The growing pains of a spacefaring species

Space has always been this mysterious, twinkling thing we’ve stared at forever, hasn't it? We've gazed at the stars for millennia, mapped their movements, charted constellations, and written them into our myths. But only in the last 70 years, a sneeze in humanity’s 300,000-year timeline, have we dared to reach beyond Earth.

It's no surprise, we’ve always felt compelled to explore, it's who we are, it’s coded into our bones. The first humans who left Africa didn’t pack snacks and hit the trails because they were bored. The Polynesians didn't sail across thousands of miles of open ocean, navigating by starlight, just for kicks. We’re wired to squint at the horizon and mutter, “What’s over there?”

As Medievalist and Historian Yuval Noah Harari in his book ‘Sapiens’ argues, our superpower is collective imagination, the ability to build shared myths (like nations, money, or Mars colonies) and then make them real. Space is just the latest “what if” in a very long chain of human audacity.

The question isn't really if we'll become a spacefaring civilization, but when and how we'll make that transition. And perhaps more importantly, what kind of spacefaring species will we choose to become?

We’re already knee-deep in the scramble. SpaceX is landing orbital-class rockets like its routine. But Elon Musk isn’t alone in the race. Billionaires like Sir Richard Branson with Virgin Galactic and Jeff Bezos with Blue Origin are also launching rockets, fueling a  “my rocket is bigger than yours” type rivalry. The James Webb Space Telescope is peering deeper into the universe than ever before, potentially identifying habitable worlds around distant stars.

The data paints a compelling picture of acceleration. In 2023 alone, we saw over 2500 objects launched into space worldwide, that’s about 12x the number from 2016. At this rate, low-Earth orbit will soon resemble a congested highway, minus the road rage of course.

The cost of reaching space has plummeted dramatically in the last three decades. Historically, when the cost of something drops exponentially, its use rises exponentially. We're witnessing exactly that pattern with space access.

The biggest proof of this is the race to Mars. A race which is now less a gentlemanly stroll and more a full-tilt sprint with some of the planet’s boldest players jostling for the finish line. Elon Musk is leading the charge with SpaceX, dreaming of a Martian metropolis by 2050. Elsewhere, NASA's Artemis program plans to use the Moon as a stepping stone for Mars missions in the 2030s, while China has announced plans to send its first crewed mission to Mars by 2033.

In the future, will I get to celebrate a birthday party in space? Maybe I’ll be part of forming a new civilisation on Mars?

But let's be nuanced here. The road to becoming truly spacefaring isn't just paved with technological breakthroughs – it's also lined with significant challenges that we need to acknowledge.

The limits to the human body, sustainability concerns, emotional and psychological stress are all very valid concerns while leaving earth. But just how difficult will it be for us to adapt?

Let's investigate...

Space changes people

Astronauts talk about the “Overview Effect”, that moment when they see Earth from above and everything just clicks. Apollo 14’s Edgar Mitchell nailed it: “From out there on the moon, international politics look so petty.” It’s like a switch flips. Suddenly, our planet feels small, fragile, and our fights seem pointless.

What if more of us could see that? Could it change how we think about our place in the universe? Maybe we’d stop fussing over little things and start acting like a species with a bigger future.

The most valuable resource we discover in space may not be some exotic material or energy source, but a new way of seeing ourselves. A cognitive upgrade that's as significant as the development of written language or the scientific method? Imagine our entire worldview upgrading from dial-up to broadband.

And what if we bump into extraterrestrials out there? Would meeting cosmic neighbors unite us or amplify our divisions and fears?

Space is hostile to human life in almost every way imaginable. The technical challenges are immense, the economics daunting, and the physiological and psychological impacts on humans still poorly understood. To be fair, the same could once have been said about crossing oceans or flying through the air.

There’s also the question of the survival of our species. Stephen Hawking famously warned that humanity needs to colonize other planets within 100 years to avoid extinction. Climate change, asteroid impacts, nuclear war – the existential threats to Earth are numerous. Potentially habitable planets like Mars, despite its harsh environment, offer our best chance for a "backup drive" of human civilization.

Addressing the human factor in space travel

Space travel isn’t just about sleek rockets and starry vistas, it’s a brutal reality check for the human body, which, let’s be honest, is a bit of a diva when it comes to its preferred conditions.

We’re talking about a species that spent eons in Earth’s perfect, comfy 9.8 m/s² gravity set up, a breathable atmosphere, and a magnetic field that keeps cosmic rays from turning us into walking glow sticks.

Take us out of that comfy bubble, and things get messy fast. Microgravity’s the first one, our muscles turn to mush, our bones go brittle like stale crackers. Astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) lose up to 1-2% of their bone density per month, imagine that over a two-year Mars trip. And it’s not just the body—space messes with your mind too. The isolation, cramped quarters, and relentless stress of a deadly vacuum outside can spark anxiety, depression, and even crew tensions, making mental health a make-or-break factor for long-haul missions.

So how do we overcome this and turn ourselves into spacefaring badasses? Technology, that’s how.  By enhancing our biology through emerging technologies, we could adapt ourselves for space travel. Imagine radiation-resistant skin modifications, enhanced bone density for varying gravitational environments, or neural implants that help our brains cope with extended isolation.  Dr. Natasha Vita-More, one of the leading voices on transhumanism, has envisioned what she calls the "Primo Posthuman", which is an enhanced, augmented human body that is better equipped to live in space, featuring aspects like a smart skin and nanomachines.

Solving these problems could fundamentally reshape medicine on Earth too. The bone density research from the ISS has already improved our understanding of osteoporosis treatments. The technological challenges of extending human lifespans in space and extending them on Earth are remarkably similar, both require sophisticated approaches to cellular repair, radiation protection, and optimizing biological systems.

Envisioning an ethical and inclusive space civilization

Let’s not kid ourselves: space won’t magically make us better humans. Take our worst Earth habits, colonial land grabs, corporate greed, reality-TV-style geopolitics, and launch them into orbit? Congrats, we’ve got Space Feudalism.

Lets consider the governance framework we’re inheriting. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty, a relic of the Cold War era, was written when space was a two-nation chess match. Today, dozens of countries and hundreds of private entities are active in orbit.  Soon startups could mine asteroids, billionaires could claim celestial real estate, and over 80 nations may jostle for orbital turf. Who gets to make the rules now? A reformed UN? A coalition of scientists and ethicists? Or will we end up with a Wild West where the loudest CEOs and most trigger-happy governments call the shots? The stakes are cosmic. Letting corporations privatize the Moon or nations weaponize orbital lanes is a recipe for turning the final frontier into a mirror of Earth’s ugliest rivalries.

Then there’s the accessibility problem. If a ticket to orbit costs more than a house, does space become a playground for the rich instead of a lifeline for humanity? Space tourism’s already kicking off, with Virgin Galactic and SpaceX planning suborbital jaunts—mostly for the wealthy.

So, where’s this all going? The sci-fi version’s tempting: humanity united, zipping between stars, bold and brilliant. But reality’s messier, there’s no script, and we’re improvising. Could it be utopia, could it be chaos, or maybe something we haven’t even dreamed up. It’s not just for the rocket scientists or CEOs to decide. Space is ours, yours, mine, the barista down the streets’.

Will we repeat Earthly mistakes, exploitation, rivalry, short-sighted grabs? Or can we sketch something new on that vast canvas?

Will we rise to the challenge, crafting a future that’s bold and fair, or stumble over our own egos and appetites? The clock’s ticking, every launch, every mission, every debate brings us closer to locking in what space becomes. It’s not a spectator sport; we all have a voice.

So, what do you say?