Where Would You Rather Die: Mars or the Ocean Floor?

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 planet

when 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