 wont to do.
First, let us look at some of the pros and cons of terraforming Mars:
- Pro: Mars becomes a backup plan in case something happens to the Earth, whether of our own making (i.e. pollution, nuclear war, etc.) or as the result of a natural disaster.
- Con: If there is life on Mars that we haven’t discovered yet, even at the microcellular level, our plans to terraform the planet might destroy that life.
- Pro: Humans would be able to sustain a larger population on Mars because there would be no need for Earth-like environmental controls or support.
- Con: Terraforming the planet could potentially be interrupting Mars’ natural lifecycle. We’ve assumed the planet is dead, but there’s still evidence of water. The planet is still actively volcanic and all the building blocks for life are there.
What it really comes down to is the difference between intrinsic value and extrinsic value. Mars, it might be argued, has a high intrinsic value which would supersede any value we place upon it. In essence, the argument is that Mars is not merely another piece of land to be purchased and developed, but rather an essential part of our cosmic ecosystem. We have no idea what the repercussions of terraforming the planet might be.
On the other hand, though, staying home on planet Earth could detrimentally affect our ability to travel to the stars. Launching shuttles and rockets from Earth requires massive amounts of fuel to overcome the planet’s gravity. By staging our space-flight operations on Mars, we could potentially use 62% less fuel to achieve the same altitude, due to the reduced gravity on the red planet.
“Can” vs. “Should”
Can we terraform Mars? The answer to that question is a resounding “yes,” even though the process might take centuries. The question we haven’t bothered to answer yet is whether or not we should colonize the red planet, our celestial neighbor. In this case, human arrogance and our inherent superiority complex toward nature should be sidelined in favor of doing the right thing, even if we don’t know what the right thing is just yet.
Right now, we’re thinking hundreds of years into the future. We might be taking our first steps out into the universe, but in order to be successful in our dreams of traveling the stars, we’ll have to learn to see a picture bigger than any of us have ever imagined.