Should the U.S. Prioritize Settling Mars?
About this episode
The episode debates whether the U.S. should prioritize settling Mars over other space missions.
NASA is preparing for the Artemis II mission — a major step back into deep space to explore the Moon. But as NASA, SpaceX, and other private companies are also working on plans to make Mars humanity’s next frontier, what comes next, and should Mars be the bigger priority? Those arguing “yes” say the U.S. should do it first before China, while opponents say major challenges make colonization unrealistic. Now we debate: Should the U.S. Prioritize Settling Mars? Arguing Yes: Eric Berger, Senior Space Editor at Ars Technica Arguing No: Shannon Stirone, Freelance Science Writer Emmy award-winning journalist John Donvan moderates Join the conversation on Substack - share your perspective on this episode and subscribe to our weekly newsletter for curated insights from our debaters, moderators, and staff. Follow us on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, Facebook, and TikTok to stay connected with our mission and ongoing debates. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
People in this episode
Host: John Donvan
Guests: Eric Berger, Shannon Stirone
Topics covered
- space exploration
- Mars colonization
- U.S. priorities
- NASA missions
- China competition
Keywords
- Mars
- NASA
- SpaceX
- colonization
- space exploration
- U.S. priorities
- China
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: NASA, SpaceX
Places: U.S., China, Mars, Moon
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