The US won’t land humans on Mars unless there are geopolitical interests behind it, believes astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. Acknowledging the efforts of private entities like Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Tyson said landing humans on Mars is not impossible but it may be nothing more than a “vanity project.”
During his recent appearance on YouTuber and WWE Star Logan Paul’s podcast, Tyson listed two main reasons why crewed Mars mission may be a reality. First – billionaires like Musk and Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos pooling their billions for the mission or US being geopolitically forced into action by an adversary like China.
“If we go [to Mars], it’s because it’s someone’s vanity project,” Tyson said. Adding more context, he stated that the US can get to Mars in months if China starts constructing bases there. According to Tyson, NASA launched the Apollo program for Moon landings not because of humanity’s inherent nature to explore but because of the cold war between the US and the Soviet Union. He cited the cancellation of NASA’s Apollo 18 mission, which had spaceworthy parts that never flew.
“We didn’t stay on the Moon because we looked over our shoulder and you know who wasn’t there? the Russians,” Tyson said. “We are very geopolitically reactive. If China says ‘we’re going to put military bases on Mars,’ we’re [the US] going to Mars in 10 months. We only went to the Moon because we were geopolitically forced,” he said.
Answering if Musk’s dream of occupying Mars can be realised, Tyson said, “he can fund it himself” by pooling his wealth with fellow billionaires. “But it won’t become a regular thing unless there’s a geopolitical reason for it,” Tyson added.
His arguments are sound and the modern space race is intensifying already. Both the US and China are rushing to land astronauts on the lunar surface by 2028, with the former planning to plant an American flag on Mars at the earliest. Jared Isaacman, the nominee for NASA’s next administrator position has vowed to prioritise Mars while simultaneously advancing the agency’s lunar goals.
Under Musk’s leadership, SpaceX is building Starships for both lunar and Mars missions with the long-term goal of establishing a self-sustaining city with a million people on the red planet.
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However, there are credible critics of Musk’s Mars plan which is considered dangerous for various practical reasons. To make the planet habitable, scientists must figure out a way to produce breathable oxygen on Mars which is dominated by carbon dioxide, plus a lack of a protective magnetosphere and very thin atmosphere (1% of Earth) greatly increases risk of cancer, tissue damage and other radiation-induced illness.
Mars also has brutally low temperatures, especially during the night, and poses logistical challenges that could cost billions of dollars. Astronauts living there would also have to grow their own food and produce water to survive long-term missions.
Colonisation of Mars has long been romanticised but it is painfully hard to execute, and there has to be a motivation strong enough that could overcome geopolitical interests. Otherwise, it might just remain a pipe dream than a destination for settlers.
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