OPENSPACE 24: The Future of Space Exploration | Page 29

THE FUTURE OF SPACE EXPLORATION
“The Moon village should
be understood as an open,
international infrastructure
that could be used for scientific
purposes, but also for commercial
and any other initiatives that could
be beneficial for mankind.”
Paolo Ferri
Head of the Mission Operations Department at the
European Space Operations Centre (ESOC).
There continue to be major obstacles to manned Mars
missions. The first one is the high cost. The estimated cost
for sending a person to Mars is approximately $10 billion
per person. The next primary challenge is the technology.
Mars is more than 140 times farther away than the Moon,
and simply trying to get there could result in death. To send
astronauts, the spacecraft would need to be home to the
astronauts for months, shield them from the very dangerous
cosmic radiation, and carry enough supplies for a safe return
trip. None of these challenges have yet been overcome.
Even if able to eventually get there, the first humans to
walk on Mars would be stepping into a harsh, dangerous
environment. The thin atmosphere would partially protect
them from solar radiation, but they would still need to shield
themselves from cosmic rays, which is an extremely difficult
process. Furthermore, all materials sent to the planet need
to be reusable, and a propellant that works on the surface
needs to be produced that would allow spaceships to make
return trips.
Despite all of these obstacles and technical challenges,
Credit: ESA.
governmental agencies and private companies haven’t given
up on the idea of sending humans to the red planet. NASA
has a goal of sending humans to Mars in the 2030s and
happen in the next decade. “I believe humans will eventually trusts that the challenges to pioneering Mars are solvable.
go to Mars in the future, but I don’t think we’ll be there by The American space company SpaceX also has ambitious
2030,” said Ferri. “We just don’t have the right technology to plans for Mars. The company is currently planning to send a
go there yet, and the human risks and costs are still too high,” robotic mission to Mars by 2024, and its founder, Elon Musk,
added Warhaut. has announced his plan of sending humans to Mars by 2030.
29