Mars mission impossible due to cost, distance, “alien hazards,” says new book

The immense cost and distance, and lethal hazards, make a mission to Mars an impossibility, according to the new book Earthbound: The Obstacles to Human Space Exploration and the Promise of Artificial Intelligence.

One NASA analysis pegged the cost of Mars exploration at more than $210 billion. And the distance of 140 million miles from Earth means a voyage lasting years and landing on “. . .truly an alien planet, exposing astronauts to an environment unprecedented in human history, and whose complex intertwining hazards cannot possibly be simulated in a trial run,” wrote author and veteran science writer Dennis Meredith. “It is a planetary hell that poses unique perils different from those of the moon. These perils come on top of the deep-space hazards that astronauts will encounter during years on a mission.”

Earthbound cites hundreds of scientific studies on organisms from cells to humans revealing profound hazards of the deep-space environment, beyond the protection of Earth orbit. NASA itself has recognized the severe, unsolved “Red Risks” of deep-space travel, including radiation health impacts, vision problems, cognitive decline, and inadequate food and nutrition. And, researchers have conceded that they cannot reliably estimate the medical risk of deep-space exploration missions.

“The extreme hazards of a Mars mission begin with the planet’s immense distance from Earth,” wrote Meredith. “The curse of distance extends its impacts into just about every part of the mission. Timely abort/return is impossible. Once on the mission, astronauts have no choice but to complete the trip. Their only alternative is to skip a landing, circle the planet, and return, which would shave only a trivial amount of time off a mission lasting years. Resupply is impossible, which means that any mission would have to carry tons of food, equipment, and spare parts. Even the most extensive pre-placed equipment and supplies on the Martian surface would do no good to astronauts in mid-flight.”

“The need for repairs will be constant. The stark reality is that the immensely complex spacecraft cannot possibly be tested in a full voyage lasting years, and will invariably suffer malfunctions. If the operational history of the ISS is any guide, malfunctions will be frequent.” Meredith cited statistics that the ISS has experienced dozens of alarms a year signaling malfunctions.

Radiation bombardment in space and on the Martian surface during the mission, “would have profound impacts on the nervous, immune, and skeletal systems, as well as behavioral effects. The radiation would also damage astronauts’ genes and trigger cancer,” wrote Meredith. Similarly, years of weightlessness, the stress from confinement, and toxic Martian dust would profoundly affect astronauts’ health.

In the book, Meredith presents a hellish scenario of a Mars mission:

“You are confined for nine months with three other people in a windowless craft the size of a small motor home. You are speeding through a lethally airless, frigid outer space. You eat only prepared food from packets. Personal hygiene is minimal. You cannot take a bath, and there is no laundry, so you cannot wash your clothes. So, the craft grows more and more fetid with the exudations from your bodies. You are weightless and must exercise hours a day in an ultimately losing effort to maintain your muscles and bones. Your eyesight becomes blurry. You might even go blind. Amid long periods of crushing boredom, alarms sound signaling the malfunction of some critical system that provides air, water, or heat. You or one of the other crew members must repair it. Or die.

“Amid utter blackness, you are speeding away from your home hundreds of millions of miles away. You can only contact your loved ones through a link that imposes long delays. You are far from any clinic, with only one trained medical caregiver, little diagnostic equipment, and a limited supply of pharmaceuticals. You are bombarded by radiation that could kill you immediately, or ultimately give you cancer.

“After the nine months, your craft descends on a roaring pillar of flame to land on a desolate, airless, radiation-blasted surface with lethally frigid temperatures. Upon landing, you must instantly transition from weightlessness to gravity, your muscles and bones weakened. Nearly crippled, nearly blind, traumatized, and depressed, you must immediately begin to perform complex tasks crucial for your survival.

“After a month on the planet surface enclosed either in the lander or a spacesuit, you are launched once more for a nine-month voyage back to Earth. However, even with the promise of home, on this return voyage you continue to suffer whatever medical and psychological problems built up on your outbound voyage and your stay on the surface.”

However, the scenario is optimistic:  “The crew may well have succumbed to any number of medical or spacecraft catastrophes.”