Why humans on Mars might face a dog-less future and cats might prevail on the Red Planet

SPACE agencies and star-obsessed billionaires have big plans for Mars.

Elon Musk wants a human colony to be established on the Red Planet by 2050, but the people leaving may not be able to take their beloved pets with them.

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Can we take dogs to Mars?

Nasa has some very ambitious plans for the Moon and Mars.

They’re including humans, but there’s no word on whether pets can go into space, too.

Clive Wynne is a psychology professor who directs the Canine Science Collaboratory at Arizona State University.

He has discussed and written about dogs going to Mars and even suggested that taking a cat might be better.

According to The Atlantic, Wyne said, “I think it would be inhumane to take a dog on a spaceship.”

And added: “The dog will never sniff the roses.

“There will be no weather. The dog will never smell the fresh rain and splashing puddles, or sniff at a lamppost and find there’s a new dog in town.”

Every terrestrial creature that flies into space, including humans, has to deal with the harsh effects of space radiation.

We know that when people explore space, they need to wear hazmat suits and be oxygenated.

How a dog would react wearing a similar suit for an extended period of time is unclear, but important things like his sense of smell and interaction with other dogs would be limited.

It would also be the problem of having to communicate with a dog in a space suit and give him commands through microphones.

If humans lived on Mars, some scientists suggest they would be in protective domes that would allow them to exist in an environment similar to Earth’s.

This would still make walking your dog a whole different experience.

There’s also the question of contamination from spacecraft and Mars, and whether pets could pose a health and safety hazard.

However, Nasa has never publicly ruled out taking pets into space, even publishing depictions of humans and dogs on different planets.

Musk has also never ruled out bringing pets to Mars.

Experts like Wyne appear to have ruled out taking dogs, but aren’t necessarily planning a pet-free future.

It is believed that pets like cats and other creatures that require less walking and commands might work better for future space explorers.

Wyne was even quoted as saying, “I wonder if maybe taking a cat would be a better plan.”