Life On Mars?

[jazzy_dave]

As awesome as life on Mars could be I believe mostly self sustainable space stations would be a far more useful. These space stations could do research or even be massive production plants probably for various types of energy. Mars trips are cool for smaller space shuttles but the cost seems far too great to really colonize the planet effectively. What do you think of the idea of colonizing Mars?

Just one major problem with Mars , apart from others, is that it doesn't have enough nitrogen. Colonists there would develop severe protein deficiency and die. Titan may be a safer bet, except for it being even further away. Discuss.

Comments

[kabuldur.livejournal.com]

I think it's a stupid idea. Mars is a really hostile environment. I don't think we should spend the awful lot of money it would take on this project. I would rather work on not destroying Mother Earth and helping starving people. I have read a book on terraforming on Mars, so I'm not entirely ignorant about this idea. As for those people who want to go to Mars or anywhere else in space with no prospect of coming back, they have got rocks in their heads? What is subsequent shuttles don't arrive with food and other necessities? I'm sure people dying out there of starvation and other necessities would regret it once going through the experience. Sacrificing their lives for this? Are they suicidal or something? Mars is a smaller planet that our's, so has less gravity. We NEED that gravity or we would become elongated and probably have bone density and joint problems etc and would end up looking just like those stereotypical alien figures we are so familiar with. Also, Mars is a LOT hotter than Earth! We are MADE for being on Earth, not anywhere else. We need that resonant frequency. All, or nearly all, of astronauts actually suffered space sickness. A lot didn't say at the time due to pride etc but many have admitted to it after retiring. I'm against it. Stupid idea!

[cairistiona7.livejournal.com]

Whether or not actually colonizing Mars works out to be a feasible idea (I'm guessing it won't be; too harsh an environment, but science fiction has a pesky way of becoming science fact, so who knows what sort of developments will occur in creating artificial habitats), space exploration must continue for the survival of our species, because no matter how careful we are with our own planet, the elephant in the room is the simple matter of the sun having a limited lifespan. Right now that lifespan feels infinite, but it's not. It has roughly 5 billion years before it becomes a red giant, but it will fail to sustain life for humans in roughly 1 billion years. Nothing about space, nor the Earth's place in it, is a fixed variable. Orbits shift, suns die, asteroids hit, volcanoes erupt and create ice ages... all of which are completely natural occurrences that happen regardless of how careful we (finally? hopefully??) become as stewards of our planet or our species.

Mankind, like any other species, has the will to live and endure and has the unique potential to look into the future and create livable environments (as opposed to even the higher primates or intelligent mammals like elephants or dolphins, all of which are unable to perform those higher cognitive tasks). Finding a way off this planet and to another is vital (perhaps even to the survival of some of Earth's other species--imagine if you will a sort of space ark. Flight of fancy for now and loads of reasons why it might to be wise to fiddle with other planets' ecosystems by introducing new species, but since we're speculating anyway, why not). Mars is the logical next step for now; Titan after that (or before if scientists can find faster ways to travel). If we're ever to reach any near Earth planets that *are* hospitable to humans (and there's surely some out there), we have to figure out how to make waystations within our own solar system. (And a side benefit of figuring out how to live on Mars in artificial habitats might be that we'll figure out a way to live on Earth even if the sun doesn't get big enough to actually consume the planet like it probably will Mercury and Venus.)

But even before manned flights to Mars or Titan occur, one of the more crucial next steps is figuring out effective radiation shielding for space vehicles. The ISS is protected from solar and cosmic radiation by the earth's magnetosphere. A ship to Mars would need its own shielding. Colonization is step #4000312... we're perhaps on step #152.

(sorry for the long comment; this is a passion of mine!)

[thewayne.livejournal.com]

I read an interesting thing a few days ago that proposed instead of trying to colonize Mars, to build a space station on one of its moons. The concept is to cut the lag time for directing robotic probes on Mars from hours to 40 seconds. I think that's an excellent idea.

We may have the ability to build a habitat on Mars, but I think the supply chain would be awfully thin and one disruption in that chain could potentially doom it. And with politicians being as penurious as they are, we're less likely to build-in the multiple redundancies that something like that would require.

We definitely need to explore space more. Why political conservatives can't see the return on investment on the money put in to the space program I do not know, I'm guessing it's because it's not owned by a friend of theirs. I personally think we as a whole have matured enough to survive as a race in space, we're too focused on "I've got mine, screw you!" right now.

[davesmusictank.livejournal.com]

No don't apologize, it was fascinating to read.

[thespian15.livejournal.com]

It's a cool concept, but I wish we would try taking care of the planet we have first. :(
Hugs, Jon

[davesmusictank.livejournal.com]

Agreed.

[alynwa.livejournal.com]

That's funny!

[mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com]

When I was a child, America was focused on space exploration ... man walking on the moon ... trying to accomplish great things .... Now, with the dumbing down of America, especially by Republican politicians, achievement and discovery are goals that are dimming.

I like the idea of finding ways to live on Mars, but doubt we're intellectually curious enough to do so. Your idea of self sustainable space stations is a good one. Have you seen the movie Wall-E? It's a sad commentary on all of this ...

[davesmusictank.livejournal.com]

Yes i have seen Wall E amny times. Love that film and so true in a sense.

[evilzerg-r.livejournal.com]

It's nice idea. This is a big question does it possible to make any working concept from this idea nowadays? People from rich countries who could start such project value their lives and afraid to die much more than it was in the Age of Discovery.

[davesmusictank.livejournal.com]

We do seem to have lost that idea for adventure knowing it will be risky and we may never return. When we realize that we have fucked up this planet then we will as a species need to consider such things as moving out into space. It won't happen in my lifetime of course.

[evilzerg-r.livejournal.com]

People still like adventure but that kind they see in reality show Survivor or such sort of TV programs, where a hero is kinda fighting with nature but an ambulance helicopter is somewhere behind the hill.

[immemor.livejournal.com]

I know there is a big issue with the lack of nitrogen in Martian soil. But asteroids have similar nitrogen levels to earth's atmosphere. Couldn't we possibly import nitrogen from these sources?

The funny thing about Mars and human space travel is that it's going to take so much longer in reality than our imaginations are willing to admit. If we have 10 people living on Mars 100 years from now, I'd be impressed.

Space stations would be expensive and they'd require maintenance. You need a great deal of resources to make just one. I don't think we have the political will or the investment interest. The cost of living on a plant is the cost of getting there and the cost of importing necessities that can't be produced there.

[jwg.livejournal.com]

Think of the opportunities for Mystery Shopping on Mars.

[meowmensteen]

Despite all of our issues here, I still think it's better on Earth. Really though if someone wants to go over there and give it a try, why not? Just not me. I'll go when there's a fancy beach side resort for maybe two weeks.

[myspin.livejournal.com]

I love the idea of learning more about Mars "hands on" but, pragmatically, we have so many *simple* issues to resolve on Earth, first. Our resources are limited and we're not managing them well, to boot. :-/

[wantedonvoyage.livejournal.com]

We'll just muck it up like we do everything else.

[a-phoenixdragon.livejournal.com]

Ohhhh, this is interesting. I have heard good things about Titan, but yeah, too far away right now.

*HUGS*