GabyRecently, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk made a stunning statement, claiming that in 30 years on Mars A million people will live there. However, not all scientists are fond of this idea.
Building a city with such a population is catastrophic for Red planet ” warns Professor Andrew Coats, a physicist and Mars researcher from University College London. He claims that settlers will contaminate Mars with Earth’s biological material and jeopardize the search for extraterrestrial life.
According to Professor Coates, we absolutely cannot send such a number of people to the Red Planet if we want to learn as much as possible about it. Speaking on the Today program, Professor Coates said, “The last thing we need to do is transfer life from Earth to Mars.” He stated that the optimal solution for Mars exploration is robotic missions.
What inspired Musk to make such a statement?
Words Elon Musk The announcement about a million-strong city on the Red Planet came against the backdrop of the biggest success to date for SpaceX. On October 13, during the fifth test launch of the Starship rocket system in Texas, the company successfully landed the Super Heavy booster for the first time. The 70-meter tall heavy booster separated from the spacecraft at an altitude of 74 kilometers and then returned to the launch pad.
The Starship rocket system, standing at 122 meters tall, consists of the Super Heavy booster (the first stage launch vehicle) and the Starship upper stage spacecraft.
This success has sparked hopes for cheaper and more efficient space travel capable of delivering settlers and cargo to the Red Planet, the publication reported. Daily Mail .
However, Professor Andrew Coutts assures that the construction of a human settlement on a gigantic scale will create serious problems for scientists. By the way, Coutts is one of those who is developing rover NASA’s Rosalind Franklin will search for microbial life beneath the surface of the Red Planet. The professor is concerned that by sending researchers to Mars, SpaceX will inevitably contaminate its surface with Earthly biological material. As a result of this contamination, it will be significantly more difficult for researchers to detect signs of life.
Professor Coates said, “Ultimately, Elon Musk would like to send people to the Moon and Mars, but I think we should be a bit more cautious with the latter option.” The researcher believes that one day humans will be able to set foot on Mars, but it is essential to strictly control their numbers to minimize the likelihood of contaminating the planet with Earth bacteria.
The scientist is not opposed to the colonization of the Moon, as unlike Mars, there are no signs of life on Earth’s natural satellite. Therefore, there is also no risk of biological contamination. By the way, NASA has chosen the Starship spacecraft for the astronauts’ flight to the Moon in 2026.
