The case against Mars

This is an adaptation of a reply to another post in which the author advocated the colonization of Mars as a solution to the doomsday problem. The argument is that we should not put all our eggs in one basket because something really bad may happen to Earth.

This argument is just an excuse to pursue the insane goal to try to colonize a planet that has nothing to do with us. No matter how bad Earth is screwed, it will still be a better place than Mars. Earth has good gravity, good air pressure (even if all photosynthetic organisms die and the O2 disappear), good temperatures, a magnetosphere that shields it against solar radiation, lots of water, and we are already here. If the problem is survival of our species, we should build self-sustained bases on Earth (maybe underground) and good planetary defenses against asteroids.

The real reason for this insane plan is not our survival. People are still in the space age of the 20th century and they think a colony on Mars is very cool. And even if we decide to do it just for fun, it is reasonable to note that we are on the verge of an AI revolution, when machines will surpass humans in most of our abilities. Machines are perfect for the space and other hostile environments, so in 20 years it will make no sense to send humans to work on Martian colonization. It is much better to send the machines, wait for them to build farms, factories, mining facilities and cities, and then just go and chill.

I heard a guy saying he was capable to move much faster than our hovers on Mars. It is curious that he has chosen movement as a factor of comparison, since on Earth we are always using machines to move around faster. The timeline to set the first colony on Mars is something around 10 years. Anyone familiar with the progress in robotics in these last 10 years can see that, by the time the mission is ready, robots will be far more advanced, and even if they do not match humans in cognitive abilities, the advantages are so many that they will compensate for the cognitive deficit. Robots do not need heat, air pressure, oxygen, water, food, protection from radiation, they do not panic or suffer emotional breakdown, the list goes on.

Also, as the recent movie “The Space Between Us” pointed out, the second generation on Mars will take their situation for granted, and they will ask why they have to live in that hell just because their parents and the Earthlings think it is fun. They will see photos of our beautiful planet and they will crave to migrate. But maybe their constitution will not be prepared for Earth’s gravity and germs, and they will be forced to endure their condition on a planet that makes Antarctica looks like paradise. What right do we have to do such a thing just for our amusement?