GOING BEYOND TERRA...

 

Is Mankind about to become more than an Earth-bound species?

Look at Antarctica and you may have an idea of what the Moon could be 30 years from now: a land dotted by a collection of small scientific bases, operating in a very cold and very inhospitable environment, with a transient population of a few hundreds or a few thousand persons.

The first base or bases could become a reality before the end of this decade, and permit relatively long stays, according to the American space agency, NASA. Of course, to achieve that in such a short period of time would imply a great number of launches in the coming years, to bring all the required tons of material on place, 'up there'. Elon Musk inexpensive Starship may be useful in that regard.

In the long run, however, the creation of large settlements, more elaborate than bases, is probably unlikely in such a hostile environment, even if water is found in sufficient quantity. By its very nature, the Moon seems bind to be a working place and a stepping-stone to more clement places than a home where to raise families.

By contrast, Mars might be a different proposition, because it has a stronger and more human-friendly gravity, an (admittedly thin) atmosphere, and also because its size is large enough to suggest it may contain more resources that can be exploited locally. In fact, it's quite possible that Mars has the potential for the implementation of a planned, long-range terraformation program. If that's the case, maybe Mars can eventually shelter a few million inhabitants, in a two or three centuries timeframe.

What is for sure, is that we are at the threshold of a new era in the field of space. After an exploration phase, symbolized by the Apollo program, mankind is now entering a development phase, fuelled by a new rivalry between competing powers, but with a different vision and a fresh mindset. Instead of spending billions to send some astronauts for short lunar stays of a few hours at the time, the goal is now to occupy new lands outside of our planet, beginning with the nearest parts of the Solar System, meaning the Moon and Mars.

After making its presence felt on the central part of the Solar System, in the First Frontier (Earth Orbit + Moon + Mars), Mankind would then be able to spread even farther. It will thus go:

• inward, which is to say in the inner part of the Solar System, toward the Sun, in the Second Frontier, with a series of manned or automated bases around and/or on Venus and Mercury, and
• outward, which is to say in the outer part of the Solar System, toward the bodies that are the farthest from the Sun, in the Third Frontier, with a series of manned or automated bases around and/or on Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, etc.

All that is slowly coming to become reality, year by year, would be the result of a long process, and will represent an enormous commitment in the future. It is an endeavour for the ages. At long last, Mankind must leave its cradle, and start to project itself out of this world, to go from this humble planet toward the deepest reaches of a still little-known universe.

Going beyond Terra and straight to the unknown, that is our fate.

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(Based on a series of tweets published about this news item: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-63688229)