The planet Mars seems to be the great hope of scientists so that, in the medium long-term future, the human race could establish a colony there. Although signs of water have been found on the Red Planet, a new study by researchers at the University of Washington in St. Louis has determined that the planet would be too small for humans to live on it.
The study, published in the prestigious journal, ScienceAlert, says that the diameter of the planet is only 53% of that of Earth. Because of this, it would be very difficult, or almost impossible, to conserve the volatiles necessary for human life.
The authors of the research consider this fundamental factor for the human being to establish a normal life on Mars: «The abundance of water and elements of high to moderate volatility on the planets is considered fundamental for the convection of the mantle, the processes of evolution of the surface and habitability ».
Different composition
The team of scientists, led by Professor Kun Wang , an expert in terrestrial and planetary sciences, used stable isotopes of the element potassium to estimate the presence, distribution and abundance of volatile elements in different planetary bodies.
These compositions of more than 20 meteorites from Mars determined that the planet lost more potassium and other volatiles than Earth during its formation, although it retained more than the Moon or asteroid 4-Vesta.
With this they observed that the relationship between body size and the isotopic composition of potassium was well defined in the sample found by the team of researchers. The research professor of Earth and planetary sciences, Katharina Lodders defines it this way in the published work: “The finding of the correlation of the isotopic compositions of K with the gravity of the planet is a novel discovery with important quantitative implications on when and how the Differentiated planets received and lost their volatiles. ‘
There will be other planets to live
Although it may seem like bad news for researchers who may change plans to establish human colonies on Mars, those responsible for the research themselves say that this discovery can help speed up the search for other planets more optimal for human life.
‘This study shows that there is a very limited size range for planets to have enough , but not excessive, water to develop a habitable surface environment. These results will guide astronomers in their search for habitable exoplanets in other solar systems, “said Klaus Mezger, another of the study’s authors, who indicated that the focus should be on studying the planetary size of planets with habitable zones for life.
