Colonization of Outer Space

Recently, Stephen Hawking was in Hong Kong speaking about mankind’s need to populate astral bodies other than the Earth. His claim that we need this is to have a backup in case of a global disaster. I am certainly in favour of mankind expanding it’s habitation into space. Here is my guide to colonize other planets.

Step I: Finding a Suitable Location

The closest place to the Earth that resembles the Earth in physical characteristics is Mars, the fourth planet from the Sun. It is much farther from the Earth than the Moon but has a greater gravitational pull and a more accommodating atmosphere. Mars is a more suitable long term solution to moving from the Earth.

Step II: Getting There

Currently travel to Mars from the Earth is about six months. This does differ depending on the two planet’s relative locations. The Earth and Mars orbit the Sun at different speeds and their orbital paths are different distances. Much of the transportational work would have to be done all at once.

Step III: Making It Habitable

Much of Mars’ atmosphere is carbon dioxide. There is very little oxygen in the air. To counter that imbalance, Mars must first be populated with some sort of device that can perform the needed chemical exchange. The Earth’s natural plantlife has the ability to convert carbon dioxide to oxygen. The first step in terraforming Mars would be to populate the planet with plants. Launch thousands of plants and trees and such onto the surface of Mars would be a must. Each plant or group of plants would have to be potted into some sort of device which could provide the plant with water until the atmosphere is capable of creating sufficient rain to feed the plants. Sending a lot of nutrient rich top soil would also be needed and would have to land adjacent to the planter devices. This way the plants could drop seeds that would eventually grow out of the top soil. Thus enabling the plants not just to grow, but breed as well. As the plant population grows, the rate of chemical change in the air would increase. Along with the plants, microorganisms would have to live on the plants and in the top soil in order to breakdown dying plant particles.

Step IV: The First Wave

Once the planet has the ability to foster life as we know it, the planet would need animals larger than just the microorganisms. Ideally, the first animals sent should be animals that are rather self-sufficient and could be able to live off the specific plants that we already sent. Also these animals would have to be edible by humans. We are not to just send them there to live in a pollution-free environment. We have to eat them.

Step V: The Bubble Dome

A bubble dome would be the next thing sent to Mars. The bubble dome would need to be well stocked with all that humans need to live as well as tools needed to create more bubble domes. Bubble domes provide lots of work and living space for people as well as create that futuristic feel that we would all expect from a colony on Mars. The first humans on Mars would live in the bubble dome while they build other structures on Mars. These people would also have to begin mining Mars for it’s natural resources in order to create other bubble domes.

Step VI: Dealing with the Locals

Should us humans have to deal with the locals on Mars, we could learn from our own mistakes on Earth when colonizing such places as the Americas but chances are, after the terraforming of Mars, I doubt the locals could survive such a drastic change in the planets atmosphere. If any remain, we may have to “off” them. I understand that is genocide but if we have to live on Mars, its because we cannot live on Earth anymore. Or maybe a trade could be performed. Give the martians Earth and we take Mars. Think about that for a second, we’ve really messed up Earth. But they don’t have to know that.

Tags: Science