The vapour saturated air hung over the entire scene. I could feel my hair perform a slow dance as it morphed into a new shape. Nature is filled with magic. The mastermind behind this particular trick was named humidity. As the air clawed at my tired body, my olfactory apparatus rose from its dormancy. What exactly the odors professed I couldn’t tell. But indeed it was an alchemy I’d never experienced.

As the sun sprayed the scene from its cosmic origins, I slowly pushed forward. Bordered by a throng of humanity everywhere I cast my gaze, my body brushed others navigating their own personal journeys through this human jungle. And as I felt my own personal body barometer rise to mild panic, respite arrived. And not a moment too soon. A car door was opened and I hastily thrust myself through the opening. A rush of cool air-conditioned air greeted my waiting skin.

My physiology celebrated. As I settled into this luxurious controlled environment, I observed the seemingly alien world I had just escaped. People carried on about their business in a life very different from my own. We had reached the end of our journey. The door opened and I was whisked away into the posh confines of the restaurant India Jones in the Trident Hotel in Mumbai, India. A sublime teppanyaki meal followed. Cognitive scientist and researcher Elizabeth Bonawitz states, curiosity is innate in all humans. And it is indeed with extreme curiosity I experienced India for the first time.

What I discovered was astonishing. It is a country that marches to the beat of its own boldly struck drum. There is no place for the weak in India. In a place with 1.42 billion people, that may seem obvious. For me, it’s the most crowded and let’s call it “untidy” place I’ve ever been to and yet the most vibrant. And as I patrolled my way through its teeming streets, this remarkable place attacked all of my senses.

If one possesses an adventurous spirit and an open mind, this is a place you will love. India is the second most populous place on this planet. Earth’s current residents number 7.98 billion people and that number is expected to grow to 9.5 billion by 2050. How many people can earth and its resources sustain? And what happens when we exceed this number? Earth has always possessed those individuals who not only cast their gaze far beyond others, but also bear fearless psyches to reach for those mammoth goals. I don’t think Elon Musk needs any introduction. Addressing earth’s finite capacity to support our burgeoning population and its colossal demands, he has made it his goal to colonise Mars. The SpaceX founder says the fate of humanity is at stake.

Following, he has stated it is his goal using SpaceX and its rockets to transport one million people to Mars by 2050. This number he claims is a necessary requirement for sustaining a colony on Mars. Most experts would agree at this stage that that goal is likely not achievable.

That number carries less importance than the fact that we move forward in this endeavour, with Musk and others leading the way. Throughout human history, Mars has always held a certain allure. I’m not really sure why this particular planet amongst all others captured our attention. A quick glance back into my own Looney Tune cartoon childhood would reveal green Martians with their ray guns ready to vaporise us. And indeed even today why colonise the Red Planet, as Mars is known, rather than our own moon? The answer is simple and rather emphatic. As we survey our solar system horizon, Mars is the only planet that possesses all the raw materials required to not only support life, but an extension of our own civilisation. Carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen and oxygen are available in requisite quantities in biologically accessible forms. In contrast, the moon though having abundant oxygen, possess it in molecules that require high energy processes to extract it. Current thinking suggests that if all the ice and permafrost on Mars were melted, the planet would be covered by an ocean over a 100 metres deep.

The moon on the other hand is so dry that colonists would need all their might to try and squeeze water out of the space rocks. If you’re keeping the score, it’s Mars up 2-nil. The Moon is deficient in about half of the elements of interest to industrial society. Elements such as copper, sulfur and phosphorous. Mars has every required element in abundance. Not only in abundance, but due to hydrologic and volcanic processes, these elements exist in a high grade mineral ore.

The moon with no real history of water or volcanic action and hence no mineral ores, is composed of essentially trash rock. The riot is definitely on. Further assessment would reveal even more advantages for Mars. Musk, an interesting and intelligent man, has chosen the right planet for humankind’s cosmic extension. Whether he succeeds or not, only time will tell.

And pray tell which one of us possesses the brave heart required to make the planetary journey? Musk himself admits that life on Mars would be difficult initially and may not offer the possibility of a return to earth. As a new Martian resident sweeps the sand off of his front porch on Terra Sirenum, I’ll be braaing a medium rare Wagyu steak in Gaborone while I gaze into the night sky. And as the mineral and water deficient moon captures my attention, one thing is certain, its beauty is undeniable and that’s good enough for me.