Conditions For Human Habitation
Conditions on the surface of Mars are much closer to the conditions of Earth of any other known planet or moon, as seen by the extremely hot and cold temperatures on Mercury, the furnace-hot surface of Venus, or the cryogenic cold of the outer planets and their moons. Only the cloud tops of Venus are closer in terms of Earth-like temperature, atmospheric pressure and gravity than the surface of Mars. Humans have explored parts of the Earth which match some conditions on Mars. The highest altitude reached by a manned balloon ascent, a record set in May 1961, was 34,668 meters (113,740 feet). (As of October 14, 2012 this record has been surpassed. Felix Baumgartner in Red Bull Stratos set the record for highest manned balloon flight of 128,176 feet (39,068m) near Roswell, New Mexico, USA.)The pressure at that altitude is about the same as on the surface of Mars. Extreme cold in the Arctic and Antarctic match all but the most extreme temperatures on Mars.
Read more about this topic: Colonization Of Mars
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