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Scientists fear Elon Musk's Mars mission could harm the planet, as the SpaceX CEO moves forward with ambitious plans to build a city on the Red Planet by 2054. See what experts are concerned about!
Earlier this month, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk surprised the world by declaring that a city of one million people will thrive on Mars within 30 years. According to Musk, his ambitious project aims to establish a self-sustaining colony on the red planet, an audacious step that could redefine the future of space exploration.
However, leading scientists have expressed concerns about this idea, including Professor Andrew Coates, a physicist and Mars expert at University College London (UCL), which warns of the potential damage that colonization human could cause to the Martian environment.
Biological contamination and the threat to the search for extraterrestrial life through Elon Musk's SpaceX
Professor Coates warns that the presence of human colonists on Mars could lead to biological contamination of the planet, which would make it difficult to search for signs of alien life. In his statements, he emphasizes the importance of robotic exploration as a less invasive alternative.
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According to Coates, sending robots instead of humans is the safest and most efficient method to investigate the Martian environment, allowing the collection of accurate data without the risk of introducing terrestrial organisms.
He mentions that any trace of biological material brought by astronauts could interfere with research and contaminate samples, complicating the detection of possible signs of past or present life on Mars.
"The last thing we need to do is bring life from Earth to Mars“, argued the professor in an interview with the Today program. For him, the presence of robots would be the ideal way to investigate the Martian soil without compromising the integrity of the environment.
SpaceX's success and the expansion of space exploration
Elon Musk's company SpaceX has made impressive progress, especially with the recent landing of the Super Heavy booster, an essential part of enabling the transportation of people and loads heavy to Mars.
On October 13, SpaceX's 71-foot-tall Super Heavy successfully carried out a test flight, carrying a 3.000-ton payload 65 miles (XNUMX km) into the air before returning to the ground, where it was captured by Mechazilla's "arms," a device designed to hold the rocket.
With the success of the booster, Elon Musk believes that SpaceX is closer to making travel to Mars a viable and financially accessible reality. He stated on his social media: “If civilization is reasonably stable for the next 30 years, a self-sustaining city with more than a million people will be built on Mars.”
For Elon Musk, the development of Starship and Super Heavy are essential to ensure the reusability and cargo capacity needed to sustain a large colony on Mars.
Scientists' Concern: Mars versus the Moon
Professor Coates is not alone in expressing concerns about Elon Musk's plan. Many scientists warn that a human presence on Mars could irreversibly damage the environment there.
Unlike the Moon, Mars has ingredients that can sustain microbial life forms, which makes the risk of biological contamination even greater. The Moon, on the other hand, does not offer conditions suitable for life, making it a safe place for human exploration without concern for biological impacts.
NASA's Artemis mission, which aims to land the first Americans on the Moon since the Apollo era, will use a modified version of the Starship for transportation. According to the agency, the absence of life on the Moon makes large-scale human exploration feasible without the risk of contamination.
"We can explore the Moon without worry“, said Coates, adding that the characteristics of the lunar soil ensure that human presence does not bring negative ecological impacts.
The challenge of interplanetary launch
Establishing a colony on Mars presents challenges monumental logistical challenges. Mars only comes close enough to Earth for interplanetary travel once every 26 months, meaning launch windows are limited and occur in short windows.
For Elon Musk, the solution lies in the high cargo capacity and reusability of Starship and Super Heavy, allowing the transport of millions of tons of supplies and passengers to Mars during these launch windows.
Elon Musk's proposal to build a self-sustaining city requires constant and precise launches, something he believes is possible with SpaceX's current technology. However, experts point out that preparing for a project of this magnitude would require additional advances in technology and a more robust space infrastructure.
Contamination risks for future scientific missions
Professor Coates' team is working on the development of the Rosalind Franklin rover, a NASA mission that aims to explore the Martian subsurface in search of signs of microbial alien life.
The arrival of humans on Mars, he says, could hamper these efforts by introducing biological contaminants to the planet. “Contamination by terrestrial organisms would make it difficult to accurately analyze signs of life on Mars,” Coates argues.
The scientist suggests that if it is necessary to send humans to Mars, the number of explorers should be strictly controlled to minimize contamination. He proposes that sending just one or two people could be a safer approach to studying Mars without compromising the environment, saying that “one person might be fine eventually, but there is a risk of contamination.”
Robotic exploration as an alternative
Many scientists argue that robotic exploration is the best way to unravel the mysteries of Mars without putting the integrity of the environment at risk. In addition to being more cost-effective, robots can perform data collection tasks efficiently, without the biological risks associated with human presence.
Coates believes robotic exploration is essential to ensure we do not compromise potential discoveries about alien life on Mars, an area of research that is critically important to understanding our solar system.
A dilemma between ambition and scientific preservation
Elon Musk's ambitious vision of a Martian city is admirable, but scientists like Professor Coates warn of the consequences of mass colonisation on the red planet.
Biological contamination is a real concern, and the presence of humans could undermine decades of scientific research focused on identifying signs of alien life.
SpaceX’s technological breakthrough certainly represents a significant milestone in space exploration, offering unprecedented possibilities for humanity. However, the dilemma between expanding frontiers and preserving the cosmic environment persists.
While Musk's project envisions Mars as a new home for humanity, scientists believe the safest path to exploring the red planet is through robotics.
😑…He wants to build a new “Elysium”, where he himself wants to be the administrator and the dominant holder of the colonization rights of an unexplored planet.