New Mars

Originally published in 1998, Kathleen Bohne gave this refreshing look at the colonization and terraformation of Mars at the first Mars Society Convention in Colorado as a twelve year old.

We want to know what’s out there and find a way to make it our own — another kind of greed I suppose.

My name is Kathleen Bohne and I am twelve years old.

I am here today because I think the possibility of going to Mars is the most exciting thing that has ever happened to the human race. I’m grateful that I’m homeschooled - it’s allowed me to follow my interests freely. I know I have light years to go but I really want to see this happen and I plan to be a part of it.

I have been interested in astronomy for what seems to me a long time and a few months ago my Dad and I went to hear Dr. Zubrin speak. It was exhilarating. The possibilities seemed boundless and I felt my excitement grow with everything he said - it’s a lot like that Christmas Eve feeling!

Last year Life Magazine listed the 100 most important events and people of this millennium. My sisters and I spent hours pouring over this magazine. The invention of the printing press was number one of course. Newton’s discovery of gravity, Columbus’s journey and Einstein’s Theory of Relativity also made the list.

As I am only 12, I could be one of the first people to set foot on the rusty Martian surface. I might climb the Twin Peaks or walk along the dried up channels that split the soil.

I can easily imagine the editors of Life sitting around a conference table in 2998 arguing about what numbers two and three will be, but surely the colonization of Mars will be number one. Even considering the pace of technological miracles that we seem to be living with, what could compare to the impact this will have on the world as we know it?

Think of the questions this raises. The “how?” “when?” “who?” and oddly enough, to some people, the “why?” This seems to me to be the easiest question to answer. Because it’s there!

There are certainly similarities between the age of exploration during the 15th and 16th centuries and our ambitions today. They were driven by a pioneering spirit, a quest for knowledge, a desire to spread their religious beliefs, and in great measure, greed. Gold, silk, spices and the wealth they brought were indeed great motivators!

I don’t imagine anyone is anticipating bringing Martian riches back in the name of the queen! But we do still have that pioneering spirit and drive for knowledge. We want to know what’s out there and find a way to make it our own — another kind of greed I suppose.

Mars has always been a place of wonder and mystery to earthlings, and the current idea that there could be humans on Mars in less than a decade is, needless to say, a mind-boggling thought. It has been one of mankind’s wildest and most dazzling dreams for so long, and now it finally seems to be coming true.

As I am only 12, I could be one of the first people to set foot on the rusty Martian surface. I might climb the Twin Peaks or walk along the dried up channels that split the soil. My children might taste the first crops grown on Mars or be among the first to stand in the bottom of that enormous canyon system, Valles Marineris. My grandchildren could see a permanent human settlement on Mars and might even live in it. The possibilities are limitless with technology progressing at its current rate.

I often wonder what everyday life would be like on Mars. Would things be so alien that everyday activities such as showering would become strange adventures? Or would it be relatively similar to life on Earth, despite the obvious differences. Of course a lot of the answers to questions such as these depend on our approach to colonization.

Will we attempt to terraform Mars or will we live enclosed in a large “bubble” where the atmosphere and temperature have been adjusted for humans. This would make Mars seem like a vast, red desert. Exploring could only take place in specialized suits and vehicles. Daily life would boil down to a fight for survival. And how strange not to have life all around us. We are used to living things and movement — plants, animals, crashing waves. On Mars there is no life that we know of, certainly none we could see or feel. We would be the only living souls.

Having this in our future is like having the promise of a great surprise yet to come. One that we know is special, vital and completely wonderful but still ultimately mysterious.

If terraforming became a possibility things would change dramatically. Eventually by warming the poles to thicken the atmosphere and by oxygenating the planet, everyday life could almost mirror life on Earth. We could go from mere survival to truly living. Of course, we would end up exporting all of our problems as well. It would be natural for us to try to make Mars a utopia. But whose idea of utopia?

I wonder what exporting “human nature” will mean and I guess only time will tell. Will we change in the process? Human nature seems to have remained basically the same, at least throughout recorded history. I’d like to think we’re a little more civilized and humane, but perhaps not.

I do think that having a new frontier is vital. It seems to bring out the best in us as individuals and as a nation. It keeps us always looking outward. Having this in our future is like having the promise of a great surprise yet to come. One that we know is special, vital and completely wonderful but still ultimately mysterious. This is our new frontier. I want my generation to rise to the occasion and see it through.

There are major questions which will only be answered in the years to come, but we can at least try to lift the veil of mystery about living on another planet by sending humans to Mars. This will be the first step to reaching the pinnacle of the human imagination, making another planet our own. I hope you will all keep fighting for this and I can’t wait to join you.

Kathleen Bohne is a home-schooled 12-year old who lives in Colorado and plans to walk on Mars someday. Originally published August 1998.

Filed under: Articles on August 7th, 2001