With President Bush's recent space initiative that includes having humans on Mars in two decades and the landing of a spacecraft on the planet's surface in January 2004, Mars has been in the headlines recently. John Lindner, professor of physics at The College of Wooster, discusses what we have learned from our current exploration of Mars and what our future may hold on the red planet.

Q. What are we learning from the current explorations of Mars?

A. The Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity are trying to unlock the history of Mars, our closest and most Earth-like neighbor. Mars orbiting spacecraft have detected evidence of water, especially in Mars’ early history. Spirit is investigating Gusev crater, whose topography suggests an ancient water outflow or lake, while Opportunity is exploring Meridiani Planum, whose mineralogy suggests another watery history.

Q. What are the chances that life once existed on the Red Planet?

A. Today, Mars’ atmosphere is cold and thin and dry. However, before it fully cooled from its formation, Mars was likely warmer and wetter and may have provided a brief window for life to arise. In fact, there is some evidence for ancient Martian life in the meteorite ALH84001, which was blasted from the surface of Mars at least 16 million years ago to land on Earth, in Antarctica.

Definitive evidence of past or present life on Mars would be one of the most wonderful discoveries I can imagine. Life arising independently on Earth and Mars would suggest that life in the universe is common rather than accidental, built into the laws of physics rather than peripheral to them. Alternately, if Mars life seeded Earth life via meteorites exchanged between planets, than we would be Martians.

Q. What is your view of President Bush’s new space initiative?

A. I welcome the President’s space initiative. Upon the advice of many experts, the President has explicitly set a goal of human exploration beyond Earth orbit, ultimately leading to the human exploration of Mars, perhaps in the 2020s. In stark contrast, during the 1990s, Congress practically forbade NASA from even mentioning the words "human" and "Mars" in the same sentence.

This kind of focus is exactly what NASA needs right now, especially in the wake of the loss of the Columbia space shuttle a year ago. NASA should be about exploration, and this new initiative should invigorate the program and inspire a new generation of scientists and engineers.

Q. Can we afford this space initiative?

A. We currently spend considerably less than 1% of the federal budget on NASA. Under the new space initiative, we will continue to spend about half a penny of every tax dollar on space exploration. That works out to about 15 to 20 cents per American per day. Yes, we can afford it.

Human exploration beyond Earth orbit is work worthy of a great civilization. The Egyptians built the pyramids; we will explore the solar system. Humans on Moon and Mars will be dramatic and peaceful demonstrations of our technology and enduring testimonies to our spirit. It may be all we are remembered for a thousand years hence.

Q. What are the prospects for a human mission to Mars?

A. The space initiative makes clear that the purpose of returning to Moon is to prepare the way for Mars. Many of the challenges of human Mars exploration have been exaggerated: it is affordable, if stretched out over a couple of decades; the radiation risk is manageable, equivalent to smoking several packets of cigarettes each day. Actually, the greatest challenge may be psychological, as a Mars mission will likely last two years. Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins has suggested sending married couples to provide mutual support.

Many people have been closely following the robotic missions of Spirit and Opportunity. NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Mission web site has had over a billion hits in the last month. Imagine how closely a piloted mission would be followed. Now that’s my kind of reality TV show.

The space initiative should return humans to Moon in the next decade and send them to Mars in the decade after. Today’s students are just the right age to participate, although it will be a great, shared adventure for all. As one NASA engineer said recently about the Mars rovers, "You don’t need a NASA badge to take pride in these accomplishments".

Q. Will humans ever live on Mars?

A. Beginning next decade, robotic bases can be constructed on Mars, the foundations of future human bases modeled on Antarctic research stations. Colonists can follow. Mars is an Earth-like planet with a similar day-night cycle and an atmosphere thick enough to protect against solar flares. Oxygen is easy to extract from the air. Water is abundant in permafrost and polar ice. Familiar volcanic and hydrologic processes have shaped the landscape.  

Humans need new destinations and ever-expanding horizons. Mars provides breathing room for a new branch of human society to develop differently. Because light and radio take at least six minutes to go back and forth between planets, people on Earth and Mars will never converse normally; consequently, Martians will speak with Martians and develop their own, distinctive culture, a New World for the new millennium.

I am not certain that Mars has ever hosted life, but I am confident that it will, and it can be this generation’s eternal honor to make it so.