On Sunday, NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander touched down on the red planet’s surface. Shortly thereafter, it began transmitting images to Earth. A few of them are in color, showing a rosy pink sky and a reddened landscape stretching out into a vast horizon. I’m not a huge enthusiast of space missions, but these photographs are awesome, in the traditional sense of the word. To have such a close-up view of a foreign planet is undeniably amazing. You can take a look for yourself on the Phoenix Mars Lander website.
Mars missions continue to inspire the long-held dream of a human settlement on Mars. But looking at these photos, I can’t help but think: Who would want to live here? Sure, there’s lots of open space, and huge opportunities for development. Of course it’s exotic and sci-fi, and as far as we can tell, the whole unfriendly Martian thing is not true.
But even if we were to figure out how to make the atmosphere not hostile and miserable, Mars looks kind of boring. Once you get over the novelty of picking up rocks and dusting Martian dust off your shoes before you come back into the house, there’s not a lot to do. Hopefully you brought some board games with you from Earth, but inevitably, those get dull, too. I guess you could conduct science experiments, or look for water. But there’s not going to be a swimming pool. I can’t imagine doing anything but going stir-crazy on Mars.
But as I said, I’m not really a space enthusiast. Perhaps someone who already has a lease on a Martian condo could tell me what they plan to do there?
Lindsay, those of us who love science fiction can totally imagine being in a rover on Mars, wheeling around from place to place on the red desert sand, seeing pristine and alien rock faces, boulders, ravines and other landscapes!
Then again … when I think of that … all those wheel marks left behind by our rovers … the clutter of our human debris left on the martian surface … it makes me a little sad. Maybe the question isn’t whether Mars would be too boring for us, but instead whether we’d be too human for Mars.
I still think the rover-road trips would get tiresome. But I guess the upside is that our rover emissions and crumpled up Coke cans wouldn’t be hurting other life or anything more than our idea of a pristine planet.
“I’m not really a space enthusiast.” And you write for Earth ANd Sky?
It’s true. My disinterest in space is something of a joke around here. I am in the Earth department of Earth & Sky.
In light of the fact that humanity here in America , and around the world , is in such need of basic life necessities , it is almost criminal in my opinion to spend billions of dollars to go to the moon , mars , and support a space station orbiting earth ….I love science , and I fully support space technology for satellites , or even the Hubble telescope , but this insane notion that we are going to one day live on mars is rediculous non-sense ….THERE IS NO OXYGEN ON MARS !!!!!! People have completely clouded reality with hollywood space fantasy …..This ain’t Star Trek people , and if anyone thinks we are going to live on mars you are nuts ….We are having disasters right and left on this planet , and in our country ….I am sure the hurricane , tornado , and earthquake victims could make very good use of 50 billion dollars ….maybe we could even lower the price of gas somewhat if Washington would get their fiscal responsibilities in order ….it is time for ALL pork spending to stop , and that includes going to mars for a sack of rocks …..It would take a trillion dollars to supply 10 people on mars with life support …..We will NEVER live on mars ….EVER ……It is not worth it at all , and a huge waste of money that could be used right here on good old mother earth
For some reason, these posts and comments are cracking me up tonight. The no-oxygen thing just has to be a pretty swell point. Not to mention having to keep a heat source going to melt the ice to get some water. But wait…no fires because they take oxygen to burn. Jeez. Problems, problems, problems. On the other hand, hot plates are good. But……wonder what the shelf life of batteries would be on Mars, and how many you would have to take for a lifetime supply. Oh. Rechargeables. Of course. Problem solved. About the dry and dusty environment…..I’m not so sure. I just got back from Santa Fe, and it was pretty darn dry and dusty. If Mars is any more dry and dusty than Santa Fe, and if there’s not one molecule of oxygen, then, well, Lindsay, you are totally right. It will be tough and totally boring. Who would want it unless escaping Earth by that time is the same thing as jumping from a burning building. On the other hand, if the people who are now pushing to go to Mars want to go, I think we should let them.