Science-fiction et futurologie de la colonisation martienne

• Main Author: Arnaud Saint-Martin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Les Éditions de la Maison des Sciences de l’Homme 2019-12-01
• Series: Socio
• Subjects: Mars; space colonization; space community; science fiction; futurology; science
• Online Access: http://journals.openedition.org/socio/7681

The “colonization” of the planet Mars is a theme that haunts those who are passionate about space. It finds its relevance in science fiction and futurology narratives, which function as signs of reference and appartenance within the space community. This article explores how and why these narratives are mobilised, as well as the imaginations and conceptions of the sciences and technologies they help to communicate. In addition to this analysis based on a corpus of writings, we will illustrate this cultivation of the idea of the colonization of Mars using the history of the Mars Society as a starting point. The collective belief in the relocation of the human life on Mars is reinforced among “enthusiasts” by the fact that it is constantly being deceived by the delays in the launching of the missions that are supposed to accomplish this project.