Let’s Go to Mars

About the Topic

In 1609, Galileo peers into the night sky through a telescope capable of thirty-twofold magnification.

He sees Jupiter’s moons, the ridges of the Moon, and reddish Mars—and a dangerous implication:

Earth is not the center of the universe.

Humanity sees its own smallness differently, and asks an old, difficult question: where are we in the universe?

From Babylonian astrologers to Galileo’s telescope, Newton’s apple, the Apollo landings, and SpaceX’s Starship,

each generation returns to a question:
“Where do we come from, and where are we going?”

If the Sun will expand into a red giant and engulf what surrounds it,
and the universe is moving toward an ending through increasing entropy,
can we find another place for life in its vastness?

Today, one possible answer seems closer: a cold, barren planet, some 55 million kilometers from Earth.

Mars has temperature swings of more than a hundred degrees and immense dust storms, yet may be a first step toward humans living on more than one planet.

Settling Mars may be a scientific challenge, but also a question about humanity’s future and sense of purpose.

This talk considers the challenges of going to Mars: how to get there, survive, and make it a second home.

Could we begin another chapter of human history on Mars?

P.S. Using Kerbal Space Program, I will demonstrate the journey from rocket launch to landing on Mars.

With thanks to the little green Kerbals who gave their lives for science.