Ever since the Sputnik launch in 1957 and the first moon landing in 1969 with Apollo 11, scientists have been increasingly ambitious with their galactic goals, especially as the plausibility of moving human life to other planets has become more and more serious. Not many years ago space was a very poorly understood part of existence, yet currently millionaires can take trips there for leisure. But are these aspirations of living on planets other than Earth necessary, or even feasible?
Generally, the idea of living on a planet other than Earth is discomforting. It seems like a lot of extra complications that have to take place for a mediocre at best lifestyle. Astronauts eat baby food out of glorified toothpaste tubes and live in confined cabins. That doesn’t sound like first class living, especially considering the price at which moving to another planet would cost. With films like The Martian and figures like Elon Musk growing more popular in the past few years, it’s not a stretch to say that people are thinking more and more about life on other planets.
But not only does it sound uncomfortable, it is also far out of our current technological capacity as a species.The almost concerning fact is that people are even thinking about moving to other planets in the first place, when this really isn’t necessary.
Earth is not at its tipping point and it is much more recoverable than a lot of people give it credit for. Scientists are already making advancements in the right direction, and with the population becoming more accustomed electric cars and sustainable fuel, things are looking up for Earth. In fact the ozone layer is showing signs of recovery and may be due to be fully healed by 2066. This planet is worth not abandoning yet, even still some people look to the stars as a superior option to their home planet, but there are many reasons not to advance to a multiplanetary species, even though it may seem enticing.
The nearest Earth-like planet is Mars, which is often thought to be the most reasonable alternative for human habitation considering the now ever-possible likelihood of a climate crisis or global disaster. Not only does Mars have two poles and a rotating axis, it also shows signs that waterways were once present on its surface. One part of moving to Mars that would not only be difficult but also incalculably expensive would be developing and implementing a large enough, self-sustaining, livable atmosphere for humans to breathe, which oftentimes in science fiction is represented with some sort of life-supporting glass dome.
Before travel to Mars, and eventually sustainable life, can even be considered, human exploration would most likely be necessary as humans haven’t even landed on Mars, with only deployable drones and rovers having been able to make the journey. Another complication comes with being able to land a human transporting spacecraft on the planet’s surface and making it through the atmosphere. Estimates place a human mission to Mars requiring a vehicle of 50 to 100 tons, making the entry much more difficult compared to the rovers that have landed on Mars so far, only having weighed around one ton.
Additionally, according to NASA and The Planetary Society, Mars has a deadly near-lack of atmosphere, with 95% of the gas in the atmosphere being made up of carbon dioxide, which causes cosmic rays and harmful radioactive particles from the sun to reach its surface without a filter. This would likely make living on Mars, or even exploring it, very dangerous for humans. One topic of major public hysteria right now is the climate crisis and the release of greenhouse gasses but Earth’s carbon dioxide levels are only around 0.04% which is a lot easier to remedy than Mars’ nearly 100%. Some ways that people can reduce the carbon in Earth’s atmosphere include using low-carbon transport, electric appliances and tools, composting food, and planting trees.
Unless all of these issues are bypassed, the only way that would make living on Mars feasible would be to completely transform the planet to make it similar enough to Earth for humans to live on, a process called terraforming. However, if humanity gains the ability to terraform other planets, it also gains the ability to restore Earth to liveable conditions, reducing the need for space travel. All in all, it would take a lot less effort to fully repair Earth than it would to do the same for Mars.
NASA has also done some exploration into nearby solar systems. In the Alpha Centauri System, orbiting the Proxima Centauri star, there is a planet which some scientists believe to already be habitable by humans. Proxima Centauri B orbits Proxima Centauri, the closest star to the sun (a little over four light-years away), has a mass of 1.07 Earths, and is theorized to be one of the most Earth-like planets known to humankind.
According to Vertices, a Duke University student lead organization, Proxima Centauri B is in the habitable zone for its star despite it being so much closer to its sun making full orbits take the equivalent of 11.2 days compared to Earth’s 365.25, only being survivable thanks to its star being a red dwarf, which radiates much less energy. Other than the macro-details that scientists are able to see from space telescopes, very little is known about Proxima Centauri B, and whether or not it has water or even a livable atmosphere is mostly up for debate. With the lack of knowledge surrounding it, paired with its impossible distance from Earth, living on Proxima Centauri B is seeming even less likely than that of Mars.
All this said, NASA only takes up $30 Billion of the national budget, around 0.2% of the 2024 federal budget, and space travel is not to be discouraged as the knowledge of space can lead to advancements in the understanding of life, technology, and other scientific advancements. It is only important to know the extent of the human race’s abilities, and moving to Mars will not be realistic, or even necessary, any time soon. Instead of focusing on how best to ditch Earth, people should focus on what they can do to make Earth a better place.
Here are some articles to check out involving our role in sustainability:
The devastating impacts of food waste has on our community
A step in the right direction means stepping off the gas
CIRRUS and Environmental Club plant awareness for Earth Week around WA
