Should We Settle in Space? - Tim Peake, Kelly Weinersmith and Alan Davies
Episode
42 min
Read time
2 min
Topics
Health & Wellness, Product & Tech Trends, Psychology & Behavior
AI-Generated Summary
Key Takeaways
- ✓Satellite cost reduction: SpaceX reduced launch costs from $57,000 per kilogram on the Space Shuttle to $1,500 on Falcon Heavy, enabling exponential satellite growth from 900 in 2009 to projected 30,000 by decade's end, democratizing space access.
- ✓Mars settlement timeline: NASA targets late 2030s for first Mars landing, but economic viability remains unclear as Mars lacks resources worth transporting to Earth. Reality TV funding models failed after Apollo 11, with viewership dropping until Apollo 13's emergency renewed interest.
- ✓Reproduction unknowns: No mammals have completed full reproduction cycles in space. Moon's one-sixth gravity effects on pregnancy, bone strength during labor, and fetal development remain untested. Mars perchlorates disrupt thyroid hormones controlling temperature, heart rate, and brain development in fetuses.
- ✓Legal jurisdiction gaps: 1967 Outer Space Treaty prohibits sovereignty claims, but enforcement remains unclear with communication delays of three to twenty-two minutes to Mars. Punishment systems and governance structures for space settlements require development before permanent habitation becomes feasible.
What It Covers
Astronaut Tim Peake, author Kelly Weinersmith, and comedian Alan Davies examine the technical, biological, and economic challenges of establishing human settlements on the Moon and Mars, including radiation exposure, reproduction concerns, and governance questions.
Key Questions Answered
- •Satellite cost reduction: SpaceX reduced launch costs from $57,000 per kilogram on the Space Shuttle to $1,500 on Falcon Heavy, enabling exponential satellite growth from 900 in 2009 to projected 30,000 by decade's end, democratizing space access.
- •Mars settlement timeline: NASA targets late 2030s for first Mars landing, but economic viability remains unclear as Mars lacks resources worth transporting to Earth. Reality TV funding models failed after Apollo 11, with viewership dropping until Apollo 13's emergency renewed interest.
- •Reproduction unknowns: No mammals have completed full reproduction cycles in space. Moon's one-sixth gravity effects on pregnancy, bone strength during labor, and fetal development remain untested. Mars perchlorates disrupt thyroid hormones controlling temperature, heart rate, and brain development in fetuses.
- •Legal jurisdiction gaps: 1967 Outer Space Treaty prohibits sovereignty claims, but enforcement remains unclear with communication delays of three to twenty-two minutes to Mars. Punishment systems and governance structures for space settlements require development before permanent habitation becomes feasible.
Notable Moment
Kelly Weinersmith reveals the most concentrated carbon sources on the Moon are likely the bags of feces and vomit left by Apollo astronauts, which NASA classifies as heritage items, complicating plans to grow plants in lunar soil.
Episode Transcript
This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside The UK. Make their holiday unforgettable with a gift that says it all from Pandora Jewelry. A gift that tells a story and shows you know theirs. That doesn't just sparkle, but speaks. From new festive charms to forever rings and personal engravings. This season, give a gift that's perfectly theirs. Whether you're shopping for a shiny surprise for your significant other, matching bracelets to celebrate your friendship, or a heartfelt gift for a family member, say more this holiday season with Pandora. Shop now at pandora.net or visit your closest Pandora store. It's the Kia season of new tradition sales event. So don't just hang your own lights. Venture out and look for the northern lights, drink cocoa on the beach, or be a drive by karaoke caroler. Because every new Kia comes with a ten year, 100,000 mile limited powertrain warranty. So you can take holidays to places they've never been. See your local Kia dealer or visit kia.com to learn more. Kia, movement that inspires. See Kia dealer for warranty details. Event ends 01/02/1926. Okay. Only 10 more presents to wrap. You're almost at the finish line. But first There. The last one. Enjoy a Coca Cola for a pause that refreshes. BBC Sounds. Music, radio, podcasts. You're about to listen to the Infinite Monkey Cage. Episodes will be released on Wednesdays Wherever you get your podcast. But if you're in The UK, the full series is available right now. First on BBC Sounds. Hello. I'm Brian Cox. And I'm Robert Ince. And we are in the infinite monkey cage, which has just been teleported here to Harwell. Teleported. Well, actually, it was a four and a half hour journey in the, vestibule on, a train which had, no functioning toilet. And I was stood next to a man who smelt of Derry Lee. It is true actually. One of the benefits of teleportation is that you don't need a toilet. Don't you? No. Why? Because it's instant. Right. But the downside is Hang on. Why is that instant? What if I instantly need a wee? No. Teleportation's instant. So you go for a wee before you get in the teleporter. Right. What if I've forgotten? Shortly afterwards, you'll arrive at the location. Yeah. So it's fine. The downside is you cease to exist at the point of origin. So in your case, you'd have been vaporized at Manchester Piccadilly. I like vaporized at Manchester, Billy. It sounds halfway between Gary Newman and Morrissey. I think that one. Oh, vaporized at Piccadilly Station On a Tuesday, I'll never see Stockport. Back in the time of the Smiths when we were young, we all thought that by the year 2000, we'd be living on the moon. This is true. If any of you are old enough to remember Space 1999, most wonderful TV show, but like everything in the nineteen seventies, it was basically a public information film that would …
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