9 dangers of Mars that could kill an unlucky astronaut

Elon Musk, a fan of speculating about the colonization of Mars, has no doubt that the event will not be easy. The entrepreneur said more than onceC. Gohd. Elon Musk reminds us all that ’a bunch of people will probably die’ going to Mars / Spacethat during the exploration of the Red Planet "a lot of people will die", and the discoverers will probably never return to Earth at all. And, most likely, Musk is not far from the truth. Mars is a dangerous place.

1. Unsuccessful landing

First you need to fly to the Red Planet. And then not crash on landing. The latter is not as easy as it might seem. Mars has a very thin and thin atmosphereMars Fact Sheet / NASA: its height is only 11.1 kilometers (near the Earth - 118), and the concentration of gas in it is about 100 times lower than on our planet.

It will be difficult for the spacecraft to slow down during landing. The ship of the early colonists will not be able to rely on air resistance or

parachute system. You will have to use either rocket brakes (and this is additional fuel), or air "cushions", because of which the ship will bounce several times like a ball.

On the example of the Perseverance rover, you can estimate how difficult it is to "sail"

And if it's so hard to plant a single colorMars 2020 / Perseverance / NASA Perseverance, let alone heavy vehicles with crew and cargo on board. Colonists, according to experts from NASA, will need 1. L. Grush. How You’ll Die On Mars / Popular Science
2. Mars is Hard. Here's Why / NASA Houston We Have a Podcast
approximately 20-40 tons of equipment and supplies. Imagine how such a whopper picks up speed of several thousand kilometers per hour, and then crashes in one of the Martian craters. There won't even be a wet spot from the astronauts.

Until the engineers figured out how to plant something weighing more than a ton on the Red Planet. And even if they succeed, no one can guarantee that in practice everything will go smoothly.

There is a high probability that the first colonists will see Mars only through the window, and then they will die. Suffice it to say that out of 48 expeditions to Mars already completed, only 21 have ended.Mars Exploration Program. Historical Log / NASA Science successfully. And these were small automatic vehicles, not manned ships.

2. Low atmospheric pressure and weak gravity

Without a special protective suit, a person is unlikely to be able to take more than a couple of steps on the surface of Mars. People are not fitMars Fact Sheet / NASA to local conditions: the attraction and atmospheric pressure on the planet are much weaker than on Earth. The latter, for example, is 100 times lower than that of the earth.

Under low pressure conditions, some substances will immediately change from a solid to a gaseous state. Due to this process, gases dissolved in our blood can be convertedI. Klotz. Boiling Blood and Radiation: 5 Ways Mars Can Kill / Space into bubbles, and that literally "boils". And in a few seconds the person will die. Therefore, on Mars, you will have to wear a spacesuit that will artificially maintain pressure from the inside.

In addition, no one knows how the attraction of the Red Planet, which almost triplesMars Fact Sheet / NASA below the earth, will affect the health of the colonists. It is possible that the first inhabitants of Mars will experienceThe Human Body in Space / NASA the same health problems as astronauts in weightlessness.

So, it is likely that the muscles of the colonists will atrophy, bone density will decrease, and fluids will not spread normally throughout the body. Because of the latter, for example, vision will weaken. All this, of course, is not fatal, but space romantics are unlikely to be pleased to learn that glasses are a necessary attribute of an expedition to Mars.

3. The very atmosphere

It consists almost entirely (95%) of carbon dioxide, there is very little oxygen and water vapor in it. A man who finds himself on the surface of Mars without a supply of air will suffocateI. Klotz. Boiling Blood and Radiation: 5 Ways Mars Can Kill / Space within minutes.

So any depressurization or breakdown of the spacesuit will be deadly.

4. Cold

Mars doubledM. Greshko. Planet Mars, explained / National Geographic farther from the Sun than the Earth. Therefore, Mars is freakishly cold: the average temperature isThe Planet Mars / NOAA National Weather Service -63 ° C. Even at the Vostok polar station in Antarctica the mark is heldStation "Vostok" / Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute at the level of -55 ° С.

Yes, you can land at the equator of the Red Planet, where the temperature can reach +21 ° C. However, this paradise weather will not last long. Due to the weak atmosphere, the surface of Mars quickly heats up under the sun's rays, and then cools down just as quickly. As a result, the temperature may drop at night.I. Klotz. Boiling Blood and Radiation: 5 Ways Mars Can Kill / Space right up to -62 ° C.

In addition, due to the atmosphere of Mars, the spacesuit will lose heat more actively. Even in a protective suit, the Martian colonists will "cool down" faster than those who go to open space.

Simply put, if someone is outside the station in a damaged spacesuit, they will freeze. If someone does not have time to return to the living unit by nightfall, they will freeze. If the life support system breaks down, then everyone will freeze.

5. Dust

Fine (particle diameter - up to 0.0015 mm) abrasive dust lying aroundM. T. Lemmonm. J. Wolffm. D. Smith et al. Atmospheric Imaging Results from the Mars Exploration Rovers: Spirit and Opportunity / Science underfoot and stands in the air, clogs in all places and sticks to surfaces. This means that it can easily get into the living compartment if someone closed the airlock badly or if the latter was designed with errors.

The most annoying thing is that Martian dust will be depositedI. Klotz. Boiling Blood and Radiation: 5 Ways Mars Can Kill / Space in the lungs, unless the respiratory organs are protected from it using a spacesuit or indoor air filtration systems. The minerals contained in the dust are capable of affectingToxic Effects of Martian Dust on Humans / NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory lungs and provoke cancer. On Earth, something similar happens to miners who don't wear respirators.

So if the colonists don't have a proper dust protection system, lung disease will kill them in a few weeks.

6. Dust storms

The temperature on Mars jumps very strongly: both during the day and throughout the year. Because of this, on the surface of the planet periodically formedK. Mersmann. The Fact and Fiction of Martian Dust Storms / NASA powerful dust storms.

Wind currents with a speed of up to 100 meters per second raiseN. Mangold, D. Baratoux, O. Witasse et al. Mars: a small terrestrial planet / The Astronomy and Astrophysics Review a huge amount of dust already creates a curtain that will hide the sunlight for several weeks. Viscous dust will at the same time stick to solar panels.

As a result, colonists may be left without a source of energy for a long time, on which life support systems depend. If they stop working, the Martians will die from cold or lack of oxygen.

7. Radiation

The Earth has magnetic field and ozone layer, which do not transmit most of the harmful radiation. We do not have to worry that radiation, which is full in space, will fry us. Mars has almost no magnetic field, and the atmosphere is very thin and rarefied, so the protection from cosmic radiation cannot be called outstanding.

A special shielded compartment can save from solar radiation generated during outbreaks in the sun. However, no material is capable of completely stopping the cosmic rays that were emitted by dead stars from other galaxies. Such streams literally stitch any object in their path. For example, the unsuccessfully turned up body of a space traveler.

Due to radiation, astronauts risk not getting to Mars at all. The flight will take from 6 to 10 months - during this time you can be properly irradiated.

But even if the astronauts themselves hide from the radiation, its particles can damageL. Tran. How NASA Prepares Spacecraft for the Harsh Radiation of Space / NASA equipment, which is also tantamount to death. Modern engineers and scientists cannot always be sure that their instruments will withstand the bombardment of subatomic particles.

NASA is trying to solveL. Tran. How NASA Will Protect Astronauts From Space Radiation at the Moon / NASA this problem, but a safe life for the colonists is definitely not guaranteed.

8. Lack of resources

It will be difficult to find a drinking source on Mars water: even the one that may be underground is most likely very saltyNASA Mars Spacecraft Reveals a More Dynamic Red Planet / NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. There is not enough oxygen on the planet either. Therefore, the colonists will either have to carry air, drink and food with them, or get it on the spot.

For example, install an oxygen generatorMOXIE / NASA Science and a water station to break up a small farm. So, plants will provide not only food, but also oxygen. In theory, they'll even grow.G. W. Wieger Wamelink, Joep Y. Frissel, Wilfred H. J. Krijnen et al. Can Plants Grow on Mars and the Moon: A Growth Experiment on Mars and Moon Soil Simulants / PLoS ONE in local soil. True, we do not know how low gravity will affect Martian potatoes and cabbage and whether vegetables will be edible: Martian soil and water containJ. Wadsworth, C. S. Cockell. Perchlorates on Mars enhance the bacteriocidal effects of UV light / Scientific Reports many toxic perchlorates.

The colonists are likely to run out of vital supplies. And any problem, breakdown or accident, for example, crop failure or the crash of a rocket with an oxygen generator, will doom the conquerors of Mars to a painful death.

9. Other colonists

As showsThe Humans To Mars Report 2016 / Explore Mars practice (for example, at polar stations or at closed complexes), in difficult conditions the nerves can passPeople in Antarctica / Australian Antarctic Program even among well-trained people. Sometimes conflicts happen over silly little things. For example, a mug or book spoilers that have been misplacedCold-Blooded: Scientist In Antarctica Accused Of Stabbing Colleague For Spoiling The Endings Of Books / CBS Los Angeles.

The Martian expeditions will last for years, and the pioneers may even stay there until the end of their days. And far from being in heavenly conditions.

There will be no states or laws on Mars. At least at first. After all, it will be difficult and economically unprofitable to send police officers or other law enforcement officers to a distant planet.

Yes, according to the Outer Space Treaty, each state is responsibleOuter Space Treaty / UN Office for Outer Space Affairs for the actions of their citizens and companies on other celestial bodies. But for the colonists, their country will be somewhere far away - even the Earth is not very visible. Therefore Mars may become new Wild Westwhere a colonist is an enemy to a colonist, not a comrade.