Buzz
The idea of sending humans to Mars stirs up immense excitement. Whether the mission is led by a private company like SpaceX, a government agency like NASA, or a collaboration between both sectors, it's expected that the voyage will happen within the next 20 years. Yet, this ambitious interplanetary mission holds no guarantees of success.
Astronauts embarking on this journey will face a multitude of challenges, ranging from securing funding before takeoff to executing a successful landing on Mars. Along the way, they will encounter unprecedented exposure to space radiation, intense mental pressures, and major communication difficulties with Earth.
Here are 10 key challenges that astronauts must overcome on their mission to Mars.
10. Funding
Before astronauts leave Earth's orbit, they must contend with the possibility of being hindered by insufficient financial resources. The anticipated costs vary widely, from hundreds of millions to even billions for just one mission, and either estimate represents a huge financial commitment.
Currently, the government allocates less funding for space exploration than it did during the era of manned lunar missions. Although private companies can contribute to certain parts of the mission at a lower cost, they too face significant limitations.
The most effective solution would bring together the innovation of the private sector with the experience of the government, supported by a robust infusion of funds from both sides.
Regardless of who covers the expenses, raising the necessary capital and managing it wisely will ultimately determine if and when astronauts will make their journey to Mars.
9. Defying Gravity
No matter how skilled humans become at space travel, escaping Earth’s atmosphere will always pose a significant challenge. The relatively brief journey from the Earth’s surface to orbit requires overcoming gravity by exerting more force than the gravity pushes back. To break free from Earth's gravitational pull, a rocket must reach speeds of 11 kilometers (7 miles) per second.
Space missions by governments have been plagued by numerous explosions during launch, and private ventures often face the same dangers. Despite advancements in space technology, the peril of launch remains ever-present.
8. Dangerous Space Debris
Achieving a successful liftoff is a significant achievement, but enduring in Earth's orbit presents its own set of challenges. Space is filled with debris from man-made objects traveling at speeds of up to 28,200 kilometers per hour (17,500 mph), which is seven times faster than a speeding bullet. When combined with the speed required for a rocket to escape Earth's gravity, even the smallest debris becomes a deadly hazard.
Space debris is categorized by size, and the statistics are alarming. There are 13,000 pieces larger than a softball, 100,000 pieces larger than a penny, and millions of smaller fragments. Each piece poses a risk of colliding with others and creating even more debris. Thus, Earth’s orbit has become a dangerous minefield of space junk.
Astronauts employ a range of techniques to navigate and protect themselves in this vast debris field. They use precise navigation to avoid collisions with space junk and rely on shielding to reduce the impact of unavoidable debris.
Nevertheless, as long as space debris remains, it will continue to present a serious threat to astronauts.
7. Excessive Weight
A successful journey to Mars will demand sufficient fuel to carry an incredibly heavy payload. NASA has already managed to land unmanned spacecraft on Mars, but each time, the weight of the robotic vehicles was far less than what would be needed to transport a crew and all necessary life-support systems.
A manned Mars mission requires minimizing both weight and fuel, which leads to a paradox. As more weight is added to carry humans, more fuel is needed, which in turn adds more weight and demands even more fuel.
These challenges require the planners of a Mars mission to develop carefully balanced calculations to manage weight and fuel. Of course, improved fuel efficiency would make a significant difference.
6. Loneliness And Isolation
Experts predict that astronauts will face the challenges of isolation and boredom on their way to Mars, not to mention the deep loneliness that will accompany the task of establishing a home on a new planet.
The journey from Earth to Mars is bound to be lengthy. The duration of travel between the two planets depends on the alignment of their orbits. Past unmanned missions to Mars have lasted anywhere from 128 to 333 days. A small crew confined to a cramped spacecraft for such extended periods is sure to struggle with boredom and isolation.
In addition, efforts to reduce the weight of the mission by cutting down the crew size only amplify the problem. The smaller the crew, the sooner you’ll find yourself hearing the same jokes and stories repeated over and over again, word for word.
The psychological strain of a small crew living in isolation for prolonged periods poses significant challenges to the success of a Mars mission.
5. Psychological Impact of Losing Sight of Earth
As astronauts journey to Mars, their view of Earth will shrink, eventually becoming just a tiny speck in the sky. Astronauts currently derive psychological benefits from seeing Earth from orbit, but it remains unknown how they will be affected once they can no longer see our planet clearly.
The potential consequences of losing sight of Earth include depression, severe homesickness, psychosis, and even suicide. This concern is so real that it has been given a name: the “Earth-out-of-view phenomenon.”
To mitigate the risks associated with no longer being able to see Earth, plans such as providing telescopes have been proposed. However, scientists still view the unknown effects of the “Earth-out-of-view phenomenon” as a major obstacle to a successful Mars mission.
4. Dangerous Tensions Among Crewmates
Along with the mental and external challenges astronauts face, conflicts with fellow crew members can pose significant risks. Even the closest companions can begin to annoy each other over time, and being confined in a small space with a limited number of people for an extended period can create a dangerous psychological atmosphere where violence becomes a real possibility.
As psychiatrist Nick Kanas, who studied space psychology at the University of California, San Francisco, stated, “You can get along with anybody for a month, but once you’re talking about a year and a half or more, that’s a different story.”
In fact, simulations on Earth—where crews are isolated together to replicate a Mars mission—have seen team members stop speaking to each other except when necessary for essential tasks.
The potential for violent disputes during a Mars mission has led scientists to develop stringent mental health evaluations and support plans for astronauts on long-duration spaceflights.
3. Mars Landing Challenges
The final phase of a mission to Mars is also one of the most perilous. The risks are so substantial that NASA scientists call the descent from Mars' atmosphere to its surface ‘six minutes of terror.’
Spacecraft enter Mars' atmosphere at nearly 20,000 kilometers per hour (12,000 mph) and use atmospheric friction to slow down. After roughly four minutes, the spacecraft reaches an altitude similar to that of a commercial jet on Earth, but is still traveling at 1,600 kilometers per hour (1,000 mph).
The final minute consists of a series of parachute deployments and rocket firings. The spacecraft then hits the ground at up to 80 kilometers per hour (50 mph), bouncing up to four stories high repeatedly until it finally comes to a stop.
More than 60 percent of international missions to Mars end in failure, with the landing phase being the primary cause of most of these setbacks. The greatest challenge that astronauts will face on their journey to Mars may turn out to be the final one.
2. Space Radiation
Space radiation poses one of the most daunting obstacles for any Mars mission. While Earth's atmosphere shields its inhabitants from this radiation, astronauts venturing into space are not so fortunate.
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station are exposed to radiation levels ten times higher than those on Earth. Those traveling to Mars will face radiation levels that are more than 100 times greater than Earth's exposure.
While the exact effects of radiation at Mars-level intensity are still unknown, radiation exposure just beyond Earth's atmosphere has already been linked to vision loss, increased cancer risks, neurological disorders, and other health issues. The impact of this radiation on a Mars-bound journey will likely be far more severe.
Radiation shielding can reduce some of the risks, but it doesn't completely solve the issue. The most effective strategy appears to be minimizing exposure by reducing the length of the journey. However, even in the best-case scenario, NASA predicts that it will exceed its own radiation exposure guidelines during a Mars mission.
1. Communication With Earth
A telephone call on Earth happens almost instantly, but communication between Earth and Mars is far more complex. A typical long-distance call from the United States travels up to 29,000 kilometers (18,000 miles), whereas a signal between the two planets must cover an average distance of 225 million kilometers (140 million miles).
As astronauts approach Mars, the chance of near-instant communication with Earth steadily decreases. Depending on the alignment of the two planets, a one-way radio signal can take anywhere from 4.3 to 21 minutes, meaning that a back-and-forth exchange could take as long as 42 minutes.
Furthermore, the Sun can create communication disruptions so severe that astronauts might be completely cut off from Earth for weeks at a time.
These communication delays not only hinder astronauts from engaging in social exchanges but also severely restrict their ability to get real-time support for a wide array of technical problems.
