From former President Obama to Elon Musk and even China, the race to colonize Mars is definitely on! While everyone mulls how to merely land and survive on the planet, the UAE has come out with all guns blazing by saying how they want to establish a “mini-city” on the red planet, a hundred years from now!
The plans were revealed by UAE’s Prime Minister, ‘Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’ in a series of tweets on Feb. 14.
We aspire in the coming century to develop science, technology and our youth's passion for knowledge. This project is driven by that vision. pic.twitter.com/4QibJjtiM2
— HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) February 14, 2017
Sheikh Mohammed said,
“The project, to be named ‘Mars 2117,’ integrates a vision to create a mini-city and community on Mars involving international cooperation.”
“Mars 2117 includes a major space sciences focus in our universities. We’re building a space pioneering passion among our young people.”
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To make the mission on Mars a reality within the next 100 year would require a muti-generational effort spanning ten decades, with the country forming a host of international partnerships of researchers. They will also have to build on the current technological capabilities and start finding a faster mode of transportation and research on the problems of food, water, and shelter on the hostile, cold, dry world of Mars.
” ‘Mars 2117’ is a seed we are sowing today to reap the fruit of new generations led by a passion for science and advancing human knowledge,”
Sheikh Mohammed said.
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The UAE has also previously shown interest in the red planet exploration, as they announced their plans to launch a robotic mission to Mars in 2015 called Hope, that would fly towards the red planet by 2020 and make it into the orbit in 2021.
Besides UAE, former POTUS Barack Obama and Elon Musk’s SpaceX have also revealed their plans of working towards creating a city on Mars, though their timelines aren’t exactly clear.
SpaceX has been working toward on sending their first people to Mars by 2024, which is ten years earlier than when NASA is expected to send their first crewed mission.
The "Mars 2117" project will develop an Emirati and international team of scientists to push the human exploration of Mars in years to come. pic.twitter.com/5ujxvyC8As
— HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) February 14, 2017
But it is a fact that none of these plans can make it alone, and a feat as grand as this would require a massive collaboration and resource sharing among all those who are preparing for the arduous achievement.
While these mega-organizations work towards the grand plans, a commoner can also get a taste of living on the Red Planet thanks to this cool online course teaching how to live on Mars!