Fernando Alcoforado*
This article aims to demonstrate the need for human colonization in other worlds to avoid the extinction of humanity based on the conclusions of our book “The threatened humanity and the strategies for its survival” published by Editora Dialética in this year of 2021[1]. In this book, numerous threats to the survival of humanity today and in the future in the short, medium and long term have been pointed out. Short- or medium-term threats concern: 1) the emergence of new devastating pandemics; 2) aggravation of economic, social, environmental devastation and the escalation of international conflicts with the possibility of the outbreak of nuclear wars in the 21st century; 3) natural disasters resulting from earthquakes, tsunamis and devastating volcanic eruptions; 4) possibility of collision on planet Earth by asteroids, comets or comet pieces; and, 5) cosmic ray emission especially gamma rays emitted by supernova stars. The long-term threats concern: 1) the possibility of collision on planet Earth of planets from the solar system and orphan planets that roam in outer space; 2) catastrophic consequences on Earth’s environment resulting from the Moon’s increase of distance from Earth; 3) death of the Sun; 4) collision of the Andromeda and the Milky Way galaxies; and, 5) the end of the Universe. All of these events, with the exception of the economic and social devastation caused by capitalism and natural disasters resulting from earthquakes and tsunamis, can lead to the extinction of the human species.
Chapter 1 of the above book (How to save humanity from future pandemics), Chapter 2 (How to save humanity from the devastation of social, economic, environmental and wars in the 21st century) and Chapter 3 (How to Save Humanity from Natural Disasters Caused by Earthquakes, Tsunamis and Volcano Eruptions) does not present the need to adopt strategies to escape human beings to habitable places inside and outside the solar system except in the case of large eruptions of volcanoes that could require humans to flee to habitable locations in the solar system (Mars, Saturn’s moon, Titan, and Jupiter’s, Callisto) where space colonies would be deployed if there is a repetition of the great eruptions of volcanoes that took place 250 million years ago that ended a life cycle on Earth. In Chapter 4 (How to Save Humanity from Collision on Planet Earth from Bodies from Outer Space), it was considered the need to adopt specific strategies to avoid the collision of asteroids, comets and comet pieces on planet Earth, but , above all, strategies aimed at saving humans from collision with planet Earth of planets in the solar system and orphan planets that roam in outer space with the escape of humans to exoplanets such as “Proxima b” orbiting a star that is part of the Alpha Centauri planetarium system, the closest to the solar system, located 4.2 light-years away from Earth.
In Chapter 5 (How to save humanity from the emission of cosmic rays), the various sources of cosmic ray emission were analyzed, especially the gamma rays emitted by supernova stars, which have the power to annihilate life on Earth, radiation and coronal mass of the Sun and cosmic rays in general to assess their consequences on human beings on Earth and in space travel and to propose the adoption of strategies aimed at protecting human beings and alternatives for the escape of human beings to habitable places in the solar system (Mars , the moon of Saturn, Titan, and of Jupiter, Callisto) where space colonies would be deployed to save humanity when the Earth is threatened by the emission of gamma rays. In Chapter 6 (How to Save Humanity from the Consequences of the Moon’s Continued Increase of Distance from Earth), the impacts on Earth’s climate and human beings of the catastrophic environmental consequences related to the Moon’s continued increase of distance from Earth were analyzed, as well as alternatives for the escape of human beings to habitable places in the solar system were studied (Mars, the moon of Saturn, Titan, and of Jupiter, Callisto) where space colonies would be deployed to save humanity when Earth’s climate becomes lethal to human life.
In Chapter 7 (How to Save Humanity with the Death of the Sun and the Collision of the Andromeda and the Milky Way galaxies), the evolution of the Sun until its end and the collision of the Andromeda and the Milky Way galaxies were analyzed and alternative human escape strategies to habitable locations in other star systems and galaxies to save humanity before the death of the Sun and the colliding Andromeda and Milky Way galaxies were studied. Before the death of the Sun, humanity should leave the solar system and reach the exoplanet “Proxima b” orbiting the closest star to the Sun that is part of the Alpha Centauri system, which is 4.2 light-years away from Earth and, before the occurrence of the collision between the In the Andromeda and Milky Way galaxies, humans should flee to a habitable planet in a closer galaxy such as the Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy located 25,000 light-years from Earth or the Large Magellanic Cloud which lies 163,000 light-years away from the Earth.
In Chapter 8 (How to save humanity with the end of the Universe), scenarios related to the fate of the Universe were analyzed, the possibility of the existence of parallel universes was studied and the development of the final theory or theory of everything, that is, from the unified field theory was analyzed to present possible strategies for humanity to seek its survival with the end of the Universe in which we live. It was found that in-depth research needs to be carried out to determine the existence or not of a multiverse or parallel universes where humanity would head with the end of the Universe in which we live. It was found that the scientific and technological challenge to enable the escape of human beings to habitable places in the solar system is immense (Mars, the moon of Saturn, Titan, and of Jupiter, Callisto) and that the greatest challenge will be to enable the escape from humans to a new planet in another planetary system that is habitable for humans as “Proxima b” orbiting the closest star to the Sun that is part of the Alpha Centauri planetary system, located 4.2 light-years from Earth, and reach a galaxy such as the Cão Maior Dwarf Galaxy located at 25,000 light-years or the Large Magellanic Cloud located at 163,000 light-years from Earth and, above all, enable human beings to escape to parallel universes.
In Chapter 9 (Fundamental strategies for the survival of humanity) the fundamental strategies for the survival of humanity identified in the previous chapters of the book were presented, concerning: 1) the imperative of scientific and technological advancement to deal with all threats to its survival on planet Earth and those existing in outer space, as well as to enable the escape of human beings to reach a new planet in another planetary system that is habitable for humans beings; 2) the increase in the biological capacity of human beings so that they are able to challenge the limits imposed by nature in order to survive the threats to their survival on planet Earth and, especially, in outer space; and 3) the constitution of a world government to coordinate the actions of national governments to face the threats to the survival of humanity existing on planet Earth and those existing in and coming from outer space.
Studies carried out so far indicate that the most likely places for humans to inhabit the solar system are Mars, the moon of Saturn (Titan), and the moon of Jupiter (Callisto) and outside the solar system are the exoplanet “Proxima b” orbiting the closest star to the Sun that is part of the Alpha Centauri planetary system and a planet to be identified in a galaxy such as the Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy or the Large Magellanic Cloud. Mars must be the first alternative to be colonized by humans. Mars has been explored for about 60 years. The United States and the Soviet Union repeatedly attempted during the Cold War to orbit Planet Mars with a satellite and land with a probe. Later, it was the rovers’ turn to walk there, but a long road of many mistakes and successes was necessary to reach the current level. In January 2004, two robots or rovers called Spirit and Opportunity landed on opposite sides of the planet Mars. These robotic explorers traveled miles across the Martian surface, surveyed field geology and made atmospheric observations. Carrying identical and sophisticated sets of scientific instruments, the two rovers found evidence of ancient Martian environments where intermittent moisture and habitable conditions existed.
NASA recently sent the Perseverance rover to Mars, a vehicle built to drive over rough extraterrestrial terrain and driven by remote control from Earth with the primary objective of determining the potential of ancient life on this planet. In addition to the Perseverance rover, the Ingenuity helicopter was sent to Mars for an unprecedented demonstration of autonomous flight technology on another planet. On April 19, 2021, NASA’s Ingenuity Helicopter became the first aircraft in history to make a powered, controlled flight on another planet. Ingenuity has achieved a feat of space exploration once considered impossible, which was to fly on the planet Mars. In 2020, China launched the Tianwen-1 mission and, in 2021, it became part of the group of nations that managed to place a probe in the orbit of Mars. Also in 2020, the Hope Mars probe from the United Arab Emirates was launched with the objective of studying the Martian atmosphere, including the climate system of Mars throughout the year.
NASA plans to send humans on missions to Mars by 2030, but faces numerous challenges. Article under the title 7 Desafios da Vida Humana em Marte (7 Challenges of Human Life on Mars), published by National Geographic on the website <https://www.natgeo.pt/espaco/2018/11/7-desafios-da-vida-humana-em-marte>, informs that there are some facts that can delay or hinder the mission to put humans to live on Mars until 2030. The first challenge would be the difficulty for humans to stay on the surface of Mars due to the almost non-existent atmosphere on Mars that, as a result of radiation cosmic and solar winds, would be unprotected and could develop cancers. An alternative would be for humans to stay underground on Mars. The second challenge is that the geology of Mars makes it difficult to plant species. The third challenge to human life on Mars is that there is a lot of fine dust from frequent dust storms. Anyone living underground on Mars has to go out to the surface to clean the dust on the rovers from time to time, because sandstorms prevent theirs batteries from being recharged by solar energy. In addition, this powder, due to its extremely thin thickness, easily infiltrates spacesuits.
The fourth big challenge results from the fact that, for every 2 kilograms of objects, 130 kilograms of rocket are needed, which restricts the amount of material sent in each flight and exponentially increases the cost of the missions. Most rockets carry a payload (by payload is meant people and objects) of 1.5 % of their total size. The fifth challenge to human life on Mars is represented by the fact that the trip to Mars still takes about eight months, which involves a large amount of fuel, food and support material for mission teams, unlike the Moon, for example, it only takes 3 days. The sixth challenge requires that astronauts be meticulously tested and chosen to withstand the physical and social challenges that this trip entails. Finally, the seventh challenge results from the fact that Mars always has a negative temperature that would require thinking about creating a genome capable of making human beings capable of withstanding extreme conditions and surviving on Mars. There are no organic organisms on the surface of Mars, but they can exist underground, and there is no guarantee that they will not compete with organisms that can be sent there from Earth. The fact that the existence of life on Mars has not yet been proven demonstrates that the conditions for human beings to survive there are not yet met. Mars 2030 still seems a distant reality and before we think about living there, we need to know more about this planet.
Therefore, the challenges are immense to colonize Mars, the moon of Saturn (Titan), and the moon of Jupiter (Callisto), the exoplanet “Proxima b” orbiting the closest star to the Sun, part of the Alpha Centauri planetary system, a planet in a galaxy like the Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy or the Large Magellanic Cloud, but every effort must be made to make Mars the first alternative habitable location for human beings in the face of threats to their survival on planet Earth with the occurrence of large eruptions of volcanoes that can lead to the extinction of human beings as has happened in the past, the collision of orphan planets with planet Earth, the emission of gamma rays by supernova stars that can lead to the extinction of life on Earth as has occurred in the past and the continuous Moon’s increase of distance from Earth and its catastrophic consequences on Earth’s climate. The challenges of colonizing Mars must be overcome to make this planet a more immediate escape alternative for humanity when needed. Known for having ambitious plans, Elon Musk, who created SpaceX in 2002 whose dream is to colonize Mars by 2030, recognizes that building a self-sufficient city on Mars will be no simple task. During the recent Humans to Mars virtual conference, Musk stated that colonizing the planet Mars will be difficult and dangerous, and should take at least another thirty years.
* Fernando Alcoforado, 81, awarded the medal of Engineering Merit of the CONFEA / CREA System, member of the Bahia Academy of Education, engineer and doctor in Territorial Planning and Regional Development by the University of Barcelona, university professor and consultant in the areas of strategic planning, business planning, regional planning and planning of energy systems, is author of the books Globalização (Editora Nobel, São Paulo, 1997), De Collor a FHC- O Brasil e a Nova (Des)ordem Mundial (Editora Nobel, São Paulo, 1998), Um Projeto para o Brasil (Editora Nobel, São Paulo, 2000), Os condicionantes do desenvolvimento do Estado da Bahia (Tese de doutorado. Universidade de Barcelona,http://www.tesisenred.net/handle/10803/1944, 2003), Globalização e Desenvolvimento (Editora Nobel, São Paulo, 2006), Bahia- Desenvolvimento do Século XVI ao Século XX e Objetivos Estratégicos na Era Contemporânea (EGBA, Salvador, 2008), The Necessary Conditions of the Economic and Social Development- The Case of the State of Bahia (VDM Verlag Dr. Müller Aktiengesellschaft & Co. KG, Saarbrücken, Germany, 2010), Aquecimento Global e Catástrofe Planetária (Viena- Editora e Gráfica, Santa Cruz do Rio Pardo, São Paulo, 2010), Amazônia Sustentável- Para o progresso do Brasil e combate ao aquecimento global (Viena- Editora e Gráfica, Santa Cruz do Rio Pardo, São Paulo, 2011), Os Fatores Condicionantes do Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social (Editora CRV, Curitiba, 2012), Energia no Mundo e no Brasil- Energia e Mudança Climática Catastrófica no Século XXI (Editora CRV, Curitiba, 2015), As Grandes Revoluções Científicas, Econômicas e Sociais que Mudaram o Mundo (Editora CRV, Curitiba, 2016), A Invenção de um novo Brasil (Editora CRV, Curitiba, 2017), Esquerda x Direita e a sua convergência (Associação Baiana de Imprensa, Salvador, 2018), Como inventar o futuro para mudar o mundo (Editora CRV, Curitiba, 2019) and A humanidade ameaçada e as estratégias para sua sobrevivência (Editora Dialética, São Paulo, 2021) .
[1] Website for the purchase of the book: https://loja.editoradialetica.com/humanidades/a-humanidade-ameacada-e-as-estrategias-para-sua-sobrevivencia-como-salvar-a-humanidade-das-ameacas-a-sua-extincao
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