Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2018 Oct 25;3(1):1800062.
doi: 10.1002/gch2.201800062. eCollection 2019 Jan.

Mars Colonization: Beyond Getting There

Igor Levchenko  1   2 , Shuyan Xu  1 , Stéphane Mazouffre  3 , Michael Keidar  4 , Kateryna Bazaka  2
Affiliations
Review

Mars Colonization: Beyond Getting There

Igor Levchenko et al. Glob Chall. .

Abstract

Colonization of Mars: As humans gradually overcome technological challenges of deep space missions, the possibility of exploration and colonization of extraterrestrial outposts is being seriously considered by space agencies and commercial entities alike. But should we do it just because we potentially can? Is such an undoubtedly risky adventure justified from the economic, legal, and ethical points of view? And even if it is, do we have a system of instruments necessary to effectively and fairly manage these aspects of colonization? In this essay, a rich diversity of current opinions on the pros and cons of Mars colonization voiced by space enthusiasts with backgrounds in space technology, economics, and materials science are examined.

Keywords: ethical considerations; legal considerations; mars colonization; space exploration.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Composite image that shows the relative dimensions of Earth and Mars. The image of Earth was captured from the Galileo orbiter at about 6:10 a.m. Pacific Standard Time on December 11, 1990, when it was at a distance of ≈2.1 million kilometers away from Earth during the first of two Earth flybys on its journey to Jupiter. The image of Mars was captured by the Mars Global Surveyor in April of 1999. Image credit: NASA/Jet propulsion Lab.5
Figure 2
Figure 2
Modular Martian settlement (artistic representation). Several alternative modular concepts have been proposed, including one by Mars One.11
Figure 3
Figure 3
Social isolation on Mars would be a great source of stress to the colonists. While Earth is in close proximity to the International Space Station (ISS), it becomes a remote planet when seen from the surface of the Moon and is desperately lost in space when observed from the surface of Mars. Earth photos credit: NASA/Jet propulsion Lab.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. a) McKay C., Kasting J., Toon O., Nature 1991, 352, 489; - PubMed
    2. b) Jakosky B. M., Edwards C. S., Nat. Astron. 2018, 2, 634.
    1. Orosei R., Lauro S. E., Pettinelli E., Cicchetti A., Coradini M., Cosciotti B., Di Paolo F., Flamini E., Mattei E., Pajola M., Soldovieri F., Cartacci M., Cassenti F., Frigeri A., Giuppi S., Martufi R., Masdea A., Mitri G., Nenna C., Noschese R., Restano M., Seu R., Science 2018, 361, 490. - PubMed
    1. Brasser R., Mojzsis S. J., Geophys. Res. Lett. 2017, 44, 5978.
    1. a) Martín‐Torres F. J., Zorzano M.‐P., Valentín‐Serrano P., Harri A.‐M., Genzer M., Kemppinen O., Rivera‐Valentin E. G., Jun I., Wray J., Madsen M. B., Goetz W., McConnochie T., Cockell C., Berger G., Sumner D., Vaniman D., Nat. Geosci. 2015, 8, 357;
    2. b) Usui T., Nature 2017, 552, 339. - PubMed
    1. Earth Mars comparison. The composite image of Earth and Mars, https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/details.php?id=PIA02570 (accessed: June 2018).