Spreading humanity across the universe and settling into the great unknown may seem tempting, but it is far from ideal. Right now, actively attempting to colonize space will bring more harm than good to both space and Earth.
Scientists have found that the sun will make the planet uninhabitable within one billion years and due to our extenuating environmental crises and nuclear weapons, the earth might be inhabitable sooner than that. This is especially true as industrialization continues to occur and the global population shoots up.
For these reasons, some people argue that space settlement is essential to preserve human life. Founder of SpaceX, Elon Musk, said that “there is a strong humanitarian argument for making life multiplanetary [is]…to safeguard the existence of humanity.” Similarly, astrophysicist Stephen Hawking asserted that we must colonize space within 100 years, shortened from a previous prediction of 1,000 years.
Right now, NASA reports that they would still need to make many discoveries for space colonization to be plausible, such as “the medical problems posed by microgravity” and “the high levels of radiation to which the astronauts would be exposed.” Space colonization is not currently plausible, and Earth has far greater issues on its plate to prioritize. Besides, scientists have yet to reach firm conclusions regarding life on other planets and it is important to understand more of the universe before shipping humans to live on other planets.
Even now, space debris is raising concerns. According to NASA, there are over 23,000 pieces of space debris over ten centimeters orbiting the Earth and an estimated 750,000 objects larger than half an inch. On Earth, these objects will weigh around 8 tons. These objects are large enough to harm spacecraft, solar panels, communication arrays, and even the International Space Station due to their rapid rates of orbit.
While there are technologies being developed by institutions such as the International Space Station, this is not sufficient. As of yet, space debris still poses a threat. This threat will only heighten were we to colonize space; space colonization will only contribute to the pre-existing space debris. Additionally, space colonization inevitably means more spacecraft and communication arrays in space, meaning that there are more possible collisions and more crafts to possibly damage.
Circling back to the motives for space colonization, it is important to remember that we are only worried about space colonization in the near future because of our environmental issues. We should be working to save Earth while we still can, rather than fleeing it to settle in space. Space will always be there, and we have one billion years to escape Earth’s doom by the sun. But we only have one Earth, whose climate change is time-sensitive.
Unfortunately, citizen space travel has a legacy of catering to only the rich thus far. NASA is planning to sell month-long space vacations that will begin as early as 2020. These private trips would cost 50 million dollars per seat. Roscosmos offer trips for between 40 and 60 million dollars for two to four weeks. Other private companies include Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Axiom Space, Kosmokurs, Space Adventures, Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic, and Orion Span.
If just one month costs in the millions per person, imagine the exponential costs of colonizing space for all people. In the event that Earth is at the verge of destruction and colonization is a necessity, it is likely the world would not have such funds. Space colonization runs the risk of allowing the rich to survive while those who cannot afford space travel will be left to suffer.
Those who urge space colonization out of fear of humanity being wiped out by a nuclear war are missing the point. Because of these nuclear warfare-induced fears, it becomes clearer exactly why we cannot colonize space at this time. Moving attention away from working towards global peace to try and escape it will not solve our issues of war; it will only transform global relation issues into universal ones.
The same thing goes for those who preach space colonization as a solution to the growing climate crisis. Under the guise of fearing climate change, these people are giving up on actually resolving climate change to abandon their planet.
On the other hand, conducting research to cautiously prepare for the future isn’t hurting anyone. It is when we focus on a future of space colonization when we lose sight of what matters the most.
The people on Earth, currently, do not have the morals it takes to spread into space. A planet plagued by humanitarian crises and warring nations needs to resolve its issues on its own planet and ensure that Earth stays inhabitable. Colonizing space too early is simply accepting the fact that we have destroyed our planet. We need to be trying to save it while we still can.
Article by Kara Peeler of Clarksburg High School
Graphic by Charles Wang of Walter Johnson High School