Since Mars has been in the news: "We Failed"

[DrLeftover]

We failed.

I'm sorry. I don't know how else to put it. But, we failed. In something under twelve hours from now, those of us that are left after last week's evac flight will all board the Soyuz Two rocket and leave for Earth. Abandoning over two years of work, and three of our comrades who have died here.

I have to admit though, I agree with the decision. This base has never paid off in any way. Our gardens are barely more than a curiosity, the water we can bring up isn't enough to sustain us. Even our oxygen conversion never fulfilled its promise. We still import almost everything we eat or drink, or even breathe.

But still I'm sad about the whole thing. To admit failure and go home just rubs me the wrong way.

We're leaving a fairly large base here on Mars, and we're leaving it intact in hopes that we'll be back. That is, that humans from Earth will be back. We've crisscrossed the Amazonis Planitia flats with roads and wells and shelters. There's a mine shaft into the cliffs near here. I've made several ascents of Olympus Mons and left instruments as well as mementos on its summit. And I've been told that the new space telescope can actually see our base from Earth orbit. There is no denying we've made a lasting impression on the planet.

And the planet has made a lasting impression on us.....

http://themediadesk.com/newfiles2/amazonis.htm

 

[Evil Eye]

Why filter oxygen from the atmosphere? It's only 0.13% oxygen. 95% is carbon dioxide, converting that to oxygen seems more sensible to me... Might even be able to terraform the entire planet rather than sticking to a base that way.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terraforming_of_Mars

 

[DrLeftover]

From what I read at the time I wrote it (eight years ago), there isn't enough free oxygen in the air on mars to sustain human life, and the means to reliably convert other atmospheric gases to something breathable on sufficient scale for a base were still more pipe dream than reality.



Perhaps things have changed.



If so, sorry. I'll try to do better next time.

 

[Evil Eye]

No, you're quite right, there isn't enough oxygen to survive.

The pipe dream has grown a bit since.



Anyway, thanks for explaining the thought process.