Interview: Stephen PetranekWhat will it take for humans to colonize Mars? We're chatting with Stephen Petranek, author of How We'll Live on Mars. Ask questions!
Posted by PCMag on Thursday, November 17, 2016
Chances are, humanity will screw things up here on Earth—big league. Even if we manage to settle our differences and use science and technology to fix our problems, some big space pebble will inevitably come along and thrust us into the great celestial mosh pit. That's just the unfortunate way of the cosmos.
We're going to need an insurance policy.
If humanity is going to survive in the long run, then we are going to have to spread our space wings and colonize other planets. The cool thing is that this isn't just some high-minded sci-fi navel gazing; this is an existential problem for which scientists have spent decades preparing.
So, where to go? Well, Venus is the closest planet, but it's a hotbox filled with battery acid for an atmosphere—kind of a non-starter. Mars, on the other hand isn't unfathomably far away; it has workable (if not ideal) temperatures; and most importantly, a large reserve of water (and therefore oxygen and ingredients for rocket fuel). Sold!
While most people may be aware of space colonization from books (and movies) like The Martian, extraplanet colonization is a very real field currently being pursued by private and public initiatives. NASA has defined plans to land humans on the surface of Mars in the mid-2030s, while Elon Musk and SpaceX think they'll be able to do it themselves in the late 2020s—not that far away.
The short of the situation is this: most people reading this will be alive to see the first human beings set foot on the Red Planet. And that's an amazing thing. So, what will these first space colonies look like?
We know a lot about Mars at this point and have (theoretical) designs on how we can procure the shelter, air, water, and food we will need to survive. That's the premise of the National Geographic Channel's excellent new series, Mars. The exquisitely detailed series portrays the fictional first mission to send humans to Mars, but intercuts it with the thinkers and scientists who are laying the way to get us there.
PCMag had a chance to speak with Stephen Petranek, author of How We'll Live on Mars, and one of the experts interviewed for the NGC series about how the first humans will arrive, survive, and eventually terraform the Red Planet. This is a fascinating discussion that will turn you into a believer about humankind's prospects in the solar system.
This interview was part of The Convo—PCMag's live-streaming interview series on Facebook. You can see more of our past interviews here.