Setting our sights on Mars does not mean abandoning Earth. In fact, these ambitions can lead to prosperity on both planets. Consider the four mechanisms through which Mars settlement will propagate a bright future for humanity, while allowing us to begin reaping the benefits now.
1. Optimizing society from first principles.
Imagine you could start society over again, free from the constraints of having to work off of infrastructure and systems once optimized to now-obsolete ends. The paper-maché style progression of city and transportation frameworks, legislation, and culture is necessarily constrained by what came before it due to natural economic forces. The frankensteined products — results of many games of builder’s “telephone” — lead to cascading inefficiencies that affect both the individual and society in countless ways, with tangible and intangible costs. The opportunity to build a modern society designed to the collective learnings of humanity to date would expand freedoms, increase safety, decrease costs, and improve general quality of life.
2. Preserving the light of consciousness.
Consciousness at any level seems an exceptionally rare occurrence, with Earth playing the role of outlier hotspot. Particularly, humanity’s advanced consciousness allows us to build upon our work as a species over time, creating opportunities to iteratively improve our experience and seek truths. As the current holders of humanity’s torch, we are responsible for this chain of iterations. We must safeguard the work of our ancestors and the potential of our descendants. Even optimists should not disregard the risk of human extinction on Earth, but rather consider the doors we open while we mitigate that risk. Expanding the boundaries and characteristics of humanity’s home allows us to diversify — and thereby protect — our investments in ourselves. Mars offers the most viable alternative for human life and beyond to flourish.
3. Inducing the next “gold rush” of jobs, technology and resources.
The mission requires advanced skills, innovation and execution, and as AI and robotics technology change the labor landscape at accelerating rates, adding jobs in physics, mathematics, astronomy, engineering, science, mechanics and more will contribute sizable prosperity to the job market. Further, the unique challenges and constraints of each piece of the Mars mission can lead to innovations that often yield downstream cost and technology improvements beyond their initial use cases. Countless industries could benefit from Mars demand, as humanity effectively needs to stock a second home. Entirely new markets would also erupt, while the unique scientific properties and resources of Mars and space offer additional leverage in raw materials and manufacturing.
4. Creating global ambition, inspiration and community.
Humanity is subject to subconscious, macro social dynamics per our biological wiring. In turn, society is just as alive as any individual human, in the sense that it grows, requires care, and can perish. Meanwhile, technological step-changes often reshape the landscape of interpersonal dynamics. For instance, the internet and subsequent globalization of information and exchange greatly expanded the connective tissue and scope of our collective existence. These developments require judicious response to direct the potential energy in newfound tinders. Settling Mars creates a common challenge, goal, and purpose that these new social circumstances need for society to function most productively. Laterally, creating common ambition focuses our aggregated mental and physical resources on economic progress, rather than counterproductive infighting. Vertically, demonstrating ambition, execution, and collaboration to our youth plants the seeds for continued iteration and prosperity.
The time available to get to Mars is limited, and it benefits humanity worldwide to optimize our chances of success and survival. Follow along while we put some of these assertions into context, expose legislative and technological challenges, report on progress toward the mission, and discuss the bright future ahead of us.
Related: Earth–Mars launch windows · Who’s racing toward Mars · Event calendar
— Jaclyn DeJohn