Will Humans Ever Go to Mars?

Getting humans on Mars is something that always makes its way into conversations about space. And for good reason too. Getting humans onto another planet is surely the pinnacle of space travel. But with all the atmospheric information required, it’s usually something we think of in the distant future. A speech by SpaceX founder Elon Musk, however, has suggested it might be a lot closer than we think.

Sole purpose

In his speech at the International Astronautical Congress in Mexico, Musk revealed “I really have no other purpose than to make life interplanetary”. Why? Other than it being incredibly cool travelling to Mars, he’s concerned about the long-term future of our planet. He suggests that without these missions, we will “stay on Earth forever and then there will be an inevitable extinction event.”

“The alternative is to become a spacefaring civilization, and a multi-planetary species,” Musk elaborated. How? He plans to create a reusable spaceship that can repeatedly make journeys between Earth and Mars. His proposed space-crafts would be up to twice as long as a Boeing 747 and could carry nearly 100 passengers. When? He says the missions could begin in the next decade – as early as 2022 in fact.

Start saving

Unfortunately for most of us, these trips won’t be for the average Joe. Musk has estimated the cost of missions at around $10 billion per person. The good news is that the ship is reusable, so the more it’s proven to be reusable, the more the price will drop. Who knows – maybe we’ll be able to snap up tickets for as low as $5 billion by 2025.

As for refuelling, the spaceships will be launched with “interplanetary modules” that will be kept in the Earth’s orbit. They will refuel the main ship, but there was also talk of plans for fuel production on Mars. With supplies of water and carbon dioxide on the planet, it’s thought some proportion of the fuel for the return journey could be sourced on Mars.

Fuel analysis

Space projects require big financial backing, but they also require a high amount of fuel. There are a lot of specific requirements for the fuel too. While it’s taken for granted, the specificity of the fuel is pivotal to the mission’s success. It’s not just rocket propellant that needs analysing though. All fuels require elemental analysis to regulate their content of harmful substances. ‘Biogenic Fuels and Renewable Energies – A Challenge for Elemental Analysis?’ explores the obstacles scientists face when analysing biogenic materials.