- When NASA's Mars Pathfinder landed on the Red Planet
in 1997, it released a rover that monitored the landscape, recorded weather
conditions, and broadcast pictures of the surface to Earth. Presently,
there is no official date or funding for a human mission to Mars, but the
knowledge gained from the Pathfinder and other missions would contribute
to plans for eventual human exploration of the planet. Before astronauts
can take the first steps on Mars, however, much research needs to be done
to guide mission planners and hardware designers. A new report from the
National Academies' National Research Council outlines the environmental,
chemical, and biological hazards that NASA needs to assess before sending
a human mission to Mars.
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- The agency's robotic engineering and design program should
be expanded to develop larger rovers specifically for human use in exploration
and surface transport, the report says. To ensure a safe landing and to
aid rover and human movement on the planet, NASA should develop an accurate
high-resolution, three-dimensional map of the terrain that would be explored,
and assess the land's makeup to determine its strength and stability. In
addition, when a spacecraft lands on Mars, soil and dust might be brought
in through the air lock, which occurred during the Apollo missions to the
moon. Potential contamination of the astronaut habitat while on the martian
surface could pose a health hazard to the crew. For example, dust could
contain high concentrations of sulfur and chlorine, compounds that could
degrade human lung tissue if inhaled and corrode equipment.
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- There is also uncertainty as to the quantity of toxic
metals, such as hexavalent chromium, in the soil. While small amounts of
these metals may not affect the astronauts immediately, they could have
long-term effects, such as cancer. Robotic sampling of soil and airborne
dust could determine the presence and extent of any harmful organisms or
compounds. If certain experiments, such as testing for chromium, cannot
be conducted on the Mars surface, a sample must be returned to the Earth
for evaluation.
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- Although chances are slim that life exists on the planet,
NASA must identify zones of minimal biologic risk to humans through unmanned
missions, using organic carbon detection techniques or by analyzing a sample
returned to Earth. At the same time, NASA needs to implement a series of
safeguards to protect the Earth from potential contamination when the missions
return from space.
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- NASA and its international partners plan to send data-gathering
robotic missions to Mars every two years until 2011 to study the environment,
climate, and geology, and to determine if life ever arose on the planet.
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- This study was requested and funded by NASA. The National
Research Council is the principal operating arm of the National Academy
of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. It is a private, nonprofit
institution that provides science and technology advice under a congressional
charter. A committee roster follows.
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- The report Safe on Mars: Precursor Measurements Necessary
to Support Human Operations on the Martian Surface is available on the
Internet at http://www.nap.edu.
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- http://www4.nationalacademies.org/news.nsf/isbn/0309084261?OpenDocument
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