Scientists have long been preparing humans for life on Mars and the dream might come true by the end of this decade.
David Laude, an Air Force veteran currently commanding space missions in the Utah desert, has said that humans are ready and life on Mars might become a reality by 2030.
Laude, a founding member of Mars Society, an organization created in 1998 to educate the public and advocate for future space missions to explore the solar system.
Mars Society regularly simulates the red planet’s environment, carry out expeditions to help ‘possible’ early Mars colonizers adapt to its environment.
The Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS), located in Hanksville, Utah, among the desert canyons acts like a scientific training facility for people who want to travel through space.
Contrary to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) strict entry guidelines, the MDRS offers everyone a chance to be part of their mission.
As per its guidelines, anyone with an interesting experiment that they want to test under Mars-like conditions is welcome to join the mission.
Laude revealed that even some high school students have been part of their mission, adding “most of the missions take place between October and May”.
The research station consists of three basic structures:
- A two-story habitat for the crew
- A greenhouse for biological research
- A dome-shaped lab for science experiments
According to the Daily Mail, Utah district’s low humidity and minimal rainfall mimics the red planet’s environment. Its location far away from urban areas also helps the research society to simulate the isolation of Martian habitat.
Talking about the possibility of humans walking on Mars, Laude said, “I think 2030 to 2035. I think that’s probably about the earliest I would see humans there. Maybe very late 2020s.”