The Human Mars Mission – Is it worth it?
One of the most trending topics on the internet nowadays is the Mars mission. It is what all space agencies talk about, especially SpaceX and NASA, who have been planning this mission. Many people are looking forward to it but others, like Bill Gates, are hesitant. Is this mission worth it, and why is so much money being spent on it?
What is the human Mars mission?
The human Mars mission is an attempt to send humans to Mars. According to the European Space Agency (ESA), this mission was influenced by NASA’s Curiosity Rover, launched on February 27th, 2011. It collected and characterised rocks and soil, which detected past water activity! That is why NASA hopes to search for life beyond Earth and prepare for future human exploration. These explorations may lead to wonders, such as making humans multi-planet species, which SpaceX aims for. There are already 200000 people who are desperate to travel and become Martians, or people from Mars, and 2700 people who have already signed up to go on SpaceX’s human Mars mission! Another reason for this mission is planet Earth’s environmental crisis, and a meteor strike which might appear in 2029. Scientists believe that both these incidents may put humankind in danger, thus proceeding with the Mars mission.
In addition, the people who benefit from this mission the most are scientists. They are often interested in discoveries, and Mars offers that — it may be the home of many elements that Earth does not consist of, it may contain a new type of plant, there might be other kinds of species like us/homo sapiens, and so much more! It might be the most interesting thing we have ever imagined!
Then, why do people hesitate?
From the air we breathe to the nature we see, planet Earth offers an unlimited amount of resources that allow for the very existence of humankind. Whether or not an individual believes in god, Earth is considered the prettiest creation in any religious or scientific scripture. It has the most beautiful thing that no other planet offers: nature. It will also always be our first home.
However, planet Earth is on the edge of destruction due to the carelessness of humankind — plastic is used and dumped into the sea, and landfills almost every day, the air is polluted due to our daily actions, such as burning fossil fuels or industries creating air pollution, there is some kind of war involving missiles in at least one place almost all the time, and trees, to prevent further disasters, are cut down for wood. There is damage to wildlife, plant life, and humankind itself because of these actions.
In fact, this started happening shortly after humankind was born. We started off with cooking, then burning, then inventing, and we haven’t stopped polluting ever since. The effects started off as a glacier melting and soon turned into something huge, like the extinction of certain species.
Looking back into the Mars mission, around $1.08 billion are being invested into it. Instead, if this money could be invested in supporting the Earth, we just might be able to save planet Earth. Bill Gates strongly supports this statement. He said that he would rather invest his money on Earth instead of going to Mars, in an interview with BBC.
In conclusion, I think the money for the Mars mission should instead be invested in Earth. It doesn’t mean that the Mars mission isn’t worth it, because even though it might not be beneficial for us, it will be for a lot of scientists. However, it is important to consider the state of our planet and its species before we carry out our own explorations because no matter how many planets we go to, there is nothing as special as planet Earth. What is your opinion?
Sources and Recommended Reading:
https://mars.nasa.gov/mars-exploration/missions/?page=0&per_page=99&order=date+desc&search=
