How Going to Mars Could Save Earth
People often lump going to Mars or the Moon into a this/that fight when it comes to bettering the life of the Earth and its inhabitants. But, it’s not that simple.
The technology we master in the pursuit of space colonization (starting at the Moon and Mars / space stations) will serve to advance that on Earth. The things we learn will help provide a guide for what to do on this future planet, and not just life beyond it. Sure, in-situ resource utilization/production will generate rocket fuel on extraterrestrial bodies. But, things like the NASA Kilopower nuclear reactor can lay the groundwork for alternative energies deployed on Earth at scale. I imagine thorium reactors will follow suit while we still try to deploy fusion at a consumer scale and not just a research basis.
That’s just energy. Now picture 3d printing habitat development and how that can impact production of low-cost housing on Earth and construction projects that can have shapes previously thought impossible or too-high a cost that are more efficient and allow for artists to sculpt new buildings like a sculpture rather than a boring block.
Now, with an [initially] small space like a Martian habitat, imagine the technology advancements needed, such as deployment of lights and more advanced Samsung smart windows on a whole other level than at present. There’s going to need to be things that bring in luminescence into confined Martian spaces that opens it up, and provides it with a nice view that is photorealistic and not depressing. I imagine this utilizing Unreal Engine and allowing the colonist to customize their environment to their liking.
Imagine new forms of walkways that allow for exercise and won’t be too cramped of spaces because the floors can have technologies like omnidirectional treadmills, and other things not just limited to VR (because the human psyche would grow tired fast of feeling like they have to use a VR headset to feel grounded). These things will need to be constructed into the habitat. These technologies will be directly applicable to relaxation and rejuvenation on Earth (especially in harsh arctic climates) and recovery/therapy of patients in/outside of hospitals.
Then, think of hydroponics. We’re already quite good at it, but as we get better at growing plants indoors of all varieties, we can custom tailor different indoor climates to the plants at hand, and use this to manufacture at scale for food and plant-derived products/textiles. Think skyscraper farming to lessen the footprint from food to household in cities, meet the needs of the 21st century (and beyond) and “green-up” our urban environments. I discuss this at greater length in my article Skyscraper Farms, Lab-grown Meat & Soylent — Meeting the needs of the 21st Century
Now, imagine Life Support systems. One of these is called MOXIE, short for “Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment,” which converts Carbon Dioxide into oxygen in the Martian atmosphere. First I’ll discuss how I see it being deployed on Mars, and second how it could help Earth.
I imagine future Martian rovers might contain a scaled-up version of MOXIE, in addition to its oxygen supply, in case Martian colonists get stranded due to a malfunctioning rover / rough Martian terrain… As a backup in case their main supplies are depleted, to supply them with breathable oxygen until a rescue team can arrive. There’s a couple methods this could work. One, it could make sense to have it fill up the main tank as they commence travel, as having a secondary empty tank purely for that purpose may as well already be filled with oxygen. Two, alternatively, if there are multiple oxygen tanks and the MOXIE is then hooked up to one/some of them with a one way valve and tops it up once travel commences (for redundancy: in case it malfunctions, it doesn’t jeopardize the life support by leaking/venting the entire oxygen supply). I assume this could be contained in a SpaceX/Tesla/NASA collaborative rover project for the Starship’s 2024/2026 proposed Mars Timeline.
As for how this would benefit life on Earth, we need only look at Carbon scrubbing systems to prevent the runaway greenhouse effect from destroying our planet. Fossil fuels aren’t going to be stopped anytime soon, despite our best of efforts. We need a way to curb our existing [and future] emissions. Deploying these types of systems at industrial scale might be the only way to combat it effectively, besides using people and drones to plant trees en masse. But trees take time, and humans have become quite efficient at constructing industrial scale projects. What better incentive to build these systems than saving the planet? Money, of course. And think of the amount of money your company could make if it helps build the systems that will colonize Mars and beyond? Test the systems on Earth at scale, and deploy similar technology on Mars and profit. Now there’s your monetary incentive.
Similar technology could potentially be used to increase our presence in the oceans, to do more extensive research than presently, or at the very least, do so with systems that are more reliable. Think Sci-Fi-like “gills” for exploring the ocean as a lone scuba diver or as a submarine full of crew.
This is all just a few of the many benefits achieved on Earth as a direct result of extraterrestrial colonization. From NASA, “For every dollar invested by the government, the American economy and other countries economies have seen $7 to $14 in new revenue, all from spinoffs and licensing arrangements.” So, in short, it’s not just the economy that benefits, it’s the Earth.
Oddly enough, leaving the Earth for distant worlds is the very thing that could lead to saving the one original planet we currently call home.
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Photo References:
Waterfall Photo by Oliver Sjöström from Pexels
Scuba diver Photo by Elianne Dipp from Pexels
