Believe it or not, there are many people who are planning what our arrival on Mars will be like. From the organization of society, to the laws and waste management. There is nothing random: it will be our first space colonization… after the Moon.
The nonprofit Mars Society is poised to take a giant step forward in its mission to support exploration and colonization of the Red Planet with the creation of a Mars Technology Institute to develop the tools and processes colonists will need.
Robert Zubrin, fundador y presidente de la Sociedad Marciana, esbozó ayer el plan que tienen en mente durante el podcast Red Planet Live que te dejamos a continuación para que puedas escucharlo por ti mismo.
Many of the details of the plan have yet to be finalized, such as funding sources, the exact structure of the organization and the location of the institute. But rumor has it that Seattle could be the city of choice.
As for the Mars Institute of Technology, it will complement the efforts of NASA and other space agencies, and will follow SpaceX founder Elon Musk’s vision of making humanity a multi-planetary species.
“SpaceX and other enterprising launch companies are already moving quickly to develop the transportation systems that can get us to the planet Mars,” Zubrin said in a press release. “What is needed is an institution dedicated to developing the technologies that will allow us to live once there.”
What will the Mars Institute of Technology be dedicated to?
- Biotechnological innovations that could maximize the prospects for production of food, pharmaceuticals and other supplies using Martian resources.
- Innovations in robotics, automation and artificial intelligence, which would enable small communities of colonists to make Mars more habitable and build the necessary infrastructure.
- Advanced nuclear technologies, starting with small-scale fission reactors and potentially moving towards fusion facilities, to provide the energy needed for the growth of human settlements.
The institute would be structured as a non-profit organization, funded by tax-deductible contributions. A taxable corporation called Mars Technology Lab would also be created, which would be the sole property of the institute.
Esta estructura está diseñada para ofrecer oportunidades de inversión a los inversores y generar ingresos a través de licencias de propiedad intelectual, empresas derivadas y contratos de investigación y desarrollo.
The plan foresees that the institute does research on its own central campus, and that it also subcontracts research work to companies and universities, as well as to volunteers who propose relevant projects.
Zubrin said he would like to launch the Mars Institute of Technology one way or another “for the first of the year”, that is, by 2024.
First the Moon, then Mars
NASA’s current schedule for deep space exploration calls for sending astronauts to the Moon for a series of missions starting in the middle of this decade, and applying the lessons learned during those lunar missions to trips to Mars from the 2030s.
Musk and SpaceX aim to transport colonists to Mars in a shorter time frame, using SpaceX’s Starship superrocket.
The Mars Society already operates research stations in Utah and the Canadian Arctic, both focused on testing the technologies and processes that could come into play during actual missions to Mars.
Can the Mars Society make its dream of creating a technological institute come true? Zubrin acknowledges that the business case for investing in the Mars Institute of Technology might not be as obvious as it would be for, say, a launch startup.
“Initial funders will need to be motivated by a long-term vision rather than short-term profit”, states in today’s press release. “It is hope, rather than greed, that will take us to Mars”.
