The authoritative astrophysicist Adam Becker launched a sharp criticism of Elon Musk's ambitious projects for colonizing Mars, defining them as one of the most absurd proposals in the contemporary scientific community. In an expressive interview for Rolling Stone magazine, the expert highlighted the fundamental challenges of interplanetary settlement.
According to Becker's analytical position, even in the most catastrophic scenarios on Earth, there would be significantly more chances of survival compared to the hostile conditions on Mars. He illustrated his thesis with three hypothetical planetary scenarios: a large-scale asteroid strike similar to the one that destroyed dinosaurs, a global nuclear conflict, and uncontrollable climate changes.
The specialist's key argument is based on fundamental differences between the two planets. Earth would preserve critically important parameters such as a breathable atmosphere, tolerable gravity, accessible water resources, and natural radiation protection. In contrast, life on Mars would be entirely dependent on artificially created hermetic environments, where any technical failure would mean an immediate deadly threat.
Becker metaphorically compares investing in Martian colonization to leaving a destroyed hospital towards a radioactive desert without oxygen. "It is more reasonable to preserve and restore our own planet than to try to create a giant pressure chamber in the middle of cosmic emptiness," the astrophysicist is categorical.
Terraforming Mars, which Musk launches as a solution, is an extremely complex challenge according to the expert. The process requires multiple times more complex interventions than initially planned: generating sufficient carbon dioxide to densify the atmosphere, creating a sustainable greenhouse effect, and building an artificial magnetic field.
Even with maximum efforts, atmospheric pressure would reach only 7% of Earth's, which makes survival without specialized equipment completely impossible. Additional logistical challenges such as transporting materials, food, and water through the 50-million-kilometer space corridor make the project economically unprofitable.
Becker's conclusion is categorical: humanity must focus its efforts on preserving and restoring terrestrial ecosystems, instead of investing in risky and extremely expensive space experiments.