Journey to Mars

NASA begins the first steps to Mars

• PRINT
• EMAIL

Scientists are excited to begin the journey to Mars. They are developing long-term exploration plans, hoping to one day send astronauts to the red planet! In the meantime, scientists are preparing for the journey on the International Space Station (ISS).

"We can't simulate every aspect of a 50-million-mile journey to Mars [from the ISS]…but there are many questions we can answer from low Earth orbit," said Clarence Sams, lead scientist for the ISS Medical Project at NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC).

One major project is figuring out how food changes in space. It seems that after food has been in space for a period of time, it loses some of its nutritional value.

Scientists learned this after a studying results from a series of blood and urine tests from astronauts. Scott Smith, head of JSC's Nutritional Biochemistry Laboratory, said he noticed that astronaut's nutritional levels didn't match the levels of nutrients in space foods.

Researchers noticed that medicines also lose some of their strength. Basically, the same amount of medicine we take on Earth has a much weaker effect in space.

Scientists still don't know why exactly food and medicine change. One possibility is that the radiation from space and space travel changes the molecules in food and medicine.

Here's a look at what astronauts eat in space. (Photo: NASA)

"We may have to come up with a plan for protecting our supplies," said Sams. "How fast do food and medicines degrade? Are we going to have to put supplies in radiation-shielded area for the entire trip?"

These are really important questions because it takes six months to travel from Earth to Mars and scientists want to stay on the planet for at least three years. That's a lot of time to be in space. If food and medicine don't work as well in space, astronauts could be in trouble.

To make sure that won't happen, scientists are sending three matching sets of food and medicine to the ISS. One will be returned to earth after six months, one after 12 months, and the one after 18 months. Scientists hope they will be able to learn more about how food and medicine change in space.

Tiffany Chaparro is a contributing writer for Scholastic News Online.

New Space Suits for NASA
Before astronauts can go into space, they have to have the right suit. That's why NASA scientists are developing a new kind of space suit, lighter and more flexible than before.

Should Astronauts Return to the Moon?
This Upfront teen news article answers the question of whether astronauts should return to the moon. It gives both sides of the argument, explaining why they should and why they shouldn't.

LESSON PLAN	Lesson 2: Phases of the Moon In this lesson and worksheet, students learn about basic moon phases, and then color in sections of moon according to its pattern.
ONLINE ACTIVITY	Sci-man Says Sixty-nine interactive science games, on subjects ranging from physics to plants, animals, and outer space! Test your skills and knowledge against...