we're launching you into space
and plunging you into the sea
to decide which extreme environment is harder to live in. Place your bets between these final frontiers.
Why leave our planetwhen we still have over 80% of the sea to explore?
We're dropping you down
to the lowest of lows.
That's right, folks,
Matching the size of Australia,
this mysterious area is called
the hadal zone,
named after Hades,
the Greek god of the underworld.
Sounds, uh, inviting?
But its total darkness
and potential deep-sea creatures
haven't hindered our curiosity.
Not your scene?
Now we're blasting you off to
Earth's closest planetary neighbor
to scope out our second contender.
You guessed it!
Scientists have discussed
the possibility of life on Mars.
More evidence is being discovered as
technology and exploration improve.
Liquid water under the surface
and trace amounts of methane
have been detected on the planet,
meaning past, present and future
living organisms could be out there.
Could humans become the next
generation of Red Planet residents?
to our own planet?
It's showtime!
All aboard the tour bus!
Well, it's more like a tour sub.
In May 2020,
American undersea explorer
Victor Vescovo
started offering commercial trips
to the Mariana Trench.
12 hours onboard
the "Limiting Factor" will set you back
a modest $750,000.
Once it's submerged,
the 12,500 kg (27,558 lb) vessel
will need to be weighed down
and made ready for you
and your team.
If a 12 hour submarine ride
has you feeling antsy,
you're not going to like this next bit.
At its closest approach to Earth,
a one way flight to Mars would take
around 260 days.
You could fast forward
with more fuel, but it would add
to the hefty price tag.
NASA’s decades-long project
to send the first humans to Mars
by the 2030s comes at a cost.
Think $1.5 trillion USD.
The commute to Mars
is clearly longer.
But the living conditions of a
proposed base
such as Elon Musk's
"Mars Base Alpha" would be more
spacious than onboard a submarine.
Mars wins Round 1!
The ocean floor's atmospheric
pressure is 109 kPa (15.9 psi),
with the temperature sitting around
4 °C (39 °F).
There's no shortage of natural water,
but we'd need to tinker with it first.
Humans can't drink saltwater,
so you'd have to remove the salt.
Sea cucumbers and shrimp
could be on the menu too,
and other edible marine life that
could be lurking in the dark.
To grow food and plants,
you'll need artificial lights
and soil from home.
You'll also want to pack
some vitamin D3
since the ocean floor
has zero sunlight.
Which is, you know,
a bit of a bummer.
Let's upgrade that
seasonal depression
to regular, all year round depression.
Mars isn’t the most inviting
future habitats either,
with its chilly temperature averaging
-63 °C (-81 °F)
and a climate that's mostly
carbon dioxide.
Its atmosphere is also ultrathin,
clocking in at 0.6 kPa (0.1 psi),
compared to Earth’s
101.3 kPa (14.7 psi).
With such a thin atmosphere,
you're going to have to add
falling meteorites to your list
of anxieties.
As many as 200 meteorites per year
reach the surface of Mars.
"We're all gonna die!".
As for resources,
we could collect freshwater ice
and subsurface water on Mars,
plus the natural soil contains
nutrients for plants to grow.
And while it's less than half
the wattage on Earth,
Mars does have natural sunlight.
Mars takes Round 2!
Just as you're settling in
aboard the sub,
the underwater pressure
breaches your vessel!
The exposure would likely crush you
in seconds.
And if that didn't kill you,
you can always count on drowning
or hypothermia to do the trick.
If you somehow survived,
an escape pod could safely transport
you to the surface for rescue
within hours.
But don't forget,
we aren't aware of every
creature lurking in the trenches.
You might just meet your demise
thanks to a prehistoric predator.
Meanwhile in space,
your spaceship has been punctured.
Exposure to the low pressure
would rupture you skin and organs,
and your body fluids
would start to boil.
Ouch would be an understatement.
"Please God, no!".
You would likely
be wearing a spacesuit
or have access to one nearby,
which could buy you time
to repair your spaceship.
If not, rescue is nearly a year away.
The ocean floor takes
this round because,
well, at least you're still on Earth.
Numbers don't lie, folks.
Give it up for the red planet itself!
Ready for another vacation from hell?
Next, we're sending you
to Snake Island
and Komodo Island
to see which destination is worse.
We'll see who wins
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