Can Mars colonization actually happen?

I do not think it is a matter if man will settle Mars. It is more of a matter of when. The world needs to be prepared for the first settlements to fail. The history of Earth teaches that settlers moving into new areas face hardships they never expected and were totally unprepared for them. NASA and the ESA are conducting experiments covering the flight to Mars and the initial set-up of a colony. In spite of all the preparation that will be done, there’s one certainty: there’s always the unexpected. While we possess much of the technology needed for successful Martian colonization, there are some technology that cannot be developed to the extent needed until a stable colony is set up.

The United Nations and Mars

Under numerous United Nations Treaties, Mars is open for peaceful development to all nations of the Earth. [7] The 1967 Outer Space Treaty forbids military maneuvers and weapons testing on the moon or other celestial bodies. [8] It was the intent of the signatories of the treaty that humankind would eventually expand within our solar system and beyond. The treaty requires open reciprocity of all off-Earth settlements, including space stations, outposts, and stations on any other body within the solar system. The United Nations was attempting to anticipate future human endeavors in space, the question becomes if the treaty is actually enough to restrain the development of potential wars in space and on Mars. In 1967, before man even had stepped on the Lunar surface, the dream of human colonization of Mars was already growing in the minds of the world’s leaders.

There’s growing fascination about colonizing Mars

One of the reasons the United Nations acted was the public fascination in Martian colonization on both sides of the Cold War. In recent years, movies such as The Martian and Interstellar have fueled further interests in space colonization. Steam, a digital distribution platform developed by Valve Corporation, has no shortage of Mars colonization simulators. [9] These computer-based games, such as Sol-0: Mars Colonization, Planetbase, and to a lesser extent, Kerbal Space Program, gives a look into the difficulties of manned spaceflight and colonization. These games are followed by gamers of all ages.

Since the 1960s, here have been science-fiction movies and television shows that feature human colonization of Mars. Even Star Trek and Babylon 5 had episodes where aspects of human colonization were explored. In many respects Mars has become the Moon of this generation. In the European Union, the United States, China, and Japan, there are growing interests in the possibilities of Martian settlement. Even now, the United Nations is discussing updates to the 1967 treaty which could allow for future Martian colonies to be represented on Earth.

The growing drive for international missions to Mars

There is an interest in Mars colonization on the college campus where I work. The common theme from faculty and students is the Mars missions to establish colonies must be international. The most obvious reasons are financial. Establishing permanent settlements on Mars will be expensive.  History teaches us that every human civilization rises and falls. This highlights the importance of inclusion of all nations into Mars colonization. Any nation willing to support the efforts to assist in the colonization of Mars with financial, logistical, or other support must be included in humankind’s efforts to expand into the Solar System. There’s one other aspect of extra-terrestrial human settlement that cannot be ignored – it will be the inheritance of the next generation.

There’s still unanswered questions

There are still some unanswered questions that must be answered before Mars colonization can happen. Who will ultimately be allowed to emigrate to Mars? Who will govern Martian colonies?  Other questions include if private corporations or governmental agencies will be the ones leading humankind’s efforts to settle Mars. There’s still technology that must be further developed. There is still much work to do before astronauts set foot on Mars.