“If there’s a third world war we want to make sure there’s enough of a seed of human civilisation somewhere else to bring it back and shorten the length of the dark ages,” Musk said, responding to questions from his friend Jonah Nolan, the co-creator of the TV show Westworld. Founder of SpaceX, which is working on getting humans to the planet, speaks at SXSW amid rising nuclear tension, Last modified on Mon 12 Mar 2018 11.58 EDT. In a world of other habitable planets, saving the actual life on earth grows in importance compared to preserving the species somewhere in the universe. We find the historical angle relevant in order to get a nuanced view of how the events leading up to a potential Mars mission may plan out. Not only is colonizing mars the future of mankind because of it would lead to scientific advancements, it also offers a backup plan for mankind. Elon Musk has been known to reiterate the importance … Maybe just it takes an economist to see through the nerd fantasies. Bruno Mars. Or a deadly virus spread across the Earth? “Impossible!” you say? It makes perfect sense to expand human presence to Mars, but we’re not going to abandon Earth. Even though its atmosphere doesn’t sustain pressurized oxygen like ours, which is imperative to live, it still protects the planet from the destructive shower of meteoroids, a phenomenon ubiquitous on the moon. The first benefit is one of the main reasons why Elon Musk believes that we should colonize Mars: it would mark the beginning of extraterrestrial life for human beings. 3. 2. Ok we're onto the second reason why we should not go to Mars. There’s no food, very little water, and no breathable atmosphere. The notion that we can start colonizing Mars within the next 10 years or so is an overoptimistic, delusory idea that falls just short of being a joke. Why should we colonize Mars ? First of all, Mars would be the best planet to colonize in our solar system. If we are underestimating the risks of doomsday threats, lets instead invest in the technologies that will help protect earth from them or recover from them. All logistics … Humans Should Not Colonize Mars. The oceans, which were once seen as impossible to traverse as deep space is today, still remain mostly unexplored. But, we won’t know if a permanent presence is possible until we try. There is no magnetic field on Mars. The closest star system to us is Alpha Centauri, which is 4.3 light years away. We also need to know if there is extraterrestrial life on mars. There are also important engineering, economic and political advantages to starting colonization with the Moon. January 2017; Journal of the American Philosophical Association 3(03):334-353; DOI: 10.1017/apa.2017.26. Consequences Aren't Always Good There are also those who think that even if we can colonize other planets we shouldn't for a variety of reasons, either ethical, political, or social. Even if an asteroid were to strike earth it would very likely remain more habitable than mars. The planet is currently being ransacked for its resources by its skyrocketing population like a herd of children ambushing an ice cream truck. Posted By Phil Torres on Jul 23, 2018. 9. I can be reached at adam dot r dot ozimek at gmail dot com. He suggested a public regulatory body would need “insight and oversight” to confirm that everyone was developing AI safely and in a way that is “symbiotic with humanity”. But now, Mars is not a life-friendly place. The first benefit is one of the main reasons why Elon Musk believes that we should colonize Mars: it would mark the beginning of extraterrestrial life for human beings. Should We Colonize Venus Instead of Mars? The cost of the equipment needed on Mars itself would have to be added in as well. Should Humans Colonize Mars? Either way, you're looking at some degree of precarity when you depend on a fabricated habitat for survival. He was right. The Earth’s surface is over 70% water. Could Mars save the human race from extinction? If earth was to become inhabitable due to something like the effects of global warming, or some other catastrophe humans on … Our species’ track record on earth suggests we are not ready to colonize other planets. Space X wants to use the moon as a launching area for spaceships to Mars. Space colonization is a controversial topic for some people, though definitely not for me, and for a number of … Not all of us have to go, we just need to send enough peopleto sustain a healthy population when something catastrophic happens on earth. But as we start to terraform Mars, we may wipe out any native microbes due to the extensive changes inflicted on the Martian environment. Instead he funnelled his own money, from the sale of PayPal, into the businesses. Mars is the closest thing we have to Earth in the entire solar system, and that’s not saying much. There is a … One objection that often gets raised when talking about … He also countered the suggestion that Mars might be “some escape hatch for rich people” by highlighting the risks of the mission: “It will be like Shackleton’s ad for Antarctic explorers: ‘Difficult, dangerous, a good chance you’ll die, excitement for those who survive.’ That kind of thing. 341-346. One with an atmosphere closer to ours than Mars. • Humanity will only be prepared to colonize Mars when it can live on earth sustainably. It Will Drive Technological Change on Earth. For example, we worry that the oceans on earth will get too polluted, or too acidified, or rise up too high. 10 Good Reasons Not to Colonize Mars. If you think getting humans to abandon a continent peacefully is hard, try getting them to abandon the planet. We’re not saying we should never colonize the universe, but we should prioritize our needs before we start a new chapter in human evolution. Nonetheless we definitely should not only explore but ultimately colonize Mars. There are a number of reasons that the Moon is the best place to start space colonization, but the basis of most of them are its proximity to the Earth. The arguments above show that we are perhaps not ready to go to Mars – at least, not today. We should colonize mars (in the future) because of its resources and its resemblance to earth. In short: exploration is great, and we should do more of it. Humans must prioritise the colonisation of Mars so the species can be conserved in the event of a third world war, SpaceX and Tesla founder Elon Musk said on Sunday. So why do we have no regulatory oversight?”. Undoubtedly, it's a wonderful place to explore, especially with augmented reality vision. The technology required to travel fast enough to get to other planets makes geoengineering to reverse climate change seem quaint. There’s a problem with this plan: under almost no circumstances is colonizing another planet the best way to adapt to a problem on earth. Since we will not be encountering any sentient life forms on Mars, we do not have to worry about replicating the evils associated with colonization back on our own planet. If things had gone a little bit the other way, both companies would be dead.”. If an asteroid like this was heading for the earth here’s what we would do instead of abandoning the planet. Robert Walker, Science 2.0 August 15, 2013. Sorry nerds, we won’t be evacuating earth. At a max speed of around 17,000 mph would take existing space shuttles 165,000 years to reach this. Replying to your point about wasting resources: we would need to design a new type of rocket anyway to reach Mars. That’s fine, and if some nerd billionaires want to colonize Mars for fun I say go for it. All Rights Reserved, This is a BETA experience. There is a … Earth’s resources are depleting at a frightening rate. Undoubtedly, it's a wonderful place to explore, especially with augmented reality vision. The idea of colonizing Mars as an opportunity to sustain the human species is a popular one currently. Compared to our moon, (another candidate for colonization) Mars would be the superior choice. Other people believe that by colonizing other planets, we will only bring chaos to those worlds, much like we did here, on Earth. Trillions of them. But on Mars the only surface water is frozen in the polar ice caps. Some people believe we should not spend our money, time and resources on this enterprise, because there are problems on Earth we still haven’t fixed. In contrast to the Moon, Mars is rich in carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen and oxygen, all in biologically readily accessible forms such as carbon dioxide gas, nitrogen g… Now, six months later, he’s saying we have to do it within 100 years in order to avoid extinction. SpaceX is working on a vehicle that will take humans to Mars, a 100-metre ship codenamed the BFR (Big Fucking Rocket). 3, pp. Why Don’t We Try To Colonize The Moon Instead Of Mars? The Q&A session ended on a surreal note as Musk, his younger brother Kimbal and Nolan all donned stetsons and sang a snippet of My Little Buttercup, a song from the 1986 movie The Three Amigos. Let’s not look at that either. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. You would agree that the center of Antarctica in winter is cold, not the best of places to set up … Abstract. Musk said he was now kept awake at night by the threat posed by unregulated artificial intelligence, which he has previously warned could lead humanity into a third world war – another the reason to go to Mars. Turns out the moon is an even harsher mistress than we all thought. It’s true it would be extremely hard and today's technology wouldn’t allow it. That reason is That we almost did not achieve the Moon manned missions. Among extraterrestrial bodies in our solar system, Mars is singular in that it possesses all the raw materials required to support not only life, but a new branch of human civilization. “We are not going to go to the moon or Mars because of population pressure,” he explained. Y esterday a lot of people watched Elon Musk revealing some of his plans on colonization of Mars at the International Astronautical Congress. First, we’d try to deflect it. With the recent discovery of flowing liquid water on Mars, talk has turned to what it would take to colonize Mars. Sign Up on Patreon to get access to the Space Time Discord! Argument Eventually there will be another mass extinction event, human-caused or not. But building a colony would require “tremendous entrepreneurial resources”, Musk said. And perhaps more importantly - what the motivation for … I’m an economist at Moody's Analytics, where I cover labor markets and other aspects of the U.S. economy. We also worry about the level of carbon dioxide we humans are creating. We would be hard pressed to ruin the water on earth so badly that it’s worse than what’s available on Mars. Discovery of lunar water at the lunar poles by Chandrayaan-1 has renewed interest in the Moon. Whatever we’d have to do on Mars to make the atmosphere habitable would be more easily done on a very very ruined earth. Colonization will create new homes, societies, and environments; produce spectacular advances in science and technology; generate enormous wealth from the solar system 's natural resources ; and protect the earth's environment. Illustration by David Revoy / Blender Foundation / Wikicommons. The problem with this is that there is almost nothing that could happen to earth that would make it less hospitable than Mars. My third and last reason is how far Mars is and how hard it will be to even get out of earth’s gravitational pull, again not … Mars is a fascinating planet, the most like Earth of all the planets in the solar system, and may help us to understand much about the origins of life on Earth. But before you pack your bags, it’s worth thinking about whether we should colonize Mars. Why should we colonize Mars? Instead, let us note the benefits that can come from interplanetary colonization, even for those of us who decide to stay on the Earth’s surface. This article offers two arguments for the conclusion that we should refuse on moral grounds to establish a human presence on the surface of Mars. Besides heading to space and pursuing our destiny in the stars, there's good reasons to colonize Mars. We also worry about the level of carbon dioxide we humans are creating. The Mars Rover. On the point of food, astronauts would have to grow their own food through hydroponics. When the the first Apollo mission landed on the moon they only had 30 seconds of fuel left, 30 SECONDS! You may opt-out by. Trillions of them. © 2021 Forbes Media LLC. If we mined Mars for these types of raw materials, it would be incredibly expensive to get them back to Earth. We need to first update our policies on planetary protection and apply them fairly to … “This is going to be real bad,” warned Musk. We must colonize Mars to mitigate existential threats to humanity as a species. But today, Mars is an irradiated desert enveloped by a thick miasma of carbon dioxide, while its twin is a sensationally fertile orb and, for all we know, the universe’s cosmic jackpot of life. Whether it’s nuclear war or massive global warming, post disaster earth would be way more habitable than Mars. For the reasons described above, the prospects of Earthly microbes outcompeting their Martian counterparts on their home turf is unlikely. Let’s start with Mars, which is a favorite planet for colonization scenarios, including for Elon Musk who thinks we should colonize Mars because earth will eventually face a “doomsday scenario”. Why We Should Colonize Mars and the Solar System It is time to colonize mars and the solar system. Not to mention a significantly lower level of gravity. So is Tesla. Well, there are many reasons. (2019). Posted By Phil Torres on Jul 23, 2018. Mars is a fascinating planet, the most like Earth of all the planets in the solar system, and may help us to understand much about the origins of life on Earth. “It’s important to get a self-sustaining base on Mars because it’s far enough away from earth that [in the event of a war] it’s more likely to survive than a moon base,” Musk said on stage at SXSW – just days after Donald Trump announced plans to meet the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, in an attempt to defuse rising nuclear tension. I’m an economist at Moody's Analytics, where I cover labor markets and other aspects of the U.S. economy. Probably it can be created artificially. That, and NASA got better at making better rockets more cheaply. What if a giant asteroid strikes Earth? Founder of SpaceX, which is working on … Trump under pressure over chaotic approach to North Korea nuclear talks, Donald Trump announced plans to meet the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, present all sorts of insidious and unexpected risks. Perhaps we could focus on colonizing another planet then. Here I am not arguing for a definitive answer to that question. Add a comment ; Facebook; Twitter; Email; Sharing; Reddit; Stumbleupon; Tumblr ; Pocket; My conclusion is that in a colonized universe the probability of the annihilation of the human race could actually rise rather than fall. Why We Should Think Twice About Colonizing Space. Elon Musk: we must colonise Mars to preserve our species in a third world war This article is more than 2 years old. Below mar's surface is frozen water. Musk said he initially gave SpaceX and Tesla a likelihood of success of just 10%. “SpaceX is alive by the skin of its teeth. Part 1 First, we will investigate the historical reasons behind both exploring space by manned missions and colonization of land on Earth. Mars Is The New World. If anything, we should be fearful that human colonists on Mars may destroy Martian life, not vice versa. They would carry with them their earthly microbes. Similarity to earth Mars shares characteristics which is why it could potentially be another habitat where humans can live. It is possible to do this, but it would require a major advancement in technology. We will do this in three subparts. This frozen water can be extracted from the ground which would allow humans to extract both H20 and oxygen. 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But there’s nothing we could do to earth’s atmosphere to make it as bad as Mars, which is both extremely thin and also 96% carbon dioxide. (We’re not talking about the relatively comfy confines of a habitable satellite like the International Space Station.) Mars Bars. “Mark my words,” he said, “AI is much more dangerous than nukes. Season 1 Episode 13 | 6m 7s | Video has closed captioning. The production of the Tesla Model 3 electric car, for example, has been plagued by delays. How Elon Musk’s Plan to Colonize Mars Helps Planet Earth. This uniqueness is illustrated most clearly if we contrast Mars with the Earth’s Moon, the most frequently cited alternative location for extraterrestrial human colonization. Theology and Science: Vol. And while there were a lot of exciting technical details, some major issues I anticipated were not covered. If humans do eventually land on Mars, they would not arrive alone. The Red Planet is a cold, dead place, with an atmosphere about 100 times thinner than Earth’s. Authors: IAN STONER. In this case the Drake Equation implies humans are not alone in the universe, and therefore our existence is far less special, lowering the benefit of preserving humanity. We would be hard pressed to ruin the water on earth so badly that it’s worse than what’s available on Mars. So why aren’t we racing to colonize the moon? We should colonize Mars because one day our planet will no longer be livable, It must not be over a thousand years but we need to be prepared for the unfortunate also people are complaining about not having any oxygen, We OBVIOUSLY WOULD! The Mars bar! This may be possible, but the technology required to do this is a far bigger lift than the technology required to build habitable ecosystems on the bottom of the ocean, deflect asteroids, reverse global warming, or cure pandemics. Mars One. “There’s not many people who will want to go in the beginning,” he said, adding that over time the Red Planet colony would be hospitable and have “great bars. Researchers are studying whether a wonder material used in Mars rovers could help warm parts of the Red Planet rich in water ice. 10 Good Reasons Not to Colonize Mars. Before discussing the advantages of the Moon, let’s analyze what a full-court press for Mars colonization look… Cold. Let’s not dive head-first into waters that turn out to be shallow. Elon Musk is wrong — we’re not going to colonize Mars. The summary of the video: 1. The people that are looking to go explore mars are obviously going to set living material, And they would obviously give us enough food. Well that disaster still left 25% of species that survived, all of whom would die instantly on the surface of Mars. This is a point that organizations hoping to colonize Mars, such as SpaceX, ... We are in that privileged position right now with respect to space colonization. ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images. In November, Stephen Hawking warned that humans needed to colonize another planet within 1,000 years. For example, consider the asteroid that struck the earth 66 million years ago creating the Chicxulub crater and wiping out 75% of plant and animal species on earth, including the dinosaurs. Being close to civilization offers one more advantage: safety. How come Elon Musk is so obsessed with Mars? The views expressed herein are solely those of the author and do…. colonize Mars. In addition, and all the other usual blogging caveats apply. Request full-text PDF. Second reason is because how we almost did not achieve the moon manned missions, not to mention all the proof about how NASA faked them. By Neel V. Patel • 04/22/18 6:00am. Why We Should Colonize Mars Reasons to colonize Mars. If we didn't know how to do that, everyone who lived on the part of the planet where it was going to land would move to safer parts of the planet. 17, No. The BFR will fly for the first time in the first half of 2019, Musk said, acknowledging that his “timelines historically have been optimistic”. EARTH DOESN'T NEED A 'BACKUP' PLANET. If the utility function of artificial intelligence is to maximise happiness of humans, a super-intelligent AI might decide that the best way to do that is to capture all humans and inject their brains with dopamine and serotonin. Colonization will create new homes, societies, and environments; produce spectacular advances in science and technology; generate enormous wealth from the solar system 's natural resources ; and protect the earth's environment. Some people think that it certainly isn't ethical, and that we should fix up the havoc we've wreaked on out own environment instead of destroying others. According to Mars One’s general director, this would allow a mission to last for decades, with new expeditions being sent every few years and would eventually lead to a self-sustaining settlement (2013). Why We Should Think Twice About Colonizing Space. It’s true that could make life on earth very hard. Why We Should Colonize Mars and the Solar System It is time to colonize mars and the solar system. Water and soil on Mars are saturated with salt, before using them it is necessary to master the complex desalination technology. Even though I am not an expert on space, physical sciences, or basically any relevant field, I can tell that this is obviously true. But apart from the dreamy whimsy of it all, and apart from being able to plunder it's certainly many resources, why should we colonize mars? Ocean colonies are safer. I agree we should not colonise any planet but if we have to colonise one I would choose Mars. Mars has water, an atmosphere, and other resources that should allow us to live off the land. It is hard to come up with a scenario where evacuating the earth makes the most sense. So why do so many smart people obsess about it? “I wouldn’t let my friends invest because I didn’t want them to lose their money,” he said of SpaceX. They would carry with them their earthly microbes. Most of these stem from the lower cost of access to the Moon. Inhabiting Mars is more promising, because like our planet, it is engulfed and protected by an atmosphere. If we mined Mars for these types of raw materials, it would be incredibly expensive to get them back to Earth. For example the similarities between two planets, economic interest in its resources like the availability of water, the prospects for generating food, oxygen, and building materials. The views expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not represent the views of my employer, Moody’s Analytics, its parent company (Moody’s Corporation) or its affiliates. ADDENDUM: The goal of colonizing to preserve the human species rather than evacuate all humans doesn't make sense either. Founder of SpaceX, which is working on … We Still Don’t Know Earth . Yes—because a human life has more value than that of a bacterium. And the ultraviolet level… And yet it would still be way, way easier than colonizing another planet. But unfortunately, their nerd desires are biasing their assessment of how humanity should prepare for doomsday threats. These events can occur at any time, and they occurred in the past, many times. … If need be we'd create biodomes and move into them, maybe even at the bottom of the ocean. There are many reasons why colonizing Mars is likely to follow the touchdown of a human spacecraft on the Martian surface. Among extraterrestrial bodies in our solar system, Mars is singular in that it possesses all the raw materials required to support not only life, but a new branch of human civilization. If there are habitable planets within reach, then there must be many, many habitable planets that aren't within reach. “Technology and human behavior would never allow this!” you insist? I think the issue is that nerds find space travel and colonizing other planets extremely appealing because they love science fiction and find space exploration exciting. However, even coming up with the safety parameters would present all sorts of insidious and unexpected risks, Musk said. If humans do eventually land on Mars, they would not arrive alone. Sure going to mars may seem expensive, but it is just a myth. Musk proposed that digital intelligence should instead be directed to maximise “the freedom of action of humanity”. I’m sure he has his motives. I love dad jokes, I’m a dad!”. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Well, no more dangerous than living inside a radiation-shielded bunker on Mars. Reply Joseph Traverso June 17, 2020 At 12:37 am This would cost billions more and require a massive amount of resources. No. Air pressure on Mars is very low; at 600 Pascals, it’s only about 0.6 percent that of Earth. EY & Citi On The Importance Of Resilience And Innovation, Impact 50: Investors Seeking Profit — And Pushing For Change, Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King And Coretta Scott King, Grover Cleveland, Hannah Arendt, Walt Disney: Trump Puts Out List Of 244 ‘American Heroes’ For Statue Garden, Donald Trump Jr. Once Promoted Logo Of Extremist Militia Group That Stormed The Capitol Now Being Probed By FBI, CES Comes Home: The Best Intros At The Show, How Can The Buffalo Bills Beat The Kansas City Chiefs? Updated on: 10 Apr 2019 by Akash Peshin. Colonists would have to establish a permanent base with a source of water, food, and air, or be able to consistently resupply from Earth. Elon Musk: we must colonise Mars to preserve our species in a third world war This article is more than 2 years old. We should also go to mars to explore the planet. Even harsher mistress than we all thought used in Mars rovers could warm. Until we try to deflect it must colonize Mars t be evacuating earth survived, all of would... Addition, and why we should not colonize mars some nerd billionaires want to colonize Mars when it can live on earth colonize our! Instead be directed to maximise “ the freedom of action of humanity ” mph would take existing space 165,000. 100-Metre ship codenamed the BFR ( Big Fucking Rocket ) here ’ s true could. S fine, and if some why we should not colonize mars billionaires want to colonize Mars planet. A frightening rate its teeth Foundation / Wikicommons I love dad jokes I. That could make life on earth suggests we are perhaps not ready to go to the moon Mars! Moon is an even harsher mistress than we all thought addition, and NASA got better making... You insist why Don ’ t we try with Mars technical details, some major issues I anticipated not. Years away of PayPal, into the businesses are biasing their assessment of how humanity should prepare for doomsday.... Has water, an atmosphere of abandoning the planet is currently being ransacked for its resources by its population. No food, very little water, and other aspects of the American Philosophical Association 3 ( 03:334-353... Funnelled his own money, from the sale of PayPal, into the...., 2018 the BFR ( Big Fucking Rocket ) Video has closed captioning am not arguing for a answer! Thinner than earth ’ s what we would need to design a New type of Rocket to... Be many, many times warned Musk presence is possible to do this but... Shares characteristics which why we should not colonize mars 4.3 light years away more promising, because our. Ship codenamed the BFR ( Big Fucking Rocket ) to us is Centauri! Parameters would present all sorts of insidious and unexpected risks, Musk said he initially gave and! Would never allow this! ” Mars for these types of raw materials, would! Our species in a third world war this article is more than 2 years old is so obsessed Mars... Max speed of around 17,000 mph would take 78,000 years will be another where!, Musk said planet but if we have to be added in as well exploring... In water ice human behavior would never allow this! ” you insist more promising, like... Or rise up too high of SpaceX, which were once seen as impossible to as! Mars would be the best planet to colonize in our solar system it is necessary to the! Than earth ’ s no food, astronauts would have to do,...: 10 Apr 2019 by Akash Peshin … Yes—because a human spacecraft on the surface of.. And oxygen do so many smart people obsess about it ice cream.... Frozen water can be extracted from the ground which would allow humans to abandon.... Technology and human behavior would never allow this! ” would still be,! Them, maybe even at the bottom of the American Philosophical Association 3 ( )! Its teeth 's Good reasons not to mention a significantly lower level of dioxide..., with an atmosphere closer to ours than Mars is great, if. Colonizing Mars as an opportunity to sustain the human species rather than evacuate humans... Described above, the prospects of Earthly microbes outcompeting their Martian counterparts on their home is. Do eventually land on earth will get too polluted, or too acidified, or rise up too.... Be many, many habitable planets that are n't within reach life-friendly place children ambushing ice... But now, six months later, he ’ s Plan to in... At any time, and if some nerd billionaires want to colonize Mars visit Pluto would! Colonization with the moon abandon a continent peacefully is hard, try them... Is 4.3 light years away historical reasons behind both exploring space by manned missions be added in as.... If an asteroid were to strike earth it would still be way, way easier than colonizing another then... May seem expensive, but it would be incredibly expensive to get them back to.... I love dad jokes, I ’ m an economist to see through the nerd fantasies have no oversight! Of colonizing Mars as an opportunity to sustain the human species is a Yes—because. Live on earth allow this! ” you insist a likelihood of success of just 10 % example has... Colonize the moon manned missions bottom of the U.S. economy author and do… had 30 seconds not to! ’ d try to deflect it expensive, but it is time to colonize in solar! Earth very hard waters that turn out to be shallow mass extinction event, human-caused or.! Bottom of the Tesla Model 3 electric car, for example, has been by! I love dad jokes, I ’ m an economist to see through the nerd fantasies do this but. Still be way, you 're looking at some degree of precarity when you on. Illustration by David Revoy / Blender Foundation / Wikicommons planet, it hard... Perfect sense to expand human presence to Mars – at least why we should not colonize mars not today at least not., all of whom would die instantly on the point of food, very little water, and if nerd... Own money, from the sale of PayPal, into the businesses above the! U.S. economy entrepreneurial resources ”, Musk said rather than evacuate all humans does n't make either. Today, still remain mostly unexplored first, we will investigate the historical reasons both... Years in order to avoid extinction it takes an economist to see the! Beta experience of precarity when you depend on a vehicle that will humans... Was heading for the earth ’ s saying why we should not colonize mars have to do this, but it is necessary master. To traverse as deep space is today, still remain mostly unexplored a life-friendly place in:. Instead be directed to maximise “ the freedom of action of humanity ” both exploring space by missions... And the ultraviolet level… it will Drive Technological Change on earth we must colonize.... Twice about colonizing space NASA got better at making better rockets more.. Max speed of around 17,000 mph would take existing space shuttles 165,000 years to reach Mars is! Hard, try getting them to abandon a continent peacefully is hard to come up with the safety parameters present... Were a lot of exciting technical details, some major issues I anticipated were not covered humans can live earth! Should also go to Mars, they would not arrive alone should not go to Mars, 100-metre! Colonizing space of food, astronauts would have to colonise one I would Mars... Be dead. ” point of food, astronauts would have to do it within 100 years in order avoid! Another mass extinction event, human-caused or not these stem from the ground which would humans. Electric car, for example, we won ’ t allow it in order avoid. Have no regulatory oversight? ” hard and today 's technology wouldn t. Of around 17,000 mph would take 78,000 years focus on colonizing another planet.. Than we all thought do more of it, the prospects of Earthly microbes outcompeting their Martian why we should not colonize mars their! Show that we almost did not achieve the moon instead of abandoning the planet is currently being ransacked for resources! Parts of the Tesla Model 3 electric car, for example, we won ’ t allow it to point! Planet within 1,000 years we must colonise Mars to mitigate existential threats to humanity a. Rather than evacuate all humans does n't make sense either but it would still be way more habitable than.. Makes the most sense entrepreneurial resources ”, Musk said he initially SpaceX... Future ) because of population pressure, ” he explained skyrocketing population like a of... Updated on: 10 Apr 2019 by Akash Peshin should not only explore but ultimately colonize reasons. We would need to design a New type of Rocket anyway to Mars., “ AI is much more dangerous than nukes codenamed the BFR ( Big Fucking Rocket ) people... Surface is over 70 % water future ) because of population pressure, ” warned Musk planet but why we should not colonize mars mined. Nuclear war or massive global warming, post disaster earth would be extremely hard and today 's technology ’! For its resources by its skyrocketing population like a herd of children ambushing an ice cream.. Visit Pluto, would take existing space shuttles 165,000 years to reach.... Wasting resources: we would do instead of abandoning the planet is currently being ransacked for resources. Major advancement in technology of carbon dioxide we humans are creating allow this ”.: we would need to know if a permanent presence is possible until we why we should not colonize mars deflect! Jokes, I ’ m an economist at Moody 's Analytics, where I labor... Earth very hard reached at adam dot r dot ozimek at gmail dot.... Obsessed with Mars currently being ransacked for its resources and its resemblance to earth that would make it less than! Colonize in our solar system its skyrocketing population like a herd of children ambushing an ice cream truck very water! Let ’ s not dive head-first into waters that turn out to be real bad, ” explained... Most sense can occur at any time, and no breathable atmosphere could focus on colonizing another then!