Final Project

Mark W.

Legislator:  Mike Jackson, Senator

(Click on the image above to enlarge.)

There is a huge debate going on these days in the aeronautical world. Should we go to the moon again, or should we head straight for mars?  Should we send robots or should we send real humans? It seems like everyone has their own opinion about what should take place. Some of these people are experts on the subject with detailed information, others have no idea of the concept of either one with just information from a friend on the street, but they still feel their idea is the best one to come through ever.

First lets start with Mars. Why should we head for mars in the first place?  Well there are a few very convincing reasons to go, and there are also some very convincing reasons not to go. We should go to mars because the better we understand mars the better we can understand our own earth. If we were to go into an adventure such as this, it would take the whole worlds cooperation, this would develop a sense of global unity and pride, this is much needed in the still divided world we live in today. If we were to go to mars we would have to develop new technology to assist on the way there and when we got there, these would carry-over into our current society. All these new things would greatly improve the lives of human beings all around the world. If we were able to go all the way to the moon without any accidents it would prove to be inspiration for future generations. It would test our ingenuity, and show all future humans anything is possible with a little but of cooperation. Mars is also the next logical step for the expansion of the human race onto other planets. If we cannot go to mars, then we will never be able to go elsewhere and survive, and we will be relegated to our earthen planet forever. This is the only way to get around it.

Now we know why anyone would have the desire to go to mars, now lets ask ourselves "Why the moon?" Well for one, the moon is a test bed for new technologies that will be used if we do plan to go to mars. Because their environments are so similar almost anything can be tested with close to perfect accuracy on the moon. The moon can also be used as a training base for humans. No humans can imagine what it will actually estimate what it will feel like on mars, so the moon is a perfect place to get used to it.   There is also the myth that we know everything about the moon, this is untrue. There are still many unanswered questions about the moons content and origin. Also if a person were to get in a life endangering situation on the moon, they can be saved with a lifesaving mission, which is fully possible, these are not possible on mars due to extreme distance form earth.  There can also be quick returns from the moon if a person falls sick, or if there is another emergency. It is also much easier, quicker and cheaper to get to the moon. The moon is a mere 250,000 miles away while Mars is 140,000,000 miles away. A trip to the moon takes three days, a trip to mars takes almost thirty days, just to get there. It cost a lot more for new technology, new supplies, and overall cost of shipping new supplies such a great distance.

Some people also ask the question "why Humans?" Well it is very dangerous to send a human to another planet or the moon, or wherever. It is also very costly. But, there are many upsides to this that you may not have thought of. Only humans have the ability to get into some of the places robots cannot. Therefore, humans need to be there to determine the existence of life on mars, or moon. There also needs to be humans on a trip to better understand Martian history, geology and evolution. Human perspective is needed to move the robots and make quick decisions, so the robots can be better used to suit our purposes. Robots and humans are needed together to explore the whole planet. Humans cannot be near everything at once, so the need robots to divide up, and look. Robots cannot make decisions, so all these robots need humans to make their decisions, and the two of these together, make a perfect tandem.

If someone were to ask me what I thought should be done about the moon and mars, it would take me quite a while to answer, because obviously, there is a lot of information to look at. I feel I would answer in a quite complicated manner, just as the options are quite complicated themselves. I would tell them, the first step we need to do, is to go back to the moon, until we are sure we have all the technology needed to make such a long journey to mars. While we were researching new techniques of doing things, we should send robots to mars, to ensure the safety of our astronauts. This would also help us make future decisions about technology. When we were sure that we were ready I feel a trip to mars would be necessary. I think we should explore the moon further before we go to mars. I think we need to learn all about the moon, because it may unlock many secrets we have wanted to know for many years, also it may hold the secrets about our own world we didn't know.

In conclusion, there is not much that is known for certain about our future in the skies. And even if we are experts or not, we may not get to make the decisions after all, they will mostly be made by the tax payers and influential politicians. I do know for certain what I would do if I had the decision making ability. Until I get this ability, I will just sit and think of what it would be like to go to mars or the moon.

Sources:

 

HTTP://aerospacescholars.org

 

A Crewed Mission To Mars from aerospace scholars website.

 

The NASA Reference Mission from aerospace scholars website.

Last Updated: 09/07/01