Who will be the first to go to Mars?
NASA
Announces the possibility of a manned mission to Mars in the 2030s, after the completion of the Artemis program (on the Moon). Research is actively underway using VR simulations, biospheres, and Martian analogues on Earth (for example, in deserts).
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SpaceX
Elon Musk is the most ambitious player in this race. He has stated that he wants to send people to Mars as early as the early 2030s using the Starship rocket. In the long term, he plans to build a Martian city for a million people.
China
China is actively developing lunar and Martian programs. The goal is to create automatic stations and later send a crew.
What might life on Mars look like?
In the first decades, it will be extreme and technologically dependent:
Domes or underground bases.
Closed ecosystems.
Work for 6-12 months with subsequent return.
Continuous health monitoring.
Production of water and oxygen from local resources (for example, using ice electrolysis).
And if not people, but microorganisms?
Scientists do not rule out that life on Mars may exist in microscopic form, under the surface, in salt caves or in ice. Finding such organisms is one of the main goals of modern planetology.
And if at least a microbe ever lived on Mars, it would change everything. It would be proof that life is not unique to Earth, and perhaps the Universe is more populated than we think.
Conclusion
Life on Mars is not only a scientific interest, but also a symbol of the dream of the future of humanity. Today, Mars remains uninhabited, but not unattainable. The research program is advancing rapidly, and if not in this decade, then in the next, man will definitely set foot on the red planet.
Whether it will be a scientific expedition or the beginning of a real Martian colony, time will tell. But it is already obvious: the question of life on Mars is not a myth, but a reality that humanity is preparing to meet either suits your face.
