April 2020
Evolutionary lessons for an interplanetary future
... in adjacent regions. Darwin realised that these species had come into existence because their ancestors had colonised the remote archipelago, become isolated, and evolved into new forms. Unlike finches and iguanas, we humans...
June 2022
Pandemic parallels
Research coming out of the pandemic points to some similarities between issues created by the lockdown restrictions and those faced by spaceflight participants. The impact of those restrictions has become increasingly pronounced as time has gone on....
October 2020
Space 2069 - back to the Moon, to Mars and beyond
The fiftieth anniversary of the first Moon landing has been a cause for celebration, admiration, nostalgia and much contemplation. How far could space exploration and industry have ‘travelled’ by now if the Apollo programme had not been cancelled, ...
March 2026
Humanity – the potential of space
For much of human history, the drivers of exploration have remained remarkably consistent: power, pride, profit, security and scientific discovery. Whether seeking new lands, trade routes or strategic advantages, these motivations shaped humanity’s ...
June 2022
Protecting crews in interplanetary ships and space colonies from the space environment
... up the possibility of building interplanetary fuel depots and large, radiation-protected, artificial gravity orbital stations near colonised planets. Space settlements on the Moon, Mars, Ceres, Titan and other celestial bodies can be protected from...
April 2021
On Mars as it is on Earth - preparing for settlement
... in cities on Mars is incompatible with taking good care of the natural environment on Earth. An opinion has emerged that colonising Mars means “trashing planet Earth and moving on” (a quotation from a recent discussion between the author and...
