These days, it feels almost a given that humanity will soon become a multiplanetary species, perhaps as soon as 2050. Setting up colonies on the moon and Mars is a tantalizing goal, perhaps even a necessary one for those who believe it to be a backup strategy that can save humanity from crumbling due to catastrophe.
However, space settlement — developing livable stations outside Earth so humans can stay there for years, perhaps forever — is currently naively optimistic, according to authors Kelly and Zach Weinersmith. It needs a dose of realism, they say.
