The idea is certainly interesting, and according to the experiments potentially plausible. But it ignores the other key issue affecting life on Mars — cosmic radiation. But because it is so low density, cosmic radiation of higher energy than ultraviolet light can pass through it almost unscathed. Without magnetic protection, this radiation threatens any life on the Martian surface, just as it does today.
Mars is the planet nearest us where life could have started. We go to great lengths to keep missions like Rosalind Franklin sterile, in line with international rules, so that we do not disturb any past or even present life. If we did go ahead with terraforming plans and find living organisms on Mars later on, it would be hard to know whether these were natural Mars microbes or just contaminants from Earth thriving under the areogel.
Large-scale experiments like this would affect the pristine environment so much that we should not do this yet. When the science is done and we are ready to go, aerogel blankets may be worth a further look. At this point, landing a spacecraft on Mars with humans is a challenge, judging by the sheer amount of time it takes to complete the journey. The first humans to land on Mars will have to build the "biodomes" where further experiments can be carried out and crops can be grown under controlled conditions.
Also, resources that are not readily available on Mars need to be made on Earth and imported to Mars. Are we going to be able to devote vast amounts of resources and time to such an endeavour?
Will the money required for such a venture be better spent if we were to spend it on Earth? These are some of the questions that could be asked before we take on the challenge of turning Mars into another Earth. We need to keep in mind that the first step a human takes on Mars will be just that—the first step. There is a long way to go from there, and it will be interesting to see how that story unfolds in the near future.
She can be reached at protitirasnaha gmail. Skip to main content. Protiti Rasnaha Kamal. The 26 rock samples and six soil samples collected by Curiosity revealed that ancient Mars was indeed suitable for life. Elon Musk's mission to populate Mars seems to be always on trend, even when nobody is particularly talking about it. Get smart. Sign up for our email newsletter. Sign Up. Read More Previous. Support science journalism. Knowledge awaits. See Subscription Options Already a subscriber?
Wordsworth and his team did not address such engineering issues. But, he said, the team doesn't see any showstoppers at this point.
There are also significant ethical considerations. For example, is it right for humanity to take Earth organisms to another planet, especially one that may have had its own biosphere in the past — and may even have one today? But researchers and mission planners have been debating such planetary-protection issues for years. And the conversation is only going to get more heated as the quest to put astronauts, and their trillions of hitchhiking microbes, on the Martian surface edges from sci-fi dream to reality.
The aerogel idea should be less controversial than a planet-wide terraforming effort , Wordsworth said. Follow him on Twitter michaeldwall. Follow us on Twitter Spacedotcom or Facebook. Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more!
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