▶ Your Answer : Sending people to Mars has been a long standing mission for space enthusiasts. This goal is now closer than ever to being reached as the previous impediments that could have stopped an exploration of Mars by humans are no longer a problem. The professor from the lecture describes how the three problems mentioned in the article — dust, psychological impact, and cost — can be surmounted. The first issue describes by the article was that the space dust can cause disruptions to equipments such as solar panels and the spacesuits, as well as posing a threat to astronauts if they inhale it. Due to recent technological advancements, however, the professor argues that this problem can be fixed. A new technology uses a high frequency soundwaves to dislodge the dust particles and cause them to levitate slightly, allowing the astronauts to dispel the dust with a burst of air. With the invention of new technology, the problem of space dust has been taken care of. Another issue of an astronaut traveling to space mentioned in the article was the psychological effects of long time travel in space. Travel to Mars will take up to 300 days meaning the long term confinement could bring about harmful effects to astronauts’ mental health. However, the professor reassures the listeners that this problem is dealt with by extensive training for astronauts to cope with the long period of isolation as well as there being virtual counseling available on board the spaceship. With these precautions, the issue of mental health is not a major problem in sending people to mars. Finally, the financial burden also mentioned in the article as a possible problem. The estimated cost of sending someone to Mars is going to be at most $500 billion dollars. While there are no solutions to directly decrease the price of a expedition, the professor argues that many countries can split the bill on a expedition as it did when building the International Space Station. Since all the countries who participate will receive benefits, the problem of cost is unlikely to be the deciding factor in not being able to send a man up to Mars.
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