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The Top 3 Reasons to Colonize Space
By Robert Roy Britt
Senior Science Writer
posted: 07:00 am ET
08 October 2001
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colonize_why_011008
Legendary physicist and ET speculator Freeman Dyson thinks dead planets need a human touch. Author and astrophysicist J. Richard Gott, III calls it a simple matter of survival. And author Sid Goldstein figures settling other worlds is all about economics and environmentalism. It's time to leave this planet, they all agree. Space colonization is not a new idea, but it is one that, despite decades of talk, has yet to be realized. Many promoters of putting humans permanently in space say the first step need not be all that big, with Mars right next door, cosmically speaking. And recent evidence suggests that the Red Planet contains the one key ingredient any practical colonization effort would depend upon: water. | Space Colony Art | | Wallpaper your desktop with space artwork, including images of colonists on Mars and the Moon. [GO TO] | Yet while NASA is on the verge of putting another robotic probe, Mars Odyssey, into orbit around the Red Planet, there are no firm plans for a human mission to Mars. Not enough is known about the risks of long-term space flight or potentially deadly radiation, among other concerns, NASA officials say. And moving to Mars -- or anywhere else in the solar system -- would not be cheap. Estimates for a single human mission to Mars range from $10 billion to $50 billion and more. But space colony proponents argue that getting off Earth will yield results that could mitigate the initial financial outlay. Efforts to improve technology needed for human space travel, or even to mine asteroids for minerals, could serve as a nifty economic boost. And many experts think its wise to have a quick exit plan in place in the event that we need to evade an incoming asteroid or comet. With all this in mind -- even before recent threats to the global economy presented by a potentially prolonged war on terrorism -- SPACE.com asked Dyson, Gott and Goldstein why humans should leave this planet in the first place. Their answers and supporting reasons are as varied and colorful as the places we might go. Here are the top reasons suggested by those interviewed: - To Spread Life and Beautify the Universe
- To Ensure the Survival of Our Species
- To Make Money and Save the Environment
Follow the links below to read the supporting arguments.
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