Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live on a different planet? Mars is a planet that I have always wondered about. Could we live on Mars? There would be many challenges if we were ever to get there. However, it is one of the planets in our solar system that can be habitable by us.
Mars is called “The Red Planet” due to its rusted surface from “…the compound iron(III) oxide [that] appears red because it absorbs the blue and green wavelengths of the light spectrum reflecting the red wavelengths” (Wolchover). Mars has a bloody tint that is visible from millions of miles away and even earlier civilizations have called Mars “Her Desher” which means “the red one.” And the Chinese have called it “the fire star” (Wolchover).
Many have wondered if our species could live on Mars. In 1965, NASA sent Mariner 4 spacecraft into space “… that completed the first Martian flyby, and six years later, the Soviet Union’s Mars 3 lander became the first spacecraft to land softly on Mars” (Castro). After that, NASA has had many successful attempts of landing on Mars and have even formed a map of the entire planet thanks to Mars Odyssey spacecraft. 
They are now planning for a manned mission in the 2030’s. They would have to land “…somewhere in the low northern latitudes” according to Ashwin Vasavada, a project scientist for NASA (Castro). Mars is like Earth in that is has seasons because of the tilt on its axis. However, it also has a “secondary seasonal effect because of its highly elliptical orbit” (Castro). Because of that, the southern hemisphere is not pointed towards the sun, so it is much colder in the winters and much hotter in the summers when compared to the northern hemisphere. So, if we were to live there, we would have to switch back and forth from hemispheres.
Another weather complicatio
n is that because of the difference in temperatures that can change so quickly, Mars has powerful dust storms that “… can sometimes shroud the entire planet after just a few days’ (Castro). Although they might not physically hurt you, it can create issues with electronics and solar mechanics, at the very least.
Another complication on living on Mars, is the radiation. Earth had a global magnetic field and thick atmosphere to protect the surface; Mars doesn’t. With all of this said, if you were to be hurt or need assistance or just want to send a message back to Earth, it would take about “15 minutes to get there” (Castro). Not that bad, compared to other planets, but it’s still not a fine time if you need help as soon as possible.
In conclusion, if you would like to go to Mars to be one of the first humans on the planet, you can go to mars-one.com and see if you can be of help. Or at least donate. Mars is habitable, but with limitations and complications within the temperatures, storms, and radiation. However, in the later years, we will truly find out if we are able to create a colony on there with everyone’s help.
References
Castro, Joseph. Space.com. “What Would It Be Like to Live on Mars?” Space.com, Purch, 15 Feb. 2015, www.space.com/28557-how-to-live-on-mars.html.
“Mars One.” Mars One, www.mars-one.com/.
Wolchover, Natalie. “Why Is Mars Red?” Space.com, Purch, 8 Aug. 2012, www.space.com/16999-mars-red-planet.html.
