Robots are no substitute for a human on Mars. Dr. John Webb, of Latrobe University spoke of his experiences in Antarctica. He showed photographs of gullies caused by the melting of permafrost in Antarctica that look like gullies on Mars . Gullies on Mars, thought to be carved by water. Webb cautioned about the psychological stresses on people living in harsh, remote environments.
People start out as friends but often tensions build up after weeks of isolation.
There may be social lessons for Mars mission planners from experience at Antarctica research bases. Furthermore, he said this went against the official NASA line that there are signs of recent water flow on Mars . Hoffman has modeled the effects of these outbursts and finds they produce gullies and canyons similar to those seen on Mars. He also warns that explorers drilling for water from the surface of Mars had better be prepared for the explosive effects of striking liquid carbon dioxide instead of water. Hoffman also stunned the audience with the suggestion that maybe human missions to Mars should be one-way trips.