The video discusses the fascination with Mars and the desire to send humans to the planet. The host, Jake, explores the history of Mars exploration, from the first plans for a manned mission in 1948 to the current rovers, such as Curiosity, that have been sent to the planet. He highlights the limitations of rovers, including their slow movement and reliance on commands from Earth, and argues that humans could accomplish much more on Mars.
Jake also considers why Mars is the preferred destination for space exploration, rather than other planets like Venus, which is closer to Earth but has a hostile environment. He discusses the challenges of living on Mars, including the low gravity and lack of atmosphere, and explores possible solutions, such as terraforming the planet or building habitats.
Ultimately, Jake suggests that the question of why we should go to Mars is not just about scientific discovery, but about the potential for human growth and exploration. He quotes Benjamin Franklin, saying that the journey to Mars is like the birth of a newborn baby - it is a beginning that will lead to something greater. The video ends with a call to action, encouraging viewers to tune in to a National Geographic series about making Mars a home for humans.
Here are the key facts from the text:
1. Mars is 33.9 million miles away from Earth at its closest and 249 million miles away at its farthest.
2. The idea of visiting Mars has been present in culture for a long time, dating back to the 1600s in literature.
3. Thomas Edison produced a film about a trip to Mars in 1910.
4. The first science fiction movie about Mars was made in 1910.
5. Wernher von Braun wrote the Mars Project in 1948, detailing a plan for a manned mission to Mars.
6. The Mars Project aimed to send humans to Mars by 1965.
7. Since the publication of the Mars Project, there have been over 60 other plans to send humans to Mars.
8. The Soviet Union sent the first man-made objects to Mars, Mars 2 and Mars 3, neither of which were successful.
9. Mars 2 was the first man-made object to crash into the surface of Mars.
10. The Viking 1 Lander was the first spacecraft to land on Mars and complete its mission in 1976.
11. The Viking 1 Lander sent back the first photograph from the surface of Mars.
12. The Sojourner was the first successful rover mission to Mars.
13. Spirit and Opportunity were rover missions that functioned for over six years.
14. The Curiosity rover is powered by a nuclear generator and has been operational since 2012.
15. Opportunity has been operational for almost 13 years, but has only traveled a distance of 26 miles.
16. A human could accomplish in one day what Opportunity took 13 years to accomplish.
17. The Rovers have discovered key ingredients to life on Mars, including oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, carbon, and sulfur.
18. The Rovers have measured the radiation on Mars.
19. Venus is closer to Earth than Mars, but its surface temperature is 864 degrees Fahrenheit.
20. The surface pressure on Venus is 92 bar, which is equivalent to the pressure at a depth of 1,000 feet in the ocean.
21. Mars is 10 times smaller than Earth and has 38% of Earth's gravity.
22. Venus is often considered Earth's twin due to its similar mass and gravity.
23. Terraforming Mars would require creating a habitable environment, which could take over 100,000 years using current technology.
24. Some researchers suggest that terraforming Mars could take as little as 500 to 1,000 years.
25. Terraforming Mars would likely kill any existing life on the planet.
26. NASA has proposed creating extended covered habitats or underground habitats for humans to live on Mars.
27. Six companies have been selected to create prototypes for habitats on Mars.