Dear Friends,
It seems to me, the one thing that potential Mars settlers can provide, that will be of great value… is content. Seeing the trials of those attempting to wrestle the Red Planet into some semblance of habitability, will be just the distraction people will need, as the zero unit cost of labor approaches. One thing Mars settlers will need, above all else, is a source of income. Mars is not in a great place to export goods or services to the Earth… so that avenue of profit is closed. It can provide fabricated goods to space cheaper than Earth, only in lofting them, the actual fabrication will still be cheaper on Earth. Yet without a source of income no Mars colonization can be successful. That is why I say, the one thing Mars settlers can provide that will be of great value to Earth… is content.
There are those who believe wholeheartedly that humanity must become a multiplanet species. They say this will insure the survival of humanity regardless of catastrophe. To that end Elon Musk is building an entire system dedicated to getting humanity to Mars. Others, like Bigelow Aerospace, are working on habitats. While this is admirable, and a necessary first step to making mankind a multiplanet species, it is not in itself sufficient. Many other things must be included in the planning. If we look at the history of the New World colonies, we find that if they were not self sufficient, they are eventually abandoned. Even though the air was breathable, the soil fertile and the climate moderate. The difference will be… Mars air is not breathable, it’s climate frigid and soil is toxic.
No matter the ambitions of the initial settlers, unless they can create a source of income for themselves, they will always be reliant on Earth. If they are reliant on Earth they can be recalled anytime the funding runs out. Barring some discovery of alien artifacts, that would bring a gold rush to Mars, there will need to be a source of income to make the whole thing sustainable. That is simply economics. Science cannot fit the bill, since science itself does not create profit, it is the utilization of scientific breakthroughs that garner profit. Moreover, little science can be done on mars that cannot be done on Earth cheaper. So for a Mars colony, or any off world colony to become self sufficient, it needs a form of income… The more the better.
Content is and will always be a source of income, because people have always and will always need distractions. In Ancient Rome it was the sports arenas and coliseums that provided distraction, today it is video on demand via the internet, television and print media. Both the ancient and the modern have the need for content to fill the coliseums and to keep Youtube afloat. Content is where the rubber meets the road. Even and especially in an economy that has a zero unit cost of labor, distraction will be prized. Moreover, nothing is more mesmerizing than reality. The reality of taming a planet will be the greatest show on Earth… that is in fact, off Earth. The potential profit for Mars settlers by providing content could fund the entire enterprise.
The means to profit then must be a top consideration if any off world colony is to function and be self sustaining. It will need to purchase supplies from earth, and that will be much easier if the Mars settlers appeal to Earth’s sense of self interest, rather than Earth’s sense of charity. Even getting mail to Mars will be insanely expensive… so if the Mars settlers decide at the outset, to monetize their trials and tribulations, then stream those burdens to Earth, for a profit, the entire enterprise is exponentially more likely to succeed. That is in the best interests of mankind as a whole, because if a Mars colony is created, becomes self sufficient and helps expand humanities presence in space then, God forbid, some catastrophe did happen on Earth, we would have an outside source of aid.
Sincerely,
John Pepin
