Author of Red Mars calls 'bullshit' on emigrating to the planet

Feasibility of Mars Colonization and Terraforming

• Many commenters argue long-term settlement is vastly harder than popular narratives suggest.
• Key technical issues raised: toxic perchlorates in ubiquitous fine dust, high radiation without a magnetic field, very low atmospheric pressure, unknown effects of 0.38g on long-term human health.
• Terraforming is seen as technologically out of reach and requiring extremely long timescales; realistic scenarios involve pressurized, shielded habitats and largely underground living.
• Closed, self-sustaining ecosystems are noted as an unsolved problem; past Earth experiments (e.g., Biosphere-style projects) struggled even under ideal logistics.

Earth vs Mars: Priorities and Ethics

• Strong view: it is cheaper and easier to “terraform Earth” (repair climate and ecosystems) than to terraform Mars or build a self-sufficient colony there.
• Others counter that humanity is large enough to pursue both remediation and exploration, and that insisting on “solve Earth first” would have blocked historic exploration.
• Some suggest Mars colonization discourse functions as escapism for elites, potentially leaving “the rest” on a degraded Earth.

Humans vs Robots for Mars Exploration

• Pro-human side: astronauts can adapt, fix unexpected failures, and do in days what current rovers take years to achieve.
• Pro-robot side: humans require enormous mass in life support, shielding, and return capability; robotic missions are far cheaper, safer, and can be multiplied across sites.
• Future autonomous, possibly humanoid robots plus compact reactors are proposed as a better path, though others note such systems don’t yet exist even on Earth.

Economics, Technology, and Program Realism

• Several commenters highlight budget constraints, national debt, and political risk aversion as major blockers.
• There is skepticism about current heavy-lift programs that have yet to demonstrate orbital payload capacity while being placed on critical paths for lunar or Martian plans.
• Some see hype around Mars as investor-facing rhetoric rather than an engineering-backed roadmap.

Existential Risk and “Backup Planet” Argument

• One camp sees off-world settlements (Mars, Moon, or orbital habitats) as a hedge against catastrophic Earth events.
• Critics argue that most conceivable disasters are better mitigated with Earth-based bunkers and resilience measures; Earth post-disaster is still likely more habitable than Mars.
• Very small, dependent outposts are not viewed as a meaningful “backup” for civilization.

Psychological and Cultural Themes

• Several commenters express melancholy as classic sci-fi futures (FTL, fully terraformed Mars) look increasingly implausible.
• Others argue these were always fantasies, and that improving life on Earth for billions is a more compelling, “cool” grand project.
• A minority worry humanity is an ecologically destructive “invasive species” and advocate treating other worlds more like protected parks than real estate.