MALOLOS
CITY—Believe it or not, Filipinos will be taking part in the ambitious Mars
Homestead Project that will be built by 2030.
Dr.
Custer Deocaris of the Rizal Technological University (RTU) based in
Mandaluyong City made the announcement on Saturday.
“Our
very own Filipino astronomers, architects, engineers and students will be
taking part in designing, planning and promoting for the Mars Homestead
Project,” Deocaris said in an email message.
He
said the goal of the ambitious project is to build the first permanent
settlement beyond Earth allowing human civilization to spread beyond the limits
of our planet.
Deocaris
did not discuss details Filipino participation in the project, but said that
ranking officials of the Mars Homestead project informed him that there designs
that still needed for the settlement program.
It
means that project organizers are still open for collaboration including with
Filipino experts and engineers.
With
regards to details of the Filipino participation, it will be discussed in a
press conference at the RTU today (Tuesday).
Dubbed
as First Astrobiology Forum with the theme “Mars Habitability”, the presscon
will start at 9a.m.
Deocaris
said that journalists will have a chance to interview NASA astrobiologist and
Stanford Professor Dr. Lynn Rothschild, along with founder-director of Mars
Homestead Project Engineer Bruce MacKenzie during the press conference.
Other
issues that will be presented in the forum include the history of Mars water
and updates on researches on Martian microbiology.
As
an astrobiologist and head of the RTU Office of Space Innovation and
Cooperation (OSSIC), Deocaris said “Mars, as you may know, is very important
right now, in that we have ongoing missions designed to characterize the planet
and search for biosignatures of life.”
Astrobiology,
he said is a subject taught only at RTU which is considered as one of the
newest and most cutting-edge fields of science as there is so much great deal
of creative and exciting work happening now.
It
revolves around questions on the origins and evolution of life, how life
changes its environment, on the future of human civilization and its impact on
biosphere amidst the various astronomical phenomena like asteroids and comets,
and the scientific aspects of search for life beyond Earth. Dino Balabo
No comments:
Post a Comment