• Question: Why do we really need to go to mars because we already have all we need here ?

    Asked by Alien source on 19 Mar 2020.
    • Photo: Andrew Ball

      Andrew Ball answered on 19 Mar 2020:

      We certainly don’t have all the answers to big scientific questions about life in the universe by staying home. Space exploration is important for us back on Earth too, helping us understand the extent and fragility – or robustness – of life.

    • Photo: Divya M. Persaud

      Divya M. Persaud answered on 27 Mar 2020:

      Mars is part of the world around us – we belong to the solar system and to the universe, and it’s our cosmic neighborhood!

Comments

  • Photo: Katie

    Katie commented on :

    We think that Mars may have had some similar features to Earth at some point in the past, with water and potentially even really small life (like bacteria). It doesn’t have a magnetic field, which means it’s not got a huge atmosphere. Our atmosphere acts a bit like bubble wrap, keeping us safe by burning up asteroids if they get to close and keeping enough heat in.
    When we visit other planets, we can learn about what they have and compare it to what we have, it helps us understand how things could change for us and helps us come up with ideas to protect the Earth.

  • Photo: Marty

    Marty commented on :

    By going to Mars we will learn so much about space travel, living in space, surviving in space and learning to deal with issues such as cosmic rays and radiation.

    Its like steps on a ladder if we want to be able to travel to other planets and make them our home, the first step on the ladder would be to get a man into space, get a man on the moon, travel to mars, etc, etc. Learning as we go.