Mars, the new frontier. The blue planet. The only planet in the whole universe known to man which has the potential to sustain some kind of life-form. It is planet that has an atmosphere that remotely resembles planet Earth. Scientist have long dreamed to capitalise on this remote resemblance and exploit it enough to make it self sustainable to humans. They envisioned a day when humans will populate the entire planet without any artificial life supporting system, thriving on their own on Mars, just like they are thriving healthily here.
The mission to Mars, still in it’s infancy even though it has been a few decades, has made startling discoveries in recent years. Much due to the improvement of latest space technology, samples of soil sent back by the space probe has indeed revealed that life did existed on Mars before it became barren today. This amazing new discovery has risen the hopes of scientists and space researchers to new heights. Further encouraging finds are signs that water, the basic need of all life-form, is present on Mars, frozen beneath the surface of the planet.
Scientist and space researchers now are faced with a new mission. To unfreeze the water beds beneath the crust of Mars and bring it to the surface. They opined that if there is water, plants will grow, and with green plants growing in abundance, the effect of photosynthesis will take effect, providing the life giving gas called oxygen to oxygen inhaling lifeforms. Like humans, for example.
They might already have that technology and the expertise. What with all the drilling and extracting of petroleum and gasses happening on this planet. There will be two major obstacles though. One is transportation and the other, the setting up of the heavy equipments used for major drilling works.
The perilous journey to Mars took the tiny space probe more than a few good months an it was lucky to survived a few good knocks before landing on Mars. To transport equipments and structures the size of an off shore drilling platform will probably see the need to built a space ship the size of the USS Enterprise. Okay, I may be exaggerating a little bit, one tenth the size of the USS Enterprise will be more than enough. And it don’t need to be able to travel at warp speed even.
I certainly will not live to see the day when someone lands on Mars on a successful mission and proclaims yet another “bigger leap for mankind”, but I am hopeful. I truly believe there will be that day. When it comes, I hope Planet Earth still existed. I hope my off springs will still be around. I hope they get to witness the first successful man-ed mission to Mars. I hope it’s a man and not a monkey though.
