Credit: BBC/Imperial College London
A team of academics from Imperial College London have blueprinted a concept on how best to place a trio of space travelers on the surface of the red planet.
The mock mission to Mars is to be showcased on a special five-part program carried by the BBC.
The researchers have been working with Neil Bowdler, a video journalist from the BBC, and computer animation experts to design a mission to Mars.
Five part program
The five part program — How to put a human on Mars — outlines some of the technological challenges that space agencies like NASA will need to overcome for astronauts to land successfully on Mars and return back safely again.
According to Colin Smith, Communications and Public Affairs at the Imperial College London, experts for the impressive set of shows explore some of the design challenges of the missions including building a spacecraft that can create artificial gravity on the voyage to prevent muscle wastage in the crew.
The researchers also discuss ways of keeping astronauts protected during the voyage from radiation from the Sun, and the challenges of landing a crew safely in Mars’ thin atmosphere, Smith said.
Rovers have landed on the Red Planet, probes have scanned its surface but what would it take to put a human on Mars? The BBC asked scientists from Imperial College London to design a mission which could take astronauts to the planet – and back.
Watch the videos and other online activities:
http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_23-7-2013-16-51-29
Also, go to this BBC overview at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23381759
By Leonard David