On Feb. 18, NASA’s Perseverance rover touched down on Mars nearly 7 months after its launch in July of 2020. Among the rover’s missions is to search for signs of ancient life, and it’s intended to spend approximately two years on Mars before it begins its return back to Earth. In honor of this monumental step in space exploration, the members of Forum staff share the additional planets that they, too, would like to visit.

Mercury
I would definitely visit Mercury, mainly because of its temperature. I’ve never been a fan of the St. Louis cold, but with life on Mercury, I wouldn’t have to think about that, seeing as the planet can get up to 800°F during the day. Although Mercury is the closest planet to the sun, it’s not the hottest—that would be Venus—but it’s warmer than here and for that, Mercury is my first pick of planetary travel. Plus, it’s the smallest planet in our solar system—what’s more fun than a pocket-sized planet?
-Kya Vaughn, Managing Editor

Gliese 581c
This planet is obviously not in our solar system, but it is very similar to Earth. One of the reasons I was immediately drawn to it is because it is pink. Earth but pink? It can’t get better than that. Not to mention, it’s located amongst the Libra constellation, which is my sign. It is positioned so that one side of the star is always facing another star that radiates heat, and the opposite side is always facing away. This means that there is a warm and a cold side—you can decide your climate every day!
-Gracie Hime, Staff Writer

Tres-4b
Tres-4b would pose some logistical challenges to get to—it’s 1,400 light years away—but also is worth the travel time. It’s one of the largest planets ever discovered yet has a very low density, making it puffy. As someone who thinks it would be fun to stroll on the upper cloud layer as I look out of a plane window, I think that Tres-4b would be the perfect place to fulfill my cloud-walking dreams.
-Clara Richards, Staff Writer

Venus
Surface temperatures hot enough to melt lead, high volcanic activity, clouds of sulfuric acid, immense atmospheric pressure, named for the Roman goddess of love. I consider myself a romantic and I’m from Florida, so I think this planet is a good match for me.
-Thomas Humphrey, Staff Writer

Jupiter
Jupiter is the coolest planet, no question. It’s the largest in the solar system, meaning it has the most area to explore. With the iconic Great Red Spot, a visit to Jupiter would never get boring. Plus, it’s objectively awesome. If I’m going to visit a planet, I might as well visit the most impressive one out there––go big or go home!
-Reilly Brady, Staff Writer

Pluto
Okay, I know that Pluto has been demoted into the shameful class of “dwarf planet,” but let me live in July of 2006 for a minute. Way out there on the edge of the Kuiper Belt, Pluto is far, far away from any virus or Zoom meeting that now defines our pandemic days. Pictures of the little guy show a beautiful reddish sphere, devoid of any type of life—human or alien. I just want a little peace and quiet and to be 3.25 billion miles away from the garbage fire that is Earth right now.
-Olivia Poolos, Staff Writer

Saturn
Imagine you woke up late for a class or an interview. You stumble through your dorm or apartment, pulling on socks and frantically stuffing things into your backpack. You make it outside, and on your way to wherever you’re headed, you look up. Seven icy rings span the sky. What I’m saying is, living on a planet with visible rings would make the little things seem a lot cooler. (Note: I am choosing to disregard the fact that Saturn is a gaseous planet, and cannot be walked on, let alone stumbled through on one’s way to class.)
-Jamila Dawkins, Forum Editor