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Chatter: "A City on Mars," with Dr. Kelly and Zach Weinersmith

Scott R. Anderson, Kelly Weinersmith, Zach Weinersmith
Thursday, January 25, 2024, 9:00 AM
Should humans settles on Mars?

Published by The Lawfare Institute
in Cooperation With
Brookings

Outer space is back in style. For the first time in decades, NASA is sending astronauts back to the moon. Millionaires are exiting the atmosphere on a regular basis. And Elon Musk says humans may land on Mars to set up settlements by 2030. But would mastering space be worth it?

In their new book, “A City on Mars,” co-authors (and spouses) Dr. Kelly and Zach Weinersmith argue that it’s probably not. From biology to engineering to international law, they charmingly survey the many charms and dangers that space inevitably entails, with pictures to boot. For this week’s Chatter episode, Scott R. Anderson spoke with Kelly and Zach about their book, what role they think space exploration and settlement should play in humanity’s future, and why space may not be all it’s cracked up to be anytime soon.


Among the works mentioned in this episode:

Chatter is a production of Lawfare and Goat Rodeo. This episode was produced and edited by Cara Shillenn of Goat Rodeo. Podcast theme by David Priess, featuring music created using Groovepad.


Scott R. Anderson is a fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution and a Senior Fellow in the National Security Law Program at Columbia Law School. He previously served as an Attorney-Adviser in the Office of the Legal Adviser at the U.S. Department of State and as the legal advisor for the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq.
Kelly Weinersmith is an American biologist, writer, and podcaster. She is the co-author of the book, "A City on Mars."
Zach Weinersmith is an American cartoonist and writer, best known for his webcomic Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal. He is the co-author of the book, "A City on Mars."