London: A new book questioning Elon Musk’s ambitious plans for a Mars colony has won the 2024 Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize. Titled A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through?, the book by Kelly and Zach Weinersmith delves into the daunting challenges of human survival on the Red Planet.
The authors, a biologist-cartoonist duo, argue that Musk’s vision for a self-sustaining Martian settlement is fraught with scientific and logistical hurdles. They liken the idea to abandoning a warming Earth for a “toxic waste dump,” emphasizing that Mars’ hostile environment poses severe risks to human health and safety.
Key Challenges on Mars
Mars’ soil contains perchlorates compounds that can disrupt hormones and cause developmental issues. Coupled with high radiation levels from the planet’s thin atmosphere and weak magnetic field, prolonged human exposure could increase cancer risks and cognitive decline.
Mars’ gravity, just 40% of Earth’s, could lead to muscle atrophy and bone loss, complicating childbirth and other biological processes. “We have very little data on how humans, especially children, would adapt,” Kelly Weinersmith told CNN.
Extreme Conditions
The planet’s global dust storms, temperature swings, and harmful airborne particles threaten both human health and critical equipment.
With Mars located an average of 225 million km from Earth, communication delays of up to 24 minutes each way could exacerbate mental health challenges and hinder emergency responses.
Legal and Geopolitical Concerns
The authors highlight the absence of a robust legal framework for Mars colonization. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty lacks clear guidelines on resource usage and territorial claims, raising concerns about future conflicts over Martian resources amid escalating US-China geopolitical tensions.
Musk’s plans hinge on advanced technologies, including closed-loop agricultural systems and durable infrastructure. However, the Weinersmiths argue these systems remain in their infancy.
“If this dream is to be realized, it will require generations of effort and gradual technological advancements,” the authors said.
A Cautious Approach to Space Exploration
While sceptical of large-scale settlement plans, the Weinersmiths advocate incremental progress in space exploration. They suggest research stations on the Moon and multi-generational studies with rodent colonies as essential steps toward understanding long-term survival in extraterrestrial environments.
Elon Musk envisions a Martian colony of one million people within the next 30 years. However, A City on Mars warns against rushing into such plans without addressing critical risks. For now, the dream of living on Mars might remain just that—a dream
