a pressure difference from head to toe in astronauts, with severe circulatory consequences. Only by building spaceships of at least a thousand feet in diameter –
three times the ISS– and by rotating them at 2.5 revolutions per minute could a
force with a homogenous intensity be obtained over the entire human body.
42
In 2017, ESA Director General Jan Woerner, during the inauguration of the UK
Space Conference in Manchester told the British newspaper The Times that
The possibility of our migration to the red planet is not only far from our current technology, but it would be a sad and empty existence. We must distance
ourselves from the fantasies created by Hollywood films, such as The Martian,
played by Matt Damon, about what life on that desolate planet could be like,
and instead recognize that colonization is not only a much harder reality, but
above all it is the wrong word. Do you want to live in a place where it is dark
for half of the month, and sunny for the other half? This is the Moon. No.
Living in darkness for two weeks is not a good life. And Mars is the same.
There is more sun light and the situation is better, but you cannot go out for a
walk. You must always be protected by diving suits that provide you with
oxygen and protection, and you cannot walk your dog in the trees. The movie
The Martian was good, but the planet Mars is not good at all. Men will certainly go to Mars, but not to colonize it. I hope that we will not leave this
Earth in the next three billion years, and that we will find a way to make our
life here safer, because it is difficult to find a better place in the Universe.
43
These considerations should offer some food for thought. ESA’s Director
General openly declares that space exploration is a feat inherently hostile to human
life. In this interview, we see evidence of a thought common to many experts but
not often publicly declared – the recognition that humankind still does not have
the fundamental technologies capable of guaranteeing survivability in deep space,
millions of miles from Earth.
Investing large resources into future technological solutions is easier said than
done. It is easier to justify studying new medical technologies or innovative therapies in space by showing how such advances may improve life on Earth. Beyond
that, as we have seen in the case of Elon Musk, evoking fascination in space exploration can become an effective marketing and fundraising tool. Musk’s pharaonic
exploration projects on Mars detail spaceships capable of carrying hundreds of
42
Idem: In a structure like a 15 feet diameter module – equivalent to those of the ISS – rotating
at 20 revolutions per minute, the difference in acceleration between the extremities of the
human body would be greater at the feet – equal to 9.77 m per second square – and lower at the
head – equal to 2.41 meters per second square – so as to cause a poor blood supply to the brain
with devastating consequences. Instead, in a structure of 985 feet in diameter rotating at 2.45
rpm, the difference between the accelerations at the extremities would be a more bearable 1%.
43
The Times. 2017. Living on Mars Wouldn’t be Worth Effort, Says ESA Chief. Report by
Oliver Moody, Science Correspondent.
132 Mars: Next Stop?
three times the ISS– and by rotating them at 2.5 revolutions per minute could a
force with a homogenous intensity be obtained over the entire human body.
42
In 2017, ESA Director General Jan Woerner, during the inauguration of the UK
Space Conference in Manchester told the British newspaper The Times that
The possibility of our migration to the red planet is not only far from our current technology, but it would be a sad and empty existence. We must distance
ourselves from the fantasies created by Hollywood films, such as The Martian,
played by Matt Damon, about what life on that desolate planet could be like,
and instead recognize that colonization is not only a much harder reality, but
above all it is the wrong word. Do you want to live in a place where it is dark
for half of the month, and sunny for the other half? This is the Moon. No.
Living in darkness for two weeks is not a good life. And Mars is the same.
There is more sun light and the situation is better, but you cannot go out for a
walk. You must always be protected by diving suits that provide you with
oxygen and protection, and you cannot walk your dog in the trees. The movie
The Martian was good, but the planet Mars is not good at all. Men will certainly go to Mars, but not to colonize it. I hope that we will not leave this
Earth in the next three billion years, and that we will find a way to make our
life here safer, because it is difficult to find a better place in the Universe.
43
These considerations should offer some food for thought. ESA’s Director
General openly declares that space exploration is a feat inherently hostile to human
life. In this interview, we see evidence of a thought common to many experts but
not often publicly declared – the recognition that humankind still does not have
the fundamental technologies capable of guaranteeing survivability in deep space,
millions of miles from Earth.
Investing large resources into future technological solutions is easier said than
done. It is easier to justify studying new medical technologies or innovative therapies in space by showing how such advances may improve life on Earth. Beyond
that, as we have seen in the case of Elon Musk, evoking fascination in space exploration can become an effective marketing and fundraising tool. Musk’s pharaonic
exploration projects on Mars detail spaceships capable of carrying hundreds of
42
Idem: In a structure like a 15 feet diameter module – equivalent to those of the ISS – rotating
at 20 revolutions per minute, the difference in acceleration between the extremities of the
human body would be greater at the feet – equal to 9.77 m per second square – and lower at the
head – equal to 2.41 meters per second square – so as to cause a poor blood supply to the brain
with devastating consequences. Instead, in a structure of 985 feet in diameter rotating at 2.45
rpm, the difference between the accelerations at the extremities would be a more bearable 1%.
43
The Times. 2017. Living on Mars Wouldn’t be Worth Effort, Says ESA Chief. Report by
Oliver Moody, Science Correspondent.
132 Mars: Next Stop?