Mars, the planet in the solar system, is another celestial body in the habitable zone in addition to Earth. It is often seen as a potential place for humanity to live in the future, and achieving this vision is not an easy task. The current level of technology is not enough to support human survival on Mars, so we can only build laboratories on Earth to simulate the conditions of life on Mars. An interesting study made people think about this: in a year-long closed experiment, four male and four female volunteers were isolated in an enclosed space. The results are astounding, and this experiment reveals the possibility that humans could be trapped on Earth.
In the last century, the United States built an enclosed space in the desert that simulates the Earth's ecosystem, called "Biosphere 2". Although the 12,000-square-metre space was built of 80,000 white-painted steel beams and 6,000 pieces of glass to allow sunlight to shine in, eight researchers lived in it for 21 months in a closed experiment in 1991. Although Biosphere 2 is home to nearly 4,000 species, including a variety of flora, fauna and microorganisms, including rainforests, grasslands, swamps, deserts and oceans, these ecosystems ultimately failed to function. Despite the presence of producers, consumers and decomposers, and the presence of sunlight, the number of species is still too small, leading to an uncontrolled carbon cycle, many species dying faster than expected, and ecosystems facing collapse. The emergence of these problems makes the life of a researcher challenging.
Despite these experiments, scientists have not given up on the exploration of human survival on other planets. NASA is conducting an experiment called "Astronaut Health Behavior Exploration Simulation" to simulate the Martian environment. The experiment is divided into three phases, with the first trial starting in June 2023 and the next two phases to be conducted in 2025 and 2026. NASA has built a habitat that mimics the Martian environment, called "Martian Dune Alpha", which covers an area of about 160 square meters and houses a dining room, living room, workshop, medical room and two airlock gates. In the first phase of the experiment, four volunteers were isolated in it to simulate life on Mars for a year-long study. These volunteers are not professional astronauts, but they will face a variety of challenges, including resource shortages, equipment failures, and tasks such as growing their own vegetables and conserving water. Living in isolation from the outside world can be psychologically stressful and require them to overcome various difficulties.
Although there are still many challenges to achieving human survival on Mars, scientists are confident that they will continue to conduct relevant experiments and research. With the continuous advancement of technology and the accumulation of experience, perhaps one day, human beings will be able to find a new home in the wider universe.
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