While exploring Mars, the question of habitation or colonization will inevitably come up. Many dream about sending men to the Mars, and researchers debate on whether they should terraform Mars into a livable habitat. Humans are missing many variables to surviving on Mars. The Red Planet is a dangerous place, and researchers are still unaware of many things. Taking risks is never an option for science, as it could lead to many dangers. Turning Mars into a habitable place could be a future possibility, but there are many downsides and things that need to be done.
Even after much research, there is still so much humans do not know about Mars. One main issue that stands in researchers’ way is whether Mars holds life to indigenous species. They could greatly affect the native habitats that are on Mars. Of course, there is a very small chance that there truly are things living things on Mars. The Red Planet is a new place that could possibly be useful in the future, so it needs to be well preserved as much as possible. Humans beings have already done so much damage to their own planet, and they can not risk destroying another. To secure humans long term survival, it is best to preserve Mars for other purposes such as academic reasons. Instead of transforming this new planet into something to suit someone’s own desires, humans should appreciate the differences in the two planets, and peacefully coexist.
There are even more risks to transforming this new planet. Contamination could get in the way of researchers learning about Mars. When sending spacecrafts and other types of space technology, there is a very strong chance that Earth’s bacteria and microorganisms will be released into space. These things could very well land in Mars and live among any other types of living organisms, causing complications. Researchers will be unable to differentiate whether the life form is contamination, or a living things from Mars. This method might depend on whether there truly is any living things on Mars or not, but taking risks is not a reliable way for science. If a risk is taken, and it turned out to be the wrong choice, it could greatly affect the study of Mars forever.
Even if there are no such living organisms on Mars, there are still so many risks for colonization. On Mars, the pressure of the atmosphere is less than one percent of the pressure of Earth’s atmosphere. This means that any liquid brought onto Mars will most likely freeze. Researches found out that there is not enough carbon dioxide on Mars to provide stable greenhouse warming. This allows researchers to conclude that terraforming Mars with current technology is not possible. Even if people eventually come up with stronger and better technology to block out all the negative things about Mars, there is the ethical part that needs to be considered. Humans should not be focusing on creating new technology so they can change and colonize other planets, and focus on recovering their own planet. There is still a very long way to go before anything can be done about Mars.
Mars is a dangerous place full with risks. Researchers still have so much that they are unaware of. It is still not known if there are living organisms on Mars. Accidentally contaminating Mars is also very likely, and can ruin researchers’ studies on Mars. There are so many negative factors such as not enough tech, not enough CO2, and so much more. Taking risks may not be the right way to answer all the questions about Mars. If even the smallest thing goes wrong, it could prevent researchers from learning about Mars. In conclusion, Mars should not be changed.