Can We Really Colonize Mars?

Published: Dec. 13, 2016, 6:36 p.m.

b'Elon Musk got plenty of attention recently for announcing his plans to colonize Mars. But that\'s not exactly a new idea \\u2014 so we wondered if it was really a different, exciting and realistic plan, or just a reiteration of the standard far-flung dream. To answer that question, we brought in three experts: Amy Shira Teitel (a space and flight historian and creator of YouTube\'s Vintage Space videos), JPL\'s Fred Calef (a Mars geologist and "keeper of the maps" for Mars rovers), and the New Space Intiative\'s Tanya Harrison (who worked on Curiosity and several other Mars missions). The result was a fascinating discussion about Mars and whether or not we\'re actually headed there any time soon.'