My 100th Debate: Assuming that the Earth is overpopulated, Mars should be colonized until 2200

Thank you fire wings for your argument. I will present my argument and will provide rebuttals in round two. I have no issue with a shared BoP. Overpopulation: I will not contest that travel to Mars is not feasible nor should exploration occur for scientific knowledge. But with an over populated world colonization of Mars is not the best solution. Using known technologies even space technologies can be used to make livable 57% of the Earth’s uninhabitable areas [1]. It is far more practical. Areas such as frozen areas of Canada, Siberia, and Antarctic, the Sahara desert, or beneath the Oceans are better choices. Even the thousands of asteroids in Earth’s local area is an alternative*. Fewer obstacles would have to be overcome, dangers of space, radiation, gravity generation, atmosphere, energy and food production, along with the extreme costs. A greater number of people from all walks of life could benefit. Cost: Estimates for the initial set up for colonization range between $30-100 billion for rocket travel and between $150-267 million for housing. Transport for 1 years worth of food, (enough to sustain a population until food is grown) $13-42 million. Additional cost for machinery to extract water from the surface $4.8-15.4 million, $11.75-29 billion for agricultural technology. The total is between $48 and 121 billion dollars [2]. This would not include the shipping of mining equipment since this would be the primary industry on the Mars. The money can be better spent on Earth or colonizing asteroids without the excessive risks. Criteria: Then there’s the question on criteria to select who would go. Only the technologically educated who are able to maintain and repair environmental services, grow food or mine ores; together with total health, free of any genetic defect or predisposition to hereditary illnesses and vegan would be eligible for the trip and making Mars home*. A poor uneducated 20 year old from Bangladesh would not pass muster, nor would most anyone who does not come from one of the industrialized nations; is this ethical? Contamination/Repeating History: Like Lake Vostok in the Antarctic, human contamination of a pristine environment is of concern [3]. Humans can contaminate Mars and in turn make it uninhabitable. 10,000 different species that number in the trillions of microorganisms live on the human body. Some may be capable in surviving in the hostile environment of Mars and be adaptive forming something dangerous to human health*. Unknowing of microbial life that may exists on Mars and its DNA/RNA components or something more primitive, along with our microorganisms could combine to become something unexpected and pose a danger to human life and to the planet. As we continue to inhabit and explore Mars it would be difficult to discern what is naturally occurring or introduced* (contamination). Micro-organisms existing on Mars could be hazardous or allergic to humans. There is no escaping the particulate (dust) that is on Mars. Moon astronauts complained Moon dust was pervasive no matter what precautions were taken, due to it collecting in the joints in space suits*. Human Waste: What to do with it? Urine is recyclable. Fesses and their innate contaminate nature is not. The dead might have to be stored within the compound. Unlike jettisoning waste into space as done with the space station or other space craft, it would have to be dumped or vented on or within the surface of Mars. We would start anew repeating the same pollution problem we have on Earth [4]. Self-contained human environments: Besides the already mentioned issues of microorganisms, and human waste; atmosphere regulation, oxygen production and emissions of poisonous gasses that our bodies emit along with VOCs from materials need to be handled, CO2 nitric oxide, acetone, hydrogen chloride and assorted others. A technological break though would be needed to vent these gases without altering the pressure in the Mars habitats. This problem has yet to be resolved*. Things do break down, spare parts might be available to a point, but replacement time for new components is at minimum 14 months away if the planets and orbit are at their most opportune. There is great potential for a system wide disaster not only early on, but years into settling there. Biofilms from the organisms our bodies carry and fluff off along those that exist on mechanical items has also shown to be an issue in the current space station. They exist and grow in places like water pipes, air filtration systems, but not limited to. They are anti-biotic resistant and grow at a faster pace in low gravity environments. Some of these growing colonies of bacteria and fungi are harmful to humans and contribute to the accelerated degradation of materials that essential equipment is made. Complex machines have been developed to handle some of this as experimented in the Biosphere projects, but have yet to be proven effective in space [5]. The Body: Low gravity over long term has detrimental health effects on the human body, bone loss and vision impairment, muscle atrophy, deterioration of the heart muscle and compromised immune system are known. Space station astronauts have an hour of cardiovascular and weight training a day and still cannot compensate for losses. After a 7 month space flight to Mars one will arrive with illness, unable to walk or perform any tasks. Months of rehabilitation will be required to assume pre-flight health [6]. Lastly, colonization also entails reproduction. This, over any short comings of technology is something we Earthlings know almost nothing about; pregnancy, having babies and human growth and development in space. Due to the long term of pregnancy and development of higher order mammals (monkeys and humans) no lengthy studies have been able to be conducted even on the space station to date. Studies on amphibians, reptiles and bird eggs have produced very uneven results [7]. For a colony to be viable long term with sufficient genetic diversity a minimum of 40 thousand people would be required. Even with Elon Musk’s Space X most optimistic estimates with eventually 20 persons on a craft with 7months to drop off and 7 months return, with 1 ship would take 2,333 years to bring this number of people to Mars; with 4 ships 583 years [8]. Unless people were capable of self funding their own transport much like and airline ticket could additional craft be built. Taking into account the space shuttle cost 209 billion and 10 years to build*, much greater numbers of crafts used to colonize Mars will be slow in coming. Only the well educated, healthy, very wealthy would be able to colonize, furthering the question of ethics on criteria on who would be eligible. And why would the wealthy give up a lifestyle they are accustomed for a harsh environment where prospects for future wealth growth are extremely limited, if at all possible. In such a community that Mars would be with limited resources, some sort of rationing of food and goods needs to happen. Motivation to stay beyond an exciting vacation with a return flight home is highly unlikely. Also, a point to be made is 40,000 people is an inconsequential number of individuals in the scope of world over population. This number would not even fill a single medium sized NFL stadium. It would not in the least solve an overpopulation problem. Summary: All factors taken into consideration, ethics on criteria on who would be eligible in an over populated world, cost, pollution of a pristine planet, issues of self contained environments, technological challenges as well as physical limitations, the ability to colonize Mars with the minimum numbers needed to maintain a self-sustaining healthy population does not appear to be feasible in the time specified. The investment would be much better spent on Earth making inhospitable areas habitable or developing colonies on nearby asteroids. Due to the low citation count requirement, I have left a * where they were omitted. They can be provided upon request of my opponent without violation of debate parameters resulting. 1. http://www.zo.utexas.edu... 2. http://tinyurl.com... 3. http://tinyurl.com... 4. http://tinyurl.com... 5. http://tinyurl.com... 6. http://tinyurl.com... (follow to Reproduction In Space - Mains Associates) 7. http://tinyurl.com... Now to my opponent