Professions of the future: "Who will you work on Mars?"

“The jetpack pilot” is a “profession of the past”, she is 60 years old. "Developer of jetpacks" - 100 years .

“Instructor of the school course on the design of jet pack” in - the profession of the present, doing now.
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And what is the profession of the future? Tamper? Archeoprogrammer? The designer of false memories? Blade Runner?

My long-time acquaintance who took part in crowdsourcing on the engine for a jetpack now launched his project about the profession of the future . I recommended him to translate an interesting article from Forbes specifically for Habr.

Will Your Next Job Be On Mars?

Take a look around. How many objects and phenomena from those around you did not exist when you were a child? Perhaps now your eyes will stop at a laptop, smartphone or Wi-Fi. Now imagine that all this is simply not there. What would life then become? Mentally returning to childhood, think, could you imagine then something that you cannot do without now?

It is likely that a similar course of events is coming with regard to future employment on Mars: perhaps, one day it will seem strange to us how we did it only with work on Earth.

Technological progress continues to create the basis for more unique and exciting types of employment, which are still limited at the moment, the limits of our planet. But, perhaps, the change is not so long to wait.

As the late Stephen Hawking asserted, “if the human race continues for another million years, we will have to fearlessly go where no one has ever been before”.

Since Ilon Musk, Jeff Bezos, NASA experts and other scientists are considering the possibility of moving to other planets as a very visible future, the interplanetary economy and the labor market may be just around the corner.

The program Ilona Mask SpaceX provides for sending the first astronauts to Mars by 2024 . The 2020 budget approved by President Trump includes a manned mission to Mars planned for 2026 with the aim of obtaining samples from the Red Planet. The study of these samples of rocks, soil and atmosphere will allow to collect new information about the geological structure of the planet and the presence of water on it, and possibly evidence of the existence of life on it, either now or in the past.

In fact, colonies on other planets can be a decisive condition for the survival of humanity. Amazon’s head and founder, Jeff Bezos, is confident that expanding our living space in the solar system "is not a matter of choice, but a necessity."

Ecological problems, limited natural resources, rapid population growth and the potential chance of death from asteroids or other natural disasters can make it impossible for our mother earth to remain a haven for growing humanity.

Although there is no unanimous agreement about the fact that Mars should be our next home, Musk believes that the only difficulty in turning the Red Planet into a workplace is, strictly speaking, "the basic task of building a base."

As soon as this infrastructure base, which Mask is talking about, is created, we, earthlings, will be able to apply for job vacancies on Mars - just as it is happening on our planet now. However, before you pack your bags, you might want to learn more about something.

Why exactly Mars?

Given that, in general, the planets of the solar system are subject to sharp temperature changes and dangerous cosmic influences, Mars has some similarities with the Earth. It is also located in the so-called Habitable Zone , where conditions are potentially suitable for life support.

Although the Martian air is too thin for breathing, and the surface of the planet is too cold for life outdoors, Mars - unlike other planets in the solar system - has its advantages: there 24 hours a day, there are 4 seasons, canyons, volcanoes, polar ice caps, river beds, dry lakes, and even some water in a liquid state.

Based on our current knowledge and understanding of the solar system, it can be argued that Mars is the best candidate for interplanetary migration.

What types of employment will be available on Mars?

As for the initial stage of the development of the Red Planet, there are few tasks that we face in the Universe that could compete with it in the opening opportunities for self-realization of the individual and the level of goals. Thus, the degree of professional success can be a determining factor for both personal lives and the future of all humanity.

Paul Wooster, chief development engineer for the SpaceX Mars project, explains that the first work on Mars will include “many aspects similar to earth construction, the development of mineral resources on a limited scale (including geological prospecting), as well as small industries, along with such auxiliary activities like cooking and cleaning. "

Worcester assumes that the initial labor demand for Mars will be more likely to affect jobs associated with the maintenance of mechanisms, rather than direct physical labor: “in the early stages, activities in which you do not dirty your hands in any way , will most likely be carried out directly from Earth. "

As the infrastructure base develops, the range of possible vacancies in such sectors as medicine, agriculture, education, and services will expand. At first, a high level of training in the natural sciences and mathematics will be most in demand. At the same time, as interest in Mars grows and aspiration to learn more about it, the promotion of relevant films, TV programs and reality shows on the Earth market will help Red Planet to attract more and more diverse talents.

Another aspect of the work and an additional incentive for gifted people will be the opportunity to realize the most courageous innovations.

“The first Martian colony could receive high incomes, becoming an innovative colony. Without being distracted by earthly affairs, but facing challenges that require a solution on Mars, the colony could become a kind of “pressure cooker” for innovation, since its inhabitants would not have been obstructed by the earthly bureaucracy ”,
- says Dr. Robert Zubrin , founder of the Mars Society ( Mars Society ) and author of the new book The Case for Space .

If you can not wait, when the official colonization of Mars finally begins, you can apply for participation in the NASA Astronaut Program. However, we recommend having a backup option; in 2017, a record number of applications were already filed - 18,300, although the number of vacancies is only 8 to 14.

How to apply for interplanetary work?

To all those who are interested in interplanetary employment, we recommend to contact the sites of organizations such as SpaceX , Blue Origin and NASA . Specialized sites like Space Individuals and Space Careers may also be useful. NASA has even launched advertising job posters on Mars for land surveyors, farmers, teachers, and mechanics.

Although at present most of the specialties required for work in space are based on Earth, companies working in the field of space research need specialists of any profession. The above organizations and Internet resources demonstrate the prospects opening up for engineering, design, computer software development, manufacturing, human resources, financial sector, IT, law, marketing, trade and many other activities that exist on our planet. Whatever your professional interests, if you also have a passion for space exploration, you will find a use for yourself.

How will I get to my new workplace?

In order to turn Mars into a viable platform for a new economy, affordable, safe, reliable and regular transport links should be provided to the general public. A reusable rocket (like the one proposed by Musk) will be absolutely necessary for the creation in space of a transport service by analogy with airlines. The first passenger missiles could potentially take on board up to 100 people (and more) and 450 tons of cargo.

All solutions aimed at creating a mass space transport will require close cooperation and partnership of private companies and government organizations, such as NASA. The powerful space transport industry will also create more interplanetary jobs, in the same way as air travel on Earth. Richard Branson's space-travel company Virgin Galactic has already attracted hundreds of customers who have invested in future space travel. However, it should be noted that in this new high-tech sector and robots would have coped well in flight with your service and serving snacks.

Is it safe to live and work on Mars?

If, in order to make Mars more habitable, attempts are made to change its natural environment and terraforming (or other transformation) is applied, then there are no guarantees of a favorable outcome. An increase in the temperature of the planet may bring back to life the former or existing forms of Martian life , with unpredictable consequences. Weaker gravity can weaken our bones and muscles, and increased radiation can increase the risk of cancer. Anyway, security is an extremely serious problem, and death is quite possible outcome for the first settlers. On top of that, the initial isolation from a wide range of intercourse or a long and abrupt change in social conditions, lifestyle and diet (along with sleep disorders due to longer daylight hours) can be a danger to mental and emotional health. This, in turn, can harm physical condition and shorten life expectancy.

How will I communicate with those who remain on Earth?

Sooner or later, holoportation will allow virtually placing people in the same room in almost real time, even if they are on different planets. This will make communication with family, friends and colleagues on Earth smooth and natural. As the technology of transferring images and personal bots progresses, your own physical location is not so important. Bots that use sensory technology can even create a sense of the physical touch of another person living on another planet. Remote work technologies will allow you to live on Mars and work on Earth. People have already worked remotely on Mars, while on Earth.

Will earth holidays be available?

At first, the return to Earth for the holiday will be impossible due to the high cost and technical limitations of the flight. However, taking into account the fact that the pace of technological progress doubles every 12 to 18 months, such times will come when a return ticket to Earth will become quite accessible. Until then, holographic rooms and other technologies will be able to provide virtual “visits”, which are fully correlated in sensations with real returns to Earth.

If you decide to make your trip in two stages and first live some time on the Moon (as Bezos advises you to do), your chances of spending holidays on Earth are very real.

Where will I live, eat and shop?

Held under the auspices of NASA, the design competition demonstrated high-tech Martian houses made of ice, inflatable materials and recycled spacecraft. Over the next 100 years, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is hoping to relocate 600,000 people to Mars. For the preparation of this new Martian colony, the UAE is planning to create on the Earth its imitation with dome-type houses. Their plan also includes the construction of a museum (equipped with local sand walls printed on a 3D printer), where all those who hope to settle on Mars in the future could learn more about the history of space travel.

Initially, all spaces for life, food and shopping will be located inside buildings to protect people from outside air, unfit for breathing, as well as low temperatures. If the planet favorably accepts our attempts to make it habitable, future colonist communities will be able to imitate earthly life and make a habit of snacking at McDonalds. But taking into account the probable cost of cattle breeding on Mars or laboratory production of meat, be prepared for the fact that your Big Mac will be much more expensive than usual. Probably the first thing to grow on Mars will be vegetables - so the salad will probably be quite affordable for you. As for shopping, Amazon, it seems, will remain at your disposal there: Bezos is already planning its deliveries to the moon.

Can I get fired from work on Mars?

The fact of dismissal on the Red Planet will be something out of the ordinary until the return flights become possible, or until alternative jobs are created. Employment decisions will have to be made very carefully and reasonably; Contingency vacancies should be provided for the productive and most reasonable use of the potential of those employees who cease to perform their professional duties, or for those cases when there is no need for this type of work. Consequently, it is necessary to take into account cases of disability or retirement.

In order to guarantee a high standard of living for all Mars citizens, housing and care programs must be in place for those who are no longer able to do this on their own; a single standard of health care and a single basic income will be able to guarantee medical services and an unconditional basic income for all, regardless of the specific personal circumstances. However, as noted above, the dynamics of the socio-economic situation on the Red Planet may change as the space transport industry develops.

Will I become “my” on Mars?

Of exceptional importance is the strategy of taking into account the diversity and close attention to gender, ethnic, religious and ideological features of those who go to Mars. The colonization of other planets will give people a unique opportunity to correct the errors of the earth’s history and bring humanity to the desired balance. If diversity is considered carefully, all members of the community will initially feel that they are “their own.”

Life on Mars will be in many ways a unique challenge. So, for example: how will the corporate or state financing of a colony affect the rights and freedoms of citizens? Will employees be totally dependent on their companies, relying entirely on their goodwill in housing, food, medical care and other needs?

If private funding from Earth companies will remain a key factor for the development of Mars, will political decisions on this planet come from pernicious considerations of short-term gain or long-term socially responsible installations?

How do people on Mars adapt to their new environment? Experiencing the effects of weaker gravity, negligible oxygen levels and increased radiation, it is likely that over time people will evolve into a new biological species. Astronaut Scott Kelly was two inches taller after just one year in orbit.

How do babies born on mars adapt to their new home? Will they develop qualities that are biologically incompatible with life on Earth and create the basis for a new Martian subspecies of people? What will be the legal basis of the citizenship of the indigenous "Martians"?

Will those who finance the migration to Mars try to impose a single universal passport or prior approval procedure for unauthorized interplanetary flights?

When a homogeneous Martian population is gradually formed, will earthlings be happy there?

Will the independent economy of Mars arise, or will the Earth financially strengthen and position itself as the sole economic center of the solar system? If Mars does become economically independent (or almost independent) of the import-export market, will it acquire sovereignty from the Earth? Will such sovereignty lead to political struggle for power, to ideological confrontation and, ultimately, to the scenario of events described by G. Wells in his War of the Worlds?

Education and understanding of information will become key factors as people strive to populate other planets in the solar system, and then, perhaps, beyond. Institutions such as the National Space Society ( National Space Society ), a non-profit organization seeking to create a space civilization and leading in this field since 1974, are a good source for research, publishing articles, and general information about how earthlings can use gigantic resources of space for a radical improvement of mankind ". Founded in 1998, the Mars Society ( Mars Society ) is another useful information resource concerning the settlement of the Red Planet.

Whatever decisions are put forward for the purposes of a general interplanetary world and unified humanitarian principles, the creation of jobs on Mars will be the starting point for the emergence of a new, exciting and unpredictable, "front line" for humanity. There, on Mars, people will discover for themselves unique ways of thinking about cooperation in the name of our cosmos and, possibly, thereby prolonging the history of the entire human race.

Once again, mentally go back to your childhood and then reflect on the gadget on which you are currently reading this article. And now, look into Cosmos. Well, are you ready?

PS

“In Stavropol, a boy of fifteen, who had sat down to me after the reflection of“ Course to Mars ”, began to ask me about what exactly I had been doing and for how long. I began to tell him about our work in South Africa and Tanzania, Brazil and Vietnam, Armenia and Tunisia and about the endless travels in Russia. The guy's eyes widened and at some point he said: “It's a dream job - to travel everywhere and work.”
“You see,” I replied, “You learned that this is possible at the age of fifteen, and I am at 35. So you have a chance to build your career from as much as you think is most interesting.”
Atlas of new professions - he, in fact, about it. "
- Dmitry Sudakov , Project Manager, Atlas of New Professions 3.0

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