The 2 Secrets to Sending People to Mars

Hank revisits his passion for exploring the Red Planet, breaking down the two biggest challenges of sending humans to Mars: radiation and propulsion. He explains the science behind the obstacles future Mars-bound astronauts will face, as well as they technology they'll have to use to surmount them. Onward!

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[Hunnah]

we should be setting up a moon base and making that viable first. If we can fix radiation exposure on a almost null atmosphere, Mars should be a piece of cake. Not to mention launching space crafts off a light gravity of the moon appose to our system would be more ideal.

[MAMAJUGO]

If we can't get to Mars faster, let's make Mars come to us.

[HolyRubbish]

Man!! Your videos are so full of knowledge!

[becton]

"We do this not because it is easy, but because it is hard" - John Fitzgerald Kennedy

[HeatherSpoonheim]

Could we just send 4 people part way and hope they will develop super powers like the Fantastic Four?

[carlosc]

The great British explorer George Mallory,  who was to die on Mount Everest...
was asked why did he want to climb it.
He said, "Because it is there."

[Manabender]

I can't wait for humans to reach Mars. It's going to happen, likely within my lifetime, and I know I'll be tuned in to whoever is broadcasting the event.

Myself? There's no way I'd leave Earth. I'm too reliant on the internet. Due to the speed of light being slow as hell in a cosmic context, internet speeds in space are really bad.

[SpdyStallion]

I know what I would do. And it involves warp, and drive.

[intercointerface]

I would apply to go to mars in a second if I could. That would be the ultimate legacy.

[eliasednie]

we should just bring the planets closer to Earth.

[hansrob]

Maybe we should start with the moon and then when we have that down think about expanding out.

[audio_poetry]

Love your videos! Especially the ones about space exploration :)

[SteekSty]

It's ok all that cosmic radiation would give birth to a lot of super powered people

[DanielLionheart]

Colonizing Mars is not only a good idea, it is necessary to assure that humanity has a long-term future. Currently, the only way governments know how to deal with the ever-expanding population is war, disease and sterility. Those are not ethical means of dealing with over-population. Also, there is always that possibility that some day the Earth might AGAIN be struck by a giant asteroid and most (if not all) of human life exterminated from the event. I think it is IMPERATIVE that we keep moving forwards as a human race, and doing everything we can do to expand beyond this planet.

[kirosaka]

Then in a few decades we realize that Mars simply isn't a planet that is worthwhile inhabiting. People will have died trying to inhabit mars though, and masses of people will go and rise up declaring that their deaths mustn't have been in vain and will thus desperately end up struggling to inhabit mars.

Someone make that a movie

[anoriolkoyt]

The earth's magnetic field protects us from cosmic radiation. Is it really not that feasible to generate a large field circling a ship? Magnetic fields are already standard usage in modern technology (i.e. electric generators).

[OMGshinyobject]

Please please please in my lifetime please

[julekmeister]

I'm guessing that what protects us from this cosmic radiation is earth's magnetosphere. If so, maybe we could work on some kind of magnetic shielding for interplanetary spacecraft. Would it be possible at all?

[miriam]

we went to the Joseph Roche's talk during the Researchers Night festival a couple years ago. He was so driven, so sparkling with enthusiasm, that my then 5 y.o. kid didn't really grasp the idea of the finality of the definition of 'one-way mission'. When it dawned on him, how immensely massive are the problems of travel, fuel and health, he went and hugged J. Roche and promiced to invent a TARDIS when he grows up to sometimes sneak some guests to them.

[saviamarzs]

Dad: Do you wish you could go to Mars?
Me: Yeah, that's cool.
Dad: What if I told you it was a one-way trip
Me: *boy these people be crazy*