New Mars Forums

A form of governance will be unavoidable on Mars as it becomes more and more populated. There needs to be a set of laws, rights, rules and regulations  agreed on by most people etc etc

Otherwise there will be utter chaos. Companies will be unable to protect their investment without a Martian Government or backing from a Earth based nation state.   

The reality is that several nation states will have landed humans on the Moon and Mars by the end of 21st Century and they certainly aren't going there just for the sightseeing. They are going to want to appropriate a portion of the planets resources or establish trade that effectively does the same. Disputes will have to be resolved between all these powers.

A form of governing council on Mars thats democratically elected will be needed once a permanent population has settled.

It would be very suprising if one of Earth's powers didn't prop up a Martian government on the planet.

They can't appropriate the territory themselves without ripping up several treaties and coming to blows with all the other countries, but they can't stop the people of Mars making a claim of sovereignty and forming a government that happens to be pro - (insert name of powerful Earth Nation) and that would give preferential treatment to that Nation's trade and corporations, protecting its material property and IP etc etc

Its not impossible. Its just not practical or easy to do atm. Multiple stage rocket are way easier to do. Even Scaled Composites White Knight had to use a two stage process to get into a sub orbital space. 

If it were easy to do, it would have been done by now!!

Such a vehicle could be operated from the Lunar surface because of its weak gravity. Ships destined for Mars and beyond could be refueled in orbit by such a ship using LOX derived from the lunar surface.

In fact, ships could be potentially constructed from materials on the Moon.

There seems to be quite a lot of water Ice on the planet in craters, the poles, the regolith etc. I don't imagine it will be too much of problem to get water (and oxygen). Thats just heating and electrolysis, with filtering.

I'm a little more concerned at how you would produce food on this planet. Thats looks like it will be a daunting task.

The "protocols" of this private company would not likely to be legally binding, and several of the colonists might decided to break the face of whomever used punitive action upon them (like cutting power).

They could hardly act as a immigration office for Mars since they don't have a legally binding claim to the territory. Again, colonists in riots and face breaking on a large scale even if they acted like such.

Private companies ultimately rely on governments to enforce property rights. Without this, they are pretty much defenseless.

Trust me, It'll will be government(s) that do it. Governments can invest on infrastructure and research without promise of a return profit. This principle has driven the development of high technology in the US. Government spends a ridiculous amount of money, privatizes anything profitable or useful later on. NASA and Military have been used as a type of corporate welfare system traditionally.

Corporations and private companies depend on governments to enforce property rights, provide policing and military. Governments can build efficient and harmonious infrastructure that ensures the profitability of private industry and minimizes investment costs and risk.

Maybe some privates and rich kids will do their little part, but they won't take on the role of government however.

At some point, a colonized Mars is going to need a from of governance. I only hope that it takes on a more democratic form than any of the excuses of ones we have on Earth.

Its incredibley arrogant to assume they would.

Humans are pretty intelligent species, but for the most part of our existence on the planet, we hadn't relied  discovered radio-waves, never mind using them for communication. Technology is not a linear path. Societies which have discovered and lost different technologies have come and gone. Concrete wasn't to be re-discovered until centuries after Romans first used it. The Egyptians maintained an advanced society that built monumental architecture without having discovered Iron/Steel etc etc

Who is to say an "industrial revolution" will even happen on another planet.

the benefit of leds will be limitless

All electronics lights could be produced from such a factory. They are way more energy efficient, last much longer, less prone to failure
and are made of widely abundant materials on Mars

you need a very long lever

I've got a better idea. Give NASA the money, and let them do there job right. It will take some time, but it will happen.

Vapourise in YOUR Face!!!

To cool Venus, a thin sun shield could be constructed out of a lattice of welded steel plates derived from an Iron rich Asteroid(s) and place in some stable orbit or another, probably further away from the planet. Preference will be for a modular and simple design, requiring very little imports from Earth after other than construction machinery.

The abundant solar power near Venus could power the machinery. If not that, perhaps a fusion reactor would work better.

To spin the planet faster, you need a really long lever

Its more amazing how such small mind sets arise from economic and social class. I guess, in my experience its almost predictable who's saying something from what is being said.

There heavy, but so is a nuclear reactor. Power storage is nothing that hasn't been done before...