# Mars exploration

###### tags: `thread`

According to Zubrin and some public plans of NASA, the pre-colonization of Mars should mainly go through three stages: outpost (4-10 people), base (100-1000) people, and Mars city (more than 1w people)

### Outpost

The outpost phase landing on Mars is mainly scientists and engineers. The main goal is to survey the Martian landscape to find the best location for a settlement; and to find evidence of whether life exists (or existed) on Mars.

Current mainstream research suggests that Mars was once a warm, wet planet with rivers and oceans on its surface for over a billion years. There is still liquid water under the surface of Mars and the conditions for life are basically met, so the possibility of finding life on Mars is very high.

If life can be found on a second planet other than Earth, we can deduce that "life is not rare, life is very common in the universe", which will completely change the way we look at ourselves and the universe, and directly make us invest more in space exploration.

### Base

After reaching the second stage, the settlers will expand from scientists to early explorers and pioneers. To build a base for hundreds of people would require self-sufficiency with the local resources of Mars

The good thing is that Mars is the only planet in our solar system outside of Earth where complex hydrological/volcanic processes have occurred, so all the elements and minerals needed to build a modern society can be found on Mars, while other bodies do not have the advantages that Mars has.

At this stage, the technology and companies to develop exoplanets will emerge, probably the second largest space industry after rocket transport (spacex)

### Mars City

The establishment of Mars cities cannot rely on government/private investment, but requires Mars to form its own economic ecosystem to attract the influx of immigrants

During the geographic discovery period of the 16th-20th centuries, there were many opportunities in the Americas and the population was very small, so the cost per unit of labor was very high, and compared to Europe, they could earn more wages by going to work in the U.S. Many European families would devote their families to send a family member to the U.S., and the family member would earn enough money and then bring the family over

A similar wage differential will be created on Mars in the future. Mars has a very small population and high transportation costs, so the cost of labor on Mars will be much higher than on Earth, and you can earn more money working on Mars. The economic benefits of Mars will attract a slow influx of immigrants, and this process will gradually reduce transportation costs

Also because the population of Mars is extremely limited, most of the immigrants will not do manual labor, but will most likely engage in creative work. Unlike the overpopulated Earth, Mars will have a stronger incentive to invent new technologies to improve productivity, when the most advanced human inventions may be from Mars :)

### Conclusion

Building cities on Mars would be of great significance to the Earth and to humanity. On the one hand, it proves that human beings have the ability to explore and develop other planets, knowing that there are almost infinite resources in the universe, which can avoid the trap of "over-optimization (involution)" on Earth.

On the other hand, there is no historical or traditional baggage on Mars, and we can redesign human civilization. The results of the new branch of humanity on Mars will also be transmitted back to Earth, allowing us to rethink and re-examine ourselves as a young species.

This is the infinite value of space exploration