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Living beings need a conducive environment to take birth and thrive. Trees need a mix of soil and climate, as fish need water. Imagine for a moment, the fish are to be relocated to a habitat without water! Even if it is doable because of crazy science, it is certainly not without perils.
Mars is the planet closest to Earth and has been at the forefront of the colonisation plan on a new planet. But its environment is unlike the one on Earth. Settling human beings on Mars is like pulling out fish from the water and testing their survival on dry land. The end result can be both - Difficult and painful! Hence, here are a few reasons why living on Earth is infinitely better than living on Mars.
No Oxygen
Even before we need food, we need air to breathe. More precisely, oxygen! Compared to the 21 percent oxygen concentration in the Earth’s atmosphere, Mars practically has only trace amounts of oxygen. According to NASA data, Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the dominant gas in Mars’s atmosphere. It accounts for almost 96 per cent of its atmosphere compared to just 0.13 percent of oxygen.
Lack of Water Resources
Mars, unlike Earth, lacks water. There is no evidence of water bodies on the red planet. Rivers and seas are non-existent. Mars could have a concentration of ice around the polar caps. Water is one of the keys to sustaining life on Earth. Three-fourths of our planet is water.
Backup From Earth
It would take roughly nine months to journey from Earth to Mars. If anything goes wrong on Mars concerning food, oxygen, and power generation, people cannot bank on Earth for reinforcements.
Growing Food Will be Tough
It will be difficult to farm on planet Mars in the absence of an ambient environment and soil. What makes it even tougher is the microgravity on the planet. The surface gravity on Mars is only 38% of Earth’s. This will make it extremely hard to prepare a soil base and prevent it from levitating before you can grow food.
Conclusion
Settlement on any new planet will always be full of hardships and Mars is no different. You will have to be inside a spacesuit or an artificial habitation to survive on Mars. Everything, from growing food to producing oxygen and power, is going to be difficult till terraforming takes place.
Life will be a fight for survival every day. Compared to Mars, Earth readily provides a sustainable environment for life. Therefore, Earth is always a preferable option for human settlement.
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FAQs
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Is Mars a hot or a cold planet?
Being farther from the sun, Mars is colder than Earth. The average temperature on Mars is -60° C. The highest recorded temperature on the planet is 21° C.
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How far is Mars from Earth?
The distance between Mars and Earth depends on their positions in their respective orbits. Mars is around 264 km from Earth. This distance gets reduced to 55 km when it comes closest to the Earth.
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How much time will it take to reach Mars?
According to NASA, it would take 9 months to reach Mars.
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Is there any water on the planet?
Mars is a water-deficit planet. There are no water bodies on the red planet. The only known form of water is in a solid state of ice, believed to be concentrated in the polar caps.
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Is the gravity on Mars weak compared to Earth?
The surface gravity on Mars is around a third of that on Earth. It is approximately 38 per cent compared to the gravity on Earth. This means a 100 kg sack of rice will weigh 38 kg on Mars.
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