Yes, I think so - to orbit anyway - maybe not to the surface. I think the thing that would really spur interest in Mars would be if ExoMars or one of our landers finds life on Mars and if that life is interestingly different from Earth life.
That would be of huge interest - not just to colonization enthusiasts - but also for medicine, nanotech - and think how much of our lives depends on products created by life processes. The payback from studying a fundamentally different form of life could be immense - easily offset cost of a human mission to Mars orbit.
You wouldn't land because landing would contaminate Mars and destroy much of the interest of it for life studies, biology etc. But if you are in a close up orbit around Mars then you can drive telerobots on the surface and it is in many ways better than being there in person - no need to wear spacesuits - automatically enhanced vision - and everything you see and do on Mars automatically streamed, HD stereo surely - back to Earth for us to enjoy as well - as that is how you see Mars yourself.
Would be like using the Oculus rift, and the virtuix omni - but on a real planet, Mars, instead of a virtual world.
And - the evidence so far is quite in favour of finding life on Mars - past life especially - and if there was life on the planet in the past, hard to see it becoming extinct if it got anywhere as far as evolution on the Earth - so should still be there today and are habitats on the surface where it could be living, mostly in low concentrations of just a few microbes probably mainly hidden beneath the surface, possibly some more complex lichen like plants - may not seem that exciting - but it could be
If it was any of the others - the effect for understanding of biology and potential new applications also - would be vast, pretty much unlimited. Even based on hard nosed economics, it would be well worth the punt to find out.
That would be of huge interest - not just to colonization enthusiasts - but also for medicine, nanotech - and think how much of our lives depends on products created by life processes. The payback from studying a fundamentally different form of life could be immense - easily offset cost of a human mission to Mars orbit.
You wouldn't land because landing would contaminate Mars and destroy much of the interest of it for life studies, biology etc. But if you are in a close up orbit around Mars then you can drive telerobots on the surface and it is in many ways better than being there in person - no need to wear spacesuits - automatically enhanced vision - and everything you see and do on Mars automatically streamed, HD stereo surely - back to Earth for us to enjoy as well - as that is how you see Mars yourself.
Would be like using the Oculus rift, and the virtuix omni - but on a real planet, Mars, instead of a virtual world.
And - the evidence so far is quite in favour of finding life on Mars - past life especially - and if there was life on the planet in the past, hard to see it becoming extinct if it got anywhere as far as evolution on the Earth - so should still be there today and are habitats on the surface where it could be living, mostly in low concentrations of just a few microbes probably mainly hidden beneath the surface, possibly some more complex lichen like plants - may not seem that exciting - but it could be
- fundamentaly different XNA instead of DNA
- or, still DNA based but different "engine" turning that into proteins, metabolizing etc
- or, an early form of life, telling us something about the missing pages in the book of evolution, earliest forms of life probably 40 nm or less, present day machinery for life can't fit into less than 200 nm
- or, pretty much like modern life - but with different metabolic pathways, or things like - different pigments for photosynthesis, different ways to adapt and protect against ionizing radiation or UV etc.
- or - fundamentally identical to Earth life in all respects
If it was any of the others - the effect for understanding of biology and potential new applications also - would be vast, pretty much unlimited. Even based on hard nosed economics, it would be well worth the punt to find out.
About the Author
Robert Walker
Writer of articles on Mars and Space issues - Software Developer of Tune Smithy, Bounce Metronome etc.Studied at Wolfson College, Oxford
Lives in Isle of Mull
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