Earth Bis The Sun is going to destroy us. That’s for sure. For billions of
on the Moon. Mars is very much like the Earth, both geo-
years it has fed and maintained us, but what used to be our
logically and historically. There may have been some ri-
support will be the source of our death. As a result of natural
vers, lakes and oceans here before. What has become of
processes which occur inside the Sun, its temperature is hi-
them? Most of them have probably evaporated, but there
gher and higher. In a few billions of years, the Sun will start
is a chance that there is a lot of water under the surface
to swell, first burning the Earth and then absorbing it.
of the Martian soil. Permafrost is waiting to be extrac-
What is going to happen to us then?
ted. And when it works out, we will have – as mankind – one foot on the Red Planet. The first people flying to
If we do not find a way to run away from the Earth – we will
Mars will most likely take large supplies of food, but if
die. And if we are to flee, the question is where? And how?
anyone is seriously thinking of settling the planet (even
Will we manage on a foreign, unfriendly globe? The globes
if it was to be only a permanent scientific base), they
which are within our reach today are indeed unfriendly. The-
must find a way to produce food there, locally. It would
re is virtually no atmosphere on Mars, and – except for the
be necessary to grow plants whose DNA would be modified
poles – it is uncertain if there is any water. And even if there
in such a way that they may grow in the Martian soil and in
was, there is no food or plants.
extremely thin atmosphere. But is it feasible? And can it be checked on the Earth? And maybe instead of testing the
It was obvious that men will fly to the Red Planet one day.
Martian conditions on the Earth, it would be better to recre-
The first step was the Moon. It is close, which is its basic
ate terrestrial conditions on Mars?
advantage. Mars will be the next one because, unlike in the case of our satellite, people may function on Mars. In
It is easy to say but how can it be done? The atmospheric
spacesuits and in masks, of course, but still in conditions
composition is not constant but it is a fact that its changes
more similar to the terrestrial ones than to the conditions
are very slight (from the human time perspective). Within
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S pac e I n va d e r s / W e Da r e to I n v i t e Yo u
