NASA Prepares for First Human Landing Mission on Mars

Mars surface illustration (photo: dock. NASA)

JAKARTA – The human landing mission on the Moon has not yet happened, but NASA is already planning a flight mission to Mars. The US space agency plans to send humans as early as 2035.

Space travel will take quite a long time. For one trip, astronauts need to travel a distance of up to 402 million kilometers with a duration of around six to seven months. After landing, the astronauts will spend up to 500 days on the surface of Mars before returning to Earth.

This mission will be closely related to the Artemis program. This program is not only designed to land the first female and colored astronauts on the Moon, but also to train and prepare for the Mars landing mission as well as possible.

Although NASA wants to be at the forefront of the space sector, the space agency is trying to pursue an ambitious mission to advance scientific exploration and discovery. It is possible that this ambitious goal will be postponed due to the slow progress of the Artemis mission.

Joel S. Levine, Atmospheric Scientist and former NASA Researcher, said that Mars has many things that need to be studied. Although the Perseverance rover has been placed on the planet, it would be better if astronauts could visit it directly.

"There are many mysteries to be solved on the red planet, including why Mars looks the way it does, and whether Mars has ever hosted life, either past or present," Levine told Space.

There is currently no water on Mars, but most scientists believe that the planet had liquid water in the form of oceans, lakes, and rivers about 3.8 billion years ago.

This belief is not just appeared. Many findings support this hypothesis, such as evidence of lakes, rivers, and ocean coastlines. Thus, it is suspected that Mars used to have a dense atmosphere.

Today, the situation has changed greatly. Mars has a very thin atmosphere and 95 percent of its atmosphere consists of carbon dioxide. Scientists believe that this dusty atmosphere is related to the complete loss of water.

To solve the mystery of the disappearance of water from Mars, NASA wants to visit it directly. They have made various preparations such as developing a new launch vehicle called the Space Launch System.

They are also developing the Orion aircraft, conducting simulations in Mars-like environments, training astronauts to live in Mars simulation rooms, and much more. Hopefully, the flight mission to Mars can be prepared on time.