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bymi( 197448 ) writes:
Before a human walks on Mars, there ought to be some humans born in Antarctica [wikipedia.org] — an environment much more welcoming to our species than the red planet.
Yeah, it is only a continent, not a planet, but it is so much easier to get to and live on, that there really is no excuse to go to Mars, until Antarctica (as well as Siberia, Australian Outback, Sahara and other deserts, American Midwest, Canadian woods) are settled to a population density exceeding 1 finger per square mile.
Mars is fascinating, but a
bylaie_techie ( 883464 ) writes:
Before a human walks on Mars, there ought to be some humans born in Antarctica [wikipedia.org] — an environment much more welcoming to our species than the red planet.
Yeah, it is only a continent, not a planet, but it is so much easier to get to and live on, that there really is no excuse to go to Mars, until Antarctica (as well as Siberia, Australian Outback, Sahara and other deserts, American Midwest, Canadian woods) are settled to a population density exceeding 1 finger per square mile.
Mars is fascinating, but any attempts to spend tax-dollars on going there under the pretext of "humanity running out of room" must be rejected as mere pretence.
The pretense is that a single Extinction Level Event could wipe out our species. In order for our species to survive, we need to colonize off planet.
byquenda ( 644621 ) writes:
The pretense is that a single Extinction Level Event could wipe out our species. In order for our species to survive, we need to colonize off planet.
If, like most educated people, you subscribe to the Many Worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, that's not really a problem.
And if not, colonising the bottom of the ocean, or 10km underground is infinitely more plausible than Mars. Anything bad enough to utterly destroy the Earths crust will probably take Mars with it too.
Philosophically, the extinction of the human race doesn't matter so much as the extinction of elephants, as nobody will be left to care. Tree in a forest and all that.
BTW, the question is not about colonisation. The reason feet will land is national prestige. The US went to the moon because Russia beat them into orbit.
I'm guessing India will be first on Mars to show the world they are as good as the Chinese. US and Russia have not so much to prove, and no money to spare.
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bylaie_techie ( 883464 ) writes:
Anything bad enough to utterly destroy the Earths crust will probably take Mars with it too.
To don't have to destroy the planet itself in order to kill (almost) all life on it. I always thought it preposterous when people would say that the US had enough nukes to blow up the world 7 times; what they really meant was we had enough nukes to effect the entire surface of the earth seven times.
byquenda ( 644621 ) writes:
what they really meant was we had enough nukes to effect the entire surface of the earth seven times.
By creating forest fires? With 30,000 warheads peak, and a 6km destruction radius, you are talking on the order of 2 million sq.km.
Thats a lot, but a tiny fraction of the earth. And the "nuclear winter" fear now appears to have been greatly exaggerated. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
Anyway, the point is that its more sensible to shelter under the ocean, or deep underground than fantasise about a self-sustaining mars colony.
Remember the Fermi Paradox. When the alien machines who picked up our transmissi
byquenda ( 644621 ) writes:
I think we need joke/sarcasm/tongue-in-cheek tags for the humour-impaired ACs.
But the MWI has actually become increasingly popular. Copenhagen still more so, but physicists are a conservative bunch.
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