A City on Mars
by Kelly Weinersmith, Zach Weinersmith · first published 2023
61% recommend29% neutral11% critical
Why HN recommends it
Humorous, well-researched look at the unsolved problems of settling space, from radiation and reproduction to law and politics. Suits space-colonization enthusiasts and laypeople who want a clear-eyed reality check.
Common criticism: Some say it is badly researched and one-sided against settlement
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Earth is not well. The promise of starting life anew somewhere far, far away—no climate change, no war, no Twitter—beckons, and settling the stars finally seems within our grasp. Or is it? Critically acclaimed, bestselling authors Kelly and Zach Weinersmith set out to write the essential guide to a glorious future of space settlements, but after years of research, they aren’t so sure it’s a good idea. Space technologies and space business are progressing fast, but we lack the knowledge needed to have space kids, build space farms, and create space nations in a way that doesn’t spark conflict b
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
Related books
2013–2026A paradise built in hell
Rebecca Solnit, Emily Beresford, David Muñoz Mateos
Recommended by 13 · mentioned by 1613 recommend · 16 mention13 recommend · 1613 recommend
2020–2026Delta-V
Daniel Suarez
Recommended by 23 · mentioned by 2623 recommend · 26 mention23 recommend · 2623 recommend
2008–2026The Mote in God's Eye
Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, L.J. Ganser
Recommended by 43 · mentioned by 10543 recommend · 105 mention43 recommend · 10543 recommend
2021–2026Project Hail Mary
Andy Weir
Recommended by 131 · mentioned by 221131 recommend · 221 mention131 recommend · 221131 recommend
2007–2026Rainbows End
Vernor Vinge
Recommended by 112 · mentioned by 238112 recommend · 238 mention112 recommend · 238112 recommend
2009–2026Blindsight
Peter Watts
Recommended by 214 · mentioned by 294214 recommend · 294 mention214 recommend · 294214 recommend
On the same theme, A City On Mars by Kelly and Zach Weinersmith (of SMBC fame) is a humorous yet an in-depth pragmatic look at why space colonization will suck. Summarizing: space will kill you fast, moon will grind you down with the…
on “Everything about Mars is the worst (2017)” ↗…knowing what effect that kind of travel will have on them. And all of that in spite of knowing how that venture would even be technologically feasible. If you haven’t, I can highly recommend reading A city on mars by Kelly & Zach Weinersmith.
on “Scientists re-emerge after a year in Mars simulation project” ↗If you're really interested in a deep dive on this subject then I really recommend "A City On Mars" by Zach and Kelly Weinersmith (of SMBC). It goes very deep into things like - can you have babies successfully in space?
on “If the moon were only 1 pixel: A tediously accurate solar system model (2014)” ↗A City on Mars by Zach Weinersmith goes over a lot of these points and many others, like politics and laws of space. Like the title of this article, the tldr is "life in space would suck".
on “Wish you could escape the planet? Too bad life in space would suck (2024)” ↗Perhaps a tad overly-curmudgeonly but still a good argument against Mars is "A City on Mars"[1] by Kelly and Zach Weinersmith (the SMBC[2] guy) [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_City_on_Mars [2]: https://www.smbc-comics.com/
on “Why Going to Mars Would Be Bad for Your Health” ↗I liked‘A City On Mars’. That said I think it didn't have the right sense of scale. The Weinersmith's offered up a bunch of reasons why the eponymous city would never be possible but I think the most important bit - which…
on “The Mars Delusion” ↗If you want to get depressed about all the problems with trying to colonize Mars, I recommend A City on Mars: https://www.acityonmars.com/ It's by the cartoonist of Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal and his wife (the one with an actual science PhD). https://www.smbc-comics.com/
on “All 12 moonwalkers had "lunar hay fever" from dust smelling like gunpowder” ↗There's a book called A City On Mars. It pulls together all the reasons why that's not happening anytime soon.
on “The End of Elon Musk” ↗I highly recommend the book A City on Mars, which explores these topics in a humorous, but well-researched, light.
on “Due to blade damage, Mars Helicopter Ingenuity will not fly again” ↗I can highly recommend "A City on Mars"[^0], which I recently read. The authors go into fascinating detail about what it takes to build planetary settlements, and they not only focus on the engineering questions but make a point to talk about the legal aspects of space settlement as well. [^0]: https://www.acityonmars.com/
on “Why Scientists Are Calling for the Moon to Be Better Protected from Development” ↗Kelly and Zach are authors of the book "City on Mars", a well researched and approachable exploration of problems that still need to be addressed before large numbers of humans are sent to the Cosmos. https://www.acityonmars.com/
on “The Mars crisis, explained by Kelly and Zach Weinersmith [video]” ↗Given that the Artemis program is motivated by space settlement, I'm surprised nobody has referenced "A City On Mars" by Kelly and Zach Weinersmith (of https://www.smbc-comics.com/ acclaim) yet. I went into the book with lots excitement for extraterrestrial colonies, and finished it being convinced to better wait. They argue that if you actually look into the details, especially into the "dry" po
on “The Lunacy of Artemis” ↗I recommend the book A City On Mars, which covers many aspects related to the feasibility of traveling to and colonizing Mars.
on “Scientists re-emerge after a year in Mars simulation project” ↗For more on this "we don't really have the data for anything" problem, a humorously approachable read is "A City On Mars" [0]. Also the "nobody knows how laws would work" and other interesting complications. [0] https://www.acityonmars.com/
on “Scientists discover a new hormone that can build strong bones in mice” ↗Direct link to arxiv paper. https://arxiv.org/abs/2406.10380 The Weinersmiths' survey "A City on Mars" is a more comprehensive treatment on the subject. https://www.acityonmars.com/
on “What could a future sovereign Mars economy look like?” ↗