Should Mankind Colonize Mars?

Billings, B. (2019). Should humans colonize mars? No.  Theology and Science,  17:3, 341-346. 

Billings (2019) bases his journal on the question of human beings' bid to colonize mars. In his article, Billings argues that human beings should not colonize mars as they already have Earth. Billings (2019) begins the article by showing the people pushing for the colonization of Mars. NASA administrators, various advocates, and presidents from different regions have shown a massive interest in pushing their scientists to progress in space research and studies. According to Billings (2019), Colonizing mars would involve ethical and moral implications on why human beings made Earth inhabitable before moving to other planets like Mars. 

Billings' article is essential as it provides a counter-argument that the mars should be colonized. The article provides insights into why colonizing mars could be disastrous to humanity and life in general. 

In his evaluation of the research question, Billings (2019) states that colonizing mars is an affair for the rich and brings various ethical implications to humanity. In the argument, Billings states, "it would be unethical to contaminate a potentially habitable planet for further scientific exploration and immoral to transport a tiny, non-representative, subset of humanity" (Billings, 2019). From Billings' argument, it is evident that moving to Mars would result in inequality as the rich people will be the only ones qualified for the task. 

Levchenko, I. Xu, S. Mazouffre, S. Keidar, M. & Bazaka, K. (2019). Mars Colonization: Beyond getting there.  NCBI. 

In their article, Levchenko, Xu, Mazouffre, Keidar, & Bazaka (2019) present their view on mars colonization's controversial topic. Levchenko et al. (2019) begin by expressing how mass has been engulfed by massive mystery and romanticism from Earth. Levchenko et al. (2019) also focus on establishing whether humanity needs mars for survival or if mars are just another excuse for the wastage of resources. The authors also focus on the legal and ethical considerations of moving to mars, whereby he cites the Outer Space Treaty, which governs international bodies on mars colonization.  

The article is essential in addressing the research thesis. Through this article, I can understand the legal implications of colonizing mars. For instance, the article elaborates on how the international community views Mars colonization and how such a mission's success would require international organs' collective action.  

In their argument, Levchenko et al. (2019) establish that the international community does not prohibit mars' colonization. Their argument focuses on how powerful nations can work together in realizing a common interest in mars. In their argument, the authors state, "While the Outer Space Treaty does not prohibit colonization of mars, building a permanent colony on the surface if mass will certainly call for the development of a new system of laws and regulations" (Levchenko et al. 2019). 

NASA (2020). How long will the Earth remain habitable? 

NASA's article evaluates the various factors influencing the number of years that the Earth remains habitable. In his evaluation, NASA (2020) shows how astronomers began their studies on Earth's habitability in 1967. Human activities on Earth could lead to the acceleration of the end of Earth. Through global warming, sea waters are bound to rise, making it difficult for people to survive. Increasing temperatures could also make life on Earth unbearable, thus leading to the extinction of humankind. 

The article is highly relevant to the study topic as it provides information on the habitability of Earth. Through this article, I can understand why colonizing mars is essential for humanity. By colonizing mars, human beings can escape extinction from the rapidly consuming Earth. Rising sea levels and temperatures promise to end human life on Earth. Only through an alternative planet can humankind escape the threat of extinction. 

In NASA's evaluation of this topic, they define how temperatures are projected to rise of the next billion years. "In the next billion years, the amount of solar radiation reaching the earth will increase by 8%" (NASA, 2020). Increased radiation will consequently increase temperatures, thus affecting life on the planet.  

Platt, C.A., Jason, M., & Sullivan, C.J. (2020. Public perceptions of private space initiatives: How young adults view the Space X plan to colonize Mars.  Space Policy , 51. 1-10. 

Platt, Jason, & Sullivan (2020) discuss the public views on Elon Musk's indulgence in mars exploration. In their evaluation of this issue, Platt et al. (2020) analyze data from 81 university and college students. The study establishes that young people are more optimistic about space exploration and view space exploration as a massive achievement, not only for Elon Musk but for humanity. In essence, through Musk's innovation, the future promises better mass exploration missions.  

The work enables me to understand the public view on the colonization of Mars. Through this article, I can formulate an argument on public image, national prestige, and the population's involvement in Mars' colonization. The study established that youths are worried about how rich people are the only lot that can afford mars colonization. By understanding this issue, I can make an effective judgment into why moving to mars is a good or a misguided idea. 

The article focused on public views on the movement to mars, whereby the researchers established mixed reactions on the issue. The authors state, "Young adults viewed the development of technology that could bring humans to mars as positive from a pioneering scientific perspective but were not supportive of colonization" (Platt et al. 2020). It is evident from this study that the public does not highly support the colonization of Mars. 

Stoner, I. (2017). Humans should not Colonize Mars.  Journal of American Philosophical Association,  3(3), 334-353 

In his argument, Stoner (2017) develops an argument on how humanity should react to the idea of colonizing Mars. In this argument, Stoner (2017) argues that humanity should never colonize mars due to this move's moral and ethical implications. In opposing a move to colonize mars, Stoner (2017) develops two arguments, regulation of human behavior and the application of destructive technologies on mars. Stoner (2017) states that it would be difficult for humankind to be controlled once in space on the argument on human behavior. In the next argument, Stoner (2017) argues that humanity could be tempted to use of destructive technologies to reach Mars, which could subsequently destroy our planet. 

The article is essential, as it helps me understand the counter-argument on my thesis in this paper. Through this article, I understand how going to mars could be disastrous as human beings may continue their destructive behaviors, leading to the planet's eventual destruction. The article is relevant to me as it helps me establish the negative impacts of moving to Mars. 

In his opposition to a move to mars, Stoner argues, "Seeding mars with life from earth violates the first clause of the Principle of Scientific Conservation" (Stoner, 2017). Colonizing Mars will, therefore, be a violation of global agreements. 

Zubrin, R. (2018). The economic viability of mars colonization. In 

Deep Space Commodities 

In this article, Zubrin (2018) discusses the economic implications of colonizing mars. The article examines how economical it would be for Earth to send its inhabitants to the universe. The development of robots and other equipment for transporting people to mars requires massive investment from the government and the private sector. Survival on Earth also requires massive investment from Earth as human beings must make life bearable on mars. One such way is through construction and planting of trees in mars. The trees and construction materials must be transported from Earth, which could be highly costly. 

Through this article, the question of the economic significance of moving to mars can be answered. Mars also provides human beings with materials for improving their economic relevance. From this article, one can answer why human beings cannot redirect the money they want to spend on the colonization of mars on making Earth a better place to live. The article is, therefore, highly important as it gives me an insight into the economics of moving to Mars.  

In the argument, Zubrin states, "It is also shown that while mars may lack any cash material directly exportable to earth, its orbital elements, and other physical parameters are essential" (Zubrin, 2018). 

PART 2 

Should Mankind Colonize Mars? 

Space exploration is an essential aspect of today's society, which involves space and astronomy technologies to understand outer space. Human beings can understand the outer space's structure and composition through human spaceflights and robotic space probes. During the mid-twentieth century, various scientists started developing rockets, propelled to space, helping understand the space. Some common reasons for space exploration include development in strategic and military advantages, humankind's Survival, and national prestige (Billings, 2019). The main reason for the establishment of space explorations was the cold war competition, Space Race, which ensued between the United States and the Soviet Union. The two countries initiated several missions, which resulted in landings to the moon and other plants. After the end of the cold war, there were advancements in space cooperation established through the International Space Station. In the 21st century, the world started focusing on even stronger spaceflights, which encouraged the human movement to mars (Levchenko, Xu, Mazouffre, Keidar, & Bazaka, 2019). Being a planet that held similar attributes to Earth, mars attracted many nations to establish themselves in the space. Environmental pollution, mainly due to global warming, is a massive threat to life on Earth. In less than 9 billion years, humankind could be extinct due to the rising sea waters and increasing global temperatures. Moving to mars could be the only way humanity could escape extinction on Earth. However, such a move carries heavy moral and ethical implications, as human beings have contributed heavily to the destruction of the universe. The issue of colonizing mars raises presents a dilemma on what humankind should do. Connectedly, I support the argument that humankind should colonize mars. 

The Earth's habitability faces serious challenges from natural and human activities. Colonizing mars should never be an option for humankind, as it is the only way human beings survive. Since 1967, astronomers have increased their intensity in studying how stars and other solar system elements evolve (NASA, 2020). These studies have indicated that human beings face extinction due to the risk of exploiting all the resources on the Earth's surface. In 2020, the global human beings' population stood at 7.8 billion, with high population growth rates (NASA, 2020). Improvements in the healthcare sector imply that death rates are destined to drop, thus signifying increased populations. Infrastructure developments have also increased in recent years, leading to the destruction of natural resources. For instance, deforestation must create room for constructing buildings, roads, and other artificial infrastructure elements. Industrial activity has also increased tremendously in the 21st century, leading to an increased carbon footprint in the atmosphere. The outcome of increased carbon in the atmosphere is increased temperatures, which affect life on Earth. Ice blocks are slowly melting away, leading to increased sea levels. Consequently, natural calamities like changes in weather and climate patterns, hurricanes, and tornadoes have claimed multiple lives. Droughts and famines have also destroyed livelihoods in the 21st century (NASA, 2020). According to NASA, there will be an increase of 8% in Earth's radiation within the next one-billion years. A 0.1% in radiation causes a subsequent 0.20C increase in temperatures (NASA, 2020). Therefore, the increase of 8% in radiation could be disastrous to human life, making Earth an inhabitable place. In essence, over the next billion years, the earth temperatures will have increased by 160C. Such increases will also be influenced by the rapid destruction of natural resources like trees, which play a key role in controlling temperatures. Putting humankind in various planets increases the chances of preventing extinction. In essence, in 9 billion years, the world will be inhabitable, with extreme temperatures, thus leading to the extinction of human nature. In curbing this challenge, we must colonize Mars and make it our next habitable planet. 

Another critical reason why we should colonize mars is its similarity to Earth. Mars and Earth show distinct similarities in terms of compositions. No other planet shows more promising similarities to Earth than Mars, thus increasing hopes for life on the planet. The two planets have almost equal densities of 5.514 grams per cubic centimeters compared to 3.93 grams per cubic centimeters for mars. Like Earth, Mars contains water, frozen underground, within the planet's polar caps (NASA, 2020). Evidence from the planet indicates that mars were flooded with water in the past, with signs like soil erosion, volcanoes, and craters indicating water's presence. Additionally, geological indicators show that the planet was initially wet and could support life. In comparison to Earth, a day involves 24.5 hours compared to the 24 hours on Earth. In terms of size, the Earth is three times larger than mars, but mars have broader land coverage than our planet. Survival on mars also depends on gravity, whereby mars' gravity is 2.7 times less than that experienced in our planet (NASA, 2020). The figure indicates that people can walk freely on mars, and rockets can easily be launched from the planet. Scientists indicate that mars could also provide health benefits to humankind, as some conditions like arthritis could easily be managed in such an environment. Children born in mars are also taller and healthier than those from our planet. Other planets like Mercury and Venus are extremely hot; this could be difficult for humankind to survive in them. Though not very hot, the moon lacks an atmosphere that can protect living organisms from falling meteor impacts. Due to the numerous similarities between these two planets, Mars is the best option for humankind in the solar system; hence we must colonize it. 

Humankind should also colonize mars for scientific knowledge advancements, which could improve life on Earth. Studies indicate that mars are the most promising planet in terms of scientific knowledge. Over the past fifty years of mars exploration, there has been a widespread understanding of Mars and Earth's relationships and how this knowledge can improve various elements on our planet. The similarities between Mars and Earth indicate that there is a possibility of bacterial life on the planet. In 1976, Viking's space exploration detected the presence of bacteria-like organisms, which can be studied to understand soil formation and other knowledge for bettering human life (Billings, 2019). For instance, understanding mars will help humankind understand if there could be another planet with people. The question of whether human beings only exist on Earth can be understood by studying the mars. Mars also provides geological knowledge on the origin of planets. It is a billion years older than our planet. Mars also hosts larger volcanoes, craters, and canyons, which could be studied to understand those that exist on Earth. By studying the distribution of carbon dioxide, oxygen, hydrogen, and water in mars, scientists can correlate this knowledge with such features on Earth, thus understanding how to make our planet a better place to live. 

Humankind should colonize mars for economic value. The resources on Earth have been widely exploited, with oil, gold, and other crucial stones being on the verge of extinction. Mars possesses important compositions, which could prove to be of massive worth. The planet has more than 144 trillion square meters to be exploited on mass (Zubrin, 2018). The land can be used for industrial, commercial, and residential services, thus generating income for humanity. The planet also harbors an abundance of metals that are rare on Earth's surface. For instance, studies indicate gold, silver, and platinum on Earth, extracted and transported back to Earth for economic development. Shipping material from mars to Earth is inherently easier than shipping materials from Earth to Mars (Zubrin, 2018). The mars also consist of large quantities of iron, which is more than all the iron used by humanity in their entire life. The economic potential of mars could be promising to the declining resources on Earth. Another argument on mars' economic importance could be protecting the Earth's atmosphere (Billings, 2019). Destructive activities like nuclear wastes, oil production, and lucrative industrial setups could be transferred to mars, thus relieving Earth of the challenge. The most earth-threatening aspect on Earth is the increasing carbon footprint on the atmosphere. The destruction of the ozone layer could also expose human beings to diseases like cancer, leading to humanity's extinction. In avoiding these challenges, industries should be transferred to mars, shifting our focus to the plantation of trees and conservation of our environment. 

Colonizing mars could be a beneficial strategic and political advantage over other countries. In the modern era of economic, political, and social competition between leading nations in outer space, it would be critical to establishing strategic bases on Mars (Platt, Jason, & Sullivan, 2020. Being the only planet with a high probability of supporting life, Mars could play a significant role in defining how world powers position themselves in global competition. In recent years, Russia, China, and the US have increased their space dominance. These countries understand that their strategic importance in the world lies upon their ability to control the space. Cyber-terrorism and space wars could also be won by countries that dominate mars. In 2020, the US launched a military space unit, tasked with safeguarding US interests in space (Platt et al. 2020). With such development, it is critical to note the importance of dominating the space. By establishing good military bases in mars, the US can prevent competing nations like China and Russia from destroying its space gear like communication systems. Disruption of communication systems through space warfare could be disastrous to any country as rockets cannot be launched without the US of signals obtained through space imaging and signals. In terms of diplomatic superiority, countries with more success in space exploration are more likely to gain more confidence from other nations. For instance, the US could get advanced diplomatic relations with other countries for having advanced communication systems in space. Colonizing mars could also be a uniting factor for superpowers as they work together in establishing a life in mars. Issues like lack of trust and economic wars have prevented these nations from uniting to make Earth a better place (Billings, 2019). For example, the leading world powers only focus on their development and position while neglecting important environmental issues. If the world was united for a common purpose, global leaders could easily address the environmental's issues. Collective actions against companies that violate environmental measures could prove critical in preserving Earth. However, greed for dominance has prevented countries from joining hands to protect the environment. With the project on mars, these nations could work together for the sake of humankind. Working together implies better international diplomacy (Billings, 2019). Even with divisions between the different nations on sponsorship of trips to Mars, the planet is too large for one country to occupy. In essence, the planet will eventually be open for everyone, thus creating harmony between nations. Mars could, therefore, be essential in bringing harmony among various global powers. 

Humankind should colonize mars as a way of affirming their pioneering nature in society. The bid to expand, explore and pioneer is one of the defining attributes of humankind. Therefore, moving to Mars and colonizing the planet is settling frontiers of what human beings' nature must look like. Colonizing mars should, therefore, not only be a matter of finding resources or an alternative to our extinction but a way of reaffirming our place in society. When humankind fails to colonize mars, we have failed and cannot live up to our pioneering nature expectations. Human beings are born pioneers, which explains the gradual evolution and invention of various tools, equipment, and technologies. The Europeans also provide a perfect example of humankind's pioneering nature. Sailing through the seas and oceans, the Europeans discovered unexplored lands in Africa and America, thus expanding their civilization and culture to such societies. Similarly, by moving to Mars and initiating earthly projects on the planet, humankind must be explorative to assert its pioneering nature. Human beings have often adopted the phrase, "it's what humans do," a phrase that defines humankind's distinct attributes, which include the pioneering and inventive nature of our kind. Colonizing Mars would therefore justify our bid to expand our pioneering nature. 

We should also colonize mars due to its location on Earth, the sun, and other planets. Mars is closer to Earth than the earth planets, and it sits between Earth and the asteroid belt, thus acting as a link between the Earth and the outer space. The planet is also strategically placed about the sun, with adequate light and heat reaching it (Platt et al. 2020). The location of mars also guarantees the safe existence of humanity, with regulated temperatures. Changes in the sun's composition have minimal impacts on mars; thus, life on the planet could be bundled with safety from overheating and other dangerous effects of being closer to the sun (Levchenko et al. 2019). As an intermediary between the Earth and other planets, mars could help understand the universe's formation. 

Mars also offers humanity with a backup plan to extinction. In the past, asteroid collisions have threatened to wipe out the Earth, thus threatening humanity's existence. Dactyl-sized asteroids prove catastrophic as they can wipe out the entire Earth. Therefore, a colony to mars could be the future of humanity, as with such an alternative, the chances of getting wiped entirely are minimal (Levchenko et al. 2019). However, the big question remains if mars are sufficient to sustain the world from destruction. Despite the sufficiency of land for supporting humanity, mars will have saved our species and many others from extinction. 

The colonization of Mars is also a huge challenge for humanity, who needs to test his technology advancements and other aspects of life. Through the colonization of mars, we will understand how humankind is prepared to tackle various challenges. For instance, if we can deal with mars' adverse conditions, we can improve our planet (Levchenko et al. 2019). Developing systems that support life in mars will be a massive gain for our planet. The explorative nature of humankind will have born great results in this case. European explorers established the existence of Africa and the Americas, and the various establishments in these planets. Through these explorative missions, the explorer could colonize the continents, thus spreading civilization to their inhabitants. Similarly, colonizing mars would be a great opportunity for humankind to spread a unique civilization to mars. Colonizing Mars will also help humankind gain innovation and inspiration. The planets lack some elements of supporting life on the planet (Levchenko et al. 2019). In tackling such problems, humankind will have to invent new objects, which could prove vital when returning to Earth. For instance, students must study STEM education, while other technology advancements must ensure success in mars. 

Colonizing mars could, however, lead to ethical and moral implications on humankind. Promoting the mission of the colonization of mars implies that humankind stops focusing on our planet instead of emphasizing another planet (Stoner, 2017). It would be ethically wrong for human beings to destroy Earth, knowing that they have an alternative planet to live. With the knowledge that we have an alternative planet, global leaders could be careless in implementing destructive policies like nuclear bombs, which could be disastrous to humanity. Life on Mars would also be filled with guilt and moral haunting among human beings. For instance, people will regret destroying their planet due to greed and migrating to another planet. While in mars, human beings will also be reminded of their behavior of destroying a once habitable place and migrating to a hostile environment due to greed. According to Christian and all the other religious backgrounds, the destruction of the environment is also morally wrong (Stoner, 2017). All religions hold a supreme being responsible for the creation of the universe. The Supreme Being is responsible for creating and destroying Earth; hence human beings' destructive nature is morally wrong. If we move to mars due to our destructive actions, what prevents us from destroying mars as well? Colonizing mars only kills human beings' sense of responsibility as we will remain a destructive species even while living on Mars. 

Life on Mars could also be filled with chaos and disagreements, which makes colonizing the planet unnecessary. How will people from different backgrounds, nations, regions, and continents settle in mars? Some countries like the US and other global powers could dictate how the other nations situate themselves on the planet, thus causing chaos. If people live together without the element of nations, then how will they be ruled? Dictatorship could arise in such a situation as people will hold different ideological differences (Stoner, 2017). Colonizing Mars will, therefore, only brew more trouble among humankind. Elements of religion, color, race, and other social determinates could also be sources of the crisis. How will natural resources be shared among the various communities? 

Colonizing mars could only be an activity for the super-rich people, yet the whole humankind population depends upon the planet. Current trips to mars are extremely expensive, with only rich people being able to afford such trips. The criteria that would be used in moving humanity to mars is still a mystery to the world. (Zubrin, 2018) The planet also composes high carob dioxide content, limiting the number of people who can survive on the planet. Food production on mars is currently done through greenhouse planting, implying that such methods could provide insufficient food systems for all humankind. Survival on the planet, therefore, requires extensive innovativeness. 

Colonizing mars is an act of greed, which could lead to the contamination of the planet with earthly bacteria and other organisms. The functionality of the planet could be entirely different from what we understand as humankind. Instead of colonizing the planet, we should first focus on studying the planet and using it to understand other planets within the solar system (Zubrin, 2018). Through extensive studies of the solar system, we could establish how the planet will help us. 

In conclusion, weighing between colonizing and not colonizing Earth would be critical for humankind to colonize mars as it provides more benefits than failing to colonize it. By colonizing the planet, we will be able to exploit the natural resources entailed in it. Colonizing Mars will also help us understand the scientific secrets held in various planets. Mars could also be our only hope of Survival as humankind; hence must work on inventing better systems for effective colonization of mars. 

References 

Billings, B. (2019). Should humans colonize mars? No. Theology and Science, 17:3, 341-346. https://doi.org/10.1080/14746700.2019.1632524 . 

Levchenko, I. Xu, S. Mazouffre, S. Keidar, M. & Bazaka, K. (2019). Mars Colonization: Beyond getting there. NCBI. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6383964/ 

NASA, (2020). How long will the Earth remain habitable? https://image.gsfc.nasa.gov/poetry/venus/q79.html#:~:text=The%20evaporation%20of%20the%20Earth's,Earth%20will%20have%20become%20uninhabitable . 

Platt, C.A., Jason, M., & Sullivan, C.J. (2020. Public perceptions of private space initiatives: How young adults view the Space X plan to colonize Mars. Space Policy , 51. 1-10. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0265964619300098 

Stoner, I. (2017). Humans should not Colonize Mars. Journal of American Philosophical Association, 3(3), 334-353. https://philarchive.org/archive/STOHSN 

Zubrin, R. (2018). The economic viability of mars colonization. In  Deep Space Commodities  (pp. 159-180). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-90303-3_12