Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Visions of a Martian future

Szocik, Konrad ; Abood, Steven ; Impey, Chris ; Shelhamer, Mark ; Haqq-Misra, Jacob ; Persson, Erik LU orcid ; Oviedo, Lluis ; Capova, Klara Anna LU ; Braddock, Martin and Rappaport, Margaret Boone , et al. (2020) In Futures 117.
Abstract

As we look beyond our terrestrial boundary to a multi-planetary future for humankind, it becomes paramount to anticipate the challenges of various human factors on the most likely scenario for this future: permanent human settlement of Mars. Even if technical hurdles are circumvented to provide adequate resources for basic physiological and psychological needs, Homo sapiens will not survive on an alien planet if a dysfunctional psyche prohibits the utilization of these resources. No matter how far we soar into the stars, our psychologies for future generations will be forever tethered to the totality of our surroundings. By shaping our environment toward survival and welfare during the voyage to Mars and in a Martian colony, we... (More)

As we look beyond our terrestrial boundary to a multi-planetary future for humankind, it becomes paramount to anticipate the challenges of various human factors on the most likely scenario for this future: permanent human settlement of Mars. Even if technical hurdles are circumvented to provide adequate resources for basic physiological and psychological needs, Homo sapiens will not survive on an alien planet if a dysfunctional psyche prohibits the utilization of these resources. No matter how far we soar into the stars, our psychologies for future generations will be forever tethered to the totality of our surroundings. By shaping our environment toward survival and welfare during the voyage to Mars and in a Martian colony, we indirectly shape our psyches and prepare them for a mission of unprecedented alienation and duration. Once on Mars, human factors such as leadership structure, social organization and code of conduct, group size, gender balance, developmental cycle, mobility, length of stay and the ecological settings and type and manner of subsistence, will create a novel Martian culture. The degree that settlers are severed from the Earth will affect how radically foreign this culture will be when compared with cultures on Earth.

(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; and , et al. (More)
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; and (Less)
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Future studies, Mars settlement, Mission to Mars, Space ethics, Space philosophy, Space policy
in
Futures
volume
117
article number
102514
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:85077917108
ISSN
0016-3287
DOI
10.1016/j.futures.2020.102514
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
96222089-ac16-4eb9-8ed2-ff56d3c389a8
date added to LUP
2020-01-30 18:03:39
date last changed
2022-04-18 20:10:31
@article{96222089-ac16-4eb9-8ed2-ff56d3c389a8,
  abstract     = {{<p>As we look beyond our terrestrial boundary to a multi-planetary future for humankind, it becomes paramount to anticipate the challenges of various human factors on the most likely scenario for this future: permanent human settlement of Mars. Even if technical hurdles are circumvented to provide adequate resources for basic physiological and psychological needs, Homo sapiens will not survive on an alien planet if a dysfunctional psyche prohibits the utilization of these resources. No matter how far we soar into the stars, our psychologies for future generations will be forever tethered to the totality of our surroundings. By shaping our environment toward survival and welfare during the voyage to Mars and in a Martian colony, we indirectly shape our psyches and prepare them for a mission of unprecedented alienation and duration. Once on Mars, human factors such as leadership structure, social organization and code of conduct, group size, gender balance, developmental cycle, mobility, length of stay and the ecological settings and type and manner of subsistence, will create a novel Martian culture. The degree that settlers are severed from the Earth will affect how radically foreign this culture will be when compared with cultures on Earth.</p>}},
  author       = {{Szocik, Konrad and Abood, Steven and Impey, Chris and Shelhamer, Mark and Haqq-Misra, Jacob and Persson, Erik and Oviedo, Lluis and Capova, Klara Anna and Braddock, Martin and Rappaport, Margaret Boone and Corbally, Christopher}},
  issn         = {{0016-3287}},
  keywords     = {{Future studies; Mars settlement; Mission to Mars; Space ethics; Space philosophy; Space policy}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Futures}},
  title        = {{Visions of a Martian future}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2020.102514}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.futures.2020.102514}},
  volume       = {{117}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}