New Mars Forums

Well, I described on this forum how an artificial womb could be made. Then an organization claimed they were working on it, almost exactly as I described. But they made a few mistakes. It looked to me to be a scam. Sooner or later someone will make it happen. There are a number of people who want this. Some women don't want to carry a baby inside themselves. Armies could be grown. Prejudiced people could practice eugenics, only growing babies of the race they think is better. My primary concern is if humans become dependant on technology for something as basic as reproduction, that becomes unstable. Our race becomes dependant on that technology, and all the supply chains it requires.

Again, yes, I would like to see this technology become reality. It could help some couples who cannot have a baby any other way. But I am afraid if the human race becomes dependant on it, then what happens with the next economic downturn? Civilization has experienced many complete collapses. When the Roman Empire collapsed, Europe fell into the Dark Ages. Before that, the Bronze Age Collapse. Before that, the Akkad Empire collapsed. Just one empire, but a 300 year drought does nasty things.

Sorry if I'm being negative. An artificial womb would be a great idea.

Well, various genes are interconnected in surprising ways. Humans have a damaged gene for jaw muscles. Gorillas have large jaw muscles that attach to a fin of bone on the top of the skull, called a sagittal crest. This gives gorillas very strong bite. Chimpanzees don't have the sagittal crest, but their temporalis muscle covers most of the side of their skull. Gorilla skulls must fuse very early in baby development, which limits brain growth. Humans have smaller temporalis muscle attachment to the skull, allowing the skull of a newborn baby to be not fused. Left and right frontal bone plates (forehead), left and right parietal bone plates, occipital bone (back of skull), left and right temporal bones, all separate. Temporal bones are attached and part of cheek bones, with temporalis muscle attached to the temporal bone. But separate skull bone plates allow a human baby brain to grow, and the skull "floats" on the brain. Human baby skull fuses between 18 and 24 months after birth. This adaptation allows the brain to be larger at 24 months than at birth. Again, weak jaw muscles were required to allow this.

So I don't think change to "egg" is required for larger brain. For one, both ancient humans and neanderthals had 25% larger brain volume than today. At least at birth. Smaller brain is a symptom of domestication. Domesticated dogs have smaller brains than wolves. Appears humans have domesticated themselves. But again, 25% larger adult brain volume is possible without changing to "eggs". Evidenced by the fact humans used to have a brain that size.

John Cleese from 1987, talking about extremism. Talking about British politics, but this applies to most if not all countries today.
YouTube: John Cleese on extremism

Canada got rid of Justin Trudeau. Before he was elected Prime Minister, he promised to be "fiscally responsible". He also promised that all members of his party who were supporters of Paul Martin were welcome, and that in-fighting within the party must stop. Well... as soon as he became PM, he moved his party way too far to the left. Canada has a 3rd party that is "progressive" and left-wing; it has never been elected federally, and never will. Because it's too far to the left. But Trudeau moved his party so far to the left that he competed with the NDP for who was farther left. That's why he's gone.

Now we have Mark Carney. He promised to be fiscally responsible. The whole country expected the same fiscal responsibility as Paul Martin. The problem is the rest of his cabinet are the same people as Justin Trudeau's government. Same regime. We have yet to see if he will deliver. A number of people are already skeptical.

As for attitudes: realize most Americans are not taught anything outside the US. I lived in the US for 6 months in 1996, and 10 months in 1999/2000. I felt isolated, not knowing what's going on in the rest of the world. My co-workers were one local from the area of Richmond Virginia, one guy from Georgia, one from the mid-west. Late in the project we got another guy from New Jersey. My co-workers told me most people in Richmond area had never left the county in their entire lives; certainly not the state, and definitely not the country. Miami was different, but it's own issues. Most Americans know little of anything outside the US, but expect us all to know the US very well. This can result in the "hillbilly" thing.

As for Iran: the best result Trump can hope for, is to restore the deal that Obama had already made. Oops! Trump won't like that. So how the rest of the US government do that, while spinning it in such a way that Trump claims it's all his idea?

Your last sentence is very political. No, Trump is acting as a mafia Don. Trying to extort valuable things by being a bully. Trump is arrogant, and looks down on the rest of NATO counties as if they are all vassals of the US. We are not. NATO is an alliance of equals. There have always been certain Americans who viewed themselves as elite, and tried to control NATO. The rest of NATO treated them as an annoyance that could be managed. But NATO never was a vassal of the US. And now, Russia has decided to conquer, subjugate, and annex all of eastern Europe. To conquer, subjugate, and install puppet governments in all of central Europe. And if Russia doesn't experience significant resistance, Russia will conquer all of Europe to the Strait of Gibraltar. Defending Europe from Russia is the very purpose for the existence of NATO. That's what it was founded for. Now the war has happened, it's time to act! But Trump wants to side with Russia. That would make Trump the enemy of the entire free world. Politicians in NATO countries are trying very hard to manage that: how to get Trump to defend the free world against Russia? Remember, Russia does NOT believe in right-wing values. Russia is a dictatorship, that wants total control over the world. Russia believes in central control, total government control, and wealth siphoned to benefit the elite in Russia. An Oblast in Russia is the size of a State, has the population of a State, and is the first level of government beneath the Russian federal government; but an Oblast only has as much authority as a county. And the Russian federal government dictates to all Russian corporations. Corporations are required to subsidize the Russian federal government; not just with taxes, but with loans, and direct donations. Any Russian billionaire who doesn't obey Putin as a toady will mysteriously fall out a window. The company he ran will be given to a friend of Putin, who will funnel a lot of that companies wealth to Putin personally, as well as the Russian government.

Europe is supporting Ukraine, because they know if Ukraine falls, they're next. This is what NATO is for. Trump has been unreliable. After all that, Trump is surprised when NATO countries won't help him?

Temperature is -2°C. Yesterday was also -2°C (28.4°F). There's snow on the ground! It's May 5! I expect this first week of April. My girlfriend says mother nature is bipolar and off her meds.

tahanson43206 has asked some fundamental questions about the Large Ship. The plan is simple.

• Mars Direct science missions, with crew return

• one of the sites of a Mars Direct science mission is selected. Send Mars Direct habitats with 12 crew, build a Mars Homestead style permanent base with in-situ resources.

• That base uses in-situ resources to build habitat and life support for 100 people.

• Then SpaceX Starship shows up with 100 settlers. They build a base with in-situ resources for 1,000 people.

• The first Large Ship arrives with 1,000 settlers.

Large Ship uses aerocapture to enter orbit. Both Mars orbit and Earth orbit. I know, there are people who claim that orbital entry must must MUST be done with propulsion. Then they claim that propulsion is so expensive that we can't go to Mars. So let's give up, never leave the Earth. Those people deserve an early grave.

You asked how potted plants will deal with acceleration. The "pot" is fixed to the floor. As in welded, unmovable. A polymer sheet on top of soil can hold the soil in during manoeuvres. Potted plants are for decoration only, in the observation deck. Hydroponics does not use soil.

One consideration, why so much recycling. Obvious is to reduce mass that must be transported into space. But the greater consideration is emergency preparation. A Hohmann transfer orbit is the most fuel efficient. At least for traditional rockets with high thrust, short duration, and coast most of the way. A Hohmann transfer orbit to Mars takes about 8.5 months. An express trajectory takes 6 months, which has several advantages for a mission with humans onboard. Less food and life support supplies. Less exposure to radiation and risk of micrometeoroids. For a mission without artificial gravity, less exposure to zero-G, because zero-G has documented detrimental effects to human health. The large ship will use rotation for artificial gravity. But 6 months is also the specific trajectory for a free-return. If something goes wrong, gravity of Mars can change the trajectory for a return to Earth. For Apollo 13, the spacecraft went around the far side of the Moon, performing a U-turn to return back to Earth. For a Mars mission, it will make a sharp turn around the far side of Mars, but not a U-turn. It won't head back where it came from, instead head to where Earth will be when the spacecraft gets there. Remember Earth and Mars are both orbiting the Sun. The outbound trip will be 6 months. If everything works perfectly, the ship will remain in Mars orbit until the planets align for a return trip. Then a 6 month return back to Earth. However, in case of a free-return, the planets will not be aligned for an optimal trip. Expect free return will require 18 months from Mars back to Earth. This is after a 6 month trip from Earth, and if a free return is necessary, the ship will not stop in Mars orbit. That means total of 24 months from Earth back to Earth. The ship will only carry sufficient food to feed the passengers and crew for 6 months, with a tiny little bit left over. So how do you feed everyone during the 18 month return?

Left over food will have to be rationed. But long before arriving back at Earth, all left over supplies will be exhausted. For breakfast: cereal, eggs, bacon, milk, orange juice, and even coffee will all be gone. There will be batter and the type of waffle maker and pancake maker in the self-serve breakfast area of a hotel. This is one reason for wanting to make margarine on the ship. Will there be enough molasses and imitation maple extract to make pancake syrup to last?

The ship is designed to use solar power. Chloroplast oxygen generators use sunlight directly, reflected by a mirror through a window into the ship. The window coated in a spectrally selective coating to block UV light. Electricity by solar panels. Recycle oxygen and water without dumping anything overboard, to reduce losses to practically zero. (almost zero) Recycle oxygen, recycle water. Produce soap onboard for hand washing, showers, laundry, dishes, etc. Specifically use soap compatible with hydroponics.

Decorative plants grown in pots on the observation deck will include jumper. That is a low-growing shrub, with separate male and female plants. The female plants produce berries. Juniper berries are infused into vodka to make gin. Various other botanicals are added to gin for various different brands/flavours. Those other ingredients can also be grown in pots on the observation deck. Juniper berries can only be harvested once per year.

The observation deck can also grow a dwarf orange tree such as Calamondin orange can be grown in a large pot. The fruit is small and tart, but rich in vitamin C. This particular variety is a hybrid of mandarin and kumquat.

Peter Zeihan video. Different perspective. His focus is economics and trade. He's American, living in Colorado.

He talks about Russian oil exports, saying Ukraine attacked Russian export on the Baltic Sea and recently on the Black Sea. This may be a detail that doesn't matter, but Ukraine attacked Russian exports from the Black Sea first, and recently attacked the Baltic. And Ukraine attacked Russian oil refineries first; because they produce gasoline and diesel that fuel tanks, military trucks, and jet fuel for aircraft. And oil exports fund 70% of Russia's military. Bottom line: Russian exports will be significantly reduced permanently.

Second half of the video: US navy attacked an Iranian tanker ship off the coast of Sri Lanka. A large one, 2 million barrel capacity. 3,500km (2,200 miles) from the Persian Gulf. Basically, the United States is transitioning to a privateer navy. This is a formal break with everything that has allowed globalization to work to this point. It is now American policy, and only a question of who the Americans are going to target. He doesn't expect the Americans are going to be alone in doing this. This breaks down global agriculture, global energy, and global manufacturing. If you're dependant on any of those 3 sectors, you need to look at your parts or your inputs, and where your customers are. If they're in zones where there's a hostile navy, you need to just write that off. That includes everything in Persian Gulf, China, Black Sea, and Baltic. That is HARDLY an exhaustive list.

YouTube: Say Goodbye to the Global Order

Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed that Iran is "just weeks" from having a nuclear bomb, and has been saying this for over 33 years. He addressed Israel's Knesset in 1992 as a Member of Parliament. He said it in 1993 at the UN. He said it over and over and over. Just weeks away? For over 33 years? Have you heard the story of the boy who cried wolf?

Iran has accumulated enriched uranium. Iran had the deliberate strategy of accumulating materials, but not finishing the bomb. It would take approximately 6 months for them to finish a bomb. (not "just weeks") Iran did this in the belief that if they did not complete a bomb, then the US would not attack. But Trump attacked anyway. In the attack on February 28, the US killed the current Ayatollah's father, wife, daughter, granddaughter, and son-in-law. The Ayatollah himself was injured. Don't expect him to be amicable or submissive; he'll be angry and out for revenge. Reports state the new Ayatollah is more hard-line than his father. The US attack has just convinced him that his father's strategy didn't work, that Iran must build a nuclear bomb. Not just have materials, but actually complete the bomb.

To quote Princess Leia Organa: "The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers."

Sigh. No, Donald Trump is not leading the world to a better future. And no, the alternative is not "average". I most strenuously disagree with communism. Most government systems work best when moderated. Take the best of all systems available, integrated them into something that works. Capitalism gives individuals incentive to work. Communism does not. As one YouTube video I watched earlier today: Jamestown chose to pool everyone's efforts, everyone ate from the same table. Result was starvation. Only when incentive from one's own labour was restored did Jamestown survive.

It's not a dichotomy of communism vs Trump. Donald Trump is not the solution to anything. The Trump administration is following Nazis from the 1930s. He is undermining government systems. Congress is supposed to be supreme, not the President. Here in Canada we have a similar problem, although it hasn't gone as far. Yet. Under the Canadian Constitution, Parliament is supreme, not the Prime Minister. But each successive Prime Minister has usurped authority from Parliament. It's gotten quite bad. And there are several specific problems that have already manifested: SNC-Lavalin affair, ArriveCan app controversy, restrictions around COVID, and response to the Trucker protest.

The US has several problems. Both major parties have accepted massive donations. A study done by an ivy-league university found voters contacting their Congressman make absolutely no difference. No effect whether a bill passes into law or not. But those who donated $1 million or more Congressman's election campaign have a direct impact. The US is no longer a democracy, it a plutocracy, meaning rule by the rich. Has Donald Trump fixed that? Absolutely not! He just changed which group of billionaires are in control.

You can't be serious. Yes, Klaus Schwab is a moron. He said you will own nothing, and be happy. He wants to make everyone a slave, so the elite can get richer while average working people become literal slaves. However, Donald Trump is turning the United States into a dictatorship. No, Trump is not the solution to fight against the "Great Reset". We live in free democratic countries. Neither Klaus Schwab nor Donald Trump care about freedom of working people.