New Mars Forums

Um, I suppose it depends on how friendly we are to each other...lol..

Another thought...if there really are other sentinent beings out there, which presumably would be far more advanced than us (since our recorded history only goes back about 10,000 years...a mere blink of an eye in the grander scheme of things)...might they see us as we might see lessor life forms on this planet?  They may very well see us as such an infancile species that we're not even worth their time until we reach a certain benchmark, such as FTL travel or whatever.  Does that mean we're still "alone" until we get our act together and join the Club so to speak?  (Assuming they have a hands-off policy similar to the Prime Directive...lol..)

While I agree with you about the practicality of terraforming worlds other than Mars, I have serious doubts about humans being able to live in a vacuum in a hundred years.  Even if nanotech really did make such a thing possible, who would want to alter their bodies to such an extreme degree to actually reside in a vacuum?   :hm:   

To be sure, (imho) humans will be able to experience nearly evironment imaginable through the wonders of immersive VR (which, given enough development time will seem indistinguisable from experiencing the "real thing" a la "Total Recall"), leaving the outer planets and most other places in the Solar System to the realm of a vast army of semi-autonomous robots serving as remote extensions of humans living in more hospitable climes.  To me, that would be the easiest and most economical way to do things...lol.

If there ever is to be large numbers of people living in places other than Earth, Moon or Mars, I think it will be in O'Neill colonies or hollowed-out asteroids and the like. 

B

I think it would be scarier if we're the only ones...even scarier if life in general isn't found outside the Solar System. 

But that's not to say that the prospect of beings far advanced than us humans, who may be circulating in our midst at this very moment in some yet-to-be-discovered dimension or whatever isn't pretty danged scary in of itself...   

B

Yes, I do believe curiosity is integral to science...I think this is why people become scientists in the first place.

As for attempting to draw the line between skepticism and open-mindedness...that's a tough one, to be sure.  But when it comes to applying the scientific method, I think you generally have to approach things from a "skeptical" point of view, otherwise you won't have good science based on real, tangible results.  The discussion of philosphy, religion, and the possiblity of intelligent extra-terrestrial life is all well and good...it certainly gives a lot of things for people to talk about, but if you're looking at this from the viewpoint of pure science, that's where the problems come in, as how can you measure (and analyze) what can't be measured in the first place?  That's why scientists tend to proceed with extreme caution whenever possible...which may be boring to the rest of us...but this is how you get good science that can be depended upon by others following in their footsteps. 

That's what I meant by "putting away the imagination hat" in the other thread...lol...imagination certainly does have an important role in the overall scheme of things, but I'm sure the good folks at JPL and elsewhere make a concious effort not to let their personal passions and feelings get in the way of what they're actually studying...in other words, human emotions don't make for good science...lol. 

B

Edit:  As usually the case with most English words, "curiosity" can mean a "desire to know", but it can also mean having interest in others' concerns (nosiness) and interest leading to inquiry in an intellectual sense (which I consider "scientific" curiosity.)

I voted for number 5...if it's even remotely feasible, I'd love to see the settlement/colonization of planets as well as O'Neill colonies.  I think if settlements on planets and moons become possible, self-contained space habitats probably won't be too far behind, and this might be a very good way to get people to other planetary systems in "style"...lol.

As for how I see Mars, I see it as the logical "first step" into space, as it's the most Earth-like of all the planets and moons of the Solar System, not to mention its relative proximity to Earth.  But once we get Mars down pat, there's no need to stop there, or anywhere else for that matter...

B

In keeping with Bill's original question, IF it was found that humans could not reproduce off-Earth, I would still support humans in space, although this factor certainly put a damper on things, as we'd have to give up the idea of permanent settlements on the Moon or Mars, etc. (At least until we're capable of building one-gee O'Neill colonies, anyway.)  However, we would still be able to accomplish a great deal in space even without self-sustaining settlements...much like we do in Antarctica today.

This is how I believe humans-in-space will work out for the foreseeable future anyhow, as the benefits of sending people out to the planets and bringing them back on rotation would far outweigh the risks of keeping people alive and healthy (not to mention having and raising children) off-Earth for a lifetime.  I don't see we couldn't develop speedy rockets capable of ferrying people around the Solar System in reasonable time frames, like weeks instead of months.  Until we get a firm grasp of what it would take to live on another world on a permanent basis, people are going to stick with the "Antarctic" model...have people in space for scientific and exploratory purposes, but bringing them back to Earth after a set period of time. 

So, in the case of my lifetime at least, the idea of people being able to reproduce in space is a moot point anyhow, as we have such a long ways to go just to get people to Mars in the first place  ???   I'll be thrilled just to see someone actually go to Mars and come back to tell us about it...lol.

B

Huh?  I find that rather difficult to believe...there may be a *few* folks out there that think the Apollo missions were a giant hoax, but I honestly do not think this number comes anywhere close to being a majority.

But yeah, I tend to agree that it won't be NASA that will be settling space...as that's not their job.  But it's going be a very long time yet before private interests will have the means to actually develop the technology and infrastructure to actually settle on a whole new world.

B

Cool!  Unfortunately, it's been too cloudy here for me to have a shot at seeing Mercury...not to mention attempting to view Venus in the daylight, which is something I've wanted to do for a while. 

Were you able to see Mercury with the naked eye, or did you have to use the scope to find it in the evening sky?  They say that this is the last time that 5 planets are supposed to be visible to the naked eye until the year 2036...damn those clouds!...

B

So that's why the college kids don't bother coming all the way south to Ft. Lauderdale anymore for their annual spring bacchanal...lol...they'd hate to miss out on those precious extra hours of drinking time.... :laugh:

No biggie, though...that's how us "natives" like it...hehe...

B

That's pretty darned cool...I'll have to try and catch a look at Mercury in the next couple of evenings...

Also, that article you linked to mentioned that you can see Venus in the daytime...I didn't know that was possible.  Will have to try doing that this week as well... 

B

Let's hope we don't bring any of those things to Mars...no bugs allowed...!  hehe.

Sorry to hear about your morning, though...let's hope the rest of your day will be a 100% turnaround from this morning....

B

I think the high-gee ride up would be the funest, followed by free fall.  Yeah, coming back in is the scariest part, especially since you're out of communication range, etc.

But sign me up anytime...I'd do it in a heartbeat 

B