When planning a long-term human mission to Mars, what is the most difficult problem we face?
Frank Baker, 8th grade, Charleston Middle School, Charleston, IL ANSWER: NASA is already looking at the challenges that will be faced by the crew that will go on a long-term mission to Mars. Some of those challenges will be long-term exposure to radiation (it will be a 2-3 year mission). The MARIE experiment onboard the 2001 Mars Odyssey will begin to measure the radiation in orbit around Mars. Another challenge is a water source. We must locate water on Mars for it to be feasible to send humans. We cannot send a spacecraft large enough to hold enough water for a crew over a period of several years. The northern polar cap has a mixture of water ice and carbon dioxide ice, so that is a possibility. Food has already been addressed. We cannot use the ususal freeze-dried food that the shuttle uses, as again, it would weigh too much to feed a crew over several years. Cornell University has already developed the first 100 recipes for hydroponically grown vegetable dishes. The Mars crew will
