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In 2024, SpaceX aims to send the first humans on a 6 month trip to Mars.
This journey will be the very beginning of Elon Musk’s goal to make life a multiplanetary species.
In order to achieve this, SpaceX will need to establish the first Martian base and -
over time - the first Martian city.
Using their Starship rocket, thousands of people will be able to travel to Mars and
lay the foundation for the first human civilization outside of Earth.
But how will the first astronauts establish a base on Mars?
And what laws will they follow?
In this video, we’re going to look at what it will take to build a self-sustaining city on Mars.
We’re also going to look at how Martians will form their own laws in order to grow
the first settlements into thriving cities.
When the first astronauts arrive on Mars they will need a place to stay.
Since the Martian surface is exposed to much more radiation than Earth, the first Martian
habitats will most likely be built underground.
More sophisticated habitats could be built above land with a thick layer of water to
absorb most of the radiation.
However, transporting the enormous amounts of water and materials needed to build these
habitats would be extremely expensive.
If the first Martian habitats are to grow into large cities, the settlers will need
to use the local materials found on Mars.
Luckily, Mars has a large amount of useful resources.
The surface of the planet contains metals like iron, magnesium and aluminium, while
power could be harnessed from the sun.
Oxygen is present in the planet’s atmosphere and ice buried beneath the surface could supply
all the water needed.
But once the Martians begin mining these materials for their own use, who owns them?
In 1967, the US, UK and the Soviet Union all signed the Outer Space Treaty.
The treaty claims that no nation can claim ownership of space or a celestial body.
It would therefore be the sole responsibility of the Martian settlers to establish and enforce rules.
But if history tells us anything, it’s that creating a new colony is anything but easy.
In May 1607, 104 people set foot on to Jamestown.
By January, only 38 of these original settlers were still alive.
Many of these people died from disease and famine, while others passed away from toxic
water and tribal warfare.
If building a new settlement on Earth was tough enough, it’s safe to assume that building
one on a different planet will be even more difficult.
To avoid conflicts over resources, the settlers might agree to establish an economy before
arriving on Mars.
This economy could be based either on the trade of local resources, or on a brand-new
currency, independent of anything we have here on Earth.
In order for this economy to be fair and balanced, it will need to be enforced - either by a
group or a single person in charge of everything.
Settlers could perhaps learn from the mistakes made on Earth to create a much better system
for running a city or country.
“I think most likely, the form of government on Mars would be a direct democracy, not representative.
So it would be people voting directly on issues.
The potential for corruption is substantially diminished in a direct verses representative democracy.
It should probably be easier to remove a law than to create one.
My recommendation would be something like let's say - 60% of people need to vote in
a law but at any point greater than 40% people can remove it.
And any law should come with a built in sunset provision.”
This will help to keep the laws relevant to the current advancement of the civilization.
After 5 or 10 years, the Martians can vote if they want to pass a certain law or get rid of it.
Another problem is the potential threat of war.
The first settlers could face an extreme shortage of resources almost immediately if the systems
for mining water and growing food aren’t working.
Even if they have enough resources, the mental struggle of being so far from home and committing
to the Martian lifestyle could drive some settlers over the edge.
As soon as more settlers start to arrive on Mars, they might establish different zones,
countries or continents.
And without any authority to police these different places - the varying levels of advancement
between civilizations could lead to chaos.
These are just a few of the considerations and problems that will need to be addressed
if a permanent colony is to be established.
So although Mars may not seem like the kind of place to raise your kids, just imagine
the first generation of children born on Mars.
To them, Mars is home.
Underground habitats, dust storms and homegrown food is all they are used to.
To them, Earth is just a tiny alien world, floating in the sky.
If you’d like to watch more about colonizing Mars, check out this documentary on CuriosityStream
- which looks at the science behind making a self-sustaining city on Mars.
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Thank you very much for watching and I’ll see you in the next video.