1. Eobiology: Mars and the Origins of Humanity

Locked within the meteor-shattered, frozen, and unfathomably ancient crust of Mars lie the remnants of a primordial, wet, and occasionally warm world. Martian meteorites recovered in Antarctica and detailed high-resolution photography make it almost certain that vast quantities of water once stood on, and flowed across, the Martian landscape. It is inevitable that organic precursors of life arose from chemical reactions in the water. The same chemical processes created life on Earth over four billion years ago, but subsequent geological processes have crushed or destroyed the rocks that bear witness to that crucial phase in the evolution of life on Earth: its dawn. An entire field of science, the study of the dawn of life-eobiology-awaits the exploration of Mars to effloresce. The ground truth Mars rocks provide, augmented by the study of the oceans inside Io and the methane lakes of Titan, supplemented by the smashed crumbs of early Earth and early Venus that are sprinkled in the regolith of the moon-where a few have coincidentally fallen-will help us understand the metamorphosed terrestrial strata that have survived from that eon. Mars will help reveal the secret of how the life we represent came into existence. The early years of Venus, Earth, and Mars may have all experienced the conditions for the evolution of life. While life was originating, the three worlds suffered from the last gasps of terminal bombardment, with asteroids and even small planets periodically sterilizing all or part of their surfaces. Fragments blasted into space fell on objects all over the inner solar system, possibly seeding them with life. We do not yet know whether life arose on one of the three planets first and was carried to the others by meteorites. Consequently, it is possible that terrestrial life actually arose on Mars and that we are, in fact, Martians. The upcoming century may resolve this intriguing question. Knowledge of how our biosphere came into being may have profound implications for our identity and culture. Eobiology will also strongly shape our evaluation of the likelihood that life has evolved elsewhere in the cosmos.

2. Mars and the Challenge of the Present

Mars represents a difficult but highly achievable goal in exploration. The technology for getting there may be more challenging than the machinery for living there, for Mars has terrestrial levels of sunshine, a twenty-four day, air, water, and shielding from meteorites and severe radiation. It offers some advantages over living in the Antarctic or underwater. Its water and air can be utilized via technology that has kept submarine crews alive for decades. Surface vehicles can use modifications of tried and true technology for terrestrial cars and trucks. The key challenge-an adequate supply of energy-can be accomplished through nuclear reactors, advanced solar cells, geothermal systems, or wind turbines. The cost of a Mars project will be less than Apollo. Exploring the unknown is a primal urge, one that drives the development of the child and lends impetus to religion. It brings not only new knowledge about the outside world, but wisdom about oneself and experience that one can accomplish great tasks. The Apollo project was one of the great mythic moments in history; it made humans realize they could walk on other worlds, that their own world was small and fragile, and that if they could go to the moon, they could solve a myriad of problems at home. Exploring Mars has the potential to open other unanticipated vistas of the imagination and create new myths of human accomplishment. Exploration of and research about the Antarctic and the seas have achieved a stable, regular level of funding in the budgets of a variety of nations without constant questioning of their value. The principal obstacles to Mars exploration are political: the lack of will to set the goal and the lack of unity about the means of accomplishment. Recognizing the importance of exploration to the human spirit and human culture-giving it a priority within the hierarchy of needs-and understanding the long-term impact of exploring Mars will inevitably overcome the roadblocks and result in the first footprints on the Red Planet. It is a question of when.

3. Mars and the Fulfillment of Human Potential

Just as individuals come to understand themselves better as they grow and age, humanity is in the process of developing an understanding of itself and of the human spirit. Mars represents a future phase in that process. It will neither be the last phase, nor the only one seen in the 21st and 22d centuries. But it can be a tremendously important phase. It is not clear that a human society and culture will ever evolve on the moon. That world's gravity may be too low for children to be raised there. The shortage of essential elements such as nitrogen and carbon may make permanent settlement and urbanization impractical. The moon is a three-day flight from Earth and three light seconds (round trip) from Earth for communications. As a result, its population is likely to be transitory and earth-centered. Not so with Mars. Easy transportation to Earth occurs only every twenty-six months, and the flight will take months for the foreseeable future. Round trip communications never takes less than six minutes and may take as much as forty-two, making spontaneous interchange impossible. Yet water requires the drilling of a well, and carbon and nitrogen are as free and plentiful as air. Sew some weights into clothing-preferably of a radiation absorbing material-and the body will experience an approximation of terrestrial gravity. Balanced ecologies will be possible inside bubbles of Earth under a Martian sun and a pink sky; not only will they feed Martians, they will teach humanity how to control the web of life, with implications for terrestrial agriculture and the preservation of endangered species. Urbanization-settlements of a thousand or more-will be possible on Mars. Urbanization will bring about a Martian culture, with its breathtaking ballet, its russet landscape paintings, and its high-jumping basketball teams. Since Mars is likely to be settled by persons from many of Earth's nations, its culture will begin as a blend of terrestrial cultures, with distinctive foods, clothing styles, and slang ("Good sol" for hello?) accumulating over time. Martian settlements can be predicted to face unique social conditions that are the consequences of the high cost of immigration and the need to survive in a hostile environment. Terrestrial societies have been struggling for thousands of years with the problem of balancing the needs of the individual with the needs of society. On Mars the struggle to find a balance may be more intense. Labor will be scarce; Mars cannot afford unemployment. Survival will be enhanced by maximizing the creativity of all members and tapping the potential of every individual. But unbridled individualism is not an unalloyed good, because on Mars vandalism and terrorism-which could burst the bubble of Earth in a second-are utterly unacceptable. Consequently, all we can predict at this point is that the challenges of balancing the individual and society will be different, and therefore Martian social institutions will evolve differently. Economics may involve a novel mix of capitalist and socialist impulses. Politics may require new mechanisms for encouraging discourse and reaching social consensus. Religion may take on new forms, fostering dialogue, diversity, and ethics. The results will not be utopia, but they will intrigue many residents on old Earth and inspire new approaches to problems on the home world. Mars may leaven a new terrestrial society by example. And since Martians will be drawn from all the major cultures and languages of Earth, their peaceful coexistence may demonstrate the promise that a peaceful, just, and prosperous Earth is possible. It may be centuries before Mars has a significant population, but it nevertheless has the capacity to exercise great influence over humanity's future. The secrets locked in its rocks can tell us our origin and hint at our place in the universe, its conditions can show us what our impulse to explore can achieve, and its environment can drive the creation of new forms of society. A mission to the Red Planet is one of the most important efforts for this generation to undertake. Let us not lose our chance.