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Call for questions: Martian Technology (Patreon)

Published:
2022-08-26 18:58:56
Imported:
2026-06

Content

How do we land on Mars? 

Why do we want to land on Mars? 

How does a person figure out HOW TO GET STUFF ON MARS?

If you have ever wondered how rocket scientists plan missions and how they make sure their equipment doesn't disintegrate and whether someone will build a Sandals resort on the Red Planet, leave your questions below!  

Beep boop Martian questions,

Yer Poddad Lady 

Comments

cheyanne morris

at what point will people go to mars and not plan to return?

Amy Narimatsu

What animals, if any, would survive the best on Mars if we end up there? A world without dogs is an absolute "nah" for me

cheyanne morris

does getting stuff to mars have to same precautions in place as it does to putting rovers on mars?

cheyanne morris

would we be sending bacterias along with technology?

Isabelle Brooks

Is all dirt on Mars red? Could organic material decompose on the surface of Mars?

G.Sil

First time asker: How important is it to have good maps/recon of Mars prior to missions? I’ve heard of people and met people studying Mars via remote sensing, does that data get used in mission planning?

Diane Heise

To quote David Bowie Is there life on Mars?

Emily MacLeod

Emily (she/they) How would we ever have enough water on Mars for just drinking and cultivating plants/animals to eat?

Schmitty Thompson

Please tell us about the sky crane! It seems so ridiculous but it worked so well! Also, how will we deal with that toxins in martian soil/sediment? Also! How careful are you all to make sure everyone is using the same units???

Hailey

👽💜 first time question asker: how do you test technology sent to Mars to ensure it can withstand irregularities? If a Mars rover flips over and gets stuck like a turtle on it’s back are we just completely screwed?

Stephanie Broertjes

Ahhh so excited for this one! I went to NASA Space Camp back in 2002 as an 11 year old girl, specifically to the one in Huntsville, AL for the Mars simulation. My question: How can we use existing Mars natural resources to supplement what we bring? Like for space farming and such

Ryan Morris

What tech do we need to develop to send a human to mars

Jackie

Just how far fetched is the Musk-fantasy of a Mars colony? What are the top few reasons that's nuts?

Jenna Catalano

What is the biggest hurdle scientists have to overcome to send a manned spacecraft to Mars?

Alia Myers

Will someone build a sandals resort on the red planet? I need to know

Jackie

Just how annoying is the Matrian atmosphere in terms of landing (fragile) stuff on Mars?

Frederick Raymond-Coursol

First time question asker! Will we get to see a human colonies on mars in our lifetime ? I’m curious to know in how many years will we go out there and build stuff.

Emily MacLeod

Emily (she/they) What about the mental health side of things?? What are theories/ideas for keeping the humans who would go to Mars mentally healthy given that they wouldn't be able to go outside or stress reduce in the same ways we can on Earth?

Jirka Řízek

What is now the leading proposition for landing with human meat sacks? Is sky crane or parachute and bouncing too dangerous? Will we use just plain old moon lander approach? Also, are we planning just to grab samples and run for the first mission, or do we want to stay a bit after all the trouble? Sorry for the long post :)

Alia Myers

What is the failure rate allowed in materials were sending to mars?

Alia Myers

Whats the #1 thing stopping us from going to mars right now?

Pete Sivak

First time question asker: Considering the book (and movie) The Martian, is it possible to grow potatoes on Mars? And fertilise them with poo?

Felix Lasselle

Is it unethical to tell all the billionaires that Mars is a paradise full of advanced technology and riches to preserve their bodies and wealth, then we just leave them there?

Michael Swords

If we find microbes on Mars, how will we ensure that they aren't from Earth? I know we can sanitize the equipment; but is Mars actually habitable by Earth's microbes? Also what do you think water on Mars tastes like. I imagine it tastes like Liquid Death water. Minerals, a hint of aluminum, and regretfully asking yourself "why did i do this? I can get this from the tap."

sidney

What's up with the "space trash" on Mars? Was it ever identified or explained?

Laura Jordens-Harris

Is there a plan for getting back from Mars? What if we get stuck??

Patrick W

So we've dropped some robots on Mars... how do we get them back?

Jackie

Roughly how much does it cost (in dollars or in fuel) to get a small housecat to Mars. (For reference a small housecat has is roughly 8.5 lbs, same as a gallon of water)

Anika's Cat Arya

If humans were to start being born on Mars, would they have to wear suits to handle our gravity and atmosphere since they'd be adapted to another planet? Also, if people on earth went to visit, would they have to stay for short periods for the same reason?

Ted Vician

What are options to generate oxygen on Mars? In Zubrin’s _The Case For Mars_, he describes a chemical process to manufacture oxygen. Several companies, national labs, and universities are looking at processes to make CO2 into liquid fuels like kerosene/jet fuel.

Alia Myers

What needs to change for regular people to be able to go to mars?

Pyry Hopearuoho

how does mars being so cold affect marian technology, like does the coldness pose any additional difficulties in designing rovers etc?

Jackie

What is your favorite of all the Mars rovers, and why?

Jackie

Should we avoid ever sending people to Mars so we get to keep saying there is a planet in our solar system that is completely populated by robots?

Martha Kathryn Smith

First time question asker here! What's the likelyhood of human colonies being established on mars - or even just the moon - could it happen in our lifetimes?

JENN 'Benthopelagic squirrel' ALVAREZ

I can't live on a planet that doesn't have an ocean. Or frogs. Y'all go. Imma stay here. That's not a question tho so...uuuuh, does Mars have techtonic plates?

Riikka Puttonen

Could we really grow potatoes using martian soil or is that just a bunch of film flam?

Wayne Hovey

Talking about the current exploration of Mars and the fact that it can take 5 to 20 minutes for a signal to go from earth to Mars, how do they control the rovers and flying things so that they don't crash into things? Also, why do they move so slowly?

Gerald Thompson

Why do we assume planets need water to support extra terrestrial life? Isn't it possible life on other planets would have different requirements than life on Earth?

Felix Lasselle

Apparently the wheels on the Mars rovers had to be heavily modified from one to the next. What exactly did we learn between sending rovers that told us we need to improve the wheels?

Daniel Piacitelli

First time question asker! What is the likelihood we could actually terraform mars (given lots o time) and, if we can, roughly how would we even do that?

Kelsy Simpson

** First time asker (if that's how this works?) How do you feel about the looming commercialization of space travel and colonization of Mars?

Keegan Lowman

How long do you think a permanent colony will need to last before claiming independence?

Caroline Baril

As someone who's been working on ISS astronaut stool micriobiome research for this past year at my university, im super excited about this episode!! Any comments on astronaut poop/microbiomes and how they might be affected by the mars exposome? How is the space station exposome different from the mars exposome?

Jamie Spring

Who are the organizations/ people funding the missions to mars, and what are their motivations for doing so?

Rob Hale (he, him)

Are there raw materials on Mars that could be used as the filament for a 3D printer so people could "print" things they need (rather than ship it up)?

Eric Johnson

If a tiny team from Earth were trying to establish the first human settlement on Mars, what exactly would they need to fit into their ship? Wouldn't they need to arrive with YEARS of food & supplies in storage?

Filip Strömberg

** Is mycoterraforming Mars something that’s being looked into? How would we go about that?

Mia Manzer

Is it true that we’d essentially have to Nuke Mars to develop and ozone and allow life to flourish or at least be able to habitat on Mars?

Rebecca Shay

What's the decontamination process for stuff going to space vs stuff going to Mars? Is there a difference if there's a planned long experiment? Also, are people who eventually going to Mars going to need some sort of Earth-germ decontamination, and what sort of process might that be, to not introduce all our microbes to a new planet?

Victoria Oetting

Have we found any microbes on Mars that either: haven’t ever been found on earth or are potentially very dangerous to humans, plants, or animals? What kind of characteristics would organic life need to survive in Mars? Like what if we wanted to grow food on mars? Why can’t we just send our trash from the Pacific to Mars? I went to Mauna Kea a while back and was told the mountain was used to simulate Mars terrain. What makes Mauna Kea’s volcanic soil so similar to Mars compared to other volcanoes around the world? Also, how is Mars so cold if the atmosphere is mainly made of carbon dioxide, when this is considered a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming on earth?

Ted Vician

This is a really simple but really important question. Mars is crazy cold, probably at the functional limit of a lot of materials. Even aerospace/military grade stuff would have a hard time working there.

Lene Olszeth

What would be the trickiest thing logistically to send to mars? (Last name pronounced roughly like "Ol' Seth" if you ask this)

SueG

Not only poop, but what about their urine?

Kaitlin Ehret

How might we set up a base on Mars initially? Humans, large robots that can build, a self-deploying base or something else?

SueG

Print their shelters too. Very good question.

Howard Yermish

Should we be building or are we planning for ground communications systems before humans land on mars? Or perhaps we could put satellites in place?

Ayshia Yaeger

I don't have a real question, because I'm sure it's gonna be answered, so here's my silly one: If we ever get to the point that we can colonize Mars, and we begin having children there, do you think the infants born on Mars will have an Earth birthday celebration every 365 days? Or will they have a Mars birthday when Mars finally orbits the sun?? "Asia" they/them!

Matt Thompson

How do the coordinates work on Mars when planning locations for missions? Like where is the Prime Meridian of Mars located?

Jack Sparks

What do you think is the best way to develope new technology? Funding and research through the government? Government contracting to aerospace agencies? Privatized exploration? Can you talk a little about how you you would choose to structure research in this field given infinite funding and creative freedom?

Larissa

There’s research going on already about how to grow plants in space which I assume is primarily in regards to food items - but would there be any intention of creating life on Mars beyond our own survival needs - Would we look at creating whole new ecosystems?

Luke Maxwell

Will we plan to bring livestock to mars?

Kate Watters

So there's obviously a bit of a race to get to Mars, but how do you plan the transfer windows for getting things up there when other space agencies are planning for the same transfers? How do you prevent a multibillion dollar space car collision?

Scalebar

How do we avoid biological contamination - in either direction?

SueG

Will the Martians wage war against Earth? Just because we can not see them, it does not mean they are not there!

Rowen

first time question asker (Kae is pronounced just like the letter K) :) I think exploring space is rad, but how can we avoid repeating the same patters of colonialism and exploitation that many humans have been doing on Earth? do you think this is possible? (would we maybe have to be sending people who weren’t representing billionaire capitalists and/or colonizing capitalist governments?)

Jaidyn Krassner

LONG TIME LISTENER first time asker!!! (I have so much love for you and this show! Thank you for always being the light at the end of the tunnel!!). *If a human colony is established on Mars, will humans (or animals) potentially run into complications trying to reproduce on Mars? Would specialized “dwelling pods/medical center”-type things need to be designed for the first generation of Martians so that their health can be monitored?

Becky Milliner

How accurate is The Martian w/ Matt Damon regarding the required travel time, the atmosphere,etc?

Kaitlin

How accurate is the movie The Martian!

Sarah Mathew

How close do you think our future is to the Red Mars, Green Mars, Blue Mars trilogy?

Mother Amber Across the 5th Dimension

First time question asker here- I’m curious about what we would eat on Mars. So much of our diet is assisted by insects and the pollination process. Could there be space bees or like how would be figure that out?

Chris Brewer

What kind of renewable energy could be used to sustain life on Mars?

Jim Sabol

Same question for me too!

Marie

Is it easier to live on the ground or below ground on mars? If we were to build shelters there. Seen the movie martian and it seems safer to go below ground. Hows radiaton on mars?

SueG

Can they Terra farm the planet to have weather systems conducing to growing food? How long will it take to get to Mars, and will humans need to live in a coma to get there?

John Worster

It seems to me like someone would want to live underground on Mars, to avoid the wind storms. Is that a realistic option?

Catie Noble

Will it ever be possible for humans to live on Mars for extended periods of time without shipments or other assistance from Earth?

SueG

Can they raise animals on mars, and will they bring animals with them or just the embryos to grow animals when they get to mars?

SueG

Will there be “countries” on mars, or will it be the wild-west out there?

Hannah Walsh

Why has Mars got better PR than the other planets? ( I mean I know its generally about distance to the sun but still)

Lorri Klamm

I’m pretty sure it’s going to be very expensive to build habitable structures on Mars, is it really worth the cost?

Hannah Walsh

How many potatoes could you really grow on Mars and which species would you grow? Bonus Q - fave way to eat potatoes?

Brittney Corrigan

How are the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers doing? How are their missions different/the same as the Sojourner, Opportunity, and Spirit rovers? What kinds of data are they gathering, and how will it be used?

Cheese

Is it worth going to Mars when it seems like the current likelihood is that it's going to be spearheaded by billionaires who say that people will have to basically work at their discretion

Seán Thomas Kane

Are human landing sites on Mars focused around the poles as they have tended to be on the Moon for the Artemis program because of a greater potential for ice there? Or will the first humans land in the wheel-tracks of Perseverance rover and go for a spot in a more familiar setting like the Jezero Crater? Thanks!

Chase Penix

What power sources are going to be used in transit and once we get there? Are we mapping out a way to use only renewables once we get there?

Lizzy Martinez

Beep boop lol! Can you tell us how sound moves on Mars, and what may be the best song to listen to while on Mars?! I see NASA released a cool way to test sounds on Mars and I thought this would be nice to talk about on the pod!

Euan Munro

Are small modular nuclear reactors the only options for power?

Megan Ramirez

Can we send Elon Musk there? No need to bring him back. It's fine, really.

Ryanne Flynn Rossi

Oumuamua is a… satellite? Alien? Rock? Other?? All I know is it was near us and now it’s not.

Kendall M

I'm currently writing a sci-fi novel that centers human colonies on other planets so I have a million questions but I will only ask two: what makes Mars the best candidate for human survival (or is it? Are there other planets out there that work better?)? Would cryosleep (like what you see in all the movies) be the best way for people to get from one planet to another, or are there other methods that are better/safer for humans? Would normal people be able to live on Mars or would it only be an opportunity for astronauts? (Okay I lied about the two-question limit, my bad.)

Amy Zucker Morgenstern

Considering how badly we have trashed our planet, do we deserve to take over another one? Do you think we have learned enough from our experiences on Earth to build sustainably and treat another planet with respect, or do signs point to our polluting it with our trash? First time, Zucker rhymes with looker

Dorit

What do they think of the Mars trilogy books by Kim Stanley Robinson? Is it a realistic prediction of how colonizing Mars would go?

Aoife Holmes

Is there any nutrients in the soil on Mars that we can use to grow out foods or do we need to alter the soil ooohhh or even better is there anything we can ONLY grow there?!?

Amber Althoff

How many years from now could humans actually living on Mars, like we do on Earth be truly feasible? A hundred, a thousand, etc.

Laura M

If people went to Mars, would they be able to come back? Do we have the rocket technology yet for enough fuel for a round trip? What are the possible long term effects on the body from that long of a time in space on the trip and from Martian gravity?

Emily Krieger

i was listening to your moon ep and like the expert said: why not the moon instead of Mars??

Sam Peretz

2 questions: 1) is there any benefit to using Mars for energy generation? for example, could we build very large nuclear power plants (very, very far from population centers!), and then ship the energy back to earth somehow? maybe very large batteries? or lasers? 2) what do you think are the chances of finding life, perhaps at the level of the simplest prokaryotes (or whatever the martian equivalent might be)? maybe far underground in underground (possibly long frozen) aquifers or something?

Feye

I'd like to know more about the whole set-up to collect and retrieve particles from Mars. And why do we need three different robots to do this?

Sydonie S.

What sorts of technology would be necessary to get nutritious and sustainable crop production on Mars?

Dave Schuster

Will the space craft use centrifugal force to create artificial gravity? If not, what will they do to prevent bone density loss on the long voyage?

Christi & Ashley

Humans have already trashed this planet. We've also left garbage on the moon and in space (orbiting space debris is a large and growing safety problem) and we've started leaving things on Mars, too. Is anyone looking out for the future of Mars & other planets, and taking waste management into consideration as we plan for further space exploration?

Luna Remus

Why did we decide, as humans, decide that Mars is where we want to colonize?

Lexa

Electra (she/her) I can’t remember where I read this but I understood that there are goitrogenic minerals at high densities in Mars soil –stuff that wrecks our thyroid– so rather than asking if the soil is capable of being intrinsically or amended to be nourishing, is the soil intrinsically poisonous/damaging and how would that be mitigated? I don’t think supplemental thyroid hormones would be sufficient to counteract the chronic inflammation from tissue destruction…?

Anna Vilnīte

A question on behalf of a dear friend who's an aspiring astrophysicist - when Percy landed, there were talks about an ESA mission two years later that will be sent to collect the samples Percy left us. Obviously that fell through, why did it and what's the plan now??? Also HI ALIE WE LOVE YOU SO VERY MUCH

Tony Cook

Ok, not a question, but I love bragging on my wife's little company. They made the carbon fiber landing gear for the helicopter on the last Mars mission. The process of engineering for that small component was fascinating.

Anna Frazier

(never had a question make it on the show) is it ethical to pour money/research into Mars/space when there are so many issues (pandemic, poverty, inequality, climate change etc) facing us on Earth? no hate to the ologist of course, i’m just wondering if it feels a little sticky sometimes. or is there things we can learn from it to help us here?

Lexa

Hell yes! please answer this question. :-D

Amanda McClendon

Can what we learn about Mars eventually be used in how we explore other terrestrial planets outside of our solar system?

Petr Kubik

While planning these multi-year many-million dollar space missions, just how big are the odds that any particular vessel will get destroyed by a random meteoroid before accomplishing its goal? Is it pretty common for space vessels to get hit, but manage to follow through with their mission if no critical systems are damaged?

Jessica C

My husband asks: could we refine the iron in Mars' soil to make habitats?

Gordee

What are the odds of living on mars in this lifetime?

Julia Vollmer

Is anything about “The Martian” movie realistic or possible at all?

Gabe Knuth

Do we know of any caves on Mars that could be sealed off to create a habitat rather than trying to erect something?

Hope Shinn

** How has the Mars helicopter changed planet exploration? Will we see more of different kinds of vehicles on Mars (or other planets??) in the future?

Will Clark

**Will we first build habitat remotely? Or with a manned mission?

Hope Shinn

That is amazing!! Do you mind sharing what company?

Emily Luna

First time asker: Does the pole magnetism work the same way or do you have to make allowances for that? Does that have a different effect on technology?

Anne Barnes

I've heard of the rover that sings happy birthday to itself. What is the importance of having these very human touches in the robots? Are there any other examples?

Anne Barnes

Also a first-time asker :)

Aminah

Is there more interest or focus in colonizing mars or simply understanding our planetary neighbor?

Jess_Lin

Who would “own” Mars? Would there be countries/towns/borders?? Citizenships?!

Elena Horne

Where does Mars factor into the future of space tourism? What would have to happen for future generations to visit Mars recreationally?

Will

** How much do you hate Elon Musk?

Stephanie Leské

**I CANNOT WAIT FOR THIS EPISODE!!!! my question is.. a bit strange but this feels like a safe space... you know how Earth's... earth has a certain soily smell??? Do we have any technology that can collect Mars soil samples to see what it smells like? If we brought some Mars soil here and smelled it would it smell the same as it does on Mars because of the change in atmosphere?

c

Are there any cool tech possibilities on Mars that we don't have on here Earth?

SueG

Good questions!

William Weatherford

I've heard the concept of building a moon base to supply future missions to Mars. Is this a good, viable, or even necessary strategy for future Mars missions? Why or why not?

Daniel Gill

If humans were one day stationed on Mars, what would be the process to communicate with Earth? Could you FaceTime someone from a Mars base?

Angalina Taylor

What is your favorite idea for pooping in space

c

Also, what's up with those cool plutonium battery thingies? Are we using anything similar on earth? Should we?

Angalina Taylor

Is there a plan In place for the ice storms?

Matt Ceccato

Do you think we will ever visit Mars to reclaim the probes sent?

Rachel Selby

(they/she) The Martian: do the novel and movie do a good job of getting most things right? What do they get wrong? How long does it take to get to Mars from Earth?

George Koris

I have heard "we will just Terraform Mars" -- often from those who do not want any restrictions on what we are doing to THIS planet. Isn't so-called Terraforming completely unrealistic? (Or at least take thousands of years?) And further, isn't it true that if we do screw up Earth, that only a tiny, tiny percentage of the population could (rich elites) ever be sent there?

Claire Wang

(she/her, first time asker!) Seeing the ways which humans have been populating Earth, what are the ethical and practical concerns of terraforming Mars? While biodiversity *might* not be an issue (at least that we know so far), are the people pursuing Mars colonization considering this enough?

Becky Milliner

I love that movie!! I've read the book I think 4 times!!

Jim Bartholomew

I am wondering about the ultra fine dust on mars and how dangerous that is. Also Perchlorates, toxic chemicals in mars soil. How will people deal with those on mars?

Cynthia Cinnabar

My job is vaguely Mars planning-adjacent, so I'm pretty confident in the process of getting people and their accessories there safely. But then what? If people decide to reside on Mars long-term, would they ever be able to support themselves with local resources, or would they always be dependent on deliveries from Earth? And would they be able to do a better job of protecting their habitat there than we've done here, or is environmental destruction inevitable?

Cynthia Cinnabar

Also, is it possible that some Earthian life form--a bacterium or whatever--could mutate to survive in the Martian environment? How would it have to change? How might it potentially behave?

Kary Forth

What amount of electricity would it take to create a magnetic field around the planet? Without one, how could we ever create a stable atmosphere for Mars?

Sarah Webber

Sarah Webber Ok, first time Q asker. I get stage fright every time there's a call for questions and my brain goes blank. So I asked my sister what her question would be. It was; Mars’ atmosphere is famously thin, and it’s gravity is less than ours. If we manage to liberate enough trapped gases to form an atmosphere around Mars similar to Earth’s (earth breathable), how could we stop it wicking away into the solar system?

Justin Saucedo

Would it be possible to build underground complexes where people could walk around without a spacesuit?

Average_pi

She her How would mars atmosphere affect developing or puberty children or teens (like myself)

Elizabeth Jimenez

It's more of an all space question I suppose, but does anyone ever think that we're going to send so many things out into space that we're going to use up too many of our resources?

Meg Ahern

(she/her): 3 questions! 1. There are 2 popular methods discussed for a Mars transit program, Mars Direct proposed by Robert Zubrin and a Mars Cycler proposed by Buzz Aldrin. Which one makes more sense for a long term and sustainable Mars program? 2. How would EVA suits differ between those made for the Moon and those made for Mars? 3. How would we combat communications blockage during the seasonal dust storms that Mars gets?

cash.ruska

I have this silly lil' theory that is founding on nothing save for the inner workings of my own mind. Y'know how people refer to Mars as "Planet B," as in we could go there if we mess up Earth? Is there any chance that Mars was actually Planet A and Earth was Planet B, meaning that human life originated on Mars but we moved to Earth once we fucked it all up???

Jen W

Can we recreate an atmosphere, like with pressurized domes? Would we have to bring all the air with us or would we be able to find some of it somewhere on Mars? Same with water.

Christy LaForce

Is it possible to terraform a planet like mars?

Rebecca Kidder

How does the technology for a moon rover differ from that of a Mars rover?

Rebecca Kidder

We hear a lot about making mars habitable for humans. Are people talking/thinking about making it habitable for any other earth species as well?

Bre Snodgrass

The billionaire race to colonize Mars/the moon/etc seems outrageous to me. Seems like with how quickly Earth is catapulting towards inhabitability for humans, we don’t actually have the time to figure out the necessary details for moving off-planet (except maybe for a handful of the world’s wealthiest) Is there something I’m missing though? Is there actually some viability to this option?

Nathalie Jones

Does it even make sense for humans to assume we get to have jurisdiction over another planet? In this sense, is the concept of a galactic level senate reasonable and not just star wars fantasy? Like, if we knew another life form existed within our galaxy, would we need to contact them too before taking over Mars?

Ruby McDonald

First time question asker. What would be the best process for terraforming Mars?

Sara Cavagnis

First time asking a question - how do we ethically justify all the money and resources spent in colonising another planet? I realize space science has pushed the development of technologies, but why not investing directly in basic science and tech for their own sake, rather than in the human colonising dream?

Emily Hoban

Can we grow potatoes on Mars like Mark Watney did in The Martian? Also have you read/seen The Martian please give all your thoughts

Christa Avampato

How do you make the case for Mars exploration to those who say we shouldn't be spending money on it when we have so many challenges here on Earth that need investment?

Sam Nelson

How many Martian probes are running Javascript?

Tony Cook

Not at all! It's Goodwinds Composites...located just north of Seattle.

Clara Martin

She/her, first time question asker! What kind of long-term medical treatments would explorers need? We know that astronauts can lose muscle mass and bone density when they’re in space… Also, how would they prevent diseases on Earth from migrating with astronauts and infecting everyone, like we saw with COVID-19 in Antarctic research stations? How do we prevent radiation poisoning? Is that a real risk, and if so low, medium, or high?

Lila Mankad

**Are there plans to have children while in Mars/continue with multi-generational martian humans? What are the logistics of that? Are there any materials that work on Earth that don’t work on Mars? Why? What don’t we think about that’s hard to do on Mars? How will boredom be tackled on Mars? What is the ideal group of first humans on Mars? I heard women fare better in space, so would an all-woman group be better?

Alex Joseph

Will the original mars Rover meet a human again?

Nicole S

How will long term habitats work on Mars? Will it be more like The Martian where we set up domed tents, or will humans be living underground like in The Expanse?

Snarky Mermaid

Seems we earthlings don’t own Mars, how are we going to deal with any garbage we create there, so aliens don’t come after us for the mess we tend to leave.

Ashley Green

Are there different kinds of bacteria/diseases on Mars to be concerned about?

Ruby Chan-Frey

**If there was life on Mars, what’s the likelihood that they would be small green humanoids like in cartoons? How long would an astronaut’s trip have to be to make a crewed mission worthwhile? Is earth likely to look like mars one day as it decays? Are the opportunity and curiosity rovers friends? Besties, even?

Angela K.

What's your favorite thing about mars?

Cloudless Knight

***If/when we land on Mars, what do you think would be most viable way grow food? Would transporting live plants be an option? Can plants withstand the force of take off?

John Casey

If people went to Mars and lived there for awhile, at some point would it be risky physiologically for them to return to Earth? Thinking about the Expanse books, how much truth is there to the spacer physiological problems, and would that apply on Mars?

John Casey

Water seems like one of the hardest technical things about making a permanent human presence on Mars, since it's so heavy and we require a lot of it. How can that problem be solved?

Vincentrosaurus

I’ve read that solar radiation is the big limiter to space travel and colonization. Are there solutions to this?

Lisa St

I just heard about this place this week... it's less than 2 hours from me-plan to go soon! I hear you can touch their stuff! Largest piece of Mars on Earth! https://mainemineralmuseum.org/

Morgan

Can you talk about terraforming mars and if it's as bad an idea as I think it is?

Deli Dames

Is the movie The Martian grounded in science? Could we grow potatoes with our poop?

Mykenzie King

If we moved to mars would we ever be able to walk outside without a full space suit? Would mars shorts be possible? Could we get Mars tan lines?

Justine Doll

Are there aurora borealis phenomena on Mars?

Justine Doll

Would it be possible to populate Mars with Cyanobacteria to create an oxygenated environment?

Ingrid Clark

If we send humans to Mars and know it will be a one-way trip, what criteria will we use to decide who's eligible to go?

Jake Leonard

Terraforming - science fiction or plausible? Long time listener first time question asker!

Sleepy John

We can get oxygen,. if not much of it, from the Martian atmosphere, but hydrogen is long gone. How do we make enough water to live on?

Earl of Greymalkin

1) When can I move in? How feasible is mass migration to Mars in the future? 2) Why doesn't Mars have much of an atmosphere? 3) What does Mars taste like? (Mars bars? haha) Has anyone ever licked a Mars rock? Has a rover ever licked rocks? 4) How do the proportions of elements/resources on Mars compare to Earth? 5) Can Earth microbes colonize Mars? What if this happened accidentally? 6) If you're planning to send an object to Mars, what do you have to plan first for the project? What gets planned last? (How much money do you need?) 7) Are there better or worse locations to land on? 8) If you lived on Mars, how hard would it be to get movies sent through space to you? 9) What kinds of materials do you have to make stuff out of to send it to Mars? What went into the R&D to figure this out?

Rae Moore

1) I read a theory once that said we could transform the Mars atmosphere to become more Earth-like (and therefore more habitable by humans) by sending a shitload of plants to do what they do in the way of converting gasses. Is that as dumb as it sounds?

Rae Moore

(Did not mean to send yet lol) 2)Have we sent enough things to Mars yet for it to have space trash floating around it that needs to be accounted for in landing? 3)I’ve read that we learn a lot about the makeup of other planets’ atmospheres based on the spectrum of the light that passes through it. Have we done that with Mars or are we relying more on the samples our machines have collected? And, if so, I’ve never understood how we could get reliable information based solely on light because it has to pass through everything else that’s floating in space between us and that atmosphere too. Is this way too off-topic? Can you explain..?

TayBo33

Could Mar's moons play any kind of important role in space exploration, or are they just there for the sole purpose of being tiny and adorable? <3

Juan Martin

There are a lot of "cons" for life on Mars (radiation, thin atmosphere with no oxygen, no liquid water...) but is there anything that would be better on Mars than on Earth? RE communications: should we send at least some satellites to Mars orbit specifically for communication with Earth prior to sending astronauts? Or is the current bandwith enough?

Gemma Nyssen

First time asking a question 🤩 1) What would be the process of terraforming mars?? 2) what would we need to bring with us if we were gonna go and live on mars? What resources are ready there?

Jamie Quinn

How long has Martian technology actually been around (I recently learned that quantum physics was not discovered in the 2000s so I am curious how long scientists have been working on these projects) and is the long-term goal of these projects to actually have humankind living on our cold neighbour planet?

Erik K

In Zubrin book, a case for Mars, he discusses, bring H2 to Mars to then produce rocket fuel for the return trip as the chemical process is easy and Mars is abundant with CO2. Is a process like this still being considered and is this doable? It would greatly reduce the payload for the trip there

Erik K

What is the most unrealistic part or the part that makes you cringe of the movie or book the Martian?

Erik K

Currently what is the biggest technological problem to be solved with sending people to Mars? Or is this like fixing the climate problem, and we have done the engineering and science and it is largely a political and funding problem.

Jo Alexander

In Mary Roach’s book Packing for Mars, she described the vacuum toilet that NASA developed to prevent excrement from floating around the place.

Jo Alexander

I love all y’all’s questions! My spouse wants to know if the technology exists yet to safely put people in stasis for the journey to/from Mars (we think it doesn’t exist)? Also, I’m putting in a plug for Mary Roach’s Packing for Mars book, which answered a ton of questions I never thought to ask about how to get people, etc. into space.

Camille Eckel

What technology related to going to Mars do you think will end up being important/significant here on earth? Historically there are some right? Didn’t digital cameras come from space mission tech? Idk.

Camille Eckel

What do we gain from sending humans and not just drones?

Colin

If the atmosphere is so thin, can storms actually cause damage to larger spacecraft? Yes, my only knowledge of this topic is The Martian, how did you know?

Camille Eckel

What could this trip tell us about life on Earth we haven’t thought about yet?

Camille Eckel

Where would bacteria/life/etc go if it was brought back to earth? Would they bring it back to study if they found it? There has to be a plan

Jess Swann

How do you feel about space tourism? I'd love to go to Mars (or space in general) but it does seem environmentally not great. Are there actual scientific benefits to space tourism such as providing an incentive for private companies to develop useful technology or something?

A J Lichty

I know that NASA is planning to use gateway and the moon base to make fuel so that fuel doesn’t have to be brought from Earth, since the gravity of the moon is less than Earth’s. What happens if the possible fuel creation doesn’t work? NASA has to have a backup plan, right?

Hannah Nuest

What would people do for fun? (On Mars)

Aubrey Dunn

**Can going to Mars impact Earth in any way? I would imagine that it would cause a lot of pollution to send a rocket ship or rover to Mars but is that true?

Jackie Wydra

(Last name pronounced why-druh)... Genuine question: Why are we spending so much time and resources studying other planets when our own planet is in such dire condition? What are the benefits of studying Mars- or any other planet- rather than putting those funds and priorities towards all of the things going awry here on earth?

Kylie M Smith

I know we haven't found life on Mars, but it seems like it's still certainly a possibility that we'll find bacteria or something similar. How can we ensure that us going to Mars doesn't kill these creature? Along the same vain, if things come back from Mars, how can we ensure that they won't kill us?

Nikki DeMarco

what’s the purpose of sending people to mars? they know it would be a one way mission and aren’t probably going to set up any settlements or anything. is it to see if we can do it? or is there valuable science that can be completed by sending people, even tho it will cost them their lives?

Jess EyeballSurgeon

My husband is dying to know: If mars currently only receives approximately 50% of the BTU per square foot energy loading from the sun when compared to the earth, and the earth’s atmosphere reflects approximately 30% of the incoming energy, won’t terra-forming mars and generating an atmosphere further reduce the energy loading per square foot making agriculture a greater challenge as the planet becomes more hospitable?? I needs to know….

Joel Anderson

Why do people think it's possible to live on Mars?

Elizabeth Reed

Have they run any tests on how humans would do mentally without the benefits provided by nature on earth? I.e. will people get depressed never being able to see trees or hear birds?

Amelia Frank

I’ve read that, not only would the trip to Mars for humans be difficult in terms of the radiation, but also the soil on Mars itself is radioactive? So, assuming we get there safely, how do we deal with the radiation problems from the ground itself? Sounds…insurmountable?

AussieColin

I've always felt that it's not logical to go from one gravity well to another. I'm sure NASA has good reasons, but why not concentrate on the asteroids? Masses of minerals there for the taking, plus water etc with no need to spend so much fuel.

Ken Edmundson

(1st timer). Wondering about 1) status of position, navigation, & timing tech to support surface ops and infrastructure; 2) plans to improve the resolution of the Mars gravity field; and 3) placement of a Mars geophysical network similar to that planned for the Moon.

Lena Gwen

(1st time question asker :D) Is gaining new ressources one of the long time goals? What are the most interesting ressources? And what kind of food could be grown on Mars? Is someone testing recipes? Writing a cookbook?

Angela Simpson

(1st timer) How do we adequately protect humans on Mars from radiation without subterranean bases?

Jessica Smith

What are they going to do with all the astronaut poop and pee? I heard that there is a bunch of frozen climber poop that has to be manually carried down from Mount Everest. Is this going to be the same thing? How do we avoid spreading our microbiome and accidentally creating a population of Martian gut bacteria that go rouge and try to come back and blow up the White House?

glittertornado

Please tell us more about Olympus Mons, the biggest volcano in our solar system!

glittertornado

We know the atmosphere on earth has changed, (leading to at least one extinction event) has the atmosphere on Mars changed? Would the previous atmosphere better support life?

Bridget White

Is it possible to get Mars to a point where humans living there wouldn't need supplies from earth anymore? Can life on Mars be completely sustainable or will it always just be a resting/ research point?

Jason Krause

Are there plans on going under the surface to creat habitats? Use the land instead of bringing material to make homes. Bring the “boring company” Do we think there are minerals of value on mars worth mining?

Taylor Sublett

Is the dust on Mars too toxic and static-clingy to ever make it feasible to stay there? Will there be a way to avoid chronic exposure to the perchlorate salts?

Ella

Is there water on Mars? Is it useable? Also, how much of a difference in habitability/ landablity is there between the poles & equator on Mars?

Storm

(1st time). Will there ever be the possibility of real time communication between earth and mars, and if so how?

ALopez

Assuming there is a chance of life on Mars, how do we insure that astronauts don't accidentally bring back foreign bacteria? Is it possible to create an atmosphere on Mars? If we do create a civilization on Mars would the lack of other colors make it harder for people to be able to distinguish between greens, blues, etc.?

Silly Little Bard

(First time, I think?) How would scientists decide something qualifies as "life" or "sentient life" if a being/creature/entity doesn't look like it does on Earth?

Amy Hickman

How realistic is the movie 'The Martian'?

Jen Grove

Based on history, we as humans aren't very good at sharing so I'm assuming we are going to claim territory on Mars. With that said, how are we going to divide it up between countries? Are we going to share the planet kind of like the ISS? Or is it a free for all and whoever stakes their claim gets some land?

Shelby Mills

Can conception occur / successfully carries a fetus to term in Mars' gravity? What kind of crops (food source) can grow on Mars (not in a greenhouse/controlled environment)?

Shelby Mills

Can our four legged besties (cats and dogs) live on mars?

Nicole S

I just heard there is a chemical on Mars that straight up kills humans??? What is this?? Why???

Ben DeDominic

How accurate is interstellar the movie?

Claire Irvine

Is martian dust a problem for any of the technology on Mars? Would it be a problem for any humans if/when we got there?

gg

On rocket science, an officemate quit to work at JPL to design chips for probes to Venus and Jupiter. I had thoughts to stay with him midweek so I visited him. Sure papers were everywhere and something green was growing in the toilet, but he had a plant growing in his kitchen - yes in his sink! On martian tech, I was working for an agency and our customer from Wright Patterson AF said there's a classified hangar which the public thinks holds alien tech. So a local reporter was interviewing the base commander when someone dressed in an alien costume knocked on the door and said "oh sorry wrong room."

Donald Merritt

* I work on the Mars Express mission. From what I know, the perchlorate salts in the dust are poisonous, and its everywhere. Given that, and the problems Apollo had with lunar dust, how much of a problem do you think the dust will be, and what mitigation might work?

Donald Merritt

Are future landers and robotic missions considering any methods for dust removal from solar panels and optical sensors?

Donald Merritt

Is there any work being done on scaled up technology to be landed in advance of crewed missions that would extract and store atmospheric oxygen for use by crews?

Eric Craft

Can it ever be safe to live on Mars?

Allison D

Do you have a favorite book or movie set on Mars? I love Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy and if you're familiar with the series, I'd especially like to know what you think about the featured tech.

Aven

How do we manage all the health effects of long terms space travel etc?

Sarah king

What would be the best way to get around mars?

Delaney

i've been following alyssa carson for a while now as a role model for the science-inclined little girl i nanny for. do you know anything about that mission or have any cool info about what we might expect when that time comes?

Delaney

what can we do to prevent mars from becoming the next landfill once we run out of space on earth?

Maisie Lopez

if humans colonize mars (morally against) can i finally give opportunity a gentle pet?

Maisie Lopez

i saw a robot made for mars with helicopter blades to fly, do you think air crafts are the future of mars exploration?

Pavka34

Thinking back to the back book “The Martian” by Andy Weir, how will the new Martians make all that soil? Will they need to poop their way to a new planet?