14 horrible things that could happen if we colonize Mars

In "The Martian," the film based on Andy Weir's bestselling novel that hit theaters Friday, Matt Damon plays an astronaut stranded on Mars.

From the extreme cold to the deadly radiation, there are many traits about Mars that make it inhospitable. 

Here are some of the main obstacles to surviving — and colonizing — the fourth rock from the sun.

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Getting to Mars ain’t cheap. NASA’s current Mars mission concept would set us back about $50 billion over the course of a decade, or about twice as much as the moon program cost between 1962 and 1972. Mars Society president Robert Zubrin think it can be done for cheaper, but it would still be between $5 and $20 billion.

Spaceflight is inherently risky. Even if something doesn’t go wrong during launch or landing, the life support systems on the ship could fail at any time during the 9 months it takes to get to Mars. And that’s not to mention the intense radiation and reduced gravity you’d be subjected to.

Even if we raise enough money and survive the harsh conditions of deep-space travel, getting to the surface of Mars is no easy task. Right now, no technology exists that could land humans safely on the surface. The largest thing we've ever landed there is roughly the size of a car.

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