Buzz Aldrin wants a Mars colony

[Docfeelgood]

If humanity is going to be more than just planetary pond scum, it needs to start moving in the direction of creating a stellar economy. The sheer numbers of production in energy and mass of goods that such an economy produces easily dwarfs anything humanity has ever done. To put it in perspective... compared to that sort of society, we are an ice age fishing village. Establishing a colony on Mars is a step along the way. But I'm not sure if it is necessarily productive expenditure of resources for us in the relative short term. Terraforming Mars should perhaps be a goal. Such a thing would be a demonstration of our technological development. 20,000 years ago, it would be unimaginable for a human society to move into and settle a particular geographic region and build modern infrastructure with the relative speed current technology allows. We can build super-highways that criss-cross a continent. That future society? They can build transportation infrastructure that spans the solar system.

Personally, I doubt humanity will become that civilization. We are big on imagination... but the political will to invest in such advancement just doesn't exist. The best we have is rich guys shooting themselves into orbit. That's a far cry from an organized society spending serious time, effort, and resources in becoming a space-faring society. We're moving at a snail's pace. IMO, our civilization isn't particularly sustainable. I think a contraction and decline of sorts awaits us.

[Docfeelgood]

In order to colonize the moon or mars there has to be a need. New markets or new resources.

[Guynemer]

That's why we trade them a giant diamond.

We better get some buggalo in return.

[Pax]

http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2013/0509/78-000-to-live-on-Mars-Have-you-signed-up

[DanS]

Buzz Aldrin is wicked smart. His Aldrin cylcers (between Earth and Mars) are very interesting.

I don't know if I would be a colonist. The weather sometimes sucks here, but it's much nicer than on Mars.

[Alexander's Horse]

hi Dan

Has Buzz been sniffing the space food again?

Oh wow - born the sam year as my Mum Maybe he wants moonwalk with a zimmer frame?

[Colonâ„¢]

Buzz Aldrin is wicked smart. His Aldrin cylcers (between Earth and Mars) are very interesting.

I don't know if I would be a colonist. The weather sometimes sucks here, but it's much nicer than on Mars.

Hey!

Buzz may be smart - probably even a little smarter than me - but I think he's falling for the Star Trek myth in which humans pointlessly man starships and the like. There could/will be a real value in all kinds of operations in space and on other planets, but I doubt they will require a lot of involvement of humans "on the ground". Robots don't require oxygen or water and aren't very picky about the weather.

And if we'd come across another planet with earth-like conditions, where people can walk around with merely a leaf to cover their genitalia, where air isn't man-made, and we'd be able to get there in a reasonable time, a staging post with people on Mars isn't going to make the difference.

[Elok]

I think the main problem with robots is that, with the distances involved, control is quite awkward. It takes a couple of minutes to get a message to a Mars rover today, for example. If you got reasonably smart robots well-established they could run themselves, but I imagine getting to that point would be a monumental PITA. Imagine setting up a mine with a gang of autistic laborers who get their instructions via fax. Any kind of breakdown in equipment would be a huge hassle to fix from millions of miles away, and the more complex the operation the more opportunities there'd be for the system to break down.

Still don't see why we'd want to roam around space in the first place, with robots or people.

[molly bloom]

Why?

He's a huge fan of guitar music.



I want some Lindt chocolate with seasalt. I know which is going to happen first....

[Colonâ„¢]

I think the main problem with robots is that, with the distances involved, control is quite awkward. It takes a couple of minutes to get a message to a Mars rover today, for example. If you got reasonably smart robots well-established they could run themselves, but I imagine getting to that point would be a monumental PITA. Imagine setting up a mine with a gang of autistic laborers who get their instructions via fax. Any kind of breakdown in equipment would be a huge hassle to fix from millions of miles away, and the more complex the operation the more opportunities there'd be for the system to break down.

Still don't see why we'd want to roam around space in the first place, with robots or people.

I don't think the ability for robots to repair themselves in such circumstances is all that unlikely. At its most basic such a repair would consist of identifying the faulty part and replacing it. There's already technology in robots that can self-heal, can still function despite damage and are adaptive, and we are talking about a scenario well into the future where mining in space or other planets could be economical. Perhaps a few technicians on the ground, but Jamestown on Mars? Nah.

[DanS]

Hey horse. Hey Colon™. How's everything?

I like Buzz because he was one of the few real scientists in the Apollo program. He comes at things from a different angle and is willing to entertain new ideas. Most of the other Apollo astronauts have fossilized, I'm afraid. They've had nothing useful to do since they stopped flying Saturn Vs.

Buzz is like all of the other true believers -- the smart, capable, energetic folks. It has always been Mars or bust for these guys. For sure, it started earlier than von Braun. Tsiolkovsky and Goddard were big on Mars. I think it has something to do with how small the planet is to the naked eye.

I don't know if living on Mars would be any fun after the first year or two, but it would be great to visit for a while. True, the trip and visit has some strange requirements.

The exploratory superlative is exciting for me. If those that are trying for it nowadays can work on costs of getting there to something not really sacrificial, I'm all for it. The results could surprise us.

[Alexander's Horse]

Buzz is still cool at 83, as opposed to my Mum, who just forgets everything these days and rings ten times to ask the same question

[Dinner]

So we can create the Total Recall world down to the last detail.

[DanS]

Especially the three-boobed mutant.

[Japher]

Buzz is awesome, that's why.