Opinion | Will Mars Survive or Perish?

 A mature program architecture and effective integration of science and engineering are needed for a human mission to explore Mars. NASA has provided the outlines of an Artemis framework for the moon and has been conducting a series of workshops to define the organizing principles for a moon-to-Mars human exploration effort. We want to suggest steps that should be taken to develop a successful, long-term human Mars program. To summarize, effective planning today for a Mars mission must include developing a program structure that integrates all components under central leadership; must include science as a core component of the program from the very beginning; and must plan for the development of a program rather than just the first human mission.

We have compiled a list of rationales for human exploration in space. National interest and global competition are included. Sending astronauts into space is seen as an entree into the top tier of technologically proficient nations. The U. S. Continue its leadership in this arena. Science. With our space-science exploration program, we are trying to understand the formation and evolution of planets and planetary systems, the conditions that make a planet hospitable to life, and to determine whether life might exist elsewhere in our solar system or beyond. Humans want to explore beyond the next hill. There are many ways in which this motivation is characterized. The mission of Star Trek is to explore strange new worlds.

 To find new life and new civilizations. Broader societal connections of the space program. Development of new technology, new business, peaceful international collaboration, and inspiration for students are included. Space exploration has been central to each of these areas. A second home for humanity is a hedge against disaster. Most of the objectives will fall out as a result of NASA working with its international and commercial partners on a combined human-robotic exploration program. Is the involvement of humans in space necessary to achieve these goals. A robust Mars exploration program will require advanced life support, surface power, construction, science investigations, and other components. A different view is exemplified in a recent book. K. The Astronomer Royal. In "The End of Astronauts: Why Robots Are the Future of Exploration," the authors argue that we should not send astronauts to the moon or Mars since the solar system can be explored more efficiently and effectively using advanced robotic spacecraft. The timing is not certain because the development of such a capability is far into the future.

Combining the capabilities of humans and robots will create a powerful tool for exploring Mars. A human Mars mission requires a program approach with someone in charge of the entire program. An overall program director is responsible for ensuring that the mission architecture, human factors, science, and cost/risk are integrated from the beginning. iterative and ongoing interaction between science and engineering The desired integrated program will not be produced if there is only a limited set of interactions between human and science planning groups. Science should be included from the beginning. There needs to be a focus on science in the exploration program. Addressing the most important science at Mars, which is likely to include the search for present-day or past life on the Red Planet, will require multiple missions that use all the capabilities of robots and humans.

A human and robotic exploration program on Mars would be compelling. Over the past six decades, robots have explored Mars. Human exploration can take advantage of the amazing capabilities of people. Our brains are remote. E. , eyesight), manual dexterity, and ability to adapt and respond to unexpected situations complement and often exceed the capabilities of robots. We need to prepare for a long-term program instead of just the first mission. Understanding what will be required for follow-on missions, in terms of science objectives and technology and hardware development, will have a large effect on even the earliest efforts. An understanding of how the missions will evolve after the first one is necessary to inform the initial mission design and implementation. The Apollo program and the most recent NASA Mars science program achieved great success with this approach. We need to change the cultures of the various constituencies. Complex missions like humans to Mars need science and engineering to work together. 

The military's creation of the human spaceflight program was a top-down effort to demonstrate national technological prowess. During the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo eras, science was ignored. NASA executed a science program as part of the Apollo missions thanks to the efforts of icons like Gene Shoemaker. The view of the science community toward human exploration must continue to evolve. In the Decadal Survey of Planetary Science, developed by The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine at the request of NASA, scientists worried that human programs likely would be carried out at the expense of the robotic program. The current decadal strategy takes the view that science should be both the driver and a major product of a combined human and robotic program. Both cultures need to support an integrated program. The fields of human factors, gravitational biology for plants and people, applied clinical studies of human health in transit and on the surface are just some of the areas where this integration of different constituencies goes beyond just science and engineering. NASA needs to take advantage of multiple missions to use all of the capabilities of humans and robots.

 A bold program that uses deep-space exploration and testing at the moon and then rapidly moves on to Mars can be supported by engaging the broader science community. There needs to be strong leadership from the robotic Mars program in order to continue to make discoveries that will frame a human mission and provide a scientific context in which a human mission will operate. It is necessary to continue the Mars Sample Return program. The robotic program currently has no plans for new missions other than Mars that would support science and future mission planning. We need a credible program that will lead to human missions to Mars. This exploration is being carried out by NASA. The ability to carry out the missions can be improved by collaborating with commercial or international partners. Commercial missions have yet to take place. Keeping an emphasis on the science will be necessary to maintain a NASA-centered perspective. The strength and difficulty of this approach are related to the fact that it will require coordination across multiple NASA organizations. The planning of a human mission must include science, engineering, human factors, and cost/risk. If we want a robust human Mars program, planning must go forward in each of these areas now, developing ideas and bringing them together into an integrated, coherent program.