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A City on Mars 2023
A City on Mars is an English-language popular science book published in 2023 by Penguin Press. Written by Kelly and Zach Weinersmith, it examines the current understanding of space settlement, taking into account shifts in the economics of space travel during the 2010s and 2020s. The work highlights issues that the authors believe remain unresolved or underestimated. Illustrated with artwork by Zach Weinersmith, who is recognized as the creator of the webcomic Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal, the book addresses various obstacles to long-term human presence beyond Earth.
It explores topics such as sex in space, pregnancy and childrearing in off-Earth environments, space psychology, the impacts of microgravity and deep space radiation on humans, agriculture and biosphere development outside of Earth, space law, establishing governance structures in space, and logistical challenges of sustaining colonies. The book also considers the pros and cons of lunar and Martian colonization, as well as orbital station construction compared to life on Earth. Even a severely damaged Earth would offer better living conditions than other options within the Solar System.
The book received favorable reviews for its humor and unique perspective. It reached 11th on The New York Times Best Seller list for hardback nonfiction titles. In 2024, A City on Mars was awarded the Hugo Award for Best Related Work and the Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize. The book contains 436 pages and follows the previous work Soonish.
Details
- Publisher
- Penguin Books
- ISBN
- 9781984881724
- Pages
- 436
