Mars immigrants, scientists are working hard to turn brain holes into reality

As humans learn more about the neighbor of Mars, "visiting" is no longer far away. NASA has announced that it is preparing to ship the first humans to Mars in the mid-1930s. The issue of Martian immigration has also been put on the agenda early, and has caused heated discussions from time to time because of the new brain holes thrown by various professionals.

　　Nuclear bomb or aerogel, who is more reliable?

　　 For more than a century, science fiction writers have been passionate about stories on this red planet, describing breathable air, liquid water and advanced alien life there.

　　 However, in 1965, the Mariner 4 probe took the first recent photo, but found that Mars is completely unsuitable for human habitation-a carbon dioxide concentration of 96%, desolate, dry, and thin atmosphere, which is very dangerous.

The first recent photo of Mars taken by the Mariner 4 probe in 1965

　　 However, the writers and scientists did not give up. Instead, they focused on terraforming Mars: using technology to fundamentally transform Mars into a place where humans can live.

　　 Many well-known people in the industry have put forward the idea of warming Mars, or even reshaping the atmosphere(hermes outlet).

　　 In 1971, Carl Sagan proposed to evaporate all the frozen water and carbon dioxide on the Martian ice cap, and the resulting gas would warm Mars.

Elon Musk’s idea sounds even more incredible. He even proposed to detonate more than 10,000 nuclear warheads at the poles of Mars. He believes that the explosion will cause a considerable part of the ice cap on Mars to evaporate and release enough water vapor and carbon dioxide. At the same time, a large amount of heat radiation will be released when a nuclear bomb explodes. Fortunately, this unconventional method has not been approved by scientists, either technically or ethically.

　　In contrast, a material called silica aerogel looks more feasible. It is difficult to "terrainize" the entire Mars, so we can consider transforming a small area into a habitable environment. This aerogel can absorb enough heat from sunlight to form liquid water and Earth-like temperature zones on Mars.

Although it is called "gel", it is actually a solid, rigid, and dry material that is extracted from the gel using a supercritical drying method similar to that used to make decaffeinated coffee. As an ultra-light solid, it has 97% porosity, which means that light can pass through the material; and the interconnection of silica nano-layers traps infrared radiation and greatly slows down heat conduction.

　　 If this technology is feasible, future Martian residents can live in greenhouses made of aerogels. The water in the greenhouse remains liquid, plants can grow, and the temperature is suitable for living.

　　 Change the world, or change yourself

　　 Even if we solve the water, oxygen and temperature, we still have to face the problem of radiation exposure. Mars does not have the magnetic field of the Earth, so it cannot withstand the solar wind. Some scientists have proposed that a large number of low-temperature superconductor rings can be built to generate artificial magnetic fields, but this is still a rough concept on paper.

John Lennon once said: "If you can't change yourself, you change the world; if you can't change the world, you change yourself." Scientists have similar ideas. If changing the Martian environment is too difficult, perhaps You can turn your attention back to human beings.

　　 Some geneticists said that humans may one day reduce the risk of space travel and settlement on Mars through genetic engineering. If scientists can find a way to help human cells resist the effects of radiation, astronauts can live healthier and longer in space, for example through epigenetic engineering. This usually means that they will "turn on or off" the expression of certain genes.

　　 Or there are even stranger ways. Researchers are exploring how to combine DNA from other species with human cells to make astronauts more resistant to the harmful effects of space flight.

　　 The DNA that scientists are looking at comes from the extremely resilient water bear insect, which is currently the only animal known to survive in space. Does it sound like X-Men? But after reading the pictures of water bear insects, the author said that I do not want to combine with it...

my country has conducted experiments on growing vegetables in space on the "Tiangong-2", but the protein and fat provided by plants are relatively limited, which cannot meet the healthy dietary needs of space immigrants.

　　In order to produce more protein-rich foods, scientists focused on human poop. Because it contains a lot of nitrogen and carbon, it is theoretically possible to synthesize protein food.

　　 Of course, direct consumption does not have the effect of supplementing protein. Even if it works, I am afraid that more people will choose to be a malnourished Martian.

In fact, to turn poop into edible protein, you need to add different bacteria to it, one is used to produce methane and nitrogen-containing gas, and the other uses these two gases as food to further produce protein and fat. Finally, it is made into food that resembles tortoise gel or konjac block. This food contains 52% protein and 36% fat, and it seems that the nutritional ratio is also good.

If the temperature of the "poo food factory" is increased to 70 degrees, and the "employees" are replaced with heat-resistant aquatic bacteria, it can also produce foods that are more friendly to fat people-the protein content is increased to 61%, and the fat content is reduced To 16%.

　　If a "poo restaurant" is really opened on Mars, astronauts may become the first customers. After all, they have been in space for a long time drinking drinking water produced by urine purification.

　　 The International Space Station is equipped with a water circulation system worth 250 million U.S. dollars to collect urine discharged by the astronauts, sweat evaporated into the air, and water vapor exhaled into the air. The potable water produced after purification treatment is then drunk into the body by the astronauts. It is really fat and water that does not flow into the field.

　　 Moving to Mars: How far is it from us?

　　 Hawking once predicted: Humans must escape from the earth within 100 years, or they will perish.

In 2016, Elon Musk introduced the "Mars Colonization" plan in detail at the 67th International Astronautical Conference, which will transport 1 million people and approximately 10 million to 100 million tons of materials to Mars in the next 40 to 100 years ( This number is based on a rough calculation of the population required for the self-sufficiency of the Martian civilization).

Four years later, the "Martian Colonization" program seems to be stuck at the macro level, lacking exciting actual progress. It is a controversial new study published in "New Space: Space Entrepreneurship and Innovation". It focuses on resource utilization and technological strategy. It shows through detailed models of population growth, calorie demand, land use and potential food sources that Mars One million people can be self-sufficient in food within 100 years.

However, even if the cost of going to Mars can be greatly reduced, and the basic problem of survival on Mars can be solved, it is still unknown whether so many courageous Mars enthusiasts can be recruited. After all, this is likely to be a one-way trip. Travel, a huge challenge to leave home.

　　 The exploration of Mars is a comprehensive project for the continuation of mankind. If there is a chance to go to Mars in your lifetime, would you buy a "ship ticket" for yourself?