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Space colonization - New World Encyclopedia

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Space colonization - New World Encyclopedia

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Main idea:
General information is given. More of an explanation rather than an ethical analysis. Scientifical arguments are mainly given, with viability very taken into account.

Arguments/facts:
- Communication will be very difficult due to very long distances which even light and radiocommunication waves spend high time travelling through.
- Radiation will be a great challenge, as enormous protection is needed.
- No life will be possible outside the very controlled space of the colony (going for a walk outside, for example, if no atmosphere or extreme temperatures are presented)
- There would be a space problem, if no huge amounts of resources want to be spent.

Dialogue:
Will the colonies get isolated from normal life in Earth (or other colonies)

Summary:
Life in outer space proves again to be a giant challenge. Problems like communication, radiation, extreme conditions and space appear. There is a big risk of our species losing its communication that caracterizes us now so much (we could get isolated and lose track of each other).

APA: New World Encyclopedia. Space colonization. Retrieved on (2022, February 2) from https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/space_colonization

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Space colonization (also called space settlement, space humanization, or space habitation) is the concept of permanent, autonomous (self-sufficient) human habitation of locations outside Earth. It is a major theme in science fiction, as well as a long-term goal of various national space programs.

Many people think of space colonies on the Moon or Mars, but others argue that the first colonies will be in orbit. Several design groups at NASA and elsewhere have examined orbital colony feasibility. They have determined that there are ample quantities of the necessary materials on the Moon and Near Earth Asteroids, that solar energy is readily available in large quantities, and that no new scientific breakthroughs are necessary. However, a great deal of engineering would be required.

To justify the colonization of space, supporters have given a variety of reasons, including survival of the human species (in case of nuclear warfare or other planetary catastrophe), protection of Earth's environment, access to additional natural resources, and the spreading of life in the universe. Critics of space colonization maintain that such attempts would be a waste of time and a drain on financial resources, which could be better spent on alleviating problems such as hunger, poverty, and disease. They also note that, whatever the merits, human travel beyond the Solar System is not feasible in any reasonable time period. To counter these arguments, advocates of space colonization observe that the pursuit of such a goal would stimulate the cooperative and unified efforts of people of various nationalities, and that the financial expense has been greatly overestimated.

Requirements

Building colonies in space would require a combination of many factors, including access to space, food, construction materials, energy, transportation, communications, life support, simulated gravity (using steady circular rotation), entertainment, and radiation protection. Several of these factors are discussed below.

Colonies on the Moon and Mars could use local materials, although the Moon is deficient in volatiles (principally hydrogen, carbon, and nitrogen) but possesses a great deal of oxygen, silicon, and metals such as iron, aluminum, and titanium. Launching of materials from Earth is very expensive, so bulk materials could come from the Moon or Near-Earth Objects (NEOs, such as asteroids and comets with orbits near Earth), Phobos, or Deimos, where gravitational forces are much less, there is no atmosphere, and there is no biosphere to damage. Many NEOs contain substantial amounts of metals, oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon. Certain NEOs may also contain some nitrogen.

Farther out, Jupiter's Trojan asteroids are thought to be high in water ice and probably other volatiles.

Solar energy in orbit is abundant and reliable, and it is commonly used to power satellites today. There is no night in space, and no clouds or atmosphere to block sunlight. The solar energy available (in watts per square meter) at distance d from the Sun can be calculated by the formula E = 1366/ d ², where d is measured in astronomical units.

Particularly in the weightless conditions of space, sunlight can be used directly, using large solar ovens made of lightweight metallic foil so as to generate thousands of degrees of heat at no cost; or reflected onto crops to enable photosynthesis to proceed.

Large structures would be needed to convert sunlight into significant amounts of electrical power for settlers' use. In highly electrified nations on Earth, per-capita electrical consumption can average 1 kilowatt/person (or roughly 10 megawatt-hours per person per year.)

Energy has been suggested as an eventual export item for space settlements, perhaps using microwave beams to send power to Earth or the Moon.

The Moon has nights of two Earth weeks in duration and Mars has night, dust, and is farther from the Sun, reducing solar energy available by a factor of about 1/2-1/3, and possibly making nuclear power more attractive on these bodies.

For both solar thermal and nuclear power generation in airless environments, such as the Moon and space, and to a lesser extent the very thin Martian atmosphere, one of the main difficulties is dispersing the inevitable heat generated. This requires fairly large radiator areas. Alternatively, the waste heat can be used to melt ice on the poles of a planet like Mars.

Transportation

Space access

Transportation to orbit is often the limiting factor in space endeavors. Present-day launch costs are very high-$25,000 to $78,000 per kilogram from Earth to Low Earth Orbit (LEO). To settle space, much cheaper launch vehicles are required, as well as a way to avoid serious damage to the atmosphere from the thousands, perhaps millions, of launches required. One possibility is air-breathing hypersonic air/spacecraft under development by NASA and other organizations, both public and private. There are also proposed projects such as building a space elevator or a mass driver.

Cislunar and solar system travel

Transportation of large quantities of materials from the Moon, Phobos, Deimos, and Near Earth asteroids to orbital settlement construction sites would probably be necessary.

Transportation using off-Earth resources for propellant in relatively conventional rockets would be expected to massively reduce in-space transportation costs compared to the present day. Propellant launched from the Earth is likely to be prohibitively expensive for space colonization, even with improved space access costs.

Other technologies-such as tether propulsion, Variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket (VASIMR), ion drives, solar thermal rockets, solar sails, and nuclear thermal propulsion-can all potentially help solve the problems of high transport costs once in space.

For lunar materials, one well-studied possibility is to build electronic catapults to launch bulk materials to waiting settlements. Alternatively, Lunar space elevators might be employed.

Communications

Compared to the other requirements, communication systems are relatively easy to set up for Earth orbits and settlements on the Moon. Much of the current terrestrial communications already pass through satellites. Communications to Mars suffer from significant delays due to the speed of light and the greatly varying distance between conjunction and opposition-the lag would range between 7 and 44 minutes-making real-time communication impractical. Other means of communication that do not require live interaction, such as e-mail and voice mail systems, would pose no problem.

Life support

People need air, water, food, gravity, and reasonable temperatures to survive for long periods. On Earth, a large, complex biosphere provides these. In space settlements, a relatively small, closed ecological system must recycle or import all the nutrients without "crashing."

The closest terrestrial analogue to space life support is possibly that of Nuclear submarines. Nuclear submarines use mechanical life support systems to support humans for months without surfacing, and this same basic technology could presumably be employed for space use. However, nuclear submarines run "open loop" and typically dump carbon dioxide overboard, although they recycle oxygen. Recycling of the carbon dioxide has been approached in the literature using the Sabatier process or the Bosch reaction.

Alternatively, and more attractive to many, the Biosphere 2 project in Arizona has shown that a complex, small, enclosed, man-made biosphere can support eight people for at least a year, although there were many problems. A year or so into the two-year mission, oxygen had to be replenished, which strongly suggests that they achieved atmospheric closure.

The relationship between organisms, their habitat and the non-Earth environment can be:

Organisms and their habitat fully isolated from the environment (examples include artificial biosphere, Biosphere 2, life support system)

Changing the environment to become a life-friendly habitat, a process called terraforming.

Changing organisms (by genetic engineering) to become more compatible with the environment.

A combination of the above technologies is also possible.

Radiation protection

Cosmic rays and solar flares create a lethal radiation environment in space. In Earth orbit, the Van Allen belts make living above the Earth's atmosphere difficult. To protect life, settlements must be surrounded by sufficient mass to absorb most incoming radiation. Somewhere around 5-10 tons of material per square meter of surface area is required. This can be achieved cheaply with leftover material (slag) from processing lunar soil and asteroids into oxygen, metals, and other useful materials; however, it represents a significant obstacle to maneuvering vessels with such massive bulk. Inertia would necessitate powerful thrusters to start or stop rotation.

Population size

According to one proposed scenario, "self-replication" could be an "ultimate" goal, on the assumption that it would lead to a more rapid increase in colonies, while eliminating costs to and dependence on Earth. However, if such a goal were to imply human self-replication, it would treat people as machines, requiring genetic experimentation on humans and expecting that human nature and the human desire for a spouse and family life can be by-passed in some cavalier fashion.

In another scenario proposed in 2002, anthropologist John H. Moore estimated that a population of 150-180 would allow normal reproduction for 60 to 80 generations-equivalent to 2,000 years.

Researchers in conservation biology have tended to adopt the "50/500" rule of thumb initially advanced by Franklin and Soule. This rule says a short-term effective population size (N e) of 50 is needed to prevent an unacceptable rate of inbreeding, while a long-term N e of 500 is required to maintain overall genetic variability. The prescription corresponds to an inbreeding rate of 1 percent per generation, approximately half the maximum rate tolerated by domestic animal breeders. The value attempts to balance the rate of gain in genetic variation due to mutation with the rate of loss due to genetic drift.

Effective population size N e depends on the number of males N m and females N f in the population, according to the formula:

Location is a frequent point of contention between space colonization advocates.

The location of colonization can be:

Planetary locations

Planetary colonization advocates cite the following potential locations:

Mars is often the topic of discussion regarding " terraforming"-the process of making the entire planet or at least large portions of it habitable. Its overall surface area is similar to the dry land surface of Earth, it may have large water reserves, and has carbon (locked as carbon dioxide in the atmosphere).

Mars may have gone through similar geological and hydrological processes as Earth and may contain valuable mineral ores, but this is debated. Equipment is available to extract in situ resources (water, air, and so forth) from the Martian ground and atmosphere. There is a strong scientific interest in colonizing Mars due to the possibility that life might have existed on Mars at some point in its history, and may even still exist (in the form of microbes) in some parts of the planet.

However, its atmosphere is very thin, averaging 800 Pa, or about 0.8 percent of Earth's sea-level atmospheric pressure. Thus, the pressure vessels necessary to support life would be very similar to deep-space structures. Also, the climate of Mars is colder than Earth's. Its gravity is only around a third that of Earth; it is unknown whether this is sufficient to support human life for long periods.

The atmosphere is thin enough, when coupled with Mars' lack of magnetic field, that radiation is more intense on the surface, and radiation shielding would be needed for protection from solar storms.

It has been suggested that Mercury could be colonized using the same technology, approach, and equipment that would be used for colonization of the Moon. Such colonies would almost certainly be restricted to the polar regions, due to the extreme daytime temperatures elsewhere on the planet.

Although the surface of Venus is far too hot and features atmospheric pressure at least 90 times that at sea level on Earth, its massive atmosphere offers a possible alternate location for colonization. At a height of approximately 50 km, the pressure is reduced to a few atmospheres, and the temperature would be between 40-100° C, depending on the height. This part of the atmosphere is probably within dense clouds that contain some sulfuric acid. The clouds could be a possible source for the extraction of water.

It may be possible to colonize the three farthest gas giants with "floating cities" in their atmospheres. The speculation is that hot, hydrogen-containing balloons would be used to suspend large masses at roughly Earth gravity. Jupiter would be less suitable for habitation due to its high gravity, escape velocity, and radiation.

Satellite locations

Due to its proximity and relative familiarity, Earth's Moon is frequently discussed as a target for colonization. It has the benefits of close proximity to Earth and lower escape velocity, allowing for easier exchange of goods and services. A major drawback of the Moon is its low abundance of volatiles necessary for life, such as hydrogen and oxygen. Water ice deposits that may exist in some polar craters could serve as a source for these elements. An alternative solution would be to bring hydrogen from Earth and combine it with oxygen extracted from lunar rock.

The Moon's low surface gravity (about one-sixth g) is also a concern.

The Artemis Project designed a plan to colonize Europa, one of Jupiter's moons. Scientists were to inhabit igloos and drill down into the Europan ice crust, exploring any sub-surface ocean. This plan also discusses the possible use of "air pockets" for human habitation.

Phobos and Deimos

The moons of Mars have been proposed as targets for space colonization. Low delta-v (change in velocity by the thrust of rocket engines) is needed to reach the Earth from Phobos and Deimos, allowing delivery of material to cislunar space, as well as transport around the Martian system. The moons themselves may be inhabited, with methods similar to those for asteroids.

Titan has been suggested as a target for colonization, because it is the only moon in the solar system to have a dense atmosphere and is rich in carbon-bearing compounds.

Free space locations

Space habitats

Locations in space would necessitate a space habitat, also called space colony and orbital colony, or a space station that would be intended as a permanent settlement rather than as a simple way-station or other specialized facility. They would be literal "cities" in space, where people would live and work and raise families. Many design proposals have been made, with varying degrees of realism, by both science fiction authors and engineers.

A space habitat would also serve as a proving ground for how well a generation ship could function as a long-term home for hundreds or thousands of people. Such a space habitat could be isolated from the rest of humanity for a century, but near enough to Earth for help. This would test if thousands of humans can survive a century on their own before sending them beyond the reach of any help.

Earth orbit

Compared to other locations, Earth orbit has substantial advantages and one major, but solvable, problem. Orbits close to Earth can be reached in hours, whereas the Moon is days away and trips to Mars take months. There is ample continuous solar power in high Earth orbits, whereas all planets lose sunlight at least half the time. Weightlessness makes construction of large colonies considerably easier than in a gravity environment. Astronauts have demonstrated moving multi-ton satellites by hand. Zero-g recreation is available on orbital colonies, but not on the Moon or Mars. Finally, the level of (pseudo-) gravity is controlled at any desired level by rotating an orbital colony. Thus, the main living areas can be kept at 1g, whereas the Moon has 1/6g and Mars 1/3g. It's not known what the minimum g-force is for ongoing health but 1g is known to ensure that children grow up with strong bones and muscles.

The main disadvantage of orbital colonies is lack of materials. These may be expensively imported from the Earth, or more cheaply from extraterrestrial sources, such as the Moon (which has ample metals, silicon, and oxygen), Near Earth Asteroids, which have all the materials needed (with the possible exception of nitrogen), comets, or elsewhere.

Lagrange points

Another near-Earth possibility are the five Earth-Moon Lagrange points. Although they would generally also take a few days to reach with current technology, many of these points would have near-continuous solar power capability, since their distance from Earth would result in only brief and infrequent eclipses of light from the Sun.

The five Earth-Sun Lagrange points would totally eliminate eclipses, but only L1 and L2 would be reachable in a few days' time. The other three Earth-Sun points would require months to reach. However, the fact that Lagrange points L4 and L5 tend to collect dust and debris, while L1-L3 require active station-keeping measures to maintain a stable position, make them somewhat less suitable places for habitation than was originally believed.

The Asteroids

Many small asteroids in orbit around the Sun have the advantage that they pass closer than Earth's Moon several times per decade. In between these close approaches to home, the asteroid may travel out to a furthest distance of some 350,000,000 kilometers from the Sun (its aphelion) and 500,000,000 kilometers from Earth.

Colonization of asteroids would require space habitats. The asteroid belt has significant overall material available, although it is thinly distributed, as it covers a vast region of space. Unmanned supply craft may be practical with little technological advance, even crossing 1/2 billion kilometers of cold vacuum. One concern for the colonists would be to assure that their asteroid did not hit Earth or any other body of significant mass, yet they would have extreme difficulty in moving an asteroid of any size. The orbits of the Earth and most asteroids are very distant from each other in terms of delta-v, and the asteroidal bodies have enormous momentum. Rockets or mass drivers can perhaps be installed on asteroids to direct their paths along safe courses.

Beyond the solar system

Colonization of the entire Solar System would take hundreds or thousands of years. Looking beyond the solar system, there are billions of potential suns with possible colonization targets. For example, the star Tau Ceti, about eleven light years away, has an abundance of cometary and asteroidal material in orbit around it. It has been proposed that these materials could be used for the construction of space habitats for human settlement.

Physicist Stephen Hawking has said:

The long-term survival of the human race is at risk as long as it is confined to a single planet. Sooner or later, disasters such as an asteroid collision or nuclear war could wipe us all out. But once we spread out into space and establish independent colonies, our future should be safe. There isn't anywhere like the Earth in the solar system, so we would have to go to another star.

An interstellar colony ship would be similar to a space habitat, except with major propulsion capabilities and independent energy generation.

Concepts proposed by scientists and in hard science fiction include:

Generation ship: A hypothetical starship that would travel much slower than light between stars, with the crew going through multiple generations before the journey is complete.

Sleeper ship: A hypothetical starship in which most or all of the crew spend the journey in some form of hibernation or suspended animation.

Embryo carrying Interstellar Starship (EIS): A hypothetical starship much smaller than a generation ship or sleeper ship, transporting human embryos in a frozen state to an exoplanet.

Starship using nuclear fusion or antimatter propulsion.

Project Orion: A concept proposed by Freeman Dyson that could use nuclear bombs to propel a starship.

A continually accelerating starship: It would use a propulsion device such as a solar sail to approach the speed of light, allowing short subjective time to the crew, because of time dilation.

Terrestrial analogs to space colonies

The most famous attempt to build an analogue to a self-sufficient colony is Biosphere 2, which attempted to duplicate Earth's biosphere.

Many space agencies build testbeds for advanced life support systems, but these are designed for long duration human spaceflight, not permanent colonization.

Remote research stations in inhospitable climates, such as the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station or Devon Island Mars Arctic Research Station, can also provide some practice for off-world outpost construction and operation. The Mars Desert Research Station has a habitat for similar reasons, but the surrounding climate is not strictly inhospitable.

Why colonize space?

In September 2005, NASA chief Michael Griffin made the following statement in which he identified space colonization as the ultimate goal of current spaceflight programs:

...the goal isn't just scientific exploration... it's also about extending the range of human habitat out from Earth into the solar system as we go forward in time.... In the long run a single-planet species will not survive... If we humans want to survive for hundreds of thousands or millions of years, we must ultimately populate other planets. Now, today the technology is such that this is barely conceivable. We're in the infancy of it... I'm talking about that one day, I don't know when that day is, but there will be more human beings who live off the Earth than on it. We may well have people living on the moon. We may have people living on the moons of Jupiter and other planets. We may have people making habitats on asteroids... I know that humans will colonize the solar system and one day go beyond.

In 2001, the space news website Space.com asked Freeman Dyson, J. Richard Gott, and Sid Goldstein for reasons why some humans should live in space. Their answers included the following points:

Spread life and beauty throughout the universe.

Ensure the survival of the human species.

Make money from solar power satellites, asteroid mining, and space manufacturing.

Save the Earth's environment by moving people and industry into space.

Provide entertainment value, to distract from immediate surroundings.

Ensure sufficient supply of valuable materials that may soon be in short supply-materials such as natural gas and drinking water.

Louis J. Halle, formerly of the United States Department of State, wrote in Foreign Affairs (Summer 1980) that the colonization of space will protect humanity in the event of global nuclear warfare.

The scientist Paul Davies also supports the view that if a planetary catastrophe threatens the survival of the human species on Earth, a self-sufficient colony could "reverse-colonize" the Earth and restore human civilization.

Author and journalist William E. Burrows and biochemist Robert Shapiro proposed a private project, the Alliance to Rescue Civilization, with the goal of establishing an off-Earth backup of human civilization.

Another reason used to justify space colonization is the effort to increase human knowledge and technological abilities.

Arguments for and against

Objections

There are some who object to the idea of colonizing space as being "too expensive and a waste of time." According to this view, there is nothing in space that is really needed, adding that moving beyond the solar system is totally impractical in any "reasonable" time scale.

One pragmatic argument suggests that if even half the money of space exploration were spent for terrestrial betterment, there would be greater good for a greater number of people, at least in the short term. This argument assumes that money not spent on space would automatically go toward socially beneficial projects. It also assumes that space colonization is not itself a valuable goal.

Some anti-space arguments have gone so far as to suggest that space colonization is a remnant of historical colonization, and the desire to conquer territory. It is even said by some that the objective of colonizing space adds fuel to the patriotic dogma of conquest, and thus reinforces negative national prejudice rather than helping to unify Earth.

As an alternative or addendum for the future of the human race, many science fiction writers have focused on the realm of the "inner-space," that is the (computer aided) exploration of the human mind and human consciousness.

Counter arguments

The argument of need: The population of Earth continues to increase, while its carrying capacity and available resources do not. If the resources of space are opened to use and viable life-supporting habitats can be built, the Earth will no longer define the limits of growth. Since the population increase is projected to continue, living space is and will remain an important need for the foreseeable future.

The argument of cost: Many people greatly overestimate how much money is spent on space, and underestimate how much money is spent on defense or health care. For example, as of June 13, 2006, over $320 billion had been allocated by the U.S. Congress for the war in Iraq. By comparison, NASA's yearly budget averages only about $15 billion a year.

The argument of nationalism: Space proponents counter this argument by pointing out that humanity as a whole has been exploring and expanding into new territory since long before Europe's colonial age, going back into prehistory (the nationalist argument also ignores multinational cooperative space efforts). Also, seeing the Earth as a single, discrete object instills a powerful sense of the unity and connectedness of the human environment and of the immateriality of political borders. Moreover, in practice, international collaboration in space has shown its value as a unifying and cooperative endeavor.

Literature

The literature for space colonization began in 1869, when Edward Everett Hale wrote about an inhabited artificial satellite.

The Russian schoolmaster and physicist Konstantin Tsiolkowsky foresaw elements of the space community in his book, Beyond Planet Earth, written about 1900. Tsiolkowsky had his space travelers building greenhouses and raising crops in space.

Others have also written about space colonies, such as Lasswitz in 1897, and Bernal, Oberth, Von Pirquet, and Noordung in the 1920s. Wernher von Braun contributed his ideas in a 1952 Colliers article. In the 1950s and 1960s, Dandridge Cole and Krafft Ehricke published their ideas.

Another seminal book on the subject was the book, The High Frontier: Human Colonies in Space, by Gerard K. O'Neill in 1977, which was followed the same year by Colonies in Space by T. A. Heppenheimer.

Paul Eckart wrote Lunar Base Handbook in 1999; M. Dyson wrote Home on the Moon; Living on a Space Frontier in 2003; and Harrison Schmitt published Return to the Moon, written in 2007.

Advocacy organizations

Space advocacy organizations include:

The Alliance to Rescue Civilization plans to establish backups of human civilization on the Moon and other locations away from Earth.

The Colonize the Cosmos site advocates orbital colonies.

The Artemis Project plans to set up a private lunar surface station.

The British Interplanetary Society, founded in 1933, is the world's longest established space society.

The Living Universe Foundation has a detailed plan in which the entire galaxy is colonized.

The Mars Society promotes Robert Zubrin's Mars Direct plan and the settlement of Mars.

The National Space Society is an organization with the vision of "people living and working in thriving communities beyond the Earth."

The Planetary Society is the largest space interest group, but has an emphasis on robotic exploration and the search for extraterrestrial life.

The Space Frontier Foundation promotes strong free market, capitalist views about space development.

The Space Settlement Institute is searching for ways to make space colonization happen in our lifetimes.

The Space Studies Institute was founded by Gerard K. O'Neill to fund the study of space habitats.

Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS) is a student organization founded in 1980 at MIT and Princeton.

Foresight Nanotechnology Institute-The space challenge.

References

Eckart, Peter. 1999. The Lunar Base Handbook: An Introduction to Lunar Base Design, Development, and Operations. Space Technology Series. New York: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0072401710

Lewis, John S. 1996. Mining the Sky: Untold Riches from the Asteroids, Comets, and Planets. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley Pub. Co. ISBN 0201328194

O'Neill, Gerard K. 2000. The High Frontier: Human Colonies in Space. Burlington, Ont: Apogee Books. ISBN 189652267X

Schmidt, Stanley and Robert Zubrin, eds. 1996. Islands in the Sky: Bold New Ideas for Colonizing Space. Wiley Popular Science. New York: Wiley. ISBN 0471135615

Schmitt, Harrison H. 2006. Return to the Moon: Exploration, Enterprise, and Energy in the Human Settlement of Space. New York: Copernicus Books, in association with Praxis Publishing. ISBN 978-0387242859

Zubrin, Robert. 2000. Entering Space: Creating a Spacefaring Civilization. New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam. ISBN 1585420360

Zubrin, Robert and Richard Wagner. 1997. The Case for Mars: The Plan to Settle the Red Planet and Why We Must. New York: Touchstone. ISBN 0684835509

External links

All links retrieved February 5, 2023.

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Space colonization (also called space settlement, space humanization, or space habitation ) is the concept of permanent, autonomous (self-sufficient) human habitation of locations outside Earth. It is a major theme in science fiction, as well as a long-term goal of various national space programs. Many people think of space colonies on the Moon or Mars, but others argue that the first colonies will be in orbit.

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Main idea:
Both in favour and against opinions are shown in the article. Both pros and cons are shown with ethical and scientific arguments.

Arguments/facts:
- Humans have a right and a moral duty to save our species from suffering and extinction. Colonizing space is one method of doing so.
- Space colonization is the next logical step in space exploration and human growth.
- Technological advancement into space can exist alongside conservation efforts on Earth.
- Humans living in space is impossible, as there are no planets with similar enough conditions to Earth.
- Humans have made a mess of Earth. We should clean it up instead of destroying a moon or another planet.
- Space is inhospitable to humans and life in space, if even possible, would be miserable.

Dialogue:
Do we really want to live if it has to be in such miserable conditions as we can find in space?
Should we really prioritize our survival if this implies having to go outside our planet?

Summary:
The article presents lots of problems and conflicts for space colonization, giving again the feeling that it is not correct or possible. It makes us think if science should really be the only priority in development, without taking into account ethics.

APA: ProCon.org, (2022, January 21). Space Colonization – Top 3 Pros and Cons. Retrieved from https://www.procon.org/headlines/space-colonization-top-3-pros-and-cons/

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While humans have long thought of gods living in the sky, the idea of space travel or humans living in space dates to at least 1610 after the invention of the telescope when German astronomer Johannes Kepler wrote to Italian astronomer Galileo: "Let us create vessels and sails adjusted to the heavenly ether, and there will be plenty of people unafraid of the empty wastes. In the meantime, we shall prepare, for the brave sky-travellers, maps of the celestial bodies."

In popular culture, space travel dates back to at least the mid-1600s when Cyrano de Bergerac first wrote of traveling to space in a rocket. Space fantasies flourished after Jules Verne's "From Earth to the Moon" was published in 1865, and again when RKO Pictures released a film adaptation, A Trip to the Moon, in 1902. Dreams of space settlement hit a zenith in the 1950s with Walt Disney productions such as "Man and the Moon," and science fiction novels including Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles (1950).

Fueling popular imagination at the time was the American space race with Russia, amid which NASA ( National Aeronautics and Space Administration) was formed in the United States on July 29, 1958, when President Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act into law. After the Russians put the first person, Yuri Gagarin, in space on Apr. 12, 1961, NASA put the first people, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, on the Moon in July 1969. What was science fiction began to look more like possibility. Over the next six decades, NASA would launch space stations, land rovers on Mars, fly past Pluto, and orbit Jupiter, among other accomplishments. Launched by President Trump in 2017, NASA's ongoing Artemis program intends to return humans to the Moon by 2024, landing the first woman on the lunar surface. The lunar launch is more likely to happen in 2025, due to a lag in space suit technology and delays with the Space Launch System rocket, the Orion capsule, and the lunar lander.

As of June 17, 2021, three countries had space programs with human space flight capabilities: China, Russia, and the United States. India's planned human space flights have been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, but they may launch in 2023. However, NASA ended its space shuttle program in 2011 when the shuttle Atlantis landed at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 21. NASA astronauts going into space afterward rode along with Russians until 2020 when SpaceX took over and first launched NASA astronauts into space on Apr. 23, 2021. SpaceX is a commercial space travel business owned by Elon Musk that has ignited commercial space travel enthusiasm and the idea of " space tourism." Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic and Jeff Be z o's Blue Origin have generated similar excitement.

Richard Branson launched himself, two pilots, and three mission specialists into space from New Mexico for a 90-minute flight on the Virgin Galactic Unity 22 mission on July 11, 2021. The flight marked the first time that passengers, rather than astronauts, went into space.

Jeff Bezos followed on July 20, 2021, accompanied by his brother, Mark, and both the oldest and youngest people to go to space: 82-year-old Wally Funk, a female pilot who tested with NASA in the 1960s but never flew, and Oliver Daemen, an 18-year-old student from the Netherlands. The fully automated, unpiloted Blue Origin New Shepard rocket launched on the 52nd anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing and was named after Alan Shepard, who was the first American to travel into space on May 5, 1961.

On Apr. 8, 2022, a SpaceX capsule launched, carrying three paying customers and a former NASA astronaut on a roundtrip to the International Space Station (ISS). Mission AX-1 docked at the ISS on Apr. 9 with former NASA astronaut, current Axiom Space employee, and mission commander, Michael Lopez-Alegría, Israeli businessman Eytan Stibbe, Canadian investor Mark Pathy, and American real estate magnate Larry Connor. The group returned to Earth on Apr. 25, 2022. While this is not the first time paying customers or non-astronauts have traveled to ISS (Russia has sold Soyuz seats), this is the first American mission and the first with no government astronaut corps members.

The International Space Station has been continuously occupied by groups of six astronauts since Nov. 2000, for a total of 243 astronauts from 19 countries as of May 13, 2021. Astronauts spend an average of 182 days (about six months) aboard the ISS. As of Feb. 2020, Russian Valery Polyakov had spent the longest continuous time in space (437.7 days in 1994-1995 on space station Mir), followed by Russian Sergei Avdeyev (379.6 days in 1998-1999 on Mir), Russians Vladimir Titov and Musa Manarov (365 days in 1987-1988 on Mir), American Mark Vande Hei (355 days on ISS) Russian Mikhail Kornienko and American Scott Kelly (340.4 days in 2015-2016 on Mir and ISS respectively), and American Christina Koch (328 days in 2019-20 in ISS).

In Jan. 2022, Space Entertainment Enterprise (SEE) announced plans for a film production studio and a sports arena in space. The module will be named SEE-1 and will dock on Axiom Station, which is the commercial wing of the International Space Station. SEE plans to host film and sports events, as well as content creation by Dec. 2024.

In a 2018 poll, 50% of Americans believed space tourism will be routine for ordinary people by 2068. 32% believed long-term habitable space colonies will be built by 2068. But 58% said they were definitely or probably not interested in going to space. And the majority (63%) stated NASA's top priority should be monitoring Earth's climate, while only 18% said sending astronauts to Mars should be the highest priority and only 13% would prioritize sending astronauts to the Moon.

The most common ideas for space colonization include: settling Earth's Moon, building on Mars, and constructing free-floating space stations.

Should Humans Colonize Space?

Pro 1

Humans have a right and a moral duty to save our species from suffering and extinction. Colonizing space is one method of doing so.

Elon Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX, stated, "I think there is a strong humanitarian argument for making life multi-planetary, in order to safeguard the existence of humanity in the event that something catastrophic were to happen, in which case being poor or having a disease would be irrelevant, because humanity would be extinct. It would be like, 'Good news, the problems of poverty and disease have been solved, but the bad news is there aren't any humans left.'... I think we have a duty to maintain the light of consciousness, to make sure it continues into the future."

According to some philosophies, humans are the only beings capable of morality, and, thus, preserving humanity is the highest moral imperative. Following from that premise, Brian Patrick Green, Director of Technology Ethics at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University, concluded, "Because space settlement gives humankind the opportunity to significantly raise the chances of survival for our species, it is therefore a moral imperative to settle space as quickly as possible."

Some theorists, including Gonzalo Munevar, PhD, interdisciplinary Professor Emeritus at Lawrence Technological University, believe colonizing space will increase clean energy on Earth, provide access to the solar system's resources, and increase knowledge of space and Earth. The benefits to humanity created by the resources and knowledge "create a moral obligation to colonize space."

Sheri Wells-Jensen, PhD, Associate Professor of English at Bowling Green State University, argues that the moral imperative goes even further than simple preservation: "[W]e have a moral obligation to improve: that is, to colonize yes, but to do it better: to actively unthink systems of oppression that we know exist. To spread ourselves without thought or care would probably result in failure: more planets spiraling toward global warming or space settlements filled with social unrest."
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Pro 2

Space colonization is the next logical step in space exploration and human growth.

Fred Kennedy, PhD, President of Momentus, a space transportation company, explained, "I'll assert that a fundamental truth - repeatedly borne out by history - is that expanding, outwardly-focused civilizations are far less likely to turn on themselves, and far more likely to expend their fecundity on growing habitations, conducting important research and creating wealth for their citizens. A civilization that turns away from discovery and growth stagnates." Kennedy pointed out that while humans still have problems to resolve on Earth including civil rights violations and wealth inequality, "Forgoing opportunities to expand our presence into the cosmos to achieve better outcomes here at home hasn't eliminated these scourges." We shouldn't avoid exploring space based on the false dichotomy of fixing Earthly problems first.

Humans are not a species of stagnation. Jeff Bezos, Founder of Amazon.com who traveled to space in 2021, asserted that exploring space would result in expanded human genius: "The solar system can easily support a trillion humans. And if we had a trillion humans, we would have a thousand Einsteins and a thousand Mozarts and unlimited, for all practical purposes, resources and solar power unlimited for all practical purposes."

Space, in particular, is connected to exploration and growth in the human imagination. In 2014 Elon Musk stated, "It's obvious that space is deeply ingrained in the American psyche... SpaceX is only 12 years old now. Between now and 2040, the company's lifespan will have tripled. If we have linear improvement in technology, as opposed to logarithmic, then we should have a significant base on Mars, perhaps with thousands or tens of thousands of people."
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Pro 3

Technological advancement into space can exist alongside conservation efforts on Earth.

While Earth is experiencing devastating climate change effects that should be addressed, Earth will be habitable for at least 150 million years, if not over a billion years, based on current predictive models. Humans have time to explore and colonize space at the same time as we mend the effects of climate change on Earth.

Brian Patrick Green stated, "Furthermore, we have to realize that solving Earth's environmental problems is extremely difficult and so will take a very long time. And we can do this while also pursuing colonization."

Jeff Bezos suggested that we move all heavy industry off Earth and then zone Earth for residences and light industry only. Doing so could reverse some of the effects of climate change while colonizing space.

Munevar also suggested something similar in more detail: "In the shorter term, a strong human presence throughout the solar system will be able to prevent catastrophes on Earth by, for example, deflecting asteroids on a collision course with us. This would also help preserve the rest of terrestrial life - presumably something the critics would approve of. But eventually, we should be able to construct space colonies... [structures in free space rather than on a planet or moon], which could house millions. These colonies would be positioned to construct massive solar power satellites to provide clean power to the Earth, as well as set up industries that on Earth create much environmental damage. Far from messing up environments that exist now, we would be creating them, with extraordinary attention to environmental sustainability."

Space Ecologist Joe Mascaro, PhD, summarized, "To save the Earth, we have to go to Mars." Mascaro argues that expanding technology to go to Mars will help solve problems on Earth: "The challenge of colonising Mars shares remarkable DNA with the challenges we face here on Earth. Living on Mars will require mastery of recycling matter and water, producing food from barren and arid soil, generating carbon-free nuclear and solar energy, building advanced batteries and materials, and extracting and storing carbon from atmospheric carbon dioxide - and doing it all at once. The dreamers, thinkers and explorers who decide to go to Mars will, by necessity, fuel unprecedented lateral innovations [that will solve problems on Earth]."
Read More

Con 1

Humans living in space is pure science fiction.

Briony Horgan, PhD, Assistant Professor of Planetary Science at Purdue University, explained that terraforming Mars is "way beyond any kind of technology we're going to have any time soon."

In one widely promoted plan, Mars needs to first be warmed to closer to Earth's average temperature (from -60 °C/-76 °F to 15 °C/59 °F), which will take approximately 100 years. Then the planet must be made to produce oxygen so humans and other mammals can breathe, which will take about 100,000 years or more. And those two steps can only be taken once Mars is thoroughly investigated for water, carbon dioxide, and nitrates.

A 2018 NASA study concluded that, based on the levels of CO2 found on Mars, the above plan is not feasible. Lead author Bruce Jakosky, PhD, Professor of Geological Sciences at the University of Colorado at Boulder, stated, "terraforming Mars is not possible using present-day technology."

If a workable solution were found and implemented, a project of that magnitude would cost billions, perhaps trillions.

Billionaire Elon Musk explained that the SpaceX Mars colonization project would need one million people to pay $200,000 each just to move to and colonize Mars, which doesn't include the costs incurred before humans left Earth. Returning to the Moon would have cost an estimated $104 billion in 2005 (about $133 billion in 2019 dollars), or almost 7 times NASA's entire 2019 budget.

But, a person has yet to set foot on Mars, and no space station has been built on another planet or natural satellite.

Further, as Linda Billings, PhD, Research Professor at George Washington University, noted, "all life on Earth evolved to live in Earth conditions... If humans can't figure out how to adapt to, or arrest, changing conditions on Earth - then I can't see how humans could figure out how to adapt to a totally alien environment."
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Con 2

Humans have made a mess of Earth. We should clean it up instead of destroying a moon or another planet.

If humans have the technology, knowledge, and ability to transform an uninhabitable planet, moon, or other place in space into an appealing home for humans, then surely we have the technology, knowledge, and ability to fix the problems we've created on Earth.

Lori Marino, PhD, Founder and Executive Director of the Kimmela Center for Animal Advocacy, asserted, "[W]e are not capable of enacting a successful colonization of another planet. The fact that we have destroyed our home planet is prima facie evidence of this assertion. It is sheer hubris to even consider the question of whether we should 'go or not go' as if we are deciding which movie to see this weekend because we really are not in a position to make that choice... What objective person would hire humanity to colonize a virgin planet, given its abysmal past performance in caring for the Earth's ecosystem (overpopulation, climate change, mass extinctions)?"

Some assert that leaving Earth in shambles proves we are not ready to colonize space in terms of cultural, social, or moral infrastructure, regardless of technological advancements.

John Traphagan, PhD, Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, argued, "Colonization has the odor of running away from the problems we've created here; if we do that, we will simply bring those problems with us. We need a major change in how we think about what it means to be human-we need to stop seeing our species as special and start seeing it as part of a collection of species. In my view, as long as we bring the... [idea] of human exceptionalism with us to other worlds, we are doomed to repeat the same mistakes we have made here."
Read More

Con 3

Space is inhospitable to humans and life in space, if even possible, would be miserable.

As novelist Andy Weir explained, "The problem is that you still don't want to send humans to the moon. You want to send robots. Humans are soft and squishy and they die. Robots are hard and nobody gets upset when they die."

Bioethicist George Dvorsky summarized the hostile nature of Mars: "The Red Planet is a cold, dead place, with an atmosphere about 100 times thinner than Earth's. The paltry amount of air that does exist on Mars is primarily composed of noxious carbon dioxide, which does little to protect the surface from the Sun's harmful rays. Air pressure on Mars is very low; at 600 Pascals, it's only about 0.6 percent that of Earth. You might as well be exposed to the vacuum of space, resulting in a severe form of the bends-including ruptured lungs, dangerously swollen skin and body tissue, and ultimately death. The thin atmosphere also means that heat cannot be retained at the surface. The average temperature on Mars is -81 degrees Fahrenheit (-63 degrees Celsius), with temperatures dropping as low as -195 degrees F (-126 degrees C)."

Meanwhile, lunar dust is made of shards of silica and cuts like glass. The dust clung to the space suits of Apollo astronauts, scratching their visors and getting in their eyes and throats, which could result in bronchitis or cancer. And the radiation on the Moon is about 200 times higher than on Earth, in addition to other problems colonizing the Moon would cause humans.

Humans would have a host of illnesses to deal with due to climate differences on Mars or the Moon: cancer, radiation illnesses, reproductive problems (or sterility), muscle degeneration, bone loss, skin burns, cardiovascular disease, depression, boredom, an inability to concentrate, high blood pressure, immune disorders, metabolic disorders, visual disorders, balance and sensorimotor problems, structural changes in the brain, nausea, dizziness, weakness, cognitive decline, and altered gene function, among others. Astronauts who have spent just a year in space have demonstrated irreversible health problems.

Humans haven't even attempted to live in Antarctica or under Earth's seas, which have many fewer challenges for human bodies, so why would humans want to live on a planet or on the Moon that's likely to kill them fairly immediately?
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Discussion Questions
1. Should humans colonize space? Why or why not?

2. If humans were to colonize space, where should we start: Mars, Earth's Moon, or another celestial body? And what should be done on that body: residences, industrialization, or another purpose? Explain your answer(s).

3. If humans were to colonize space, how could life on Earth change? And would these changes be good or bad? Explain your answer(s).
Take Action
1. Analyze Christopher Schaberg's position that " We're Already Colonizing Mars."

2. Consider the language used to talk about humans living in space with Bill Nye.

3. Explore George Dvorsky's position that " Humans Will Never Colonize Mars."

4. Consider how you felt about the issue before reading this article. After reading the pros and cons on this topic, has your thinking changed? If so, how? List two to three ways. If your thoughts have not changed, list two to three ways your better understanding of the "other side of the issue" now helps you better argue your position.

5. Push for the position and policies you support by writing US national senators and representatives.
Sources

38.

Jackie Wattles, "A SpaceX Tourism Mission Just Arrived at the ISS. Here's Everything You Need to Know," cnn.com, Apr. 9, 2022

39.

Associated Press, "The 1st Private Astronaut Mission to International Space Station Is Back on Earth," npr.org, Apr. 25, 2022

40.

Jasmine Wright, "Harris Congratulates NASA Astronaut Who Spent Record 355 Days in Space," cnn.com, Apr. 26, 2022

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Space Colonization - Pros & Cons - ProCon.org

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Proponents say space colonization is a way to save humans from extinction. Opponents say humans living in space is pure science fiction.

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Main idea: The main idea is to survive at Mars

Arguments/facts:

If we develop new techniques to survive, the planet earth will have more supplies in order to avoid extinction.

Surviving at other planets could be a good way to get used to be at the space or out of the planet Earth.

Dialogue:

How are they going to produce their food?
Will someone send rockets to obtain supplies?

Summary:

To be able to colonise mars, humans should develop new techniques to produce food or new plants. To grow something on that planet would mean facing a much lower gravity than that of our planet, with one third of the Earth's gravitational effect. Also another thing to mention is that on Mars there is not as much sunlight as on Earth, so that would be a real challenge for astronauts and scientists, collaborating with each other they would have to find a way to be able to grow crops in these conditions as we humans want to reach more planets.

APA

Mediavilla, D. (  2015, October 15th ) ¿Podría un astronauta solo sobrevivir en Marte? retrieved from

https://interestingengineering.com/spacex-is-preparing-for-a-mission-to-colonize-mars-by-2026

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Imagen de la película 'The Martian'. FOX

Si necesitásemos un planeta distinto de la Tierra para vivir, el único que nos daría alguna opción de supervivencia sería Marte. Los robots exploradores que han visitado aquel planeta nos han enviado imágenes de un mundo parecido a los desiertos terrestres, sin vegetación ni ríos a la vista, pero algo más acogedor que la espléndida desolación que encontraron los astronautas cuando llegaron a la Luna. Desde que a finales del siglo XIX el astrónomo italiano Giovanni Schiaparelli descubrió los canales que surcaban el planeta rojo, aquel mundo ha capturado la imaginación de los terrícolas y en él se concentraron las esperanzas de encontrar vida extraterrestre. La llegada de las primeras sondas a Marte y el intento fallido de las Viking de encontrar vida microscópica enfriaron un poco los ánimos en torno a un planeta mucho más hostil para la vida que cualquier desierto terrestre.

Según explica Victorino Parro, vicedirector del Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC) de Madrid, "aquella decepción cambió la manera de plantear las misiones a Marte, y ahora se trata de avanzar en el conocimiento de las condiciones que el planeta ofrece para la vida, con objetivos que se puedan cumplir, antes de lanzarse a buscar la vida en sí y arriesgarse a que suceda algo parecido a lo que pasó con las Viking". Esta cautela no ha impedido que se sigan enviando sofisticadas misiones a Marte, para estudiarlo desde la órbita, pero también con robots sobre la superficie. Junto a estos proyectos, algunos como el explorador Curiosity que alcanzan los 2.500 millones de euros de inversión, las agencias espaciales mundiales, y en particular la NASA, siguen trabajando para lograr los apoyos necesarios con los que enviar una misión tripulada a aquel planeta.

Mientras los ingenieros y los políticos se ponen de acuerdo en la mejor manera para llevar a humanos a un desierto abrasado por la radiación a millones de kilómetros de distancia, la ficción puede hacer más llevadera la espera. Mañana viernes se estrena en España Marte ( The Martian), de Ridley Scott. En esta historia, basada en la novela de Andy Weir El Marciano, se cuenta la epopeya de Mark Watney, un astronauta interpretado por Matt Damon que, tras ser dado por muerto, se queda solo en Marte. Abandonado por sus compañeros y sin un medio de transporte para regresar a la Tierra, se da cuenta de que tiene que asumir que es hombre muerto o apañárselas para sobrevivir durante cuatro años hasta la llegada de la siguiente misión de exploración marciana. Watney elige vivir y sabe que solo la ciencia le dará alguna posibilidad de escapar de aquel mundo.

En un evento organizado en el Centro de Astrobiología de Madrid (CAB) con motivo de la Semana del Espacio, el astronauta Pedro Duque comentaba que las peripecias de Watney le hicieron sonreír por momentos debido a su similitud con las situaciones que se pueden vivir en una misión espacial. Sin embargo, también reconocía que el entorno al que se tendría que enfrentar una persona abandonada en suelo de aquel planeta sería aún más hostil de lo que se muestra en la película. Una de las más importantes es que Marte es algo más que un desierto seco y helado.

La Tierra cuenta con un potente campo magnético producido por su núcleo de hierro, situado a más de 3.000 kilómetros de profundidad. Esa barrera protectora desvía parte de la radiación que barre el espacio y que resulta dañina para los seres vivos. Se sabe que Marte contaba con un intenso campo magnético parecido al terrestre, pero desapareció hace 4.000 millones de años, 500 después de la formación del planeta. Sin ese escudo, el planeta rojo está sometido a un intenso bombardeo radiactivo, que obligaría a los exploradores humanos a llevar algún tipo de indumentaria que les protegiese. Según comentaba Pedro Duque, con el traje de astronauta de Watney, la prolongada exposición a la radiación le condenaría en poco tiempo a sufrir intensas mutaciones y cáncer. Este es el motivo por el que algunos de los diseños para las futuras colonias marcianas sean subterráneos.

Otro de los importantes contratiempos que sufriría un naúfrago en Marte sería la comida. Watney es botánico y debe aplicar todo su talento para producir patatas con las que sobrevivir hasta la llegada de una misión de rescate. Sin cuestionar las habilidades del astronauta de Ridley Scott, que vive su aventura en un futuro no muy lejano, en la actualidad aún queda mucho por aprender para convertir el desierto marciano en un entorno más o menos fértil.

Algunos estudios han mostrado que plantas como los tomates pueden germinar en una recreación del suelo marciano y el uso de desechos humanos podría servir para aportar los nutrientes que faltan en Marte. No obstante, algunos aspectos de la composición de aquel terreno harían difícil el cultivo de suficientes plantas para alimentar a un humano. Uno de los venenos escondidos en el suelo es, precisamente, el que hace posible que exista agua líquida en aquel planeta. Los percloratos son un tipo de sales que harían posible que el agua fluyese a temperaturas por debajo de cero, pero también resultan tóxicas para los vegetales.

Para solventar este contratiempo, además de desarrollar técnicas para limpiar el suelo, se está trabajando con plantas transgénicas capaces de obtener alimento y sobrevivir en terrenos extremos. Estas capacidades se suelen obtener a partir de los genes de microorganismos capaces de obtener alimento o energía en condiciones imposibles para otros seres vivos.

Junto la falta de nutrientes o la toxicidad de algunos elementos de la tierra en Marte, cultivar vegetales terrestres en aquel planeta supondría enfrentarse a una gravedad mucho menor que la de nuestro planeta. Con un tercio del efecto gravitatorio terrestre, en Marte es posible que un volcán como el monte Olimpo crezca hasta los casi 25 kilómetros de altitud. Esas dimensiones en la Tierra le harían caer bajo su propio peso y es previsible que la menor gravedad también condicionaría el crecimiento de plantas acostumbradas al efecto gravitatorio terrestre.

Por último, el pequeño agricultor atrapado en Marte también debería sufrir la falta de luz solar. En la superficie de nuestro planeta vecino, solo se recibe la mitad de luz del Sol que en la Tierra, una cantidad que se reduciría aún más si se necesita proteger los cultivos dentro de un invernadero.

Marte es, en definitiva, un mundo que en las imágenes que conocemos puede parecer inhóspito, pero que en la realidad lo es aún más. Esto no intimida a astronautas como Duque o a científicos como los del CAB. Todos reconocen las dimensiones del reto, pero consideran que se puede afrontar, siempre con la misma herramienta a la que el astronauta Watney se agarra para salir con vida del planeta rojo: la ciencia.

Esta noticia ha sido patrocinada por 20th Century Fox.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
¿Podría un astronauta solo sobrevivir en Marte?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Si necesitásemos un planeta distinto de la Tierra para vivir, el único que nos daría alguna opción de supervivencia sería Marte. Los robots exploradores que han visitado aquel planeta nos han enviado imágenes de un mundo parecido a los desiertos terrestres, sin vegetación ni ríos a la vista, pero algo más acogedor que la espléndida desolación que encontraron los astronautas cuando llegaron a la Luna.

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Main Idea:
Colonize space.

Arguments/facts:
The embryo space colonization (ESC) concept is an interesting, very rational and quite effective way to guarantee the survival of the human species, as long as the technology is achieved and no unforeseen complications arise during even many millions of years journey to an exoplanet.

Dialogue:
Shold we do it?
Really should we?

Summary:
The embryo space colonization (ESC) concept is an interesting, very rational and quite effective way to guarantee the survival of the human species. Despite these formal advantages, this paper points to a number of arguments against its validity as an effective means of saving humanity.

Apa:
Konrad Szocik. (2021, May 25).
Retrieved from https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-journal-of-astrobiology/article/abs/humanity-should-colonize-space-in-order-to-survive-but-not-with-embryo-space-colonization/474332A09E34142E77684A49B95A7684

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Humanity should colonize space in order to survive but not with embryo space colonization | International Journal of Astrobiology | Cambridge Core

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Humanity should colonize space in order to survive but not with embryo space colonization - Volume 20 Issue 4

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Main idea:
Send human to the space with SpaceX tecnologhy and new Elon mask rockets.

Arguments/facts:
This will help help to the investigation of how log the spaceX rokets code go.

Dialog:
Dose the rockets of spaceX are as good as the old ones?
How many people code be inside the rocket?

Summery:
Elon Musk's article explains that the mission has been abolished with the falcon 9, this type of mission is the most important to get information about the new rockets, right now this ship is orbiting the earth and waiting to land as soon as possible.

APA: Clan, M. (2021, January 27). SpaceX ha conseguido colocar hombres en el espacio: un paso de gigante para volver a la Luna y aspirar a la colonización de Marte. Retrived from: https://www.xataka.com/espacio/spacex-ha-conseguido-colocar-hombres-espacio-paso-gigante-para-volver-a-luna-aspirar-a-colonizacion-marte

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SpaceX lo ha conseguido. Según los expertos había una probabilidad del 50% de que las condiciones meteorológicas no hiciesen posible el lanzamiento. Esto fue lo que sucedió el pasado 27 de mayo, que era el día en el que se iba a llevar a cabo inicialmente, lo que ha provocado que todos los que lo hemos seguido en directo hayamos estado en vilo hasta el último momento. Afortunadamente, hoy todo ha salido bien.

Esta ha sido la primera vez que una empresa privada coloca a dos astronautas en órbita. Los elegidos han sido Bob Behnken y Doug Hurley, dos experimentados astronautas de NASA que tienen sobre sus hombros una enorme responsabilidad: llevar a buen puerto esta misión para demostrar que el ambicioso modelo de transporte espacial que Elon Musk y Tom Mueller empezaron a idear en 2002 es seguro y viable. Lo que está en juego es nada menos que el regreso a la Luna a corto plazo y el inicio de la colonización de Marte.

Pero aún hay algo más. Algo muy importante para el programa espacial estadounidense. Si Demo-2, que es como se llama oficialmente esta misión, transcurre como se espera que lo haga y dentro de aproximadamente 19 horas la nave Crew Dragon en la que viajan Behnken y Hurley consigue acoplarse correctamente a la Estación Espacial Internacional, Estados Unidos dejará de depender de las cápsulas Soyuz rusas para colocar a sus astronautas en el espacio.

En qué consiste esta misión y por qué es tan importante

Los recursos que es necesario movilizar para llevar a cabo un lanzamiento como el que acabamos de presenciar en el Centro Espacial Kennedy de Cabo Cañaveral son impresionantes. El cohete Falcon 9 que se ha encargado de colocar en órbita la nave Crew Dragon ha utilizado algo más de 500 toneladas de combustible si sumamos el de la primera y la segunda etapa del vehículo espacial. Como combustible ha usado kerolox, una combinación de RP-1, que es un derivado del petróleo similar al queroseno, y oxígeno líquido criogenizado. Un apunte interesante: el RP-1 se almacena en el depósito a -7 °C y el oxígeno líquido a nada menos que -207 °C.

Ahora mismo la nave Crew Dragon ya se encuentra orbitando la Tierra en órbita baja, a varios cientos de kilómetros de altura sobre la superficie terrestre, y permanecerá en esta trayectoria durante 19 horas para irse acercando paulatinamente a la Estación Espacial Internacional, que se encuentra a 410 km de altura y se desplaza a 27.000 km/h. Cuando la nave alcance la posición de la estación espacial deberá acometer el acoplamiento, una maniobra delicada que se llevará a cabo de forma semiautomática bajo la supervisión de Bob Behnken, que también se encargará del desacoplamiento cuando finalice la misión.

La nave Crew Dragon permanecerá en órbita baja durante 19 horas para irse acercando paulatinamente a la Estación Espacial Internacional, que se encuentra a 410 km de altura y se desplaza a 27.000 km/h

Cada astronauta tiene bien delimitadas sus funciones. Como acabamos de ver, Behnken se encargará de supervisar el acoplamiento y el desacoplamiento de la cápsula Crew Dragon con la Estación Espacial Internacional, y Doug Hurley se encargará de dirigir el lanzamiento, el aterrizaje y la recuperación de la nave. Los dos astronautas permanecerán en la estación entre 6 y 16 semanas (la duración exacta de la misión todavía no ha sido fijada por NASA), de manera que cuando termine su trabajo allí volverán a la cápsula, que se desacoplará de la estación e iniciará su reentrada en la atmósfera terrestre. La Crew Dragon aterrizará de forma controlada sobre la superficie terrestre utilizando unos paracaídas.

Esta misión es muy importante por varias razones. En una de ellas hemos indagado unos párrafos más arriba: servirá para demostrar la viabilidad operativa de las naves diseñadas por SpaceX como medio de transporte de personas al espacio. Además, permitirá a Estados Unidos evitar la dependencia que tiene actualmente de Rusia y su nave Soyuz. Y hay algo más: este hito también promete ser el pistoletazo de salida de los vuelos espaciales comerciales que pretenden transportar al espacio a personal civil, con toda seguridad previo pago de una cantidad de dinero que estará al alcance de muy pocas personas.

El regreso a la Luna y la colonización de Marte están un paso más cerca

Si todo sale bien y la misión Demo-2 concluye con éxito dentro de varias semanas la humanidad habrá dado un paso hacia delante muy importante en la consecución de dos nuevos hitos: el regreso a la Luna y el inicio de la colonización de Marte. A finales del año pasado Donald Trump ordenó a NASA adelantar a 2024 la próxima misión a la Luna, y los vehículos de SpaceX tendrán un rol esencial en este programa.

Regresar al satélite natural de nuestro planeta es interesante por varias razones. Una de ellas es estudiar la viabilidad de la extracción del helio-3 que se acumula bajo su superficie, un elemento que podría resultar clave en los futuros reactores de fusión nuclear. Pero en un plazo previsiblemente mucho más corto la Luna será una parada necesaria de camino hacia Marte porque su reducida gravedad permite a las naves despegar con mucha menos energía de la que necesitan para escapar de la gravedad terrestre.

Colonizar Marte sin establecer previamente una base en la Luna no será posible. Pero Elon Musk parece tenerlo todo atado, tanto que en varias ocasiones ha asegurado que su plan pasa por colocar a los primeros hombres en el planeta rojo en 2025. Veremos si consigue cumplir su objetivo, pero, desde luego, hoy ha dado un paso muy importante en esta dirección.

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SpaceX ha conseguido colocar hombres en el espacio: un paso de gigante para volver a la Luna y aspirar a la colonización de Marte

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SpaceX lo ha conseguido. Según los expertos había una probabilidad del 50% de que las condiciones meteorológicas no hiciesen posible el lanzamiento. Esto fue lo que sucedió el pasado 27 de mayo, que era el día en el que se iba a llevar a cabo inicialmente, lo que ha provocado que todos los que lo hemos seguido en directo hayamos estado en vilo hasta el último momento.

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Main idea:
Colonizating Mars.

Arguments/facts:
Make life multiplanetary.
SpaceX sees the colonization of Mars as one of the most exciting and even most necessary things we as humanity should do in the coming decade.

Dialogue:
It is a good idea?
It is possible?

Summary:
Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX, is the chief advocate of colonizing Mars. The thought of humanity existing exclusively on Earth fills him with dread, due to the possible collapse of living as we know it.

Apa:
Maaike Harmsen.
(2021, July 05)
https://biologos.org/articles/colonizing-mars-evaluating-the-why

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"Mars is waiting" -Earth

That's the fresh new billboard stationed just outside SpaceX headquarters California. The subtitle reads: Make life multiplanetary. The billboard is funded by a group of enthusiastic fans. SpaceX sees the colonization of Mars as one of the most exciting and even most necessary things we as humanity should do in the coming decade. After landing on the Moon in the 1960s, human space travel has been downgraded to orbital travel. Only robotic devices, steered remote from Earth, dwell on the surface of Mars. We left the Moon and haven't been back in ages. Shouldn't we be on Mars by now? Elon Musk, engineer and founder of SpaceX, is the chief advocate of colonizing Mars, and claims that the thought of humanity existing exclusively on Earth fills him with dread, due to the possible collapse of earthly living as we know it. Even if our species' existence were not at risk, just being able to say that we are a multi-planet species is an idea that makes him and many others excited to jump out of bed in the morning. It makes them want to live in the thought of great and heroic undertakings happening in this age and time. What a time to be alive!

Many people feel that this is an exciting time, and follow space news fervently. So let's take a look one of the questions in our life time: Mars. Let's explore the pros and cons to the question: Is it a good idea to colonize Mars? Why could this be a good idea? Mars enthusiasts are happy to give the reasons why. First, colony enthusiasts believe in the need to survive as a species. Being able to have a back up plan, a Planet B, if something goes wrong here on earth, seems like a reasonable idea. Second, they want to feel as though humans are thriving and expanding human consciousness.

The Attractiveness of a Planet B

According to supporters, a Mars colony would be a place where humanity is present outside of earth as a population of people with a reasonable amount of DNA (maybe a million people) that live and work to make another planet habitable. This would include creating an atmosphere, bringing living organisms to that planet, and more.The first Martians would be working extremely hard for the first decades, living in boring and small domes. It would be dangerous-possibly even a drudge of an existence-just to be able to bring a part of humanity outside of earth permanently.

What I find charmingly realistic about these colony plans is that there is not a desire for the "idealized society" as many science fiction books and films would suggest. Nor hope that we would bring "our best and brightest" to that planet-we would just bring people. We bring ourselves, and will keep making mistakes that hurt other people and ourselves. Christians call this our sinful nature. This nature is not going to change without a divine intervention working in our hearts and minds, no matter what planet we are on. So going to Mars to become a better humanity is not the goal. It is simply the promise of saving humanity itself.

Let's then explore the "extinction" consideration for colonizing Mars. Is that even realistic? Should we anticipate a complete extinction event? Possibilities range from an external event like another great comet hitting earth, or an internal event such as a nuclear war or a bioterrorist attack. And then there is the certainty of climate change. Though the western world consumes resources at a much higher rate than the earth can produce and cope with, climate change is a threat that will not instantly kill off all of humanity. But climate change is the event that will affect the poorest and most vulnerable populated regions of our planet-both soonest and harshest. One other event that is on our horizon of knowledge is the expansion and burning up of our sun, and the evaporation of our oceans in the coming million years ahead. This would affect life on Mars as well, so perceiving Mars as a Planet B option would still not be enough a few million years from now...

As for the absolute need for a Planet B, we differ on this matter. Christians have the hope that a cataclysmic event killing all of humanity will not happen due to the story God's promise to Noah. Many people of faith understand this story's events to serve as a stern warning about degrading the earth, but others do not. This idea of just succumbing to a possible ending of the human race is too depressing according to Mr. Musk, who wants to have a greater goal in life than just living, working to survive, and then dying. He would rather die on Mars-just not on impact. He wants to feel useful for the short time he has. We as Christians agree that living just (for making a) living, is indeed useless, without purpose.

Do we need to live on Mars to feel as if we are thriving? Could we not find enough meaning here?

Maaike Harmsen

Does space exploration aid in our thriving?

We are here not just to survive, but to truly live. Exploring our surroundings, whether on earth or in our skies, is also part of how we are designed by our Creator; we are called not to stay in a Paradise doing nothing, doling around. We are called to go out, to cultivate and inhabit earth; to rule over it, to design and manufacture, just like God did. We are his image bearers, engineers of brand new things! We are called to explore and name, from the smallest particles that wobble too much to the black holes that just don't want to be photographed- yet we managed to do so . We are called to make beautiful new tools: Hubble telescopes, mRNA vaccines, art, and music. We are called to live together with and love fellow creatures and above all, love God Himself. This is all as what God intended us to do, making ourselves useful, using all we have: brain, hands and heart. This is part of what it looks like to thrive as his creatures.

So, the question of colonizing another planet remains: do we need to live on Mars to feel as if we are thriving? To expand our human consciousness and better understand the meaning of life? Before we fly off, we should dig a little deeper right here. Could we not find enough meaning here? I think we can thrive right here, on earth as earthlings, if we have a feeling of purpose right here, a feeling that we matter. We don't know yet-or maybe never will!-if we are unique as (human) species in the universe. We thought for a long time we were in the center of the universe, or at least the center of our galaxy. But we are humbled now that we know we are on a very small planet in a corner of an enormous, mostly empty Space. And we are loved and known by God-this should comfort us more than our puny sized planet and peripheral location in the universe!

After exploring this question, our reaction could be: We don't need to go to Mars, but we certainly could -just to be explorers, naming and discovering, seeing what it is like to live in a hostile environment, making it habitable. But it could be and probably should be a choice by those people only who would like to go and live on Mars. And therefore the permanent colonization endeavour should be privately funded and not by any government agency. Making Mars into a habitable planet is an enormous undertaking and the experiences could bring useful knowledge for our home planet, to improve the way things are going here.

All in all, there is more than enough adventure, exploration and purposeful living here on planet earth. Anyone who stays on earth and works on accelerating our life towards a more sustainable future for all, is contributing to the high commandment God wants us to remember; to protect the lives of the poor and those without influence or power. It is a worthy cause, and more than enough to fill our lives with, here on this beloved green planet.

About the Author

Maaike Harmsen (1975) is a reformed theologian from the Netherlands. She has a Master in Theology (with a minor in Philosophy) and is a PhD candidate in business ethics. She has taught (business) ethics and dogmatics in China & Indonesia and ethical leadership in North Korea. She grew up watching Star Wars and loves sci-fi stories. She also preaches and is creating a series of sermons titled: Thank God for Technology: Sermons for Nerds and Geeks.

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At BioLogos, "gracious dialogue" means demonstrating the grace of Christ as we dialogue together about the tough issues of science and faith.

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Colonizing Mars: Evaluating the Why - Articles

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"Mars is waiting" -Earth That's the fresh new billboard stationed just outside SpaceX headquarters California. The subtitle reads: Make life multiplanetary. The billboard is funded by a group of enthusiastic fans. SpaceX sees the colonization of Mars as one of the most exciting and even most necessary things we as humanity should do in the coming decade.

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Main idea:
A major revision in current space exploration philosophy and planetary protection policy.

Arguments/facts:
In addition, although we highlight the importance of controlling and tracking such contaminations—to explore the existence of extraterrestrial microorganisms—we also believe that we must discuss the role of microbes as primary colonists and assets, rather than serendipitous accidents, for future plans of extraterrestrial colonization.

Dialogue:
They will make it?
They will be able to finished it?

Summary:
Microbial introduction into space should not be considered accidental but inevitable. We hypothesize the near impossibility of exploring new planets without carrying and/or delivering any microbial travelers. This paradigm shift stems partly from the overwhelming evidence of microorganisms' diverse roles in sustaining life on Earth.

Apa: Jose V Lopez, Raquel S Peixoto, Alexander S Rosado. (2019, August 22)
Space Colonization.
Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6748721/

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Main idea:
Definition of space colonization plus an explanation of our progress until now. General information is given.

Arguments/facts:
- No colonization has occurred until now.
- It would alleviate overpopulation and resource demand.
- It can be a survival option for the species
- There is a vast amount of resources in space
- Easy expansion without the problems present on Earth
- Economy expansion through space commercialization.

Dialogue:
Is really survival possible in such harsh and difficult conditions in space?
Should we even exploit other planets simply for money?

Summary:
A very big amount of information is given in this article, being the most relevant for us the ethical and practical data, presented in Arguments/facts. It explains the benefits and problems of it, although it gives the idea that there are more problems than solutions when colonizing space.

APA: Nsae Comp, (2022, January 31). Space colonization. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_colonization

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Many arguments have been made for and against space colonization. The two most common in favor of colonization are survival of human civilization and the biosphere in the event of a planetary-scale disaster (natural or man-made), and the availability of additional resources in space that could enable expansion of human society.

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Main idea:
Explore more planets

Arguments/facts:

Exploring new planets would help humans to find new supplies or new living things.

Being able to leave the planet will improve our knowledge about the universe, there are many people who thinks that no body is outside the earth, but there is no prove. So leaving the planet earth we could have the opportunity to trade with aliens in order to have more supplies or even their technology

Dialogue:

What will happen in 100 years?
Will be true the prediction of Hawking?

Summary:

According to this web site, it is believed that in no more than thirty years, there will be a space elevator that would change the way in which we connect to the world beyond our atmosphere.

APA
Baxter, S. ( 2020 February 2nd ) Space exploration retrieved from:

https://www.sciencefocus.com/space/space-exploration-how-might-the-next-50-years-progress/

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Space exploration: how might the next 50 years progress? | BBC Science Focus Magazine

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Sci-fi author Stephen Baxter speculates about what might be achieved in the next five decades.

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Main idea:
The investigation of the forces of the graviti and now how and when land a modul in the moon.

Arguments/facts:
Knowing how and with what was made and with the investigation we code improve and make better rokets.

Dialog:
It realy code improve the new rokets? It will be worth it?

Summery:
Thes aritcle explain how they created the apollo program and explain in ditle the creation of the roket, they explain the proces of the mission like how the rocket divides in the sky or how mani oxigen or gas neds the rocket.

APA:
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2022, January 26). Spacecraft of the Apollo Program. Retrived from https://www.britannica.com/story/spacecraft-of-the-apollo-program

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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc./Patrick O'Neill Riley

This infographic explains the spacecraft of the Apollo program. More detailed information and explanations appear below.
Apollo program

The Apollo Saturn V was 110.6 metres (363 feet) tall.

At its top was the launch escape system, and below that were the Command Module, the Service Module, and the adapter containing the Lunar Module.

The Command Module housed three astronauts during launch and was the only section of the spacecraft to return to Earth's surface with a crew.

The Service Module remained with the Command Module throughout the mission until reentry.

Adapter panels surrounding the Lunar Module were released soon after Apollo left Earth orbit for the Moon. The Command and Service modules then separated from the Saturn third stage, turned end over end, and docked with the Lunar Module.

The Lunar Module was stowed in the adapter above the Saturn third stage.

The Apollo Saturn V, fully fueled, weighed approximately 2.9 million kg (6.4 million pounds) at launch.

The fuel was contained in three sections: the S-IVB third stage below the Lunar Module, the S-II second stage, and the S-IC first stage at the bottom of the rocket.

It had five liquid-fuel engines providing 33,000 kN (7.5 million pounds) of combined thrust.

The Service Module contained oxygen, power-generating equipment, and water for life support.

The Service Module's main engine was used to make midcourse corrections, achieve lunar orbit, and leave lunar orbit for the return flight to Earth.

After docking, Command and Lunar modules remained together for the flight to the Moon, which allowed the crew to move between the two sections.

Apollo Command and Service modules

The Command Module had an outer shell of stainless-steel honeycomb (heat shield) and an inner shell of aluminum honeycomb (pressure containment).

The Command Module had a reentry heat shield on its base and a window on its cone.

The Command Module could be maneuvered with pitch engines, roll engines, and yaw engines.

In addition to the access hatch, there was a passage tunnel leading to the docking probe and a hatch to access the Lunar Module.

Inside the Command Module were an instrument panel, computer, electrical and environmental equipment, contoured couch, main parachute storage, and a carbon dioxide absorber.

The Service Module connected to the Command Module via supports on its top end.

The Service Module was powered by a main engine nozzle connected to a helium tank and four propellant tanks. It was controlled by 16 steering thrusters, in groups of four, connected to steering thruster helium tanks.

Fuel cells used hydrogen from liquid hydrogen tanks and oxygen from liquid oxygen tanks to generate electric power and drinking water.

The exterior of the Service Module also had a high-gain antenna.

Apollo Lunar Module

The Apollo Lunar Module consisted of an ascent stage sitting on top of a descent stage.

The ascent stage lifted off from the Moon to dock with the orbiting Command and Service modules for the return to Earth.

The descent stage remained on the Moon.

The ascent stage had a passage tunnel on top and an egress hatch on the side that led to the egress platform and down the ladder (permanently attached to a landing leg).

The descent stage was covered with lightweight reflective Mylar. It contained the descent fuel tank and the descent engine nozzle.

Attached to the descent stage were four impact-absorbing landing legs; the undersides of three of the legs had lunar-surface sensing probes.

The ascent stage had the ascent engine and ascent fuel tank to lift off from the Moon. It was controlled by 16 steering thrusters, in groups of four, connected to steering thruster fuel tanks.

The ascent stage had oxygen tanks and carried a crew of two.

On the exterior of the ascent stage were a rendezvous radar antenna, an S-band steerable antenna, and a VHF antenna.

Apollo flight path

1. Saturn V lifts the Apollo spacecraft into Earth parking orbit.

2. The Saturn third-stage engine places the spacecraft into translunar trajectory. The adapter panels over the Lunar Module are released.

3. The Command and Service modules separate from the Saturn third stage, turn end over end, and dock with the Lunar Module. The Saturn third stage is jettisoned.

4. On the dark side of the Moon, beyond radio communication, the Service Module engine slows the spacecraft to achieve lunar orbit.

5. The Lunar Module, carrying two astronauts, separates and descends to the Moon's surface while the Command and Service modules, carrying one astronaut, remain in lunar orbit.

6. The Lunar Module ascent stage lifts off from the lunar surface, leaving the descent stage on the Moon.

7. The ascent stage achieves lunar orbit and docks with the Command and Service modules.

8. After the astronauts leave the ascent stage, it is jettisoned and allowed to crash on the Moon. The Service Module engine places the spacecraft into trans-Earth trajectory.

9. The Service Module is jettisoned on the approach to Earth. The three astronauts descend in the Command Module for a parachute landing in the ocean.

10. The Command Module achieves splashdown.

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This infographic explains the spacecraft of the Apollo program. More detailed information and explanations appear below. The Apollo Saturn V was 110.6 metres (363 feet) tall. At its top was the launch escape system, and below that were the Command Module, the Service Module, and the adapter containing the Lunar Module.

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Main idea: Colonalisation of Mars from SpaceX

Arguments/facts:

Colonalise other planets is good because one day the earth will loose supplies.

The colonalisation of new planets could help us to prevent the extintion of humanity

Dialogue:

Will there be anyone?
Is it safe?
How much time it will took?

Summary:
SpaceX plan to reach Mars in a few years to colonise the planet, with the simple idea of being able to survive as a human race, as Elon Mask believes that one day it will no longer be possible to live on planet Earth.

APA

By intersting Engeneering ( 2016, May 3rd ) Space Colonization retrieved from

https://interestingengineering.com/spacex-is-preparing-for-a-mission-to-colonize-mars-by-2026

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[Image Source: SpaceX]

Elon Musk says he has big plans for future Martians.

Elon Musk is a South African born Canadian-American entrepreneur, engineer, and investor, and is of course once again making headlines with another ambitious plan, one to set humans on Mars within the next few years. One of his most recent endeavors includes his SpaceX program, a private space company dedicated towards pioneering space travel- and one day, traveling all the way to Mars.

Elon founded SpaceX in and is actively trying to revolutionize space technology, with their ultimate goal of enabling people to live on other planets - specifically, Mars. SpaceX has developed three functioning spacecraft including the Dragon spacecraft which in 2012 became the first private rocket to attach to the International Space Station, exchanged cargo, and then safely return to Earth . Just recently on April 8th, the dragon once again successfully made a round trip to the ISS, which then landed on the "Of Course I Still Love You" droneship. Currently, the Dragon is undergoing a US$440 MILLION overhaul to prepare the spacecraft for a crew.

One of the newest rocket installments, the Falcon Heavy, has taken the world title for the most powerful rocket ever- by a factor of two. The rocket will be capable of transporting into orbit 119,000 lb of cargo- twice as much as the next most similar operational vehicle, the Delta IV Heavy, at just one-third the cost too.The rockets produce over 5 MILLION pounds of thrust at liftoff and has future plans to carry humans all the way to the Moon and Mars.

[Image Source: SpaceX]

Elon Musk recently hosted a Q&A on Reddit where he answered hundreds of questions regarding his SpaceX program. One common question asked what his future plans were with traveling to Mars. Elon " The Mars transport system will be a completely. new architecture. Am hoping to present that towards the end of this year". Elon said that he hopes to get humans to Mars by

His goal is to lift 100 metric tons of cargo to Mars, which will be quite the ambitious ordeal, one that Elon says will require " a very big spaceship and booster system".

Elon is incredibly ambitious to get humans to Mars so quickly because he fears humans face extinction. He said at a conference in 2013 "Either we spread earth to other planets, or we risk going extinct, an extinction event is inevitable and we're increasingly doing ourselves in."

[Image Source: Michael Seeley]

Elon Musk is pioneering the space age travel. He is considered by many to be one of the most influential people on the planet - and one of the most ambitious. Hopefully one day he will be able to colonize people on the little red planet, which could potentially be as soon as 2026.

Written by Maverick Baker

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SpaceX Prepares for a Human Mission to Colonize Mars by 2026

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Image Source: SpaceX ] Elon Musk says he has big plans for future Martians. Elon Musk is a South African born Canadian-American entrepreneur, engineer, and investor, and is of course once again making headlines with another ambitious plan, one to set humans on Mars within the next few years .

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Main idea:
Improve and investigate the ways in which we can reach other parts.

Arguments/facts:
This could help keep humans alive longer and healthier with new research and experiments.

Dialog:
It will be posible to make it?
They will do it?

Summary:
The idea that the Nasa want's to do are to have benefits that await us as direct or incidental byproducts of space colonization could include advances in architectural design, alternative fuel production, 3D printing and low-gravity manufacturing to name but a few.

APA: Keeter, B. (2021, January 19). Space Colonization. Retrieved from https://www.nasa.gov/centers/hq/library/find/bibliographies/space_colonization

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NASA.gov brings you the latest images, videos and news from America’s space agency. Get the latest updates on NASA missions, watch NASA TV live, and learn about our quest to reveal the unknown and benefit all humankind.