Mars Settlement Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

The exploitation of geothermal energy has been absent from previous considerations for providing power for settlements on Mars. The reason for this is the prevailing paradigm that places all of Mars' volcanic activity in the remoter past... more

The exploitation of geothermal energy has been absent from previous considerations for providing power for settlements on Mars. The reason for this is the prevailing paradigm that places all of Mars' volcanic activity in the remoter past and hence postulates a crust that is frozen to great depths. It is argued in this paper that this view may be true in general, but false in particular. Geological evidence is reviewed that suggests that magmatism may have been active on Mars until recent times and hence may still be ongoing. Thus the presence of significant, localized, hyperthermal areas cannot be ruled out on the basis of the low mean heat flows predicted by global heat flow models. The possibility of the presence of useful geothermal fields is further strengthened by observations of fluvial outflows that seem to have been associated with certain magmatic extrusions and which therefore hint at favourable groundwater conditions. Such a geothermal energy source would be of great potential economic value, being of use for the generation of electricity and direct heating for industry and habitation. The addition of this energy option to those of solar, wind and nuclear, cannot but enhance the prospects of a Martian civilization that must start afresh, without an equivalent to Earth's stock of fossil fuels.

Space advocates commonly compare the settling of the space "frontier" to the settling of the western "frontier" in the United States, arguing that space settlement will realize the same kinds of benefits purportedly realized by the... more

Space advocates commonly compare the settling of the space "frontier" to the settling of the western "frontier" in the United States, arguing that space settlement will realize the same kinds of benefits purportedly realized by the western expansion of the United States: the generation of new cultures; the development of new technologies; and the empowerment democratic governance. However, much of the reasoning here is based on a faulty understanding of history and on an overly-optimistic view of what it will be like to live in a space settlement. Thus, ardent faith in the promises of settling the space frontier is a mythological belief, rather than a well-confirmed one.

Chapter 5 of Borderwaters: Amid the Archipelagic States of America (Duke University Press, 2021)

This manifesto responds to the recent expansion of human-led activities in space, high-profile declarations of ambitions to develop settlements on Mars, and growing media interest in these developments. Its purpose is to provoke a richer... more

This manifesto responds to the recent expansion of human-led activities in space, high-profile declarations of ambitions to develop settlements on Mars, and growing media interest in these developments. Its purpose is to provoke a richer set of debates in mainstream thinking about the social and political dimensions of establishing a permanent human presence on Mars. It outlines some basic parameters for thinking about the governance of Martian society, and then flags up some key topics for debate: economics, the Martian natural environment, dealing with dissent among Martian inhabitants, reproduction, the built environment, and education. It ends by considering the possibility that future settlement will need to be supported by a guaranteed bill of Martian Rights.