Martian colonies are a ubiquitous sci-fi image, but the reality of making one actually happen is complicated. It would be ludicrously expensive and extraordinarily dangerous. The logistical headaches are endless — you can’t exactly pop back to Earth if you forget your toothbrush. Navigate all that, and you’re left with big questions about the physical and mental impact of living in such an isolated and hostile environment. There is scientific value to Martian exploration, including potential answers to big questions about how life begins. But whether humans need to be present for work we can delegate to robots is an open question.
Further complicating matters is the fact that NASA is facing deep budget cuts likely to truncate its ambitious Artemis program, while the world’s most prominent private space program is led by a megalomaniac with a long history of fabricating timelines. Elon Musk had projected an unmanned Martian mission in 2024, having already walked back claims that a manned mission would reach Mars this year; when he talks about building a self-sustaining Martian city of a million people within 20 years, the appropriate response isn’t to gaze at the stars, but roll your eyes.
