New Mars Forums

Holy Crap!

M. A(ntartic). R. S.? We should definitely try to get our fingers into this. Maybe it could be a test-venue for new techniques of construction/habitation suitable for Mars.

#5

I seriously doubt intelligent life originating from Earth, specifically us, will ever end. I am just saying that in 100,00 years it will barely resemble us. It's too bad we couldn't split up those option. Let's take laser-eye surgery, hearing aids and even cosmetic surgery. That is just what we are clumsily doing now. In at most a 100 years gene therapy will be prevalent everywhere. In a bit more it might even be MANDATORY to have your children's genes altered at birth so they can catch up with everyone else/not develop an expensive terminal disease. I mean it is IRRESPONSIBLE once we have significant genetic knowledge to have children that will definitively develop Hungtington's disease or progeria or Alzheimer's. Once those diseases are eliminated (in only a thousand years at ABSOLUTE MOST) where can we go from there? I could see significant genetic redesigning. And if we go on to other planets, who says that our colonists won't be genetically developed to survive or adapt to the planet?

It makes me excited.

So the human species will definitely not exist as it does today in 100,000 years.

Well he's right. The more locales humanity has the more likely we are to survive any major disaster/conflict.

The thing that people seem to miss out on is that colonization will make the solar system a whole helluva lot more INTERESTING. All the openings of culture and such that will occur because of us spread like primodial goo from planet to planet. Of course there is no clear return on this in sheer $$$. Too bad.

We better get to Mars quickly before these foolish notions of grandeur get out of control.

Oh my, if congress read this.

"untested systems"...how about:

It seems that there needs to be a lot of infrastructure in the way of food neccesary to even allow humans to inhabit Mars comfortably. What about sending in advance all the pieces to start a decent farm. Starting with simpler plants, and then working out the bugs and moving on to more complex plants as the technique becomes more refined. (seeds for the difficult to manage plants can be stored in some way until neccesary) This could be an ongoing base on Mars to test the feasibility of different technologies with NO RISK TO HUMANS, while benifiting the potential for human exploration significantly.

Of course it could be run by robots, and would generate more press than the even the current ones which, let's be honest here, take pictures of rocks.

After at least a decade of the project (and possibly more landing and rendezvous on the surface) then it is possible that there will be a sufficiently large and varied infrastructure to support and satisfy the "picky human pallete".

The beauty of this is that it could start at the level of simplicity and scale of the current Mars Rovers - possibly only 4-10 m^2 at the start. And since nothing is consuming the food, all dead matter will be directly re-composted and put back in.

VISUAL: In the foreground, a 15 cm tall vividly green pea plant stands in a small plastic bubble, in stark contrast to the arid red landscape that surrounds it.

Until we get a potato famine

We need peanuts plants too, because I personally like them and they are high in protein. Speaking of high in protein, what about eating the worms after they die - I hear they are high in protein

So basically what you are proposing is say, Mars Direct, with wheels and a strong rover that can pull it? I like it in principle.

One problem I see is that the Hab may require a lot of beefing up, with shocks and sheer structure, particularily if the terrain is rocky.

Otherwise, why don't we just land a HUGE rover that also happens to be a hab instead of a rover/hab combo? More simplicity, oui? Unless you want to have autonomy for exploration while people stay in the Hab. Well now I am just thinking out loud.

So, major obstacle: weight