COWBOYS ON MARS? In my TechCentralStation column, I discuss the merits of a “Wild West” approach to space settlement.

One advantage: It’s cheaper! The other is that it might work.

Some people have questioned my lukewarm enthusiasm for a massive Battlestar Galactica-style Mars mission. I love space, and I’m deeply committed to seeing humanity move off Earth on a long-term basis. As I’ve written before, I agree with Stephen Hawking that humanity probably won’t survive the next thousand years if we don’t do that. But I’m pretty sure that massive government programs aren’t the way to do it.