

Mars

01/22/14

Mars 2018 lander/comm orbiter: establish landing site, payload

01/22/14

MarsOne Habitat

Buzz Aldrin’s cycling Orbit, diagrammed

Elon Musk’s SpaceX plan to be announced Fall 2015:

01/22/14

Obstacles

-Untested technology on Mars-MIT feasibility study summary findings (2014):

first death by suffocation at T+68 days100% humidityrepeated component fail will exhaust sparesmass too great for safe Mars landingproperly supplying will require 15 ‘pods’ landing safely on Mars

Citation: http://web.mit.edu/sydneydo/Public/Mars%20One%20Feasibility%20Analysis%20IAC14.pdf

Obstacles, continued

-Unsafe radiation levels as measured by Curiosity on Mars-Peroxide and other soil contaminants, to include perchlorate-regional/global dust storms-landing site insufficiency of water, other components to be used on Mars-psychological effects of long-term space flight-medical issues unable to be resolved by crew-unrepairable equipment/critical components of habitat growth chamber, etc.

Is there extant Life on Mars?

01/22/14

ALH84001 microbial Fossils?

Recent salt depositIn a Martian gully?

Briny water on Phoenix’s leg?

Diurnal cycle of nutrient use?

Viking II, 1976

Broccoli can grow here.

Methane releaseFrom non-volcanicRegions on MarsCuriosity, 2014Curiosity, 2013

The Charge: Is Mars harboring ‘illegal aliens’?

01/22/14

The evidence:1.Labelled release experiment, Viking, 19762.Meteorite ALH840013.Methane gas release4.Water droplets on Phoenix’ Arm5.Possession of all necessary elements for life6.Abundant evidence of flowing and standing liquid water of neutral pH7.Existence of liquid water below the surface8.Each alone, not enough. But taken as a whole?