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Its been 45 years since the last human stood on a planetary body besides the Earth. It
was the Apollo 17 mission to the Moon which ended the glory years of manned space
exploration in 1972. Since then, space endeavors have been focused on tasks that come nowhere
close to the excitement of the first moon landing in 1969. Landing on the Moon is undoubtedly
one of the crowning achievements of the human race. It has inspired a generation of people to
pursue STEM fields, and it united our nation in a common goal. Its now time to spark the
imaginations of people again, and take on next major challenge; sending humans to Mars.
Sending humans to Mars would inspire a new generation of youth in science and engineering,
while our country lags behind in Math and Science skills on the world stage. Also, during a time
of such divide within our country, its a great way to unify people for a common goal and bring
There are many hurdles to jump in order to reach the prized red martial soil. Developing
a mission to send humans 250 million miles away from home to land on a fast moving foreign
object is no easy task. It will take years of development, and billions of dollars to achieve this
goal. As political landscapes change on a typical 4 year election cycle, it can be hard to focus
our efforts into a mission that spans multiple administrations. It will take dedication and some
inherent risk, but in the end we will walk away with priceless science and technology, along with
millions of children who are inspired to become rocket scientists and engineers. In a world with
dwindling engineers and scientists in the job market, this could help us jump start technological
To better understand the societal impact that a Mars trip could achieve, we can take a
look at previous space endeavors. Perhaps the most popular achievement in space was landing
on the Moon in 1969. It was one of the first widely broadcasted live events on T.V. and its still
one of the most watched live events ever to be recorded. During a time period of severe political
turmoil, and basic technology, we were able to develop and put the forth the incredible effort
necessary to send humans to the Moon with computer power similar to a typical calculator. Not
only did we accomplish this goal, but we got to the Moon within 10 years after President
Kennedy made his famous speech before the joint congress in 1961 (Roach,
nationalgeographic.com). Kennedy set forth the goal to reach the moon stating that it shall be
done before the end of the decade. Chief NASA historian Steven Dick recalled the event after
35 years stating that, Putting a man on the moon not only inspired the nation, but also the
world. Dick goes on to explain how accomplishing this goal during a time of such political
turmoil showed the nation that anything was possible if we come together and put forth the effort
into a common goal. There is no doubt that todays turbulent political and societal scene could
benefit from such a mission. It would take the efforts of a large sum of people, all set forth in a
common goal to achieve what seems impossible. So impossible that many still believe the Moon
landings were a hoax! That is a debate for a different time, but it should be looked at as
Beyond the societal impacts of the famed Moon landings, the technological progressions
that occurred during the Apollo missions shaped the world for years to come. Many of the things
we take for granted today such as the integrated circuit, the internet, GPS, and the heart monitor,
just to name a few, all stem from this time period (Roach, nationalgeographic.com). Imagine
what could be accomplished by developing the technology necessary to reach Mars. Reaching
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Mars is far more difficult than reaching our nearest neighbor, the Moon. Mars is 250 million
miles away at its closest, due to the orbits of the Earth and Mars around the sun, while the moon
is a mere 238 thousand miles away. There are many specialized issues with a manned trip as far
away as Mars. Perhaps the most difficult problem is protecting the Astronauts from Galactic
Cosmic Rays, or GRCs. These highly charged particles can pierce through any material we have
on current space ships and can reap havoc on the body causing cancer and even blindness
(Wohlforth, Hendrix, latimes.com). The only solution that we current know of is to shield the
space craft with an incredible 2 meter thick membrane of water (Wohlforth, Hendrix,
latimes.com). This is obviously not a feasible solution as the weight of this much water would
be astounding considering a single cubic meter of water weights a staggering 1000 kilograms, or
2200 pounds. Another problem that is currently being investigated is the effects of a long term
space mission on the human body. Being in virtually zero gravity for a long period of time is
something the body has not adapted to be able to handle. Long periods in such conditions can
cause deterioration of muscles and bones, as well as other issues such as vision impairment, and
disorientation. NASA has been working on solving these issues by developing special work out
equipment that can resemble the effect of weight on earth to help condition the Astronauts
muscles and bones to help stop the negative effects of zero gravity. Testing has already been
done with this equipment on the international space station during a one year long mission by
American astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian Cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko (Gushanas,
nasa.gov). This is just the beginnings of the problems that will need to be addressed before we
send humans on the 250 million mile journey to the red Martian soil. Its issues like this that will
push the boundaries of science and engineering, while possibly solving important problems here
on Earth.
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CONCLUSION
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Works Cited
Roach, John. Apollo Anniversary: Moon Landing Inspired World. National Geographic
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/07/0714_040714_moonlanding.html.
Wohlforth, Charles and Hendrix, Amanda. Humans may dream of traveling to Mars, but our
bodies arent built for it. Los Angeles Times, 28 Nov. 2016.
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-wohlforth-hendrix-20161128-story.html.