From the desire to go there, to the consequences if we do, join us as we ask the question of
what happens if we try and colonize Mars?
7.
To Boldly Go...
Before we break down all the pros and cons of colonizing a place like Mars, we need to
start off with the obvious question.
Why do we want to colonize Mars at all?
I mean, isn't Earth good enough for us?
That's honestly not the right way to think about this.
It's not about Earth being "good enough" or "not good enough".
It's more of a question of the future of humanity.
As I'm sure you've noticed, humanity is growing, and we're slowly starting to overpopulate
the planet.
The more people that are on Earth, the more resources that are going to be consumed.
The worlds' forests are being cut down at an accelerated rate, while the ozone and atmosphere
is suffering because of our use of carbon emissions.
Going to another planet is a solution that honestly has a lot of efficacy, because it
would solve one problem.
If we can colonize another planet, we can move lots of people there and have them live
a new life on another planet while not consuming all the resources on Earth.
Not to mention, if we were able to colonize Mars, that would mean that we've finally colonized
another planet in our solar system.
This has been the dream of humanity ever since the official start of the space program.
It was because of the dream of seeing the stars that shows like Star Trek, Star Wars,
Lost In Space, and more were made.
And so reaching Mars, and living on it is a huge step towards making those dreams a
reality.
And, once we get there, then we get to start looking beyond that.
If we can colonize Mars, what's to say we can't colonize other planets?
Some would even say that we should try and colonize the moon before we got to Mars, and
that might be a good idea.
But regardless of the order, the moment we set foot on another planet and start making
a new life for ourselves there, we're taking a big step towards exploring the universe
in a massive way.
We KNOW that there are other planets out there that could potentially support us, the problem
has always been, how do we get there?
6.
The Distance Problem To answer that question, let's go ahead and
ask the biggest problem/hurdle that is facing humanity when it comes to trying to colonize
Mars.
Mainly...it's very far away.
Now sure, when you look at a map of our solar system, you're going to see that Earth and
Mars are "close together'.
As Earth is the 3rd planet in the solar system while Mars is the 4th.
So you'd think that they would be "close enough together" to make it a short trip, right?
Wrong.
You see, if you were to measure the distance between Earth and Mars, you'd find that they
are 33.9 million miles apart.
To put that into context for you, we could travel to the moon and back about 69 times
to get to that distance.
And as I'm sure you're aware, humanity has a hard enough time landing on the moon, so
trying to go and reach a planet that is many, many, MANY times the distance away as the
moon?
Yeah, that's a problem.
So now you're no doubt wondering, "Is difficulty really the biggest issue here?"
No, not really, the real problem here is the technology that we have on Earth right now.
The technology that would quite literally propel our astronauts into space to try and
get to the planet.
To be frank, with what we have now, we wouldn't be able to make it to Mars.
Or, we could get there, but then we wouldn't be able to do what we need to in order to
colonize it.
But I'm getting ahead of myself.
Let's continue focusing on the distance issues.
Let's say for a moment that the engines we have for the shuttles and craft that we use
to get to the moon into space are powerful enough to get to Mars.
That we figure out a way to fuel them in order the reach the planet, right?
The problem now is that because Mars is so far away, the craft has to be able to keep
the astronauts alive for how long it takes to get there.
How long is that?
Well it depends on a lot of factors.
But if we're averaging it out, it could take anywhere from 150-300 days.
And that's just for one shuttle carrying a few passengers.
And staying in space that long in a tight space like that is not healthy at all.
And that's still only the beginning of the issues.
5.
We're Going To Need A Bigger Boat I want you to think about what it means to
colonize a planet.
Technically speaking, colonization occurs when you grow something on the place you're
setting down.
But if we're thinking about it in the "big picture" sense, it means setting up a place
where people can live, breathe, and most importantly, thrive in their new environment.
So, if we're being fair and generous, let's say that we decide to try and colonize Mars
with say...20-30 people.
Sound fair?
Ok, to get them to Mars, and then give them what they need to survive would take a craft
that we as humans have honestly never built before.
The most amount of people that have ever been flown into space on one shuttle was less than
a dozen.
And now we're trying to make something that'll carry a couple times that, PLUS, all the supplies
they're going to need.
Have you ever seen the movie The Martian?
It's about a scientist who gets left on Mars after an accident, and his former crew goes
back to Mars to try and save him (while he tries to last that long of course).
Anyway, the crew itself was only 6 people (that included Damon's character for the record),
and yet the shuttle that transported them was massive!
It wasn't even a shuttle really, it was like a mini space station.
One that had a workout area, a kitchen, a meeting room, computer systems, and much more.
And that was just for 6 people!
We have never flown a craft that big, nor even attempted to put something that big into
space.
So right now, we honestly don't have the technology to get the job done even if we wanted to.
Not to mention, NASA isn't in the best shape right now.
But...that doesn't mean the dream is dead...
4.
Could We Even Colonize Mars If We Got There?
Obviously one of the biggest question is whether we could actually live on Mars and colonize
it if we got there.
The honest answer is...yes.
We actually can.
And the more we study the red planet, the more that it becomes feasible that life isn't
just possible there, it's very likely.
You no doubt have heard the news that we have found water on Mars, and more reports that
came from 2018 show that things are going very well in that department.
As even more water has been found underground, and if we can tap into that, or transfigure
it in a way to be more viable for us humans, then the sky is the limit on that front.
As for the "living" part, that's actually pretty easy.
Humanity has made isolated areas before, and submarines have shown that humanity has learned
to make things that can have their own internal atmosphere and pressure gauges to ensure that
the passengers don't get hurt.
Food would obviously be the one of the biggest issues.
However, if planned correctly, the food supply would be able to last until the first crops
are grown.
And as The Martian showed off (in a rather scientifically accurate way for the most part),
you can grow things via Martian soil as long as you have certain other factors.
Factors that would be taken into account, as well as prepped for on the shuttle that
would bring in the colony.
So as you can see, while there is a problem in getting there, if we do somehow figure
it out, we can actually make living on the planet work.
Which again, would be a dream come true, and proof that humanity can truly embrace the
stars.
And the desire to fulfill that dream could push humanity farther in hopes of accomplishing
it.
3.
The Spark Of Inspiration They say that necessity is the mother of invention,
and that's very true.
Many inventions across history have only been created because the need was there.
And right now, if we wanted to get to Mars and live there long-term, it would be rather
difficult.
So, someone would need to get the spark of inspiration in order to help fix this problem.
As great as our space shuttles have been in the past, they did get us to the moon and
back several times after all, they haven't really advanced much outside of being safer.
And even then, we've had plenty of shuttle accidents over the years.
So what if some scientists at the Jet Propulsion Lab or somewhere else started thinking outside
of the box?
Starting working on a new kind of engine that would allow us to go to places beyond the
moon with human beings?
Now, I'm not saying we need to develop the Warp Drive or anything...but it would be nice.
A leap in space engines would be massive for the human race, and would definitely jump
start our desire to help get to Mars.
And, as humanity has shown, if we advance in one area, other areas benefit via that
new technology.
So the potential is there for many great advances to be made during the course of trying to
get to Mars.
Thus, while many might see this whole attempt as a futile endeavor, you can also see it
as a big way of trying to advance the human race.
2.
The Emergency Situation However, it should be noted that even if we
get to Mars, even if we get the chance to colonize its surface, there are still some
inherent dangers that will not be worked out easily.
Let's start with one of the most obvious ones.
If something goes wrong on the colony...who exactly is going to help them?
Think about it, even if we get the most advanced engines that we can possible can create made,
that doesn't mean that they'll be able to just teleport down to the planet.
Space is a dangerous place, and Mars doesn't have an atmosphere, so there's a lot of risk
in trying to put someone on the planet.
And if even the smallest of things happens, the crew of the colony could die.
Due to the quickness of it, Earth wouldn't even be able to react in time before they
all die.
Now sure, we would have safety procedures in place, but, this isn't Earth.
Even with all the scientific research in the world we can't prepare for everything that
space has to offer.
So while you might get a lot of volunteers the first time to go and colonize Mars.
When things start going wrong?
People are going to have second thoughts.
And that is one of the big problems in a situation like this.
Because while the thrill of adventure and the chance to do something no one has done
before is fun to talk about, when danger lurks, and bad things happen over and over again,
that thrill dies.
That's why NASA isn't exactly what it once was.
And why we may never get the chance to go to Mars and try to colonize it.
But the future is a mysterious thing, and who knows what our next steps will be.
Which of course...begs the question you all are no doubt asking...
1.
So Is It Worth It?
Given all that you have heard me talk about in this topic, you might be asking yourself
this question.
If so much can go wrong, why would we even risk trying to colonize a place like Mars?
Wouldn't it just be better to stay on Earth?
If humanity had that thought, a lot of Earth's history wouldn't have happened.
Humanity has a NEED to explore, a desire to push themselves beyond the bounds of what
we have now and reach for what is out there.
That's why we built ships to go and see the world.
That's why we built trains, and cars, and planes so we could move around more.
That's why we pushed ourselves to try and go to the moon, and now, we're trying to go
ever farther, even faster, and build something for humanity that well and truly hasn't been
done before.
To colonize a place that hasn't had life on it (that we know of...).
Yeah, there are a lot of pitfalls coming ahead for those who try and make this happen.
And there will be lots of failures and missteps and accidents.
But it's all a part of the process.
And when we do it, when we colonize Mars, when we take that true first step towards
a human-filled universe, it'll be revered as one of the greatest accomplishments of
our race.
Isn't that worth the effort?
Isn't that worth risking everything at times to get this achievement?
Isn't it worth trying to do things that people say that we can't, or shouldn't do just to
prove them wrong?
Isn't that how humanity has grown to the heights that it has so far?
Isn't space the last thing we need to truly prove we can go to?
Mars awaits if so.
Thanks you all for watching.
Do you think that humanity will ever colonize Mars?
When do you think it'll happen?
How many people do you think they'll get to be a part of the first colony?
And if we do it, should we continue to expand?
Let me know in the comments below, be sure to subscribe, and I'll see you next time!