1955: A Space Fantasy

I seem to remember that there was a lot of talk about Mars back in the 50s. It wasn't all science fiction either but, looking back on it now, it was highly speculative. In those days, Mars was thought to be at least semi-habitable. The air was kind of thin, but you could get used to that, just like the people who live in high mountainous regions. There were supposed to be polar ice caps that expanded and contracted on a seasonal basis, suggesting that there might be enough liquid water to support some kind of life style. Then there were the canals, which might not be real canals that contained water, but they were supposed to be fairly straight lines, which suggested that they were constructed by intelligent beings. Whether these intelligent beings would welcome visitors with open arms remained to be seen but, since they hadn't invaded us yet, they must be fairly peaceful, or at least so primitive that we could easily conquer them if we had to. There was also the possibility that whatever civilization had once flourished there had since become extinct. If so, there was probably a reason for that, but we might be able to figure out where they went wrong and not repeat the same mistakes ourselves.

I never aspired to be an astronaut, too technical for my taste, but I was hoping that, by the time I grew up, I would be able to go to Mars as a passenger on one of the regular shuttles that surely would be operating by then. I liked the idea of being a pioneer in a new land, just like the brave souls who had pushed the American frontier all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Growing up in Chicago, I always had the feeling that Earth was way too crowded for my taste. I had nothing against people, but I thought they should be sufficiently spread out so that nobody would get in anybody else's way. Years later, I found out that there were plenty of places like that right here on Earth, but there was a reason for that. Either there were no jobs, or the climate was so uncomfortable that anybody who went there to make their fortune soon left, with or without their fortune.

There was also a lot of talk about over population in the 50s, they called it "the population explosion". The way things were going, it wouldn't be long before everybody on Earth would be standing shoulder to shoulder, and there would be no places left to hunt and fish. Again, living in Chicago, I could see how that was possible, even likely. It seemed to me that colonizing Mars was the simplest solution to that problem. By the time Mars filled up, they would surely have found another habitable planet somewhere in the vast regions of space. If I wasn't too old or dead be then, I would have volunteered for that mission too. Just like Daniel Boone, I would lead the settlers to the land of plenty, and then move on in the eternal search for more elbow room.

I saw on TV once that they are now planning to send some people to Mars, in the foreseeable future, on a one way mission to establish a colony there. They will not be coming back, but will stay there for the rest of their lives, making improvements to prepare for those who will follow them. I understand that they already have a substantial list of volunteers who are eager to go. If they had done this 50 years ago, I might have been on that list myself. It's probably for the best, though. There are no trees or grass on Mars, and any liquid water remains to be found. I doubt that I would be happy on Mars the way it is now. As my old paper mill colleague said, "You see one fucking red rock, you've seen them all."