Journey to the Red Planet

Dr. Paul Delaney, Professor Physics and Astronomy at Toronto’s York University; and Dr. James Garvin, Lead Scientist for Mars and Lunar Exploration at NASA, guide us though the primary challenges.

International co-operation is key

Leonid Gorshkov of Russia’s Energia Space Agency proudly shows a mock-up of the world’s first manned interplanetary spacecraft, Klipper. After 40 years of building and launching the Mir space station, the Russians have invaluable experience in deep space.

It will take at least six months to travel the 56-million kilometres to Mars. The window for a safe return trip might take 1½ years to open. The European Space Agency is tasked with finding the best trajectory for the mission.

The effects of zero gravity can lead to dramatic loss of body strength and bone mass. Radiation may prove deadly. Scientists are developing space suits that are both protective and flexible. They are also puzzling over how best to create artificial gravity.

Experiments are being carried out in some of the harshest places on Earth. NASA is field-testing a prototype Martian suit in Arizona’s inhospitable Meteor Crater; scientists are searching for life organisms in Chile’s hostile Atacama Desert; and others are testing drills for trying to reach water through the frozen tundra of the Canadian Arctic’s Devon Island.

The search for life on Mars may give clues on how that planet could be colonized. Should a major disaster occur on Earth, the inability to emigrate to another planet would make humans as vulnerable as the dinosaurs in ages past.

Next episode

S01E02 - Rocket Power