Why Landing Humans on Mars is so Hard
About this episode
This episode discusses the complexities and challenges of sending humans to Mars compared to the Apollo missions.
In this episode, we move beyond the "backyard" of the Moon to the daunting physics of a crewed mission to the Red Planet. While the Apollo missions were a singular triumph of the 20th century, reaching Mars is exponentially more difficult, pushing the absolute limits of modern engineering, biology, and the "tyranny" of the rocket equation. Planners must build ships that are "just safe enough," accepting higher risks of cancer and physical decline as the price of admission for becoming a multi-planetary species.
More episodes of Mysteries of the Universe
- Ten Most Exciting Future Space Missions
- What Would World's Largest Telescope Find
- Dark Forest – Is Everyone in the Universe Hiding
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Mysteries of the Universe podcast page.