Chris Hadfield of the Canadian Space Agency is a seasoned astronaut. He has stayed on the International Space Station three times since1995. His second stint was in 2001 and his last stay was in 2013. He is now retired and believes that sending humans to Mars will be fraught with dangers and their lives will be put at grave risk. Space agencies like SpaceX, NASA, and Blue Origin are working for colonization of the red planet but Chris has his doubts about the feasibility.
According to Fortune, the retired Canadian astronaut has compared the journey to Mars as someone trying to crossing an ocean in a canoe. This is because the technology currently available is inadequate for such complicated missions and there are survival risks involved.
Retired astronaut Chris Hadfield is serious
Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield feels the journey to Mars will be a long and dangerous one and the possibilities of regular missions to Mars by humans are remote. The technology necessary to undertake such activities have to be developed and proved. During his work as an astronaut aboard the ISS, he had faced extreme situations and knows how they affect the human body.
In his opinion, the technology used for the Moon missions can be modified to cater to a mission to Mars but will pose risks. The safety of the astronauts will be at stake and they may not survive the arduous and long journey. The need of the hour is to go in for alternate sources of powering the vehicles and explore options like ion propulsion or nuclear power or some other method. He believes that instead of sending humans directly, a better alternative will be to send across robots. They can be programmed to send feedback on issues that will be useful for humans.
Chris Hadfield is a guitarist and played in the ISS
Astronaut Chris Hadfield has been associated with space activities for more than two decades.
He has flown in NASA space shuttles, a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, and the International Space Station. Business Insider adds that he also loves to play the guitar and has done so in the ISS on special occasions.
He has now retired and wants to share his expertise about rockets, spaceships, spacewalking, and Mars exploration. He is blunt when he says that putting humans on Mars may not happen in the near future. The reason is that the methods presently under consideration are dangerous and time-consuming. The missions could face unplanned threats like explosions or radiation or starvation. In order to make it a success, the technology must first be upgraded.