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In the second episode of National Geographic's "National" Season 2, broadcast tonight (Nov. 19), Olympus Town residents are grappling with personal troubles as well as the harsh realities of sharing Mars between scientists and a private, for-profit enterprise. Once again, these harsh truths about Mars, which could easily become reality when humans land on the planet, correspond to what we live here on Earth.
In the first episode of this season, the docudrama presented the realistic struggles that could arise when people engaged in scientific exploration share the red planet with private companies seeking to generate profits. Following the milestones of the tumultuous first season of "Mars," the spirits ignited and relations became tense. Unfortunately, things are not getting any easier for the inhabitants of Olympus Town in the second episode of Season 2.
Life on Mars
When Lukrum Industries starts using more water than originally agreed, the Cmdr. Hana Seung is worried. The company continues to refuse to sign the Outer Space Treaty, which remains the real basis of international space law, making accountability difficult to enforce. [Surviving ‘The Martian’: How to Stay Alive on Mars (Infographic)]
In "Mars", it takes seven months for astronauts to travel from Earth to Mars and vice versa. If a disagreement arises that could not be solved on the ground with the virtual help of those on Earth, concrete support could not be sent from Earth in real time. If a serious fight were to break out on Mars, for example, lives could be lost and research, and so much more, could be jeopardized before help ever arrives.
Moreover, while the world of "Mars", like ours, has a treatise on outer space, humans have never inhabited another planet and the legality of life on Mars would be extremely complicated. This second episode again uses oil drilling in the Arctic as an example of the radically different opinions that men have on the use of a planet's resources.
Just as there are those who drill in the Arctic with a profit-only mentality (or, if they are themselves minors, perhaps keeping their jobs), there are activists who struggle against that. The episode highlights the efforts of Greenpeace activists working in the Arctic to draw attention to drilling efforts aimed at putting an end to such activities.
The Outer Space Treaty was signed in the 1960s, before we knew how it was possible not only to reach Mars, but perhaps even exploit a day its resources. The ethical and political issues that will undoubtedly arise as we move towards Mars and establish a human presence go far beyond the political agreements in place.
Mars does not belong to anyone. But the same argument could be made for the Earth, and the struggle between the exploitation of the planet's resources and its protection lasts for many years. This fight will probably continue on Mars.
Could Earthmen ever really feel at home on Mars? Could humans survive on the planet without feeling the need to go home?
Credit: Dusan Martincek / National Geographic
Business and personal problem
Lukrum and Olympus Town did not experience the best start in episode 1 of season 2. But after Comdr. Seung and Comdr. Kurt Hurrelle from Lukrum spoke about the overuse of water by society. Tensions began to rise again.
Comdr. Hurrelle, who pursues a corporate goal of using Martian resources, is not afraid that his actions will endanger the research done by scientists at Olympus Town. Currently, in the real world, researchers are using rovers and distant instruments to look for signs of life or past lives on the red planet. In the future, commercial activities could contaminate sites where scientists search for life.
Sending scientists and their instruments to Mars in the future will certainly be an expensive endeavor. It is therefore logical to think that if commercial exploits jeopardize this work, serious conflicts will arise.
In this episode, besides the potential contamination of the revolutionary Martian research, the inhabitants of Olympus Town also face serious realities. Life and death will be unexpected when humans inhabit Mars. This episode takes a hard look at what it might feel and look like realistically.
Crew members are faced with the reality of life on Mars and struggling with the decision to leave their home on Earth or not. As earthlings, will we be able to feel comfortable on an extraterrestrial planet? Experts predict that future astronauts will face serious psychological problems related to travel. Especially since, according to current forecasts, astronauts leaving for the red planet would probably never come back.
The episode also presents a frank vision of leadership and additional challenges that women face to receive equal respect from their male counterparts, even on Mars. Far from home, Cmdr. Hurrelle continues to ignore the comdr. Rank and leadership of Seung. In this episode, Comdr. Seung takes care of it while dealing with grief and personal difficulties.
Follow Chelsea Gohd on Twitter @chelsea_gohd. follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
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