Mars is the planned destination of a number of agencies and private companies. NASA hopes to have manned Mars missions by 2030. Right now it has an unmanned mission ongoing there. Europe as well would want to have missions on Mars. One of those European efforts is by a Dutch company, and it has a new space suit for Mars exploration revealed.
Mars One is a Dutch company, and it plans to send people to Mars a decade from now. That would be a little bit earlier than when NASA plans to send people there. As part of that plan, Mars One has revealed a new space for the planned Mars exploration.
Much like what NASA's astronauts have, the space suit will be pressurized. It has an impact resistant helmet with a see-through bubble. What would set it apart from what NASA currently has for its astronauts is that the suit is designed for the conditions that people will likely face on Mars.
The suit does need more work, as Mars One admits. One of the challenges that people on Mars will have is the red dust that is always present, according to Phys Org. The suit will have to be strong enough that dust and small particles won't be able to cause a rip on the suit, which could potentially be hazardous for a person.
Aside from being able to withstand dust and small particles, the suit would also be able to deflect radiation. Radiation is a constant threat in space travel, as people inside crafts and on another planet's surface won't have the same protection that people on Earth have. That is because on Earth, the atmosphere is there to bounce most of the radiation back into space. For space travelers that protection won't be there.
The suit will also have interchangeable parts, as France 24 reports. This would be so that the suit can fit many sizes as possible. Mars One is a project that plans to send 24 people to Mars in about a decade from now. It has also become sort of a reality show, which has been able to draw as many as 200,000 people from 140 countries to hopefully be one of those who would be on the Mars mission.
The Mars One mission is expected to start by 2026. On Mars the participants will have to live in small habitats and be able to somehow survive by trying to find water and food. The new space suit for the Mars exploration has been revealed and would hopefully help in the mission. Scientists also speculate of a possible place on Mars where life might be found.
