Should the U.S. Prioritize Settling Mars?

NASA is preparing for the Artemis II mission — a major step back into deep space to explore the Moon. But as NASA, SpaceX, and other private companies are also working on plans to make Mars humanity’s next frontier, what comes next, and should Mars be the bigger priority? Those arguing “yes” say the U.S. should do it first before China, while opponents say major challenges make colonization unrealistic. Now we debate: Should the U.S. Prioritize Settling Mars? Arguing Yes: Eric Berger, Senior Space Editor at Ars Technica Arguing No: Shannon Stirone, Freelance Science Writer Emmy award-winning journalist John Donvan moderates Join the conversation on Substack - share your perspective on this episode and

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Should the U.S. Prioritize Settling Mars? is an episode from Intelligence Squared U.S. Debates by Open to Debate.

This episode is 53:15 long.

This episode was published on Mar 26, 2026.

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