Retreat Mars

[Ecthy]

Human behaviour is economic behaviour. The particulars may vary, but competition for limited resources remains a constant. Need as well as greed will follow us to the stars, and ... still await those to recognise this deep ... of our common ...

(the first ... I just don't remember, the 2nd and third ... I never understood)

[Ethelred]

Originally posted by Ned
OK, So even if we mastered the technologies, how long would it take? Hours, decades, centuries, millenian, or eras?

Millenia. At least thats what is usually said when someone is trying to be realistic. I don't see that as realistic myself. I don't see humans making plans on things that will take that long.

Its why I think domes and underground living will be the way any colonization of Mars will go, at least for a long time.

[Ned]

Red Fred, Obviously on Mars missions we are not going to encase the spaceship in lead. This implies that are deep space manned missions are going to have to have some form of magnetic field shielding. Very interesting.

Obviously the same sort of field generator will have to be provided on Mar's surface. However I would expect that the field would not be geographically extensive. This makes the whole concept of Martian terror for forming wildly speculative at best -- assuming, that is, that there is no way of restarting Martian magnetic field.

[Ned]

Ethelred, I agree. It will be some time in the future for mankind to adopt and pursue a single venture that took millenia to complete. This why, for example, I do not believe star travel is likely until enough political stability is achieved so that those who launch a star mission can be assured that they or their institutions will receive the benefit of the mission in one form or another.