It looks like Elon Musk isn’t the only person looking to put man on Mars in the near future. The United Arab Emirates just announced a new project that will work towards creating a massive settlement on Mars, and they intend to do this within the next hundred years.
Project details
This astronomical project is being spearheaded by Rashid Al Maktoum, the current Vice President and Ruler of Dubai. They have dubbed this project “Mars 2117 Project," and it was unveiled during the 5th World Government Summit that was recently held in Dubai. Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum had this to say during this summit: “The landing of people on other planets has been a long-time dream for humans.
Our aim is that the UAE will spearhead international efforts to make this dream a reality.”
Phase One
After announcing the details of the project, the Dubai Media office website also put up details regarding the first phase of their plans. They will start by gathering a team of professionals who will help speed up the process to help us reach Mars in the first place. This will include scientific advancements necessary in making this dream a reality.
They then intend on creating an international consortium of scientists beginning with an Emiratis who can guide this mission successfully. According to the website: “The project will start with an Emiratis scientific team and will be extended to include international scientists and researchers, in addition to streamline the human efforts in term of exploring and settlement of the red planet.”
Ancillary projects
One of the main areas that need to be thoroughly researched if we do intend on reaching and inhabiting Mars is transportation.
We need to find alternative modes that will be cost-effective if multiple trips are to be made to the red planet. The project will work on finding and building these necessary mode of transportation from here on.
If we are to live on the planet, we need to also find the right types of food that will make this mission plausible, along with creating the right energy supplies to make everyday living sustainable.
The project is well aware of these factors and will be working toward meeting the necessary criteria.
There are still questions of whether or not this dream will become a reality, but with governments and corporations working toward this mission in unison, it may just happen in due time.
