Retreat Mars

[Korpo]

Hi!

Now we all know there's lots of water on Mars. There's a thin atmospehere. Of course there's sun light and minerals.

An autonomous, indepent colony on Mars is technologically possible, it could even become the base of a longterm (pretty longterm) terraforming effort.

Completely casting aside the issues of economical value, cost and political discord on our own world, consider this:

As a retreat for mankind, or at least a chosen few, Mars should be "colonized". At least one permanent , selfsustaining colony settlement should be made, for research, etc. This settlement should be continually grown, and be given ressources (for mining etc.) to allow itself to grow. This should ensure mankind's survival in case of some apocalytic catastrophy on Earth (say dino style meteor impact).

I know you Alpha Centauri fans are "out there"! What's your opinion?

[Ecthy]

Chairman Yang will be there first.

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

What's the point?

If humanity is to have a future we need to go much further afield, so why **** around on Mars?

[Faeelin]

Depends. Who's civilization will have an insurance policy on mars?

[Az]

but bugs, we currently don't have engins to get out of the solar system at once. We'll have to planet hop for a while. plus , any outer solar system solution would be habitable for quite a while in human terms.

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

So will the one we're currently on. Planet hopping is a waste of time- it's like thinking you've got a better chance of swimming the Pacific if you enter the water running really fast.

[Ned]

Re: Retreat Mars

Originally posted by Korpo
Hi!

Now we all know there's lots of water on Mars. There's a thin atmospehere. Of course there's sun light and minerals.

An autonomous, indepent colony on Mars is technologically possible, it could even become the base of a longterm (pretty longterm) terraforming effort.

Completely casting aside the issues of economical value, cost and political discord on our own world, consider this:

As a retreat for mankind, or at least a chosen few, Mars should be "colonized". At least one permanent , selfsustaining colony settlement should be made, for research, etc. This settlement should be continually grown, and be given ressources (for mining etc.) to allow itself to grow. This should ensure mankind's survival in case of some apocalytic catastrophy on Earth (say dino style meteor impact).

I know you Alpha Centauri fans are "out there"! What's your opinion?

I think colonization could only take place if there was some economic incentive for people to go there permanently, and not just as part of government mission. The colonists would have to be given legal rights to develop mines, agriculture, water excavation. In this manner, a great deal of private financing could come into play to make colonization a reality.

However, for this to happen, there will have to be fundamental change in the Outer Space Treaty which currently forbids claims of sovereignty, which is essential to provide private grants of rights.

[Ecthy]

Mars is too small for all of us anyway. Let us just send the Americans there to pollute it, I guess the rest of us can get this one to recover

[Korpo]

On Mars we now have info, that is achievable to colonize it. We still have no knowledge about habitable, colonizable or terraformable planets in any other systems. All provable planetary bodies in other systems are Jupiter size or larger (only detectable because of the great gravitational impact they have on their stars). So we should by now stick to the possible colonization site we know and can reach. Other possible sites are on Jupiter moons or Saturn moons, but we don't have enough data about them and they are harder to reach.

[Dauphin]

Re: Retreat Mars

Originally posted by Korpo
This settlement should be continually grown, and be given ressources (for mining etc.) to allow itself to grow. This should ensure mankind's survival in case of some apocalytic catastrophy on Earth (say dino style meteor impact).

The Martian base would be far more likely be wiped out by an apocalypse than the entire population base of Earth.

[Ecthy]

SD - the first of 2 sent History Line tracks has arrived. It is... a bit odd, I don't think the guys hit every tone as supposed...

[Dauphin]

Stop threadjacking.



There are no lyrics.

[Ecthy]

lol, I'm talking about the instrumental melodies... farked up

Oh, erm... carbone dioxide in the air, yeah!

[RedFred]

I'd love to see permanent habitation of the earth's Lagrange points, the Moon and Mars. One of the issues that hasn't been addressed yet is that the earth has a huge honking magnetic field around it. It, along with our atmosphere, protects us from most cosmic radiation. What have we got to protect people who go further afield?

It may be that permanent habitation of another space station orbiting earth is a more realistic option for now.

[Korpo]

About minimizing probabilities:

Mars and Earth get destroyed: a lot more improbable.. spread your risks. If both get busted we couldn't do anything about it. At least not now. Back to the original point.