Most people cannot imagine what it would be like to live in a space colony. In the late ’90s, I remarked to many people that some day we would have few bookstores because books would be electronic. In every single case, the response was, “No, people will not want to read books on their computer”.

And here we are today. Not only did I read Shannon’s article on my computer, but last night I read a novel using the Kindle app on my cellphone — a computer.

Most people cannot imagine things that they have not experienced. So in “talking about it now” — about children in space colonies, we are asking people to do what they simply cannot do: imagine it properly.

One thing is certain: it will not be like we think: it will be different. One way it will be different is that we will have superior biological technology, which might enable us to deal with the physical challenges.

A space colony is also very different from what the boy David Vetter experienced. For one thing, Vetter was alone in his plight: no one else could enter his bubble. In contrast, a Mars colony will be more like an Antarctic colony: there will be lots of people around, sharing the space. It might even be exciting — being all together, exploring a new world and expanding human presence. Perhaps someday even transforming the world, if that is possible.

When we consider space colonies, let’s not just think about the worst outcomes: let’s think about all the possible outcomes, and let’s also try to imagine how things might be different from today, and what humans are capable of achieving.

As my mother used to say, when one person looks out the window one sees the mud, and when another looks out, they see the stars.