MOSCOW, October 15 (RIA Novosti) – Space enthusiasts who hope to put colonists on Mars by 2024 might have to postpone their ambitious plan, as their idea will fail, according to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers, AFP said.
A study by researchers at MIT concluded that oxygen levels would deplete in about two months and colonists would suffocate to death.
“The first crew fatality would occur approximately 68 days into the mission”, said a 35-page report, which analyzed various formulas on oxygen, food and technology needed for the project, as quoted by AFP. “Some form of oxygen removal system is required, a technology that has not yet been developed for space flights”.
Mars One is an ambitious project that is being put together by a non-profit organization from the Netherlands. According to the Dutch space enthusiasts, it will be possible to send human volunteers on a one-way flight to Mars, where they could sustainably live for the rest of their lives. The audacious project is planned to commence in 2014. Organizers want to document the Mars One project as a reality television show, according to Tech Times.
Lack of oxygen will not be the only problem the future Mars colonists will face. Food and water scarcity, as well as carbon dioxide poisoning and death by incineration will also prove challenging for the Mars settlers, AFP said.
Mars is at least 55 million kilometers (34 million miles) from Earth and it would take about seven months to reach the Red Planet.
