The Exploration and Colonization of Mars: Why Mars? Why Humans? | Dr. Joel Levine | TEDxRVA

Summary

The speaker, a NASA veteran with 41 years of experience, shares his lifelong passion for Mars and involvement in Mars missions. He highlights the scientific quest for life on Mars and its implications for biochemistry and medicine. The talk also covers the history of Mars's climate, the potential for human exploration surpassing robotic missions, and the future vision of terraforming Mars to create a second home for humanity.

Takeaways

• 🚀 The speaker has an extensive background at NASA, having worked there for 41 years and contributed to numerous Mars missions.
• 🌍 The speaker's fascination with Mars began at a young age after seeing a picture of the planet in a textbook.
• 🔭 A telescope gifted by his grandmother at 13 allowed the speaker to observe Mars, sparking a lifelong passion for space exploration.
• 📚 The speaker was part of a team that created a plan for human exploration of Mars, known as 'The Human Exploration of Mars' reference architecture number five.
• 🤔 The primary scientific questions driving the Mars mission include the search for past or present life and understanding the planet's climate history.
• 🌿 The possibility of finding life on Mars could revolutionize our understanding of biochemistry and molecular biology.
• 🌌 Mars once had a thick atmosphere and liquid water, but today it's a barren and inhospitable planet.
• ❓ The speaker raises the question of what caused Mars's climate change and whether Earth could face a similar fate.
• 👨‍🚀 Human exploration is deemed superior to robotic missions due to human qualities like intelligence, adaptability, and mobility.
• 🏃‍♂️ Human mobility on Mars would be significantly greater than that of rovers, allowing for more efficient exploration.
• ⚠️ There are existential threats to Earth, such as climate change, pandemics, and cosmic impacts, which make the colonization of Mars a potential safeguard for humanity.
• 🌱 The process of terraforming Mars involves releasing greenhouse gases, introducing photosynthetic plants, and creating an ozone layer to make it habitable.

Q & A

How many years did the speaker work at NASA?

The speaker worked at NASA for 41 years.

What was the significance of the speaker being put on makeup before giving a talk?

It was the first time in their extensive career that they had been put on makeup before giving a talk, indicating a unique experience.

What sparked the speaker's interest in Mars?

The speaker's interest in Mars was sparked by seeing a picture of the planet in a textbook when they were twelve years old.

What did the speaker receive from their grandmother that fueled their passion for astronomy?

The speaker received an astronomical telescope from their grandmother.

What was the speaker's contribution to NASA's plan for getting to Mars?

The speaker was a major contributor to NASA's plan for getting to Mars, specifically 'The Human Exploration of Mars', reference architecture number five.

What is one of the main scientific reasons for going to Mars according to the speaker?

One of the main scientific reasons for going to Mars is to determine if there is past or present life on the planet.

How does the speaker suggest that finding life on Mars could impact our understanding of biochemistry and molecular structure?

Finding life on Mars could provide information on the human body and how to treat diseases, as all life forms on Earth share the same basic biochemistry and molecular structure.

What is another key question the speaker believes is important to answer about Mars?

Another key question is understanding what happened to Mars to change it from a planet with a thick atmosphere and liquid water to its current inhospitable state.

Why does the speaker argue that human exploration of Mars is superior to robotic missions?

Human explorers possess qualities such as intelligence, ingenuity, adaptability, agility, dexterity, mobility, and speed and efficiency that are not present in machine probes.

What is one of the potential benefits of sending humans to Mars according to the speaker?

One potential benefit is that it could provide a second home for humanity in case of threats to Earth, such as catastrophic climate change, synthetic biology experiments, or cosmic impacts.

How does the speaker propose to make Mars habitable?

The speaker proposes to make Mars habitable by releasing frozen water and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, seeding the surface with photosynthetic plants to convert carbon dioxide to oxygen, and eventually forming an ozone layer to shield the surface from ultraviolet radiation.

What is the estimated time frame for the human exploration of Mars as mentioned by the speaker?

The estimated time frame for the human exploration of Mars is between 2033 to 2039.