Why humans are the most troublesome devices ever designed for space
In short: Engineers prefer solar cells to people because humans are unpredictable. While machines don't panic, defecate, or require sleep, our bodies were specifically evolved for Earth. Moving us off-planet creates a cascade of physical and psychological failures that may make space habitation a biological impossibility.
From an engineering perspective, the human body is a logistical nightmare. Unlike stable components like propulsion nozzles or solar cells, humans possess unstable metabolisms, weak memories, and millions of different physical configurations. They require constant life support—oxygen, water, and food—plus the significant extra fuel needed to launch them into orbit. Unlike machines, humans cannot function while deprived of sleep, nor do they possess the structural stability of inorganic materials in zero gravity. Humans are notably difficult to repair, often taking weeks to fix. They lack the simple, undemanding nature of hardware. They also do not have egos. Furthermore, they cannot be expected to work perfectly without needing to have fun.
The biological hurdles are equally daunting. Space is essentially designed to kill us, presenting immediate risks from cosmic rays which can cause cancer. Furthermore, the human body experiences significant physiological degradation in microgravity. These factors suggest that our evolution on Earth has hard-coded our survival mechanisms to a specific planetary environment, making adaptation to the vacuum of space a profound biological challenge. These issues were discussed at the 2023 Analog Astronaut Conference. Many participants gathered at Biosphere 2 to simulate an outpost. This facility was built near Tucson, Arizona. The goal was to test how we might survive in a miniature Earth environment.
Despite these hurdles, agencies like NASA are investing in the Artemis program to establish a permanent off-world presence, with companies like Lockheed Martin and United Launch Alliance designing lunar infrastructure. While figures like Elon Musk advocate for the colonization of Mars, critics argue there is no viable economic case for such endeavors. The debate remains: is space a destiny we must reach, or a hostile environment that fundamentally rejects human biology? Ethical concerns regarding colonization remain largely unaddressed by space optimists. There has historically been little public support for such massive spending. These projects involve many thorny issues that require deeper grappling. The feasibility of these plans remains a subject of intense debate.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Believe me, Man Will Never Adapt To Living In Space
- Also: Why we
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