If private organizations find sending humans to Mars necessary due to a lack of resources, proponents urge that they send enough humans to create a population on the red planet. The humans that do inevitably go to Mars should not come back because a population should be established so that money is not wasted by sending few on the mission. According to Aldrin, "...The first human beings to land on Mars should not come back to Earth" (qtd. in Phillip par. 13). The humans that are certain to go to Mars should not come back to Earth because a population should be established at all costs. If a population on Mars is not produced, then the missions to Mars are a failure because money and time are wasted. Another reason a population should be formed instead of research done with a few astronauts is because the information gathered will be similar to the information gathered from missions to the moon. On the same subject, the article “SpaceX” from Gale Student Resources in Context claims that in 2010, some private space exploration organizations considered sending around 100 people to Mars on the first mission to establish a colony (“SpaceX” par. 8). If humans actually make the trip to Mars, the goal is for a significant amount to go on the quest. The number of humans that attempt to go to Mars must be more than 100 in order to be effective. The goal of going to Mars is to develop a functioning colony; however, thousands of humans must be sent to Mars in order to create a population. With that being said, supporters suggest that if space exploration organizations make the unfortunate decision to send humans to Mars, they send enough to create a functioning colony instead of a few researchers to the planet. Contrary to the previous suggestions, some researchers and space fanatics believe that sending only a few to Mars is necessary.
Sending only a small number of humans to Mars could potentially be useful to researchers and prevent a significant crisis if an error were to occur on the mission. If researchers go to Mars, then why not keep them there for good? Aldrin claims that sending only a few researchers to Mars permanently would provide scientist on Earth with information that is beneficial (Phillip par. 3). Having a small number of researchers on Mars would be sufficient for performing research on the unknown planet. For instance, releasing only a few astronauts with the capability to research the planet would be beneficial because tasks would be completed and the small group of astronauts would work well together. In addition to prior suggestions, Davenport explains dispatching a large number of astronauts into space could cause a major crisis if an error were to occur (Davenport par. 16). The death rate of traveling to Mars would be outrageous if an error were to occur; therefore, only a few astronauts should be sent to Mars until research advances and the journey if guaranteed safe. Another instance pertaining to a large amount of astronauts going to Mars is experience. Finding over 1,000 experienced astronauts that want to go on a mission to Mars will be nearly impossible. Sending only a few experienced individuals to Mars is necessary until technology is advanced enough to ensure a safe journey to Mars. In opposition to the thought, conservative individuals continue to complain that all journeys and missions to Mars must be avoided at all cost regardless of the circumstances.
Sending only a small number of humans to Mars could potentially be useful to researchers and prevent a significant crisis if an error were to occur on the mission. If researchers go to Mars, then why not keep them there for good? Aldrin claims that sending only a few researchers to Mars permanently would provide scientist on Earth with information that is beneficial (Phillip par. 3). Having a small number of researchers on Mars would be sufficient for performing research on the unknown planet. For instance, releasing only a few astronauts with the capability to research the planet would be beneficial because tasks would be completed and the small group of astronauts would work well together. In addition to prior suggestions, Davenport explains dispatching a large number of astronauts into space could cause a major crisis if an error were to occur (Davenport par. 16). The death rate of traveling to Mars would be outrageous if an error were to occur; therefore, only a few astronauts should be sent to Mars until research advances and the journey if guaranteed safe. Another instance pertaining to a large amount of astronauts going to Mars is experience. Finding over 1,000 experienced astronauts that want to go on a mission to Mars will be nearly impossible. Sending only a few experienced individuals to Mars is necessary until technology is advanced enough to ensure a safe journey to Mars. In opposition to the thought, conservative individuals continue to complain that all journeys and missions to Mars must be avoided at all cost regardless of the circumstances.