When is the United States going to carry out manned landing on Mars?

With the successful landing of Spirit on the surface of Mars, the topic of manned landing on Mars has been put on the agenda of scientists. According to the American media report on June 5438+05, in order to prepare for the future manned Mars flight, scientists from NASA, the European Space Agency and the French Space Agency will soon conduct various experiments on "human adaptation to space" in Antarctica. Once the experiment proves that human beings can completely adapt to the trip to and from Mars at least 1 year in the future, then human beings are likely to land around 20 15 years. Training Martians in Antarctica

It is reported that NASA, the European Space Agency, the French Space Agency and two Antarctic research groups have begun to cooperate and prepare to conduct a simulated "Mars life experiment" in the inaccessible Antarctic region.

It is reported that the simulation of "Mars Life Experiment" will be conducted at Concordia base, an Antarctic workstation built in France and Italy. As the most isolated place on earth, Concordia Antarctic Base will provide an external environment that is very similar to human mission to mars. Oliver Angele, head of Concordia Antarctic Base, told the reporter: "The base is completely isolated for 8 to 9 months every year, which allows the experimenters to fully experience the isolation environment completely similar to mission to mars." It may cost $450 billion.

At the same time, NASA's manned Mars flight plan is progressing steadily. As early as 15 years ago, NASA put forward the idea of "human landing on Mars", which has been expanded into a detailed 90-day report. According to the report, the manned flight from the Earth to Mars may cost 450 billion US dollars, and it is necessary to build a nuclear-powered spacecraft as long as a football field, and it is necessary to load all kinds of living equipment and running fuel needed by humans to travel to and from Mars for one year. In the past two years, NASA has put forward a variety of feasibility reports on manned landing on Mars, including making a Mars space station from two satellites of Mars, and then diverting it to Mars. NASA believes that if all goes well, humans may land on Mars around 20 15. France recruits women "Martians"

At the same time, the French Space Agency recently began to recruit 25 female "Martians" volunteers. The 25 selected female volunteers will undergo a "space experiment" in the simulated weightlessness laboratory of the Institute of Space Medicine in Toulouse next year. They will lie with their heads down on a special inclined bed for two to three months. This special 6-degree inclined bed is the "normal angle" for astronauts to fly to Mars while lying in the spaceship. It is reported that the astronauts who will land on Mars for the first time in the future are likely to choose among these ordinary experimenters. (Muya) Difficult articles

How to overcome the three major problems of landing?

Technology: increase the speed of spacecraft

None of the Mars probes developed at present are manned, but it is only a matter of time before a manned Mars spacecraft is developed. However, landing on the moon is difficult, and landing on Mars is even more difficult. In the final analysis, the reason is technical: as far as landing on Mars is concerned, the technology of landing on the moon can be completely realized, and the problem lies in the distance between Mars and the earth. Mars is/kloc-0.90 billion kilometers away from the earth, while distance to the moon is only 384,000 kilometers away from the earth. It will take at least half a year for the existing spacecraft to fly from Earth to Mars, during which it will certainly be difficult for astronauts to replenish. Scientists suggest that increasing the speed of spacecraft and designing equipment that can recycle resources are the ways to solve this problem, which must be realized through the development of science and technology. Oxygen supply: growing vegetables on Mars

According to the plan to land on Mars, scientists will first launch a carrier rocket similar to Saturn V, and send an automated "small chemical plant" containing at least 7 tons of liquid hydrogen and a 50 kW nuclear reactor to the surface of Mars. This small factory can produce pure water, oxygen and methane as fuel. After liquefaction, methane gas can be stored as fuel. When a part of current passes through pure water, a chemical reaction can occur and enough oxygen can be collected.

At this time, the manned spacecraft can be easily launched from the earth. When the astronauts arrive at Mars on 180, they will find that the "small chemical plant" has produced enough oxygen and fuel, and oxygen and water will become the main lifeline of future Mars colonization. Professor Robert Zubolin said that early astronauts can also try to build an "artificial greenhouse" on Mars, so that vegetables and plants can grow in the greenhouse on the surface of Mars. Hundreds of years have passed, plants release more and more oxygen, and Martian rocks release more carbon dioxide. It is difficult to guarantee that Mars will not one day become a "green planet" similar to Earth. Raising funds: issuing "Mars bonds"

In fact, the huge amount of money for human landing on Mars is the biggest headache for scientists. According to a report by NASA, a manned flight from Earth to Mars may cost 450 billion dollars.

Professor Richard Alan Brown, head of the famous investment think tank "1248 Association" in Charleston, South Carolina, said that in addition to government investment, the funds for human landing on Mars can also be raised by selling "Mars bonds". For example, an insurance company can sell "Mars bonds" costing $20 billion or more to the public. Each "Mars bond" is worth $20,000. In 65,438+000 years, there will be no income from holding Mars bonds. However, the holder of each bond will be entitled to 40 square miles of land ownership on Mars, and so on.

Alex Duken, a former rocket scientist in the United States, said that the method of issuing "Mars bonds" to raise funds was too slow. It is best to create a "Mars lottery", and the winner will be able to get a "free seat" for the first trip to Mars. It is also the season of "Mars fever".

1 962165438+1In October, the former Soviet Union launched the Mars1probe. As the first Mars probe launched by human beings, it is widely regarded as the beginning of human journey to Mars. Since then, humans have launched more than 30 unmanned Mars probes.

In 2003, all countries set off a new wave of Mars exploration. Only in June this year, three probes started their own trip to Mars: on June 2, the first Mars express of the European Space Agency carried the Beagle -2 lander to Mars; 1 1, the Mars landing probe carrying NASA's Spirit rover also set off for Mars. Another Mars lander carrying the rover Opportunity is scheduled to go to Mars on the 25th. Scientists predict that from the end of this year to the beginning of next year, there may be six probes running in the orbit of Mars. end-all

Make Mars the second Earth.

Mars is a close neighbor of the earth, and its unique spatial location, climate and geological conditions make it possible to become the other side of astronomical observation, scientific research and human migration. 1969 After Apollo landed on the moon successfully, scientists designated Mars as the next planet to conquer.

Not long ago, the Russian Space Agency has drawn up a Mars landing plan, and will cooperate with the space departments of the United States, Europe, Japan and Canada to launch manned spacecraft and cargo spacecraft to Mars from 20 14 to 20 15 to conduct a field trip to Mars. According to the idea of scientists, if we can make full use of the existing technology and get enough investment, then human beings will realize their dream of landing on Mars in about 20 15 years, and then establish a base on Mars to gradually transform the Martian environment into a second "earth" suitable for human habitation, and then realize large-scale Martian immigration.

Scientists predict that if one day, human beings can really live and reproduce on Mars, then human beings will get a new starting point for interstellar navigation, and the question of whether human beings are lonely will be answered in a wider space. Undoubtedly, this temptation is irresistible.