Humans have been dreaming of living a life on another planet since they even ventured out into space and since the discovery of outer space by ancient Greek and Indian philosophers. The idea took its flight, and humans became ambitious about it after the English mathematician and astronomer Thomas Digges proposed in 1576 the idea of an infinite universe. For years, living on another planet has been the central theme of our science-fiction books and movies, but in the previous century, the curiosity to explore space and find a suitable planet for human habitation increased.
This idea of looking for another habitable planet mainly started because of curiosity, but it is now becoming a necessity due to the depletion of resources on Earth and the deteriorating climate of our planet. The Soviet Union was the first country to reach space by launching the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, on October 4, 1957. The human knowledge of space improved significantly during the Cold War when the two superpowers - the United States and the Soviet Union - competed for interplanetary domination. It is widely believed to have been won by the United States after the success of the Apollo 11 mission in 1969 in which the US landed its crew on the moon's surface, making Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin, and Michael Collins the first, second and third person to walk on the moon. Even though exploration initially was a competition between two superpowers to prove their superiority over the other, it provided substantial knowledge to humanity about the world beyond the sky and inspired other nations to start space exploration.
The concept of living on another planet might seem fictitious in 2023, but with the advancement in technological and scientific developments, humans can colonize another planet.
If we want to live on another planet, we must look for a planet that has water, an atmosphere, similar gravity as that of Earth, and, most importantly, at a lesser distance. The best candidate for human settlement is the fourth planet of our solar system, Mars.
Mars is one of the closest planets to us, which could be made suitable for human settlement. At present, the atmosphere of Mars is very thin and mainly composed of carbon dioxide; the gravity on Mars is one-third of that on Earth. The day-night cycle on the planet is also similar to that of the Earth, and there is evidence that Mars had water on its surface when it had a magnetic field of its own.
During the initial years, living on the surface of Mars without a proper Extravehicular Mobility Unit will not be possible as without a thick atmosphere, the ultraviolet rays from the sun will reach directly on the surface of Mars, which can cause various skin diseases. We have to build underground colonies that will have efficient temperature-regulating devices as the temperature changes very sharply on the red planet. We have to grow plants in underground nurseries under artificial sunlight as the barren lands of Mars are not suitable for agriculture. We also have to produce water and oxygen artificially as there is a scarcity on Mars of the two most important substances for human survival. Special clothes would be needed as the lower gravity of Mars could affect our bone density and other body functions. The list of challenges faced by humanity while settling on another planet is endless, but we have to face them if we want to continue human survival.
State-of-the-art technologies and scientific knowledge, along with the geography of Mars, are required to colonize it. Humans are capable of endless endeavors; our imagination is the limit. The pursuit of living on another planet is an ambitious adventure that will bring humanity to new heights. As we work toward the completion of this dream, we will tackle new challenges which will help us to push our limits.
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