Government on Mars with Dr. Kelly Weinersmith

This November — the month of elections here in the USA — we’re taking the spirit of civic engagement off-world.

In this Everyday Mars special, Joe talks with Kelly Weinersmith, an author, researcher, and one of the sharpest, funniest minds thinking about the future of space settlement. Kelly and her husband Zach wrote A City on Mars, a book that takes a wildly entertaining, deeply researched look at the realities of living off-planet. It covers everything from lunar land claims to cosmic law enforcement to the political structures that might keep a Mars colony from descending into either chaos or paperwork.

And yes — there is an entire section on governing on Mars.

Together, Joe and Kelly dig into the government models that might emerge on the Red Planet, which ones would fall apart instantly, what history already warns us about, and why the earliest decisions could shape Martian society for generations. It’s thoughtful, funny, and surprisingly grounding — the kind of episode that reminds you that space is not just about rockets, but about people.

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