Mars

Веретенников Сергей · Aug 6, 2023

On the composition of the air on planet Earth: Oxygen

These days, people mostly stay in apartments, offices, and so on.

Therefore, it makes sense to specify the air not somewhere in the mountains or forests (where humanity is a rare visitor), but in our apartments, where people spend most of their time.

So, the air in our apartments
(especially in winter, with the windows closed and heat being conserved),
as a rule consists of:

carbon dioxide — 1%, nitrogen — 78%, argon — 1.1%, oxygen — 20%

The atmosphere of Mars consists of:

carbon dioxide — 95.3%, nitrogen — 2.7%, argon — 1.6%, oxygen — 0.13%

As you can see, the gases differ in their percentages. But their composition is the same.

I should note that you will not find such an identical composition on other planets, where there may literally be harmful gases such as methane and so on.

Mars is the planet most similar to Earth.

I will go further.

There is absolutely certainly life on Mars!

This is absolutely certain. And scientists know it.

I mean that there are definitely bacteria and some unicellular organisms. And that is self-evident.

Because bacteria exist everywhere there is water, in whatever form.

And there is a great deal of water on Mars.

So, there is DEFINITELY life on Mars. It is not sterile. And no one has ever doubted this.

But of course, we are not interested in some bacterium or microbe...

We are more interested in something more complex.

And it is difficult to imagine that, with the same composition of air (with only a shift toward CO2), more complex living creatures are absent there.

Especially creatures that have undergone a long evolution precisely in this air.

Even on our Earth, there are animals that need more carbon dioxide to live (for example, underwater or subterranean creatures). Not to mention plants.

Веретенников Сергей · Aug 6, 2023

The average temperature on Mars: +35 °C, −63 °C.
The average temperature on Earth: +30 °C, −30 °C.

The difference is insignificant.

There are peoples on Earth who live at −63 °C throughout the winter.

More civilized peoples, who are now traversing Mars, can already practically see water flowing in places on Mars with their own eyes through their equipment.

There are seasons when water flows there.

And it definitely exists in underground lakes, which also exist here on Earth—not frozen, but liquid, where life can flourish.

Веретенников Сергей · Aug 17, 2023

Even now, there are cities on Earth comparable to Mars, where new technologies are needed to protect against heat and sandstorms.
At the same time, the temperature rises every year.

Веретенников Сергей · Aug 19, 2023

And of course, there is a city that is the coldest in the world.
Above, I talked about the hottest city.
Now, about the coldest one.
This is Verkhoyansk. This city is also the closest CITY to my birthplace. A city, specifically. Beyond Verkhoyansk, there are no more cities. And where I was born, it is even colder, and there are no cities there—only settlements.

It is called Verkhoyansk because it is located on the Yana River.
As you have surely already guessed—upstream

Personally, I was born between two rivers: the Yana and the Omoloy. The Lena, a very large river, is also nearby. Very large.

And there is simply an enormous sea of lakes! The water sparkles like a diamond. And the deeper you look into such a lake, the bluer it becomes. Like God's eyes.
There is no silt in the lakes—only grass, moss, and permafrost. That is why the lakes are incredibly pure. And very cold.

After looking into Verkhoyansk, you will only be able to understand to a small extent how extreme the subzero temperatures become farther toward the Pole.

Verkhoyansk could even be called a place that most closely resembles Mars.

In winter, it is minus 60, while in summer, it reaches plus 38.

As I already said, yes, you can find cities on planet Earth where it is either extremely hot or extremely cold. But for one city to have such huge temperature swings—that is Verkhoyansk.

Веретенников Сергей · Sep 14, 2023

These are real photographs of Mars alongside the Moon, when they appeared together. Visually, of course.

This is an eclipse of Mars by our Moon.

We are usually accustomed to hearing about our Moon eclipsing the Sun.

But here is a photo by amateur astronomer Andrew McCarthy showing the Moon eclipsing Mars:

To obtain such a detailed photo of Mars rising above the Moon's surface, McCarthy used his largest telescope, a special high-speed camera, and an ultra-high-speed imaging technique. With this method, the camera takes thousands of photographs, then layers the best ones on top of one another to create a single high-quality image.

Веретенников Сергей · Jan 27, 2024

Веретенников Сергей · Aug 6, 2025

Scientists from America:

We have evidence that liquid water existed in Gale Crater for millions of years, and perhaps significantly longer, notes Daniel Glavin of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

This makes the crater one of the leading candidates for the role of a Martian cradle of life

Веретенников Сергей · Sep 15, 2025

The Exploration of Mars: Humanity’s Emergency Exit

Imagine that tomorrow an asteroid the size of a city slams into Earth, or a supervolcano awakens and covers the planet in ash. Or perhaps we cause a nuclear winter ourselves. What then? The end of history. And yet, right now humanity is building itself an emergency exit—225 million kilometers away. That exit is called Mars.

Why Mars

There are eight planets in the Solar System, and among them the Red Planet has emerged as the leading candidate for a new “Earth.” Venus is closer, but its hellish atmosphere and temperatures make life there impossible. The Moon is too small and has too weak a gravitational pull. Jupiter’s moons are interesting, but they are too far away.

Mars is a paradox: both hell and paradise. Temperatures there can fall to −125 °C, the atmosphere is thin, and the radiation is deadly. But at the same time:

the day is almost the same length as on Earth (24 hours 39 minutes);
the tilt of its axis creates seasons;
although its gravity is weaker (38% of Earth’s), it is sufficient for humans to exist.

Mars was once a wet world with rivers and oceans. Reserves of water are still hidden in its rocks. That means there is hope—for both a new biological chapter and practical applications.

Why Go There

The main argument is the survival of civilization. Over 4.5 billion years, Earth has experienced five mass extinctions. The last one wiped out the dinosaurs. We are no better protected than they were. The difference is that we have the brains and technology to prepare.

But it is not only about fear. Mars is a colossal laboratory. Traces of the ancient geology of the Solar System have been preserved there, and with them answers to questions about the origin of life. Moreover, the exploration of Mars is already producing benefits today:

technologies for growing plants without soil (aeroponics);
new materials for protection against radiation;
experience producing oxygen from the Martian atmosphere (the MOXIE experiment).

How to Turn Mars into a “Second Earth”

Scientists are discussing dozens of ideas:

Initiating a greenhouse effect. Building factories that release super-greenhouse gases.
Space mirrors. Giant orbital structures to heat the polar caps.
Thermonuclear explosions at the poles. Musk’s romantic idea—“Nuke Mars.”
Genetic engineering. Extremophile bacteria capable of living and working under Martian conditions.
Aerogel-covered oases. Local domes creating warm zones for water and plants.

Each idea has disadvantages and time frames of hundreds or thousands of years. But the main thing is that we understand how to begin.

Elon Musk’s Plan

Elon Musk was the first to turn science fiction into a practical project. His Starbase in Texas is already producing “starships”—120-meter-tall Starships. The plan:

build giant rocket-manufacturing factories;
establish orbital refueling—critically important for interplanetary travel;
send Optimus robots first to prepare the base;
then send the first humans.

By 2050, Musk speaks of a thousand ships every 26 months and a self-sufficient city in the Arcadia region of Mars.

Economics and Resources

Mars is rich in metals and water (fuel made from hydrogen and oxygen), and it could also become a cosmic “refueling station” on the way to the asteroid belt. There are colossal reserves of platinum and other rare materials there. That is why private companies and governments are entering the game.

What Does Mars Give Us Here and Now

Mars is already inspiring people. Just as Gagarin’s flight or the Apollo mission once encouraged entire generations to pursue science and engineering, the dream of the Red Planet is shaping a new generation of researchers today.

And one more thing: the window of opportunity is open now, but it may close. An economic crisis, global war, or pandemic—and the project could be postponed for decades.

Conclusion

Mars is not merely a scientific adventure. It is a question of humanity’s identity. We have always striven beyond the horizon—and the next horizon lies on another planet. Perhaps the first Martian city will appear not in our grandchildren’s time, but in our own.

The question is not whether we will colonize Mars.
The question is whether we will manage to do it in time.

999 · Sep 17, 2025

Веретенников Сергей , quoted message

Thank you, Om Shanti, for this article, so incredibly inspiring!

When I was little, my older sister read the novels of the famous American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, "Tarzan." It was the beginning of the nineties: new ideas and fresh trends were emerging in our country, myths were being dispelled, and "Tarzan" was popular among modern women readers—and men, too. It was not new literature by global standards, but it was new to us. All 26 volumes of "Tarzan" were read from cover to cover. At the same time, I was inspired by another series by this outstanding author, called "The Martian" or "The Martian Cycle." I avidly read all 11 volumes of science fiction about Mars, and at that point they were among my best literary experiences, although these works naturally did not appear in the school curriculum. And now, decades later, we see that science fiction really is channeling-based prophecy, and nothing else.

And I still believe that one day humanity will be able to "tame" not only Mars, but also "subdue" Venus, and perhaps other planets as well, including the Sun!

Веретенников Сергей · Dec 2, 2025

This video contains all the audio recorded with an ordinary microphone on Mars. In other words, it creates the sensation of being on Mars, as if you were there and could hear its sounds. The most amazing thing about this video is that YOU WILL HEAR AND SEE AN AIRCRAFT FLYING ON MARS. It is extremely rare to have both sound and video from Mars at the same time. All the sounds and video are real, recorded by American spacecraft.

Mars

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