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Mars Base One: Humanity’s Greatest Triumph
How human ingenuity and perseverance will win out in the end
When I was six years old my father was nearly killed in an explosion that tore apart the oil refinery he was helping to construct. The cause: two workers lighting a cigarette right next to a source of volatile hydrocarbons.
Engineers had built in various safety devices, there were warning signs everywhere that made it unambiguously clear that naked flames were lethal, and extensive training of all personnel had been provided.
And yet, regular human stupidity ensured that the two employees in question were instantly vaporized and hundreds injured as a massive blast ripped through the facility.
When we look at the list of spectacular failures in the field of energy supply, we see one constant factor. Whether it’s Three Mile Island, Fukashima, Chernobyl, Exxon Valdez, BP Gulf of Mexico, BP Texas City, or any one of dozens of other accidents there is one shining thread running through them all: regular human stupidity.
No matter how carefully engineers attempt to create failsafe systems, no matter how diligently employees are trained, no matter how many warning signs are put in place, we humans will always find ways to defeat all of these obstacles. Just as rain and wind…
