Mars is an inhospitable planet from "summary" of How We'll Live on Mars by Stephen Petranek
Mars is an inhospitable planet. It is a cold, dry, and barren world with a thin atmosphere that offers little protection from the harsh cosmic radiation that bombards its surface. The average temperature on Mars is a bone-chilling minus 80 degrees Fahrenheit, which is cold enough to freeze carbon dioxide into dry ice. The thin atmosphere on Mars is mostly carbon dioxide, with traces of nitrogen and argon. This atmosphere is not thick enough to retain heat or provide the necessary pressure for liquid water to exist on the surface. Without liquid water, life as we know it cannot survive on Mars. Another challenge of living on Mars is the lack of a magnetic field. Earth's magnetic field protects us from harmful solar radiation by deflecting charged particles from the sun. Mars, on the other hand, has no global magnetic field to shield its surface from these dangerous particles. The surface of Mars is also covered in toxic chemicals like perchlorates, which can be harmful to humans if ingested. These chemicals pose a serious health risk to future colonists who will need to find ways to safely remove them from the Martian soil. Despite these challenges, scientists and engineers are working on ways to make Mars more hospitable to human life. From building domed habitats that can shield colonists from the harsh environment to developing technologies that can extract water from the Martian soil, there are many innovative solutions being explored. In the coming decades, we may see the first humans set foot on Mars and begin the process of transforming it into a more habitable world. While the challenges are great, so too are the opportunities for exploration and discovery that Mars presents.
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