Human mission to Mars
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A human mission to Mars has been the subject of science fiction, engineering, and scientific proposals since the 19th century. The plans comprise proposals to land on Mars, eventually settling on and terraforming the planet, while utilizing its moons, Phobos and Deimos.
The exploration of Mars has been a goal of national space programs for decades. Preliminary work for missions that would involve human explorers has been undertaken since the 1950s, with planned missions typically being cited as taking place 10 to 30 years in the future when they are drafted. The list of manned Mars mission plans in the 20th century shows the various mission proposals that have been put forth by multiple organizations and space agencies in this field of space exploration.
In terms of the current U.S. space program, NASA's long-term program Orion has a projected pace of development such that, as of late 2014, human spaceflight to Mars is anticipated in about 2035. That mission will be preceded by shorter flights for the up to four-person capsule involved, with experiments taking place to better the technologies protecting Mars-bound astronauts from the radiation of deep space.[1] In October 2015, NASA presented the next steps in the effort in more detail,[2][3][4][5] as well as a related health hazards report.[6][7] In September 2016 the SpaceX Interplanetary Transport System was presented with an aspirational initial uncrewed ITS launch to Mars no earlier than 2022.[8][9] On October 11, 2016, President Obama renewed a vision for US government involvement in a human mission to Mars by the mid-2030s.[10][11][12]
In fiction, the concept of humans traveling to and terraforming Mars has been explored in books, graphic novels, and films. Examples include: Robinson Crusoe on Mars, Total Recall, Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy (1993-1996), Mission to Mars, Red Planet, Doctor Who's The Waters of Mars and The Martian, as well as 2011 book. The appeal of space-travel to the planet is a major aspect to Mars in fiction.
Current intentions
A number of nations and organizations have long-term intentions to send humans to Mars.
- The United States has a number of robotic missions currently exploring Mars, with a sample-return planned for the future. On December 5, 2014 NASA successfully launched and tested the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV), the first component of NASA's planned Mars mission program. The Orion MPCV will serve as the launch/splashdown crew delivery vehicle, in combination with a Deep Space Habitat module, which will provide additional living-space for the crew on the 16-month-long journey from Earth to Mars and back. The first manned Mars Mission, which will include sending astronauts to Mars, orbiting Mars, and a return to Earth, is currently scheduled for the 2030s.[102][103][104] Technology development to facilitate US government missions to Mars is underway, but the Obama administration, like several presidential administrations before, has not left a well-funded approach to actually bring the conceptual project to completion with human landings on Mars by the mid-2030s, the stated objective.[12]
- The European Space Agency has long-term goal to send humans but has not yet built a manned spacecraft. It has sent robotic probes, and plans to launch an unmanned ExoMars in 2016 and 2020.
- India successfully placed an unmanned Mars Orbiter Mission (also called Mangalyaan) satellite in Mars orbit on 23 September 2014.[105]
- Japan has sent one robotic mission to Mars in 1998, the Nozomi, but it failed to achieve Mars orbit.
- China's mission to Mars, the Yinghuo-1 space probe, was lost with Russia's sample return mission to Phobos, Fobos-Grunt in 2011-2012. China claims to have built and tested a functioning EmDrive prototype, which could reduce Mars' interplanetary transit time. TheEmDrive spacecraft propulsion technology is also being investigated in the United States,[106][107] despite it being criticized aspseudoscience.[108][109][110]
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Technological innovations and hurdles
Significant technological hurdles need to be overcome for human spaceflight to Mars.
Entry into the thin and shallow Martian atmosphere will pose significant difficulties with re-entry and for a spacecraft of the weight needed to carry humans, along with life support, supplies and other equipment. Should a heat shield be used, it would need to be very large. Retro rockets could be used, but would add significant further weight.
A return mission to Mars will need to land a rocket to carry crew off the surface. Launch requirements mean that this rocket would be significantly smaller than an Earth-to-orbit rocket. Mars-to-orbit launch can also be achieved in single stage. Despite this, landing an ascent rocket on Mars will be difficult. Reentry for a large rocket will be difficult.
One of the medical supplies that may be needed is intravenous fluid, which is mostly water but contains other things so it can be added directly to the human blood stream. If it can be created on the spot from existing water then it could spare the weight of hauling earth-produced units, whose weight is mostly water.[112] A prototype for this capability was tested on the International Space Station in 2010.[112]
While it is possible for humans to breathe pure oxygen, a pure oxygen atmosphere was implicated in the Apollo 1 fire. As such, Mars habitats may have a need for additional gases. One possibility is to take nitrogen and argon from the atmosphere of Mars; however, they are hard to separate from each other.[113] As a result, a Mars habitat may use 40% argon, 40% nitrogen, and 20% oxygen.[113]
Mars sample return missions
An unmanned Mars sample return mission (MSR) has sometimes been considered to be an essential precursor to crewed missions to Mars' surface by the 21st century.[118] The ESA noted that a sample return as being essential and could bridge the gap between robotic and human missions to Mars.[118] An example of a Mars sample return mission is Sample Collection for Investigation of Mars.[119] Mars sample return was the highest priority Flagship Mission proposed for NASA by the Planetary Decadal Survey 2013-2022: The Future of Planetary Science.[120] However, such missions have been hampered by complexity and expense, with one ESA proposal involving no less than five different unmanned spacecraft.[121]
A difficulty in sample return plans is the concern that, however remote, something could be brought back that could infect life on the Earth.[121] Regardless, a basic set of guidelines for extraterrestrial sample return have been laid out depending on the source of sample (e.g. asteroid, Moon, Mars surface, etc.)[122] Hardware and mission parameters are designed following planetary protection protocols so mission concepts can proceed forward in an orderly way without causing undue concern over remote chances.[122] The issue of sample protection is another factor that increases the difficulty of sample return, both to keep the sample from getting contaminated with Earth material or life, and achieving a rational approach to keeping the Mars sample from "contaminating" Earth.[121]
Crewed orbital missions
Landis[124] and Lupisella proposed to explore Mars via telepresence from human astronauts in orbit.[125]
A similar idea, was the proposed "Human Exploration using Real-time Robotic Operations" (HERRO) mission.[126][127]
Another proposed mission was the Russian Mars Piloted Orbital Station.
Cyanobacteria for ecopoiesis and on-site production processes[edit]
In 2014, Techshot, a company based in Greenville, Indiana, worked on a NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program to develop sealed biodomes that would employ colonies of oxygen-producingcyanobacteria and algae to produce oxygen (O2) from Martian soil.[128][129][130] An initial test, the Mars Ecopoiesis Test Bed,[128] would be done on a small scale on Mars.[131] If the experiment is successful, they will propose building large, closed ecological systems to produce and harvest oxygen for a future human mission to Mars' life support systems.[132][133] Being able to create oxygen on Mars would provide considerable cost savings to NASA, and allow for longer human visits to Mars than would be possible if astronauts had to transport their own heavy oxygen tanks.[133] This biological process would be isolated in contained areas, and is not intended as a type of global planetary engineering for terraforming of Mars' atmosphere,[130][133] but NASA states that "This will be the first major leap from laboratory studies into the implementation of experimental (as opposed to analytical) planetary in situresearch of greatest interest to planetary biology, ecopoiesis and terraforming."[130] The planetary protection protocols for such a mission, however, would be difficult.
Some scientists suggested a wider role for cyanobacteria in the development of self-sustainable manned outposts on Mars.[134] They propose that cyanobacteria could be used directly for various applications, including the production of food, fuel and oxygen, but also indirectly: products from their culture could support the growth of other organisms, opening the way to a wide range of life-support biological processes based on Martian resources.v
Selecting the Crew
There are multiple requirements to become a Mars One astronaut. Applicants’ characteristics must fit with those of an astronaut. Meaning the candidate needs to be:
- Resilient
- Adaptable
- Curious
- Trustworthy and Trusting
- Creative/Resourceful
- Above the age of 18
- A2 English level
- Other physical requirements
Selection Process
The selection process consists of four rounds, resulting in international crews of up to six groups of four.
Round 1
All candidates must submit an online application. The online application consists of general information about the applicant, a motivational letter, a resume and a one minute video in which the applicant answers some given questions and explains why he or she should be among the first humans to set foot on Mars. At this stage the potential candidates can submit their application in one of the 11 most used languages on Internet: English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Russian, Arabic, Indonesian, Chinese Mandarin, Japanese, Korean. If an applicant decides to make his or her profile public, the application videos is available to be watched on community.mars-one.com. At the end of the first selection round, a team of Mars One experts will decide which applicants will pass to the next selection round.
Round 2
Mars One then narrows the remaining applicants down to Round Two candidates. These individuals need to provide a medical statement from their own physician stating that they have met all the defined requirements. Mars One's criteria for medical fitness are similar to those of NASA.
The remaining individuals will subsequently receive materials to study for general knowledge questions. Mars One's Chief Medical Officer Norbert Kraft interviews the members of this group individually about the knowledge questions and about their motivation to become part of this life-changing mission. The interviews are brief because it does not require a lot of time to determine which candidate is not suitable to fly to Mars. Therefore, the following selection rounds will be focused on determining who has what it takes to settle on Mars. The remaining candidates will have shown that they are healthy, smart, and dedicated.
Round 3
The third round is an international selection round. The 100 candidates who make it into this third selection round will participate in indoor and outdoor group challenges to test their ability to work in a team within limited conditions, interdependency, trust, their problem-solving and creativity skills, their thoroughness and precision, and their clarity and relevance of communication. The candidates’ knowledge of in advance provided study materials is essential to progress in the challenges. Candidates are eliminated based on their behavior both inside and outside the group challenges.
Round 4
Forty remaining Round Four Candidates will begin the isolation portion of the screening process. The results of the isolation challenge will reduce the forty candidates down to thirty who will then undergo the Mars Settler Suitability Interview.
From the first selection series, up to six groups of four will become full time employees of Mars One, after which they will start training for the mission. Whole teams and individuals might be selected out during training if they prove unsuitable for the mission.
Future Crew Expansion
A new group of four astronauts will land on Mars every 26 months, steadily increasing the settlement’s size. Eventually, a living unit will be built from local materials, large enough to grow trees. As more astronauts arrive, the creativity applied to settlement expansion will certainly give way to ideas and innovation that cannot be conceived now. But it can be expected that the human spirit will continue to persevere, and even thrive in this challenging environment.
REFERRENCE:
http://www.mars-one.com/mission/mars-one-astronauts
http://physicsfocus.org/amy-shira-teitel-mars-one-mission-could-go-horribly-wrong-if-it-ever-gets-off-the-ground
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_mission_to_Mars
For the space-inclined, the week got off to an interesting start on Monday with a press conference from the team behind Mars One, the Dutch not-for-profit organisation that’s planning to broadcast the establishment of the first human settlement on Mars like a reality TV show. It was a fascinating conference, more for what the Mars One panel didn’t say than for what they did. And the public response was pretty interesting, too; reactions online were mixed between excitement from the average person and deep scepticism from those in the space community. So, after hearing the latest news about Mars One, do I think the mission is feasible? As much as I love space exploration, I have to respond with a resounding “No”.
For those of you who don’t know about the Mars One mission, here’s the gist. Beginning in 2016, Mars One will launch unmanned cargo missions to Mars to deliver all the things astronauts will need to build a habitat and establish a community on the red planet. In 2023, the first crew will arrive. They will use the pre-landed hardware and supplies to set up a habitat, start farming the land, and set up for the rest of their lives – this mission is a one way trip. After the first crew, Mars One will take advantage of favourable launch opportunities – there’s one every 26 months – to send more supplies and more crews. And the whole thing will be funded by TV revenue. From astronaut selection to their deaths on Mars, the world will be watching.
So there are a lot of reasons to view the Mars One project as insane.
Let’s start with the technology. The team behind the mission claims that the mission is feasible with existing hardware. That may be true, but “existing” does not necessarily mean flight ready, let alone suitable for a manned mission. Only the Russian Soyuz is currently able to take humans into space, and that’s not a spacecraft equipped to land on Mars. And the landing is another issue. Mars One says it will use retrorocket (rockets that fire to slow the spacecraft for a soft touchdown) and no parachute to land its crew on Mars. That’s a method that’s never been done. NASA’s Viking landers use retrorockets, but they also used a parachute in the early stage of their descent and weighed far less than a manned spacecraft. I can only imagine how much the fuel for a powered descent would weigh for a spacecraft not taking advantage of a parachute-assisted descent.
And that’s just the technical side of things. There’s a human side to take into consideration, too. Mars One has opened its astronaut application to everyone. If you’re between 20 and 40 years old and healthy, you’re qualified to fly on Mars One. Education and background doesn’t matter. Instead, a sense of humour and the ability to work well with others are key characteristics Mars One is looking for in astronaut hopefuls. It’s such an inclusive selection criteria because science isn’t the focus of Mars One, colonization is. There will be little to no science on the mission, said the Mars One team. Except, that is, for a long list of things the crew will have to do: fix anything that breaks; build and maintain their habitat; diagnose and treat injury and illness, and possibly perform surgery; and learn how to live off the Martian land. Not only does that sound like a lot of science, it sounds like a lot of very specialised science.
The other key piece of the mission the Mars One team skirted over at Monday’s press conference is funding. The first manned mission, they said, will cost six billion US dollars. They didn’t say whether that figure includes research and development or any of the early cargo missions, nor did they say what levels of funding they have secured. They only said that they will raise the money for the mission by broadcasting the whole process on TV. Their model for this decision is the Olympics. Last year’s Summer Olympics in London turned a profit of about $4 billion through TV broadcast rights and ad revenue. And as the Mars One team pointed out, that was only a three week event. The Mars One mission will be broadcast over years. The idea is that as we get to know the crews, we’ll be taken into their stories. It’s the human side of this mission that is so important. That’s the side that will sell.
The problem with the reality TV funding model is that the money will come after the mission has started, not before, which is when missions like this really need money. Mars One didn’t say anything about how they will deal with cost overruns, which are inevitable with an undertaking of this magnitude. The problem with the 2016 launch is that Mars One hasn’t said who will be providing the spacecraft and rocket, and the launch date is really close on the horizon. As far as we know, none of the hardware has been tested either on Earth or on Mars. If the first mission will launch in three years, Mars One need to start landing tests tomorrow. The problem with the open call for astronauts, at least from what Mars One is saying publicly, is that they might not have the right expertise for such a demanding mission, which could be catastrophic.
There are so many unknowns with this mission and so many possible ways the whole endeavour could fall apart. It will be an interesting mission to follow, but I suspect it will be another in the growing list of old and abandoned Mars plans that have been forgotten by everyone save a handful of historians.
PERSONAL OPINION:
The plans comprise proposals to land on Mars, eventually settling on and terraforming the planet, while utilizing its moons, Phobos and Deimos.The idea is that as we get to know the crews, we’ll be taken into their stories. It’s the human side of this mission that is so important. 
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