How will we keep law and order on Mars? This article digs into various facets of concern, from the physics of hand-to-hand combat in low gravity to the ethical implications of humans living in an environment controlled all the way down to the air they breath. There’s a lot to digest here, but it’s interesting to think about.
The Atlantic Reaching the next generation
“The idea of the next generation and beyond being able to choose between a life here on Earth or a life of exploration and research in space is a truly exciting one. But does the next generation know it? Probably not.
…more has to be done to reach folks at a younger age, and really convince them that what they are seeing is not only possible but accessible to them in the future.”
More about terraforming
Here’s a recent webinar on terraforming Mars from the NASA MAVEN Mission to Mars youtube channel. The TL;DR is that it will be monumentally difficult, but sooner or later we are likely to try it. In the meantime, we shouldn’t get hung up on the feasibility of the endeavour as we make plans for exploring and colonizing Mars.
Along the way is a great deal of information on the history of Mars, including the questionable relevancy of its lack of magnetic field, and details on what it would take to terraform a planet.
Terraforming, counterpoint…
“The article’s basic mistake is in thinking Mars is a closed system. But no planet is a closed system.”
X (formerly Twitter) Whither terraforming?
Humans love the idea of a rebel. But only the idea. Take action too far outside the box of current experience and you begin to hear the Greek Chorus of naysayers heckling you, gleefully glomming onto anything that might pull you back within accepted norms.
Such has been the case recently regarding a paper in the journal Nature Astronomy, which reported that there does not appear to be enough CO2 on Mars to allow for terraforming. I can’t count the number of articles that have floated through my various feeds starting with the mocking phrase “Sorry Elon…” Google it yourself and see what I mean.
We have an obligation
“Colonizing other planets will be a multicentury effort. Nobody alive today will see the end of this project. But, in a way, that’s really cool. It forces us to be farsighted, to take the long view.”
A short article that includes a longer podcast. Both are worth the time.
