Astronaut: Light gray, material on either side. Oh man that's incredible……
It seemed to back in the late 60s and early 70s as if America would be a space bearing nation. Plans were big, first the moon, then Mars.
Instead man has been stuck making circles around the earth while robots go explore new worlds. Bases on Mars and other planets were designed on computer and forgotten.
Dr. Chris McKay （NASA）: Certainly the case that we don't have as an aggressive a program of exploration as we had during Apollo. Humans now barely get beyond earth's lower orbit. But I think a day will come when humans will go to Mars and we will establish first research bases there and ultimately permanent settlements there.
Scientists already suspect the red planet has water. Making oxygen and giving Mars a breathable atmosphere is at least theoretically possible. Something scientists are seriously talking about at NASA's Aims Research Center. It's a symposium called “The Physics and Biology ofMaking Mars Habitable.” They're looking at ways Mars might be terra-formed and asking important questions not just, can we? but “hould we?” Is Mars ours to mess with? Is it ethical to bring life to Mars?
Chris: I come down squarely on the side of life. I think Mars without life is a great place. It's very interesting but Mars with life is even more interesting, more fascinating. And in a philosophical sense, more valuable.
Now scientists first have to figure out if there is life on Mars or perhaps there was some time before. If that's true, that would add a whole new ethical quandary. Some of the ideas for terra forming perhaps sending atomic bombs to Mars and exploding them in the atmosphere. That would cause the greenhouse effect and begin the terra forming. Now there are no specific plans to do that. NASA is just studying the idea.
It seemed to back in the late 60s and early 70s as if America would be a space bearing nation. Plans were big, first the moon, then Mars.
Instead man has been stuck making circles around the earth while robots go explore new worlds. Bases on Mars and other planets were designed on computer and forgotten.
Dr. Chris McKay （NASA）: Certainly the case that we don't have as an aggressive a program of exploration as we had during Apollo. Humans now barely get beyond earth's lower orbit. But I think a day will come when humans will go to Mars and we will establish first research bases there and ultimately permanent settlements there.
Scientists already suspect the red planet has water. Making oxygen and giving Mars a breathable atmosphere is at least theoretically possible. Something scientists are seriously talking about at NASA's Aims Research Center. It's a symposium called “The Physics and Biology ofMaking Mars Habitable.” They're looking at ways Mars might be terra-formed and asking important questions not just, can we? but “hould we?” Is Mars ours to mess with? Is it ethical to bring life to Mars?
Chris: I come down squarely on the side of life. I think Mars without life is a great place. It's very interesting but Mars with life is even more interesting, more fascinating. And in a philosophical sense, more valuable.
Now scientists first have to figure out if there is life on Mars or perhaps there was some time before. If that's true, that would add a whole new ethical quandary. Some of the ideas for terra forming perhaps sending atomic bombs to Mars and exploding them in the atmosphere. That would cause the greenhouse effect and begin the terra forming. Now there are no specific plans to do that. NASA is just studying the idea.