Is it possible to have sex on Mars? Scientists expose challenges that could hinder Musk's colonization dream
By Shweta Kumari | First Published Oct 29, 2024, 5:23 PM ISTProminent scientists cast serious doubt on the feasibility of reproducing on Mars, highlighting considerable biological hurdles that could thwart these grand ambitions.
Despite no human ever setting foot on Mars, visionary billionaire Elon Musk envisions a thriving colony of one million people residing on the Red Planet by 2050. The SpaceX and Tesla aims to fly a select group of astronauts to Mars on his Starship rocket—an ambitious, groundbreaking spacecraft he believes will mark the dawn of human interplanetary life.
However, prominent scientists cast serious doubt on the feasibility of reproducing on Mars, highlighting considerable biological hurdles that could thwart these grand ambitions.
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According to DailyMail, Kelly Weinersmith, a bioscientist and co-author of the book A City on Mars, argues that proponents of Martian colonization “don’t understand how reproduction works.” According to her, “These billionaires think it’s an engineering problem. They think that if they get a rocket that’s big enough, biology will take care of itself – but it won’t.”
Is having sex on Mars possible?
The obstacles begin with Mars' unique low-gravity environment, where gravity is only 38% of Earth’s. Scientists warn that such an environment could hinder the movement of sperm or even embryonic development, posing a severe risk to any offspring conceived on Mars or in orbit. Additionally, Mars’ lack of an atmospheric shield exposes the planet to high levels of radiation, which could harm a developing fetus by causing potentially irreversible DNA mutations.
Weinersmith’s book, co-authored with her husband Zac, does not shy away from the biological complexities of both recreational and procreational intimacy on Mars. It addresses myriad potential complications, from gravity's effect on basic movements to the ethics and practicalities of raising a child in such an environment. For the Weinersmiths, it is not merely a matter of "getting to Mars"; the real challenge lies in creating a sustainable, healthy Martian population.
Furthermore, Weinersmith notes that genetic diversity would pose another considerable challenge. For a Martian society to thrive, it would require a broad gene pool—necessitating hundreds of initial colonists carefully matched to ensure genetic diversity. As Zac suggests, “It works if we all do what the computer says and no one dies.”
David Cullen, an astrobiology professor at Cranfield University, echoes this skepticism, raising crucial biological and legal questions that need to be urgently addressed. “A more obvious question is later steps in the full human life cycle,” Cullen explains, emphasizing the unknowns surrounding how Mars’ gravity might affect human development from childhood through adolescence.
While Musk is determined to achieve his goal of a "multi-planetary" human species to safeguard against potential Earth-bound catastrophes, the feasibility of sustaining human life on Mars remains a contentious issue.
Nonetheless, SpaceX pushes forward, planning its first uncrewed mission to Mars by 2026 and aiming for a human landing by 2028.
In Musk's view, the stakes are existential. His vision, laid out in a research paper titled Making Humans a Multi-Planetary Species, is driven by the belief that humanity’s survival may depend on this interplanetary leap.
He states, "History is going to bifurcate along two directions - one path is we stay on Earth forever and then there will be some eventual extinction event. The alternative is to become a space-bearing civilization and a multi-planetary species."
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