R E A TI C V E N O CATI E DU TABLE OF Contents Introduction 4 From the Ground Up 6 Van Allen Uncovers a Threat 12 Cosmic Cooties 15 New Priorities 16 A Long Wonderful Look 22 Rutan’s Prize Winner 25 Farther and Faster 28 Stars in Their Eyes 30 Pick a Place 33 Making the Leap 36 Going Green 38 Now Available in Stores 40 Glossary 44 Selected Bibliography 46 Web Sites 46 Index 47
FINTRODUCTION or hundreds of miles in any direction Mars is a dead planet But in one place it is alive Nestled beneath a rocky overhang of rust-red dirt are a cluster of climate-controlled domes A colony of people live inside Some came from Earth but others were born here Unlike their parents the youngest colonists have never seen a plant that wasn’t growing indoors They gaze in wonder at photos of oceans of water They’re surprised to learn that Earth’s moon crosses the sky only once a day Someday their parents promise they will take a vacation to Earth But for now they will have to strap on their oxygen packs and pressurized suits to go outside Life on Mars isn’t easy but it’s home The truth is sending humans to Mars even on a visiting basis is a few decades in the future The trip itself would take months using today’s modes of transportation and space travel is hard on the human body Once they get there Mars’s first visitors will probably stay for several months However Mars doesn’t have anything that’s ready to use Humans can’t breathe its air There’s no food It’s too cold Scientists must develop machines that will let astronauts use Mars’s resources to produce air water and fuel for their vehicles They’ll need to make sure that building materials will hold up in frigid temperatures and in different atmospheric conditions Even with all the essentials surviving in an alien environment will be both physically and mentally challenging Humans have walked on the moon but to go farther will require more creativity better technology and a lot of hard work 4
Mars likely the next space stop for human visitors has been studied from afar photo taken by the Hubble Space Telescope left and up-close a Mars rover above
