Last week, The Starship successfully underwent its third test flight, making multi-planetary life seem achievable in the not-so-distant future. Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, claims The Starship will take humanity to Mars by the end of the decade. This got me pondering – would I encourage my children to go to Mars? It’s hard to say from 2024 in a peaceful Edinburgh library what the future holds, but the fundamental concept of jumping ship – or planet in this case – when things get difficult, seems like one of humanity’s many flaws. Will this become the scramble for planets as wealthy nations, in their almost colonial pursuit of the star systems, take over new territory?
With escalating tensions on Earth and talk of compulsory conscription and nuclear warfare increasing among young people, I can see how the thought of simply running away from these problems seems appealing to the masses. Furthermore, the possibility of creating new structural systems, better treating the environment, and living on a planet with no mice infestations – a no-brainer for Edinburgh students – could be highly desirable. However, this seems an elitist and selfish view that is perhaps delusional in nature. The grass is definitely not greener on a planet with an average temperature of -50 degrees Celsius. There simply isn’t any grass – it’s a desert!
Why are we running away from Earth when the main reasons we are running are due to human interference and destruction? Simply by inhabiting another planet, these problems won’t disappear; they will just arise in perhaps ways not considered before. Humans can’t keep colonising new areas in which there is peace, bringing violence and destruction. The only individuals that would be able to relocate from the collapsing state of the planet would be those with political and monetary power. It is highly ironic too, that it is those select individuals who possess the power to improve conditions on Earth. Yet, if they were to choose to relocate, they would be leaving those less fortunate than themselves in the mess they created.
Don’t get me wrong, space travel is an exciting new prospect, but it is highly important to recognise the possible consequences that this may have. Colonising Mars may seem inspiring, a possibility of a New World, but one needs to look back at human history and see that such developments always come at a cost.
“SpaceX Rocket” by Bestpicko is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
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The Starship Won’t Save Humanity
Last week, The Starship successfully underwent its third test flight, making multi-planetary life seem achievable in the not-so-distant future. Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, claims The Starship will take humanity to Mars by the end of the decade. This got me pondering – would I encourage my children to go to Mars? It’s hard to say from 2024 in a peaceful Edinburgh library what the future holds, but the fundamental concept of jumping ship – or planet in this case – when things get difficult, seems like one of humanity’s many flaws. Will this become the scramble for planets as wealthy nations, in their almost colonial pursuit of the star systems, take over new territory?
With escalating tensions on Earth and talk of compulsory conscription and nuclear warfare increasing among young people, I can see how the thought of simply running away from these problems seems appealing to the masses. Furthermore, the possibility of creating new structural systems, better treating the environment, and living on a planet with no mice infestations – a no-brainer for Edinburgh students – could be highly desirable. However, this seems an elitist and selfish view that is perhaps delusional in nature. The grass is definitely not greener on a planet with an average temperature of -50 degrees Celsius. There simply isn’t any grass – it’s a desert!
Why are we running away from Earth when the main reasons we are running are due to human interference and destruction? Simply by inhabiting another planet, these problems won’t disappear; they will just arise in perhaps ways not considered before. Humans can’t keep colonising new areas in which there is peace, bringing violence and destruction. The only individuals that would be able to relocate from the collapsing state of the planet would be those with political and monetary power. It is highly ironic too, that it is those select individuals who possess the power to improve conditions on Earth. Yet, if they were to choose to relocate, they would be leaving those less fortunate than themselves in the mess they created.
Don’t get me wrong, space travel is an exciting new prospect, but it is highly important to recognise the possible consequences that this may have. Colonising Mars may seem inspiring, a possibility of a New World, but one needs to look back at human history and see that such developments always come at a cost.
“SpaceX Rocket” by Bestpicko is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
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