TPO 50

The lecturer and the listening section discuss the possible problems which space crafts will faced when they travel to Mars. Although the reading says about three major problems, the speaker refutes this idea through several reasons, which I will describe in this report.

First, the passage points out that Mars is 150 times further away from Earth than the moon is. So, travelling to Mars would take two years, and people must bring enough food, oxygen, and water for travelling, but it is not practical. The lecturer, in contrast, rejects this by claiming that astronomers can use hydroponic technic. The hydroponic technic is a way that plants are grown in the water instead of soil. So, astronomers would be able to grow plants for producing food in space. She adds that by using dirty water for growing plants, the water recycles and becomes clean. The plants use carbon dioxide for growing; hence, they can use co2 from growing and produce oxygen for the people.

Furthermore, the reading passage states that missing a gravity on the Mars space would make many problems for people, such as decreased muscle mass and lower bone density. However, the professor argues that several technics are able to solve these problems and manage zero-gravity. For example, people who send to Mars can eat specific mineral and vitamin such as calcium for protecting their body.

Finally, the reading passage states that a high level of radiation from the sun is a hazardous part of the story, which makes aerospace fly impossible. On the other hand, the professor thinks that the sun radiations are occasionally, and a shield would protect the spaceship. Moreover, she feels that by using the shield for a special part of the space vehicle the danger of solar radiation reduces.