It seems like every year there is a new futuristic movie which depicts an overpopulated earth and some protagonist attempting to save mankind by venturing into outer space to find a new home. While all of these movies are fiction, there is some truth to the plot. In the future, if the human population continues to increase exponentially, and the rates of pollution continue to climb, it is quite possible that we as a society will be forced to disperse ourselves across the galaxy. In recent news, there have been talks of sending humans to Mars to possibly colonize the planet. Elon Musk even created Space-X with the primary goal of getting humans to Mars. But, is mars the best option for colonization? There has been much debate among scientists recently about which planet would actually be the best planet to colonize.
The first thing to consider is that if humans attempted to colonize Venus, it would be impossible to live at the surface. The average temperature at the surface of Venus is an unbearable 864 degrees Fahrenheit
. Also, the atmospheric pressure on Venus is 92 times that of earth so if we attempted to travel to the surface, we would be crushed. Moreover, it rains sulfuric acid on the surface and toxic chemical rivers are in abundance. All of these factors in summation make living on the surface of Venus unimaginable. However, NASA came up with an idea to create a blimp city 30 miles above the surface of Venus. Considering this, what are the factors that determine which planet is a better option to colonize?
One factor that must be considered when deciding which planet would be a better option to colonize is location. Mars is 54.6 Million Kilometers from earth while Venus is only 42 million kilometers from earth. Colonizing a planet will require countless trips back and forth in order to deliver all of the supplies necessary to sustain life. Thus, the shorter distance to Venus could save us a great deal of money and time. Additionally, Venus is 2.1 times closer to the sun which means there are more opportunities to harness solar power. Having said this, it is apparent that Venus has a leg up when it comes to location.
Another issue must be considered when deciding what planet is more viable to colonize are atmospheres. Mars atmosphere is nearly nonexistent. It is one percent the density of Earth’s and is comprised of 95% CO2. The lack of atmosphere would expose its inhabitants to harmful radiation and UV rays. Venus’s atmosphere is much thicker than Mar’s which might protect future colonies from asteroids, UV rays, and radiation. As stated before, the atmospheric pressure at the surface of Venus is not habitable, but once you are 30 miles up, it is close to that of earth’s.
However, the deciding factor on the issue is gravity. Humans do not react well to low gravity levels. Our bones deteriorate at a higher rates when exposed to low gravity levels than people suffering from osteoporosis. So, if we are looking for a place that we can live long term, a planet with extremely low gravity levels could be detrimental to our health. Mars gravity is .4 that of earth’s. While this is more gravity than the moon, it is most likely too little to be habitable. In contrast, Venus has gravity is .9 that of earths which is certainly more bearable. Many inherent qualities of a planet could be combated by an artificial environment. However, we have no way of altering the gravity on a planet.
Considering these factors, I believe that Venus is a more viable option for colonization than mars. However, it would be ignorant of me to say that I have all the answers. This is an ongoing debate and there is no one correct answer. The one thing that most scientists can agree on is that we can not stay on earth forever. Venus seems like a great option, however we will never be able to walk on the surface of Venus. Furthermore, the greatest argument for Mars is that we have discovered water on Mars. Water is an invaluable resource and there are no signs of water on Venus. Additionally, many of the great minds in of our time like Elon Musk feel that Mars is the better option. So what do you think?
Work Cited:
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=should+we+colonize+mars+or+venus&FORM=VIRE1#view=detail&mid=23791BC6717AA2BB120523791BC6717AA2BB1205
http://www.mars-one.com/faq/mission-to-mars/why-mars-and-not-another-planet
http://www.citylab.com/tech/2014/07/the-surprisingly-strong-case-for-colonizing-venus/373560/