A City on Mars
Can we settle space, should we settle space, and have we really thought this through?
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* A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice * A Times Best Science and Environment Book of 2023 *
“Helpfully pulls back the curtain on some of the lesser-discussed challenges to humanity’s off-Earth pursuits . . . Any reader enthusiastic about space settlement will find much to appreciate in this book . . . [The Weinersmiths] write with a confident belief that humanity will one day travel off-planet.” –Science
From the bestselling authors of Soonish, a brilliant and hilarious off-world investigation into space settlement
Earth is not well. The promise of starting life anew somewhere far, far away—no climate change, no war, no Twitter—beckons, and settling the stars finally seems within our grasp. Or is it? Critically acclaimed, bestselling authors Kelly and Zach Weinersmith set out to write the essential guide to a glorious future of space settlements, but after years of research, they aren’t so sure it’s a good idea. Space technologies and space business are progressing fast, but we lack the knowledge needed to have space kids, build space farms, and create space nations in a way that doesn’t spark conflict back home. In a world hurtling toward human expansion into space, A City on Mars investigates whether the dream of new worlds won’t create nightmares, both for settlers and the people they leave behind. In the process, the Weinersmiths answer every question about space you’ve ever wondered about, and many you’ve never considered:
Can you make babies in space? Should corporations govern space settlements? What about space war? Are we headed for a housing crisis on the Moon’s Peaks of Eternal Light—and what happens if you’re left in the Craters of Eternal Darkness? Why do astronauts love taco sauce? Speaking of meals, what’s the legal status of space cannibalism?
With deep expertise and a winning sense of humor, the Weinersmiths investigate perhaps the biggest questions humanity will ever ask itself—whether and how to become multiplanetary.
Get in, we’re going to Mars.
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Creators
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Awards
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Release date
November 7, 2023 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780593791936
- File size: 326336 KB
- Duration: 11:19:51
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Starred review from September 11, 2023
“There is no urgent need to settle space” and “most of the pro-settlement arguments are wrong,” argue Kelly Weinersmith, a behavioral ecology professor at Rice University, and her cartoonist husband Zach in the wickedly irreverent follow-up to their 2017 collaboration, Soonish. They contend it will likely take centuries to overcome the logistical challenges—including the development of long-term waste management systems and laws to settle conflicts over sovereignty—posed by establishing a colony on Mars, the moon, or a free-floating space station. The Weinersmiths explore other critical issues, such as how to have sex in reduced gravity (“The physics will be a little tricky because every action has an equal and opposite reaction”) and generate energy (harnessing solar power on Mars would be complicated by the fact that “the day is about half as bright” as on Earth). They also gleefully tear down frequently cited reasons for settling space, suggesting that “leaving a 2°C warmer Earth for Mars,” which has an average surface temperature of -60°C, “would be like leaving a messy room so you can live in a toxic waste dump.” The cheeky tone is loads of fun, and Zach’s humorous illustrations of, for instance, contraptions proposed to facilitate zero-gravity sex, entertain. It adds up to a boisterous takedown of techno-utopianism. Illus. -
March 1, 2024
Elon Musk has suggested that a city-size colony on Mars could be in place within 30 years of arrival. Here spouses Kelly (a bioscientist) and Zach Weinersmith (a cartoonist) examine the obstacles to Mars living. The challenges of life in outer space have been overcome on a small-scale and short-term basis, but the long-term requires more research about the effects of radiation, low gravity, and temperature extremes, the authors argue. Much is currently unknown, from the long-term effects on the human body to specifics about health, fertility, procreation, and child development. Providing breathable air for a city and governing large numbers of people on Mars must also be considered. How many people are needed to create a sustainable population? Will corporations provide housing, food, medical care, and transportation? What happens when there is a conflict? The authors bring a marvelous zest to their narration of the book's interstitial "nota bene" sections, while primary narrator Brittany Pressley performs the bulk of the book with enthusiasm and perfect timing and brings out the authors' often humorous arguments and fascinating asides. VERDICT The Weinersmiths' (Soonish) lighthearted and accessible production is food for thought about space settlement, highlighting the many issues that must be addressed before humankind can realistically consider such an endeavor.--Joanna M. Burkhardt
Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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