The first unmanned space craft was launched in the fall of 1957 by the USSR, bringing the first artificial satellite out of Earth’s atmosphere, and beginning the great space race to see which country would be the first to land a man on the moon. The United States won the race in the summer of 1969 and has had its sites set on expanding its horizons even further ever since Mars, for several reasons, meets the criteria of the next planet of man to concur. Both the U.S. had made numerous attempts to explore the red planet in the years leading up to, and in the decades following the moon landing, but it was not until 1997 that the U.S. successfully landed the Mars Pathfinder on the surface of the planet. Several rovers have made the trip in the years since and have brought back valuable pieces of scientific data to be studied in Earth-bound laboratories. Now, the question to be answered is, when will man walk on Mars? Better yet, could man be able to leave Earth behind and live on Mars?

Back in 2013, Bas LAndrop, foiunder of the Mars One SpaceProject, presented an idea for a small group of volunteers to be sent to Mars on a one-way flight in 2023. While, I do commend the level of commitment that involvement in this type of project would require, and can understand the desire for people to travel beyond what they already know, I cannot imagine leaving the life I know behind, even if it means having a large impact on the advancement of both science and human life.