Sports is one of the greatest activities that unite nations and the entire world. As we work towards becoming a multi-planetary civilization, we will also strive to bring some of our most popular sporting activities to our new home outside of Earth. Since we are looking at colonizing the moon and Mars in the future, we should explore the possibilities of playing the game of soccer as a modern form of entertainment in the new space world. But how can we actually play soccer on the moon and Mars? Continue reading to find out.
Problems with Playing Soccer on the Moon and Mars
If humans can successfully set up a colony on the moon and Mars in the future, we can possibly bring our inventions and sporting activities including the game of Soccer to the new space world. However, there is a huge problem, which is gravity and other devastating challenges. We can comfortably say that the following challenges might affect our chances of enjoying the game of soccer outside our home planet.
1. Gravity.
Since humans evolved to become the most thriving living species on Earth, we have adapted to Earth’s gravity and other habitable conditions of our home planet. Hence, we can comfortably play soccer and other interesting sporting activities because our bodies have familiarized with Earth’s gravity and other living conditions. But these conditions are quite different on Mars.
Unlike earth with about 9.807 m/s² gravity, Mars has about 3.721 m/s² while the moon has 1.62 m/s² gravity. This implies that Mars has about 38 percent of Earth’s gravity, while the moon has about 17 percent. If we must enjoy the game of soccer in these new environments with different gravity from the earth, our soccer players must learn how to move around the pitch and develop new skills while playing on the moon and Mars.
2. Atmosphere.
Unlike Earth with protective atmospheric conditions that are protecting us from space radiations and other dangers of outer space, Mars and the moon both have tiny atmospheres which makes it difficult for any living species known to mankind to survive for long on the lunar and Martian surface without a pressurized spacesuit. Space agencies are looking to build protective domes to keep astronauts safe in their colonies in the future.
But can we play soccer inside these colonies? If space agencies want to bring the game of soccer to the moon and mars, they will surely need a wider and bigger colony to accommodate the size of a standard football pitch and to protect players from radiation while they enjoy the game.
3. Cost.
The cost of building a soccer pitch outside our home planet will surely be extremely high for any space agency that wishes to embark on the contract. Keep in mind that every material that will be used for the design will be transported from Earth. Hence, the cost of construction is something that may turn most agencies away from proceeding with the construction.
4. Other challenges.
In the early phase of handling this project, several issues will arise which may include proper training, creating a perfect playground for players, and many others. However, if we must bring this future into a reality, space agencies need to plan ahead of time to ensure that they meet every demand before finalizing on the project.
How Humans Will Play the Game of Soccer on the Moon, Mars, and Beyond in the future
Playing the game of soccer outside earth will truly come with numerous challenges and demands. However, our resilience to take one of the popular sports on earth to our new space world will surely inspire space agencies to commence with the project following these approaches.
1. Building a dome city that can accommodate a soccer pitch.
The first bold step any space agency will take in bringing the game of soccer to the moon or Mars is to build a gigantic dome city. To minimize cost, the space agency may consider constructing the dome city to accommodate living quarters and small sized soccer pitch. This soccer pitch will not necessarily meet the standard soccer pitch on Earth. However, it will be spacious enough to give players enough playing environment to enjoy the real game of soccer.
2. Providing artificial gravity.
Since the gravity on Mars and the moon is far less than the gravity on Earth, space agencies must opt for providing artificial gravity to this dome city. With the aid of artificial gravity, soccer players can play the game without experiencing any complications due to the impact of the moon and Mars’ gravity.
3. Other advanced technologies.
Before we think of playing soccer on the moon and mars, space agencies must have advanced in producing advanced technologies that will keep soccer players safe throughout the game. This implies that we are still years ahead of attempting to play soccer outside of earth.
Conclusion
If we must play soccer outside our home planet, we must first figure out how to build sustaining colonies on the moon and mars. The good news is that we are already making plans to return humans to the moon under the NASA Artemis program and possibly send humans to Mars in the future. This first step is a stepping stone towards colonizing a new space world.
Once we succeed in building colonies on Mars and the moon, we can slowly construct a soccer pitch and take the most popular game on Earth to another space world. While waiting for this future, we should focus on the present and enjoy the game of soccer on Earth. Do you think that humans will ever play the game of soccer outside our planet of birth?
