Elon Musk is still determined to colonize Mars. Space settlement sounds like the subject of a good TV show…but would you really want to do it yourself? Musk estimates that it would take about 1 million people to achieve a self-sustaining civilization. That’s a big experiment.
Potential Dealbreakers
It’s a fascinating concept, but life on Mars would likely be much more difficult and dangerous than is commonly portrayed. Space has remained peaceful so far. But increasing access and militarization could easily change things. Another potential problem is that the most likely form of early social organization in space is company towns (settlements where the main employer is a single company). Employees would have limited power since they can’t easily quit.
