Mars
Located some 54.6 million kilometres away, Mars
boasts a nominal gravity field – 38 percent of Earth’s –
and a relatively survivable temperature range of -66°C
to 20°C. Usefully, it also comes with polar ice caps –
essential water sources for any human settlers.
While it’s already on the “to-land” list of several
private planet hoppers, including SpaceX and Mars
One, NASA’s Mars 2020 rover mission is expected
to beat them to the Red Planet by several years.
Its priorities include testing a method of producing
oxygen from the Martian atmosphere, checking for the
presence of various necessary resources (such as sub-
surface water), and analysing the weather, dust and
other environmental conditions that could adversely
affect future human inhabitants.
One particularly keen advocate of Mars is
celebrity scientist Professor Brian Cox, who brought
his Universal tour to Hong Kong last month. Taking
a pragmatic view, he said: “In any plausible scenario,
there is nowhere else that humans can go to begin
their step outwards from the planet, other than Mars.
At some point, we will be the Martians.”Europa
While the volatility of Jupiter’s hydrogen-filled
atmosphere makes the largest planet in our solar
system a less-than-desirable pied-à-terre for exiled
earthlings, one of its many moons may have more to
offer. Europa – the fourth largest of the planet’s 60
moons – is thought to conceal a vast ocean below its
frozen surface, one that could easily provide enough
water to sustain a fledgling colony. In addition to that,
it could also act as a suitable oxygen supply given a
little high-tech tinkering.
Less appealingly, any far-from-home humans would
have to contend with its icy surface temperatures,
which average a chilly -170°C. Europa is also exposed
to 5.4 sieverts of radiation every day – roughly 1,800times what an earthbound human would have
to face in a whole year. Without adequate
screening, such exposure would quickly prove
lethal. One possibility might be constructing
floating cities below the moon’s icy surface,
which would screen out the worst of the
radiation. Not exactly cosy, though.Proxima Centauri b
Until technological advancements, as
yet undreamt of, become a reality,
interstellar travel remains wholly
impossible. If and when science finds a
way to travel the almost-unimaginable
distances between stars, where
would humanity’s first stop be? In all
probability, Proxima Centauri, the
closest star to our own sun. Once in
its general vicinity, landfall on Proxima
Centauri b would seem prudent. The
second planet to its sun, it’s the most
earth-like planet yet to be stumbled
upon by astronomers.
At 4.243 light years away,
though, the journey itself remains the
biggest challenge. Currently, it will
take the Voyager 1 probe – travelling
at 17km/s – 73,775 years to
reach it. So, settling there
would either involve keeping
a human crew and cargo in
cryogenic stasis for the long
journey or discovering a means
to facilitate faster-than-
light travel, a concept that
Einstein himself dismissed as
impossible.
Overall, while the
concept of space colonisation
currently remains a theoretical
exercise, it could very quickly
become a pressing reality. Given
all the challenges, uncertainties
and long-term perils involved in
finding humanity a new home amid
the stars, though, it could transpire
that all that effort would be better spent
looking after its current place of residence.“There is nowhere humans can
go other than Mars. At some
point, we will be the Martians”
116 igafencu.com