Before even discussing Mars, we must first discuss the sake of the colonization of the Moon, because it is in human reach of accessibility and can show which types of problems may emerge concerning the colonization of Mars. In this source, it showed that the Moon may be sustainable in terms of water due to presence of hydrogen atoms at its poles, suggesting the presence of water ice. It also showed that a great problem with colonizing the Moon would be its low temperature on its dark side (the side that has much more water) of 40 Kelvin. This massively embrittles metal for mining technologies. The cold temperature also serves as a problem as metals can cold weld because there’s no air or water separating the different pieces of metal. A final point of concern shown in this source would be the presence of dust which is both razor-sharp and electrostatic. However, space exploration shows the massive collaborative effort made by international and commercial parties joining together. This is one of the few big things humanity fully teamed up on, politics aside, for the development of human society, which has the power to go far. These benefits and drawbacks give context to how colonization on Mars and development for it might fare in the future after the Moon is solved and shows that this path of colonization of Mars is a very desirable path for humanity, prompting them to work their quickest possible with incomparable collaboration.
Interesting topic, Nicholas. Your more scientific and technical take on the topic makes visualizing the possibility of Mars colonization possible. I agree with your optimism and confidence that we, humans, are capable of such a task with teamwork. Through your analysis, I learned more about Mars and making it habitable. I find this topic intriguing and enjoyed your take.