Will we become a multi-planetary species? And should we?

As global population increases exponentially, and billions of people scramble for resources and better living conditions, We’re paying more attention to the idea of inhabiting other planets for more space and resources. Most prevalent of those ideas is the idea of inhabiting the planet closest to our own in distance and environment, Mars. People are looking to our neighbouring planet as a serious possible future home, and technology is currently being developed to facilitate the execution of this dream.

We can’t bring up this topic without bringing up the one and only Elon Musk, and his space organization SpaceX. SpaceX aims to reach our neighbouring planet by 2022, when it will take cargo only, and send more cargo and people in 2024. Musk has also stated that SpaceX will send a million people to mars by 2050. This idea might seem bullish as of now, but we’ve seen SpaceX create reusable rockets from scratch. Elon Musk is serious about his mission, and scientists and researchers have drawn out a concise plan to get us to the red planet. Whether this goal will be achieved, only time will tell.

But should we colonize Mars?

While inhabiting Mars looks like an unmatchable solution on paper, It takes away a huge part of what it means to be human. No matter how much we try to replicate the atmosphere of our home planet, there will always be a sense of a pathetic attempt to imitate nature, which will leave inhabitants feeling empty and homesick. To solve the current problems and eliminate the current threats to the human race, it is crucial that we concentrate on fixing the problems with our planet before running off to others.

Nonetheless, I am excited about the future of space travel and look forward to the day we establish a base on the red planet.