What's it gonna take?

Although its easy to say we should colonize a planet, its a whole different story to actually colonize a planet. Depending on the condition of the planet itself, it could take centuries to terraform the environment to the point where it is identical to Earth's. Lets take Mars as an example. The first requirement, that is out of our control, has already been met, it is at a desirable distance from the sun.

The next requirement is water. Mars already has water at the poles and possible underground, but what if Mars did not have water? A planet that does not have water could be considered an automatic turn off, but it is not impossible to import large quantities of water to said planet. To do this, many comets, which are primarily made of water, would need to be crashed into the planet. The downside to this is that if the comets are too large, they could throw up dust clouds all over the planet making it uninhabitable until they settle. This could take a very long time so it is obvious why a lack of water would be too much of a hassle unless absolutely necessary.

Another concern when picking a planet to live on is the atmosphere. For life to exist, the planet needs to have a thick enough atmosphere that can block radiation while also trapping heat on the surface. Earth does it perfectly, but Mars not so much. Mars has a very thin atmosphere that is thought to have decayed over a long period of time, but no one knows for sure why it decayed or where it went. It is possible that the atmospheric particle could have gone into the ground. If that is the case, then the likely solution would be to place algae or some other type of plant that would be able to survive Mars at the poles. The water at the pole will allow then to thrive, while releasing carbon dioxide that is in the ground into the air. This would also take a long time, but it would help in the integration of plants on the planet. If the particle are no in the ground however, they would need to be import through comets or asteroids. The trick for this is to get the right mixture of elements in the air so that they match Earths, around 78% nitrogen, 20% oxygen, and 2% containing various compounds and elements like carbon dioxide.

The final key requirement is that the planet rotates at a desirable rate. A rotating planet means a liquid core which also means the planet will generally be warmer. It also means that the planet will have a strong magnetic field that is vital to repel solar radiation. The rotation would also help[ in an even distribution of heat from the sun. Mars, fortunately, rotates just about 40 minutes slower than Earth which makes it ideal. Planets that do not rotate could be considered to be dead planets, because they are essentially dead inside since it would just be a solid rock flouting in space. In order to get a planet to rotate, it would require massive collisions at specific locations. If it is done right, the comets could do the trick.

If a planet meets all four of these requirements, then the rest will take care of itself. An abundant water supply and a healthy atmosphere will allow for a water cycle. The right distance, rotation, and a healthy atmosphere will keep the planet at an ideal temperature. The only thing missing at this point if for the first seed to be planted.

Asteroid Mining

If you were to ask random people on the street what their thoughts are on mining asteroids, they would probably reply by saying that that is science fiction, or maybe it will be possible centuries from now. What these people don't realize is that asteroid mining is a real possibility right now. Recently, the founders of Google and the Planetary Resource group, a group of billionaire investors, have announced their intent to explore possible asteroid mining missions. In addition to this, NASA is developing Orion to be able to land on an asteroid so we can mine it. So with willing investors and NASA's technology, an asteroid mining mission could become official within the decade.

One question that the common man may want to know the answer to is why are billionaires so interested in mining an asteroid? The answer to that question is simple, precious metals. Asteroids that are just floating around in space could have unimaginable wealth in them. An asteroid could have more gold in it than there is on Earth. Although it is not just gold, there is a wide range of resources in asteroids like iron, magnesium, silver, copper and even water. In fact, water is thought to be the most desirable resource to mine as of now because it would generate the largest profit by returning it to Earth for consumption. Critics have said that mining asteroids is not economical because the cost far out ways the benefit. Although this is true, space travel will become progressively cheaper as time goes on, so it is only a matter of time until the first mission begins.

Life as We Don't Know it

Life in general is very fragile. It only takes one thing to go wrong for it to end, but it takes many things to go right for it to thrive. Fortunately for us, Earth happens to be the only known planet where everything has gone right. There are hundreds of billions of unknown planetary bodies through out the universe and possibly more than that. So even if Earth is a one in a million, or even a one in a billion, that means that there are hundreds of other planets in the universes like Earth. Or, on the other end of the spectrum, Earth could possibly be the one and only of its kind, but I find this hard to believe given the massive number of planets that are out there.

This is why I believe that aliens do exist. Although, I do not believe in any of the conspiracy theories out there about Area 51, UFOs, etc. I refuse to believe in any such things until hard proof surfaces and the scientific community accepts it. The aliens that I am referring to are organisms that are still at the cellular level. I believe that there are planets out there that support single or multi-cellular organisms. Life, although fragile, is resilient in that it can exist in extreme environments like at the bottom of the ocean or where the sun never shines. This means that it is not that hard for life on a planet with extreme environments.I also believe that there could be organisms that are evolved to the point where they are full-grown animals. These two examples of alien life seem the most likely to me, especial cellular life, but I do recognize the possibility of a planet that is home to intelligent life. For all we know, there could be a species out there that has technology that is centuries ahead of our own, or they could still be in a stone age. Even if life does exist elsewhere, it could be on the other side of the universe where humans will never venture. Most anything is possible, but all of this is yet to be proven.

The Moons of Life

Most people are aware of Mars's possibility of supporting life, but what most people do not know is that there are two other planetary bodies in our solar system that could also support life. These two planetary bodies, however, are not quiet planets, they are moons. The first, and most likely to support life, is Europa, one of Jupiter's 4 moons. What makes Europa so special that it is completely covered in a layer of water ice. This ice makes the surface of Europa uniquely smooth, and bright from the light that is reflected from it. Europa's surface consists of large, continent sized ice plates with cracks in between them. The cracks indicate that the plates move which also indicates that there is water underneath that has tidal properties. Europa's ice is thought to be just a thin crust that could just be 3 miles deep or less. While underneath could be up to 30 miles of liquid water. The fact that there is water underneath could indicate that the water is warmer at greater depths. This heat is mostly likely caused by tidal movements caused by gravitational interactions with Jupiter. With the presence of liquid water and some heat from gravity, there is a possibility that a form a life exists, like how life still exists at the bottoms of Earth's oceans.

The second is Saturn's largest moon, Titan. Titan has an atmosphere denser than Earth's and is many composed of nitrogen, like Earth's, and is very cold. The amazing thing about Titan is its climate and atmosphere which allows for a stable liquid to exist on the surface, liquid methane and ethane. This means that Titan has a methane/ethane cycle that is very similar to Earth's water cycle that is so vital for the life that exists on Earth. This liquid cycle has caused Titan's surface to have many features that are similar to Earth's. In addition, Titan has a rich mixture of organic compounds that are essential for life to exist. Titan is suspected to support some time of micro-organism or, at the very least, has the chemistry needed to support life in a surface ocean. The only problem with Titan is that its cold temperatures could be preventing life to form.

Why Mars?

Mars is located in what is know as the "Goldilocks Zone", its not too cold, its not to hot, its just right. When a planet is in the Goldilocks zone, it is the perfect distance away from the sun so that it is not to  cold and it is not too hot. In our solar system, Earth and Mars are the only planets that are in the Goldilocks zone. For a planet to support life as we know it, said planet must be within the Goldilocks zone. The Goldilocks zone of a solar system my vary according to how big or hot that star is burning. If the star is burning very hot, then the Goldilocks zone will be much farther away than if it wasn't' burning very hot. This is the whole basis behind why we are so interested in Mars. If Venus was in the Goldilocks zone instead of Mars, then we would be working toward going there. If a planet is not considered to be within the Goldilocks zone, then is is automatically ruled out for a candidate for colonization. Although, just because a planet is not within the Goldilocks zone, that does not necessarily mean that it can not support some sort of life. Life as we know it depends on liquid water which requires a certain temperature to stay in liquid form. Although, for all we know, there could be some kind of life, whether it be complex for just single cell organisms, could depend on something else like liquid methane which exists in a stable liquid form on Saturn's moon, Titan (a subject for another post). If life does exist that depends on some other liquid, then that would create another Goldilocks zone for that certain liquid, but, frankly, that would be unimportant to the human race since humans probably would be able to live in that zone.

Mars Science Laboratory

As you read this, the Mars Science laboratory (MSL) is en-route to Mars caring a new rover called Curiosity. The MSL was launched on November 26th, 2011 and is expected to reach Mars on August 6th, 2012. The primary mission of MSL is to study the habitability of Mars. Curiosity will attempt to determine if Mars will or has ever supported life by drilling into the ground and examining the chemical composition of the dirt. Based on what is found, NASA officials will be able to determine what the Mars environment was like a long time ago. Curiosity is much larger than any previous rovers and will be able to travel over several miles. It is design to stay in operation for one Martian year which is 687 Earth days. MSL is part to of NASA's Mar Exploration Program which includes all the past Mars rover missions most of which are still active.

This new mission is an example of one of the many things that NASA is working on right now that will bring humanity one step closer to landing a human on Mars. This mission could potentially prove to the world that Mars is the idea planet to colonize or a lifeless wasteland that would be more trouble than it is worth. If it is proven that there use to be life on Mars, or Mars once had an environment that could have supported life, then that would make Mars that much more desirable. If it is shown that Mars has never been in that state, that just means tells us that the materials needed to make it habitable will need to be imported for outside sources.Overall, this mission is important for the preparation of landing a human on Mars. Before we can start sending people over there, we need to learn as much as possible about the planet so that the people sent there are ready for almost anything.

What will Take us there?

With the Space Shuttles retired, NASA has moved on to the next big thing, Orion. Orion is being built by Lockheed Martin for NASA. This means that Lockheed Martin will build it while NASA oversees its construct to be sure it is being built right. NASA often contracts companies from the private sector to do the constructing of their projects. Orion will be able to take up to four astronauts to the moon, Mars, or a nearby asteroid.Orion  refers to the capsule that will be used to transport humans into space and beyond. The actual rocket that will propel Orion into space will vary due to specific needs of the mission at hand. If it is going to Mars, as apposed to the moon, it will need a more powerful rocket.

 Orion is currently in the development process. It has successfully completed its Abort Launch System test, its simulated splash landing test, its post-landing test,and its parachute test. A Delta IV Heavy will be used to send Orion into low-Earth orbit in 2014 for Orion's Exploration Flight Test 1. This will be Orion's first time in space, and this will test Orion's heat shield for re-entry.Orion will reach the highest altitude ever achieved since the Apollo program in order to simulate the re-entry from deep space. Orion's first manned mission is expected to take place by 2020 or later.

Once in space, Orion has its own thrusters to propel itself forward, so it is not entirely dependent on separate rockets. One of the features that makes Orion special is it Launch Abort System. If something goes critically wrong during launch then thrusters on the tip of the Orion capsule will ignite and send the capsule safely away from a rocket that could potentially explode. This system could save many crews or none at all, but it is definitely worth it to prevent another Challenger accident.

In addition to Orion, it is likely that a private company will develop, or be close to completion of a vehicle that will be capable of sending humans into space. Although, the range of that vehicle will probably not meet that of Orion. Also, other countries will likely be ready to send their own people into space. Countries like China and India are working diligently to catch up to the capabilities of countries that routinely participate in space activities like USA and Japan.

Where to First?

The best place to go to first would be the moon. The moon is the closest thing to the Earth and would only take about threes days to travel there. It would be relatively easy to send supplies to the moon compared to Mars or any other planet. Communication delays would be small and any communication or navigation systems could easily use the existing satellites orbiting the Earth.

But whats so special about the moon? It seems like a big empty desert so why should we try to colonize it.? The moon has something called Helium-3. Helium-3 three is a non-radioactive isotope of Helium. The importance of Helium-3 is that it is used for recherche in nuclear fusion, a proses that holds much potential for meeting the power demand of Earth, but has yet to be commercialized in an efficient way. Helium-3 is rare on Earth, but the moon is thought to have it in a great abundance of it. If we could extract Helium-3 to Earth and use it for testing, a nuclear fusion reactor could be developed that would be efficient enough to become commercialized. Helium-3 would be cheaper than current oil prices and it is estimated that the amount of Helium-3 could meet the power demand of Earth for over 1,000 years. The problem with fusion reactors, as of now, is that they have yet be commercialized because most nuclear research has been devoted to nuclear fission. Fission is the breakdown of the nucleus while fusion is the build up of a nucleus, both cause large amount of energy to be released.

In addition to mining for Helium-3, the moon could act as a refueling station for future space craft. The gravity of the moon is 1/6 that of Earth and it lacks the atmosphere that Earth has. This would make launching a rocket off the moon a lot easier than launching form Earth. Future Spacecraft could launch from Eartha and then go to the moon to be refueled. Form there, the craft could go just about anywhere with its almost full tank of gas. Spacecrafts could also come to the moon form deep space to refueled and then go back out to space.

Next the far side of the moon is in radio silence which would be perfect for a telescope. The telescope would not be interfered by an atmosphere, radio waves, unwanted light, or any other the other inconveniences telescopes experience on Earth. Also, the far side of the moon is no the dark side of the moon as many people may be lead to believe. Both sides receive about the same amount of light, but the far side never faces the Earth no matter what.

Even thought the moon offers these incentives, how would a human live on the moon? The moon may seem to be waterless, but it actuarial has a large amount of water ice on it polar caps that can be melted. In addition, materials found on the surface of the moon could be collected and refined to make building material for shelters. Oxygen could be created from chemical reactions form oxidized materials in the moon soil, regolith. This process could also be used to make water if the ice on the caps becomes too inconvenient. Until nuclear fusion using Helium-3 is perfected, a colony could be powered by solar farms. There are regions on the moon that receive sunlight 24/7 so there would be no worry of a power outage.

NASA Lives!!!

For those of you who are unaware, NASA is still alive and kicking. NASA was NOT shut down like many people may have been lead to believe. A lot of the NASA shut down talk was just media hype, or just an all out misunderstanding. They simply retired their old Space Shuttle fleet which was in use for over 30 years. In our current technology environment, something as simple as a cell phone can become obsolete in a mere year or two. So just imagine how outdated some of the technology was on the 30 year old Space Shuttle.

Although NASA routinely updated the Shuttles to ensure safety, some of the fundamental components of the Shuttles were not ready for some of NASA's up and coming missions. The shuttle was great for sending something into orbit because it had a relatively large space for satellites. When it finish its mission, the Shuttle would just turn around and glide back to Earth. That was ideal at the time, but the Shuttle is too bulky and underpowered to reach a location like Mars with ease. The glider shape of the Shuttles has no significant use when landing on the Moon or Mars where the atmosphere is different or almost nonexistent. So to take on manned missions to the Moon, Mars and nearby asteroids, NASA has begun production of their new Crew Exploration Vehicle called Orion. Orion is not an idea or blueprint to be done some time in he future; Orion is currently in production. Orion is being built as you read this blog and should be ready for its first launch into space in two or three years at most.

In the meantime, some may wonder what is going to happen to the ISS if the Shuttles are retired. This is where the private sector comes in. Companies like Space X will soon inherit some of the less glorious tasks that the Shuttle use to do, like resupplying the ISS. This privatization of space is a great leap for human exploration because it will make space profitable. These companies will begin making money off of government and private contracts to go into space, complete a job, and return safely. The benefit of having space companies focus on profit is that profit causes maximum efficiency. The private companies will work their tales off to make going into space cost effective. This will lead to more people going into space and a direct need for off-Earth colonies. This is compared the current airliner industry. Building plans use to be the job of the government. Once the government encouraged the private sector to take over, they made flying efficient and safe which lead to where we are now.

With companies like Space X taking care of the petty tasks like resupplying, NASA can focus on breaking the barriers of space and go where no man has gone before.

Benefites of a colony

Colonizing a new planet would open a vast amount of opportunities for humanity. First of all, the migration from Earth to the colony would allow the unemployed and poor to migrate in search of a job. This immigration would stimulate an infrastructural growth on the planet. While back on Earth, unemployment rates would go down and cause a decrease in the crime rate. Population densities would decrease which will help keep pollution and waste down. The Earth is over crowded as it is, so having another planet to go to will help spread out the population.

Another benefit is raw materials. The new planet will likely have a treasure trove of raw materials that could be used for manufacturing products. The price of these products will be low due to the abundance of material. This will help stimulate the economy on both planets Materials not found on Earth could also be harvested which will allows the production of expensive products that would otherwise not made in mass quantities without the colony. In addition to raw materials we do know of, there could be materials that no human has ever seen before. This new material could have special properties that would allow for super efficient solar panels or a new source to use for nuclear power.

Lastly, another apparent benefit of a colony is that it would be a learning experience on how to manipulate an environment to the point where humans can live in it. What is learned here could be applied elsewhere and open new potential colonies.

In addition to the benefits I have stated, there is likely to be a dozen more advantages to colonizing other planets that are not overly obvious.

Why Leave?

As a race, it would be our undoing to stay on the Earth forever. The Earth is an adequate place for now, but it is too susceptible to a natural disaster that could wipe out all life as we know it. At any point of time a meteor that eluded NASA surveying could pop out of the sky and strike the Earth throwing the world into a mass holocaust. If this did not destroy civilization entirely, then we would essentially be thrown back to the dark ages.

If its not a meteor, then it could be a black hole. Black holes are hard to spot because the only way to detect them is by noticing light being warped around them. A black hole, like a meteor, could invade our solar system and destroy everything with no chance of survival.

In addition to alien objects, a disaster could be cased by something on the planet like an earthquake, a tsunami, a volcano eruption, or a person. Life is fragile and it could end at any time. This is why we need to spread life throughout the universe in order to preserve it. If a colony could be established in several different galaxies, then when one suffers a race destroying disaster, then the life on the other planets will still exist. Those lost in the disaster will be mourned, but life will continue. The other colonies can even send aid and prevent the disaster from lingering on.

Having another planet that we could rely on for help is just one of the many benefits of colonizing the universe and just one reason why we need to leave the Earth. Even though we do not need to leave Earth altogether, we should put as many resources as possible into the establishment of a permanent colony in order to prevent against an all out extinction of the human race.