In the Air 2

I’ve already talked about the London Design Museum and there’s a job I wanted to do when I was little ... astronaut ...

Space has always intrigued me enormously, as an eternal dreamer, certainly that being able to reach the stars will always be my wish. And as to keep my beliefs alive, a wonderful exhibition tells our fascination for Mars, until February 23, 2020.

Humans have always been interested in the sky and the stars, therefore, Egyptian astronomers discovered the presence of Mars between 2,000 and 1,000 years BC.

It was an exciting civilisation, you learnt about it already from my articles Tutankhamun and Happy New Year 2020.

The Babylonians noted their observations on Mars on clay tablets 1,000 years BC.

Mars is also mentioned in old Hindu almanacs, especially for its astrological significance.

The progress of science has allowed more and more precise observations, especially in 1659, thanks to a more efficient telescope which made it possible to determine the size of this planet.

Finally, in 1965, NASA took the first photos of Mars from space, then in 1971, the first video from its surface by a Soviet probe.

If cinema has imagined many scenarios on Mars, reality is starting to catch up with fiction.
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In 2020, 4 equipment launches are planned (the United Arab Emirates, Europe, China and the United States), and in 2022 Japan and the United States (watch the NASA's video below).

The ExoMars Rover presented during this exhibition is part of the 2020 mission and will land on Mars in 2021. It’s an incredible mobile laboratory equipped with 9 scientific instruments allowing it to analyse any kind of composition, whether geological or organic.

This is the result of the ExoMars Program, a collaboration between ESA (Europe Space Agency) and Roscosmos (Russia). Their goal is to find out if there was living organisms on Mars, or even if there are still.

We are learning more every day and being able to see what's going on on this planet is fascinating…

​The rockets, the equipment, we've come a long way since the 1950s. From housing to food, through clothing, everything is thought out and made in every detail.

Today, it would take between 150 and 300 days to reach Mars, depending on the launch speed and the position of the 2 planets. Better already love flying and rollercoasters, like me (Reread Halloween 2019).

The idea of a base camp in space, orbiting around March, is an option developed by NASA and ESA.

But an architectural competition was also held to find out what could be the housing solutions for the first settlers. Keep in mind that the resources between our planets are very different, for example the lack of water on Mars. It must also be said that we cannot take all the necessary equipment, hence the use of the 3D printer with Martian topsoil as material for example.
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When living on Mars becomes almost a reality ...

Most countries, 76 in total, have a national space program today, however 13 are capable of launching and only 3 can send humans into space: the United States, Russia and China.

In 2013, India became one of the four countries that successfully put a satellite into orbit around Mars. But its success is much greater because this is the only country to have succeeded on the first attempt, all this with very reduced costs. Miniature versions were created to show them on the streets and accustom the Indians to the space program.

Private companies have also been created to develop their own technology, we obviously find Elon Musk (Paypal, Tesla) with SpaceX (2002) and Blue Origin (2000) by Jeff Bezos (Amazon).

NASA plans to send the first humans to Mars in 2035, Elon Musk announces a mission in 2024.

Many questions arise then, what nationality will we have? Aren't we going to modify or even destroy this new planet? Do we simply have the right to freely colonise Mars?

In our quest for discovery and curiosity, we too often forget the negative or even harmful consequences of our actions.

The debate is open…

Fascinating Mars, but not as pretty as our beautiful blue planet!

When these missions were looking for candidates to become the first settlers, I wanted to apply, but I didn’t do it. I didn’t give up  on this dream, I just decided to be patient.

I’m already giving you the invitation but I’m planning to celebrate my 90th birthday on this planet, so save the date: July 2070!!

By then, we'll have solved a lot of problems and also, figured out how to teleport?!?

I still wonder when will be the first Solo Wedding on Mars!! No way I miss that.

In the meantime, we'll just re-read In the Air 1 and watch the movie Top Gun 2 which will be released in 2022! Who has goosebumps when hearing the music?

Have a good week and keep your head in the stars!
 
Love & Mars,
L.