Update (July 30, 8:40 a.m. ET): This piece has been updated to reflect the successful launch of the NASA rover mission to Mars.
The Martian Revolution pitting the human inhabitants of Mars against the Earthlings who stayed at home is coming. The only question is which side of it we should be on now, a century or two before it begins.
On Thursday, the United States launched a new rover to Mars. Last week, China sent its own spacecraft to Mars, and days before that a United Arab Emirates mission also set off for the Red Planet. Each one marks a dramatic step forward in the scientific exploration of our celestial neighbor and the day that human settlement there becomes a reality. The purpose of the missions range from unpacking the history of Mars' atmosphere to looking for signs of ancient life.
In building new outposts of human society, how do we keep from repeating all the injustices and broken power dynamics that have marked history on Earth?
While billionaire rocketeers like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and others aren't directly involved in these missions, they are very interested in Mars. And nation-sponsored endeavors like those launching this week will plant the seeds that they hope will eventually grow into a long-term, large-scale human presence on Mars and throughout the solar system. Commercial space companies, like Musk's SpaceX, have had remarkable success building powerful, reusable rockets that shave the cost of reaching orbit and would help drive that Martian settlement.
But the progress also brings new and equally remarkable questions about the ethics of populating Mars, particularly when we are so acutely aware of the failures and devastation caused by humanity's earlier acts of colonization. Answers to these new questions may not only determine our future in space, but they may also shape the human future for centuries.
Get the think newsletter.
There are important questions about the legitimacy and wisdom of colonizing Mars in the first place. But even if these concerns are overcome or simply ignored in the enthusiasm for a human future in space, we must think seriously about how to do it in the best way. The global outrage at George Floyd's death and the societal shortcomings it spotlights tell us we must ask ourselves now and not later: In building new outposts of human society, how do we keep from repeating all the injustices and broken power dynamics that have marked history on Earth?
That's where the Martian Revolution comes in.
Martian liberation movements are a staple of science fiction. First, people from Earth build tiny settlements on Mars. Then, after a century or so, the settlements grow into vibrant planetwide civilizations. Eventually, these new "Martians" fight to throw off the yoke of Earth's tyranny. In these stories, space represents an opportunity to create social arrangements that look profoundly different from what we've been locked into on Earth. In space, maybe, we could be more free.
The question that must come next is: Whose idea of freedom are we talking about? The broad discussion of systematic racism happening now is a recognition of just how deep and persistent inequality has been in most modern societies. Add to this the oppression of different sexual and gender identities and it's clear that there are forms of expression and well-being that lots of humans don't fully enjoy here on Earth.
So, if we want something different, how can we get there?
One vehicle is the growth of commercial space enterprises, because their premise is so new and their activities are so vibrant. SpaceX, Blue Origin and others deserve a lot of credit for what they have and can achieve technologically. But it's unlikely that the owners, a group of hyper-rich white guys small enough to fit into an elevator, can build the best new society on their own even if they really did have the very best of intentions.
But the economic engines they're creating can help bring many different kinds of people into the process, including those who suffer now under what we've built on Earth. That's because thriving long-term human settlements on Mars can exist only once we've built a healthy space economy, and that's going to happen only through collaborations between governments and commercial enterprises (i.e., public-private partnerships). Right now, for example, the U.S. government is a principal client for SpaceX. So, in the future, the moon bases, asteroid-mining facilities and deep-space exploration platforms that will make up a space economy will likely be built by consortiums of nations working with private companies.
We everyday citizens who represent the public side of the partnerships can require those companies to break with the past to be more inclusive and innovative; we have leverage. If a company wants to be part of a big moon base contract, then the governments allowing them to be involved have to set up rules and standards that benefit all humans, regardless of their place on the socioeconomic ladder. Creating economic structures for workers that can't devolve into versions of indentured servitude (something Musk seemed to unwittingly imply was possible) is one example.
But we could go even further. My colleague Jacob Haqq-Misra of the Blue Marble Space Institute has come up with one of the coolest ideas ever when it comes to this question. He argues that we can liberate Mars now by declaring any settlement there to be definitively Martian. Humans who leave Earth to permanently settle on Mars would have to relinquish their planetary citizenship as Earthlings. These new Martians wouldn't be able to represent the interests of any group on Earth and couldn't acquire wealth on Earth.
Just as important, in keeping with space treaties formed under the auspices of the United Nations, the Martian Constitution outlining the society the planet's new citizens would be joining would spell out the use of land on the Red Planet. In particular, land rights would be determined only by Martians; Earthlings wouldn't be able to make any demands for resources like water (for making rocket fuel). (Note that this means you could still make money on Mars, but you would have to do it as a citizen of the new world, with its new, more just and equal social arrangements.
If we do decide to populate Mars (and you can probably tell I really want us to), then we can ensure a future in space that would be something much better than what we have now something those back on Earth could eventually learn from. In that way, the Martian Revolution can begin today. It can be fought and won without grievance and without a shot, fully completed by that fateful day when human beings first set foot on the red soil of their new home.
Adam Frank, a professor of astrophysics at the University of Rochester, is the author of "Light of the Stars: Alien Worlds and the Fate of the Earth."
Originally posted here:
The NASA Mars rover launch raises the question of how best to settle other planets - NBC News
- White People Are Going to Colonize Mars, and Other Fears From Today's Campuses - Tablet Magazine - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- Bizarre yogurt experiment could be key to colonizing Mars but there will be disgusting consequences, say... - The US Sun - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- SpaceX Must Build 1,000 Starships In 10 Years To Reach Mars Goal. So Far, 0 Starships Have Made It To Space - Jalopnik - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- A Science Fiction Writer in Space: Sands of Mars by Arthur C. Clarke - tor.com - June 30th, 2023 [June 30th, 2023]
- Increase your crypto portfolio performance 10X in 2023 with ... - Analytics Insight - June 30th, 2023 [June 30th, 2023]
- Happy Birthday Elon Musk: Spotlight on the Remarkable Life of a ... - Transcontinental Times - June 30th, 2023 [June 30th, 2023]
- Jony Ive's latest gig is the seal for King Charles's space project ... - AppleInsider - June 30th, 2023 [June 30th, 2023]
- Top 5 Technologies That Will Make Mars Habitable - Jumpstart Media - May 28th, 2023 [May 28th, 2023]
- 10 Best Paradox Interactive Games - TheGamer - May 28th, 2023 [May 28th, 2023]
- Hanwha propels Nuri rocket project - The Investor - May 28th, 2023 [May 28th, 2023]
- Do Androids Dream of Terrible Streets? | Compact Mag - Compact Mag - May 28th, 2023 [May 28th, 2023]
- All about Mars colonization and news 2023 - From Space With Love - March 4th, 2023 [March 4th, 2023]
- New NASA Nuclear Rocket Plan Aims to Get to Mars in Just 45 Days - January 23rd, 2023 [January 23rd, 2023]
- Mars - Wikipedia - January 22nd, 2023 [January 22nd, 2023]
- Mars Gives Snow an Alien Twist - The Atlantic - January 22nd, 2023 [January 22nd, 2023]
- Will China's Zhurong Mars rover wake from worrying hibernation ... - January 22nd, 2023 [January 22nd, 2023]
- A Mars rover scientist is about to scale carbon-oxygen batteries - January 22nd, 2023 [January 22nd, 2023]
- Next Mars Orbiter - Wikipedia - November 25th, 2022 [November 25th, 2022]
- Occupy Mars: The Game on Steam - October 25th, 2022 [October 25th, 2022]
- Life on Mars - Wikipedia - October 25th, 2022 [October 25th, 2022]
- Coeur dAlene student selected to be on the first high school-aged team to train in the Mars Desert Research Station - KREM.com - October 25th, 2022 [October 25th, 2022]
- Marscoin - October 23rd, 2022 [October 23rd, 2022]
- How Elon Musk used sci-fi and social media to shape his narrative : It's Been a Minute - NPR - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- New ghost tour unearths the grisly side of Old Montreal this Halloween season - The Suburban Newspaper - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- Competing in the new 'Space Race' - Royal Aeronautical Society - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- The Martian (film) - Wikipedia - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Elon Musk Racing To Colonize Mars, He Says This Will 'Destroy All Life On Earth' - PayPal Holdings (NASDA - Benzinga - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- The Origin of the Hollow Earth Theory - History of Yesterday - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Why sending a Native American into space is a big deal - WBUR News - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Going to Space Will Not Save Us - Jezebel - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Its Science Over Capitalism: Kim Stanley Robinson and the Imperative of Hope - The MIT Press Reader - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Dubais space center to simulate life on Mars in the Metaverse - Al Arabiya English - September 20th, 2022 [September 20th, 2022]
- Cosmic Cowboy is a space odyssey for 2022 - The Boston Globe - September 20th, 2022 [September 20th, 2022]
- Trump pushed for nuclear testing on the moon during final months of presidency - Salon - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- Whitest Kids U Know Wrapping Production on Animated Movie Mars, Final WKUK Project After Trevor Moores Death - Variety - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- NASA has created oxygen from the atmosphere of Mars, will the dream of colonizing now come true? - News84Media - News84Media.com - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- Here Are The Top 7 Space Organizations Of The World! - Jagran Josh - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- Frank Drake's Legacy, Or: Are We All Alone In The Universe? - Hackaday - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- Deliver Us Mars Tugs on the Heart Strings in New Story Trailer - Push Square - August 25th, 2022 [August 25th, 2022]
- New water map of Mars shows potential landing spots on the planet - TNW - August 25th, 2022 [August 25th, 2022]
- Stranded: Alien Dawn is the next game from the Surviving Mars devs - Shacknews - August 25th, 2022 [August 25th, 2022]
- Launches: Life in Venus clouds? Rocket Lab to check - EarthSky - August 25th, 2022 [August 25th, 2022]
- How Europe's Space Industry Could Blast Off - Center for European Policy Analysis - August 25th, 2022 [August 25th, 2022]
- STARMUS V: Lunar dust allergy, alternatives to planet Earth and how the festival came to Armenia - ARMENPRESS - August 25th, 2022 [August 25th, 2022]
- When will the first baby be born in space? - Buffalo News - August 25th, 2022 [August 25th, 2022]
- 20 Best Xbox One Space Games To Explore The Great Unknown - Gameranx - August 25th, 2022 [August 25th, 2022]
- Japanese craft brewery and tech company to simulate making beer on Moon and Mars - SoraNews24 - July 29th, 2022 [July 29th, 2022]
- The Moon Archive Meant To Preserve Life On Earth - Twisted Sifter - July 29th, 2022 [July 29th, 2022]
- Fireside Chat With Everdome CEO Robert Gryn on the Nurturing of the Metaverse in a Hyperrealistic Format - Tech Times - July 29th, 2022 [July 29th, 2022]
- More People Need to Watch The Best Sci-Fi Show on Prime Video - CNET - June 30th, 2022 [June 30th, 2022]
- The CAPSTONE Mission Launches A New Era In The Colonization Of The Moon - Science 2.0 - June 30th, 2022 [June 30th, 2022]
- Bedu announces its second curated art drop - My Startup World - June 30th, 2022 [June 30th, 2022]
- Mykhailo Federov wishes Elon Musk on his birthday, says 'whole world has chance to live' - Techstory - June 30th, 2022 [June 30th, 2022]
- From Autonomous Cities to US Presidency: The Future Is Now Film Shows What Blockchain Leaders Think About Governance - Geeks World Wide - June 24th, 2022 [June 24th, 2022]
- Elon Musk Plans To Launch Thousands of 394 Feet Tall Rockets To Mars - Wccftech - June 11th, 2022 [June 11th, 2022]
- For All Mankind season 3: everything we know - What To Watch - May 25th, 2022 [May 25th, 2022]
- 5 Up-and-Coming DOGE Projects that Might be Worth Your Money - NewsBTC - May 25th, 2022 [May 25th, 2022]
- My idea for a new era: The town hall from TED2022 - TED Blog - May 25th, 2022 [May 25th, 2022]
- Elon Musk Sounds Alarm Over 'Population Collapse' Again - Benzinga - Benzinga - May 25th, 2022 [May 25th, 2022]
- Star Wars: How The Movie Would Have Changed With George Lucas's Original Script - Zyri - May 25th, 2022 [May 25th, 2022]
- LongHash Ventures Partners With Protocol Labs to Launch the Third LongHashX Accelerator Filecoin Cohort - Crypto Briefing - May 25th, 2022 [May 25th, 2022]
- Why we should colonize Mars (and other planets and the satellites too) - May 23rd, 2022 [May 23rd, 2022]
- Chinese rover makes surprise discovery about liquid water on Mars - Big Think - May 23rd, 2022 [May 23rd, 2022]
- The apocalypse after the apocalypse - newframe.com - May 23rd, 2022 [May 23rd, 2022]
- OPINION: The 'good old days' are what we make them - Anchorage Daily News - May 23rd, 2022 [May 23rd, 2022]
- A new stage for Mars: Web3 colonization of Mars has begun - Digital Journal - May 21st, 2022 [May 21st, 2022]
- WATCH: Apple TV Plus Releases Trailer For Season 3 Of 'For All Mankind' - We Got This Covered - May 21st, 2022 [May 21st, 2022]
- 30 Of the best fried foods around the world - KAKE - May 21st, 2022 [May 21st, 2022]
- Crypto.com Spent Its Way to the Top. Then the Market Crashed. Now What? - GQ - May 21st, 2022 [May 21st, 2022]
- The US And England Will Never Agree On These Foods - Mashed - May 21st, 2022 [May 21st, 2022]
- Could Lunar Soil be the Key to Reaching Mars? - The National Herald - May 20th, 2022 [May 20th, 2022]
- NASA will use the metaverse to build VR scenarios for Mars missions - Interesting Engineering - May 11th, 2022 [May 11th, 2022]
- 10 Best New Teen Movies of 2022 Most Anticipated Teen Movies 2022 - Seventeen - May 11th, 2022 [May 11th, 2022]
- SpaceX mission returns to Earth | WORLD - WORLD News Group - May 11th, 2022 [May 11th, 2022]
- Wealthy nations are carving up space and its riches and leaving other countries behind - Jacksonville Journal-Courier - May 11th, 2022 [May 11th, 2022]
- All Elon Musk's SpaceX rockets revealed with disasters that turned into blazes - The US Sun - May 11th, 2022 [May 11th, 2022]
- Introducing the 'Mobile Gantry' 3D printer that could facilitate the future colonization of Mars - 3D Printing Industry - May 3rd, 2022 [May 3rd, 2022]
- The Billionaire Space Race: Should We Be Worried? - New University - May 3rd, 2022 [May 3rd, 2022]
- Martian rocks may give insight into the Red Planets violent history - BGR - May 3rd, 2022 [May 3rd, 2022]
- Galactic Civilizations IV: Core worlds, colonies, and colonization guide - PC Invasion - May 3rd, 2022 [May 3rd, 2022]