Chinanews client March 14th (Reporter Shangguan Yun) Recently, "1.8 billion pixel panoramic photos of Mars" appeared in hot search. The topographic features shown in the above photos have also attracted a lot of attention, and even some people have started discussing the topic of "immigrants" to Mars.

Gao Shuang, a doctor of astronomy and popular science writer, said in an interview with the China News Network that Mars is a terrestrial planet and has always been an important target for human space exploration.

Earth-like planets in the solar system

Gao Shuang mentioned that in the solar system, terrestrial planets are arranged from near to far from the sun, in turn, Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars.

Data map: On March 5th, NASA released the highest-resolution panoramic picture of Mars ever taken by the Curiosity Mars probe. Image source: NASA official website

"Earth-like planets are similar in size and internal structure." Gao Shuang explained that there is an iron core in the innermost layer, the mantle in the middle layer, and the crust in the outer layer, which is also very strong. " It looks a bit like an apple, with apple core, apple flesh and apple peel. "

Of course, there is still a big difference between Mars and Earth. According to Gao Shuang, not only is the air much thinner on Mars, but it also lacks water. "Mars is about half smaller than the earth and very close. Every two years, there will be the closest moment between Mars and Earth. This is also the launch of the Mars probe A good opportunity, we call it 'Launch Window'. "

"In theory, Venus is closer to Earth in size and has a dense atmosphere. But the problem is that its atmosphere is too dense, like a thick quilt, making Venus the hottest planet in the solar system. Gao Shuang said, and the pressure on Venus is extremely high. There are volcanic eruption everywhere, and the environment is very bad.

Why is Mars the focus of space exploration?

Although they are all terrestrial planets, Mars can always attract more attention in space exploration.

Investigating the reason, Gao Shuang said, first of all, Mars, which has thin air and has always been clear, is more likely to be "closely contacted" by probes sent by humans. In addition, there is a space between Mars 'orbit around the sun and the plane of Mars' rotation The angle, the earth also has this angle.

Data Map: Previous high-resolution pictures of Mars published by NASA show the appearance of the huge plains and sand dunes in the south of Mars.

Moreover, the size of the angle between the two is very close. Therefore, the temperature of Mars is the same as that of the earth, and it can change cyclically throughout the year. Gao Shuang mentioned that it is more coincidental that the rotation time of Mars is very close to the Earth's rotation time of 24 hours.

"That is to say, the length of a day on Mars is very close to the length of the earth. In this way, working on Mars is very close to the working environment of the Gobi Beach where the earth's air is thin. Of course, Mars' environment is much more severe." Gao Cool summary.

In fact, the reason Mars has become the focus of people's attention is also related to a small misunderstanding in history. Gao Shuang told a story: When the Italian astronomer Chapare used a telescope to observe Mars, he found that there are many ridges and crests on the surface of Mars. He said that this is the "canali" of Mars. This is the Italian word for "ditch, river".

"But in later translations, some people mistakenly translated it as canal. The word is canal, which implies the meaning of artificial excavation. After this misunderstanding spread, everyone misunderstood it and raised curiosity about the Martian. For various reasons, Gao Shuang felt that Mars has always been an important target for human space exploration.

Will life exist on Mars?

In fact, the topic of whether life exists on Mars has always been high.

"The more certain result now is that Mars was once rich in water, and the air is much thicker than it is now." Gao Shuang said that scientists reasoned that there was a suitable living environment billions of years ago.

"Now on Mars, you can't see the flora and fauna that are common on Earth, and you can't see the traces of water, wind and frost erosion, and corrosion that are particularly abundant." Gao Shuang said that some traces on Mars are like rivers or lakes, and they are nothing The watch, which was a water source that existed billions of years ago, is now dry.

Data map: July 25, 2018, Rome, Italy, scientists hold a press conference. Agence France-Presse reported on July 25 that research found that the first liquid lake was found on Mars. It is reported that scientists have discovered a huge underground aquifer on Mars, which has increased the expectation of life on Mars.

Moreover, having an environment suitable for life does not mean "having life". These are two different things. Gao Shuang said, "We can only speculate that one kind of life might have been on Mars, and it completely disappeared as the environment changed; the second possibility is that no life was born even with the right environment."

"These two possibilities are backed by two perceptions of life. The former believes that life is universal and that the birth and development of life is an inevitable result. The latter believes that life is an accidental event and it is an inevitable event. The precious grace that is sought. "Gao Shuang said," I personally believe in the former. "

Is it safe to emigrate to Mars

Because of the many similarities between Mars and Earth, someone will always ask the question: Is it possible to emigrate to Mars? Gao Shuang's answer is no.

"The most direct reason is that at present, the environment of Mars is much worse than the environment of the earth. Compared with the environment of Mars, the earth is simply 'paradise'." He gave an example, "About 70% of the surface of the earth is covered by Deep ocean cover. "

These oceans became a huge "regulator" for temperature and humidity control, and they gave birth to a large number of marine life. Gao Shuang said that Mars will never have these factors.

"At present, even when migrating to Mars, it is only possible to build a laboratory in a small area to achieve local climate regulation indoors, and outside the door is a desert of sandstorms, hypoxia, low temperatures, and infinite dryness." Gao Shuang said.

However, Gao Shuang introduced, "You can also adopt the same attitude towards Mars. While developing yourself, aim at Mars, first establish a first base and form a small environment ... Maybe one day, immigrants will come to pass." (End)