What If???

[birdguy 3,943]

7 hours ago, dmwalker said:

I don't think terraforming Mars is going to happen because there isn't nearly enough nitrogen to create a suitable atmosphere.

The way it was explained in the History Channel was way above my head.  But they did say terraforming Mars,

Noel

[Fielder 3,663]

Teraform Mars all you want. The gravity would kill everyone there, not to mention the atmosphere. There are a zillion parameters that it takes to support life as we know it. Life on Earth is the miracle of a zillion parameters being just right.

All the GDP of every nation for the next century is not enough to change the planet Mars into life friendly. Except in tiny pods where you are modifying gravity constantly etc.  It's been my experience that believers in colonizing nearby planets will believe in just about anything, providing they first want to so believe. 

Perhaps Isabella had little idea what Columbus might find. Well he found two sparsely populated life friendly continents. There's nothing wrong with venturing out and looking around. But please find a life friendly planet before you take my money in order to proceed with colonization schemes. 

[martin-w 3,235]

14 hours ago, birdguy said:

It would certainly matter to those living now and in the generations to come.  Those of us going to sleep in our comfortable beds tonight with full bellies might be concerned about an asteroid decades or even centuries or millennia from now.  But those who will be out in the cold and hungry tonight could care less about asteroids heading toward Earth.  

 

 

Noel, its not one or the other. As said, its is a small percentage of the budget that's currently spent on space flight, exploration etc. Even now, private industry is spending its own money, not just tax payers money. And if a full blown Mars base comes to fruition it will primarily be funded by private industry. Spending billions on the things you would like us to spend billion on, isn't related to private companies endeavors in space and dreams of Mars bases, it's political and we can't debate that here. There's also another reason a base on Mars and the Moon is vital, and its to do with certain other nations that are hell bent on achieving the same, they are even targeting the same landing spots, which will be a scary scenario if the balance of power is lost. But again, we cant debate that here.

 

14 hours ago, birdguy said:

Martin...how much of your lifestyle are you willing to give up right now...today...to fund a Mars colony to save humanity a hundred years from now?

 

I don't have to and wont have to. See above. Nobody is building a mega sized Mars base costing trillions of dollars next week. This is a gradual progression toward that goal. If it ever does come to fruition, and it should for many reasons, it will be primarily a private endeavor in my view, there are private companies now, as we speak, aiming for this goal. Will there be some kind of government assistance from the nations involved, who knows, its a long way into the future but its not going to prevent us from doing the things we should be doing on this planet right now, politics does that.  

 

Edited September 28, 2022 by martin-w

[martin-w 3,235]

3 hours ago, Fielder said:

Teraform Mars all you want. The gravity would kill everyone there, not to mention the atmosphere.

 

Mars gravity is just over a third of ours. We know that zero gravity can have detrimental effects but we have no data on a third of Earths gravity.  This is something that the first visitors to the red planet will investigate. Currently we don't have a good answer. The first visitors to Mars of course wont be permanent residents, in fact I expect traveling between the red planet and Earth to be the norm for many decades, especially as nuclear thermal and nuclear electric technology will make the transition time much quicker and easer. Over time, perhaps with natural physical adaption and drug technology, longer stays will become practical. We cant breath the atmosphere of course, but then we wont be outside without suits, we will be inside with no suits on. 

Terraforming is indeed a much tougher challenge than many realize. It can take thousands of years to accomplish. Unless we discover a revolutionary and fast method to do it in the future of course. It would be large domes with an Earthlike environment inside.

 

4 hours ago, Fielder said:

But please find a life friendly planet before you take my money in order to proceed with colonization schemes.

 

Nobody is taking your money. If they ever do, you wont notice its gone it will be so little. 

[dmwalker 603]

21 hours ago, birdguy said:

Then last night the History Channel has a special on colonizing Mars

Was it this one?

 

[birdguy 3,943]

I don't know Dugald, the video isn't available so I can't look at it.

Noel

[birdguy 3,943]

Martin, all of this will happen long after I'm gone.  And I'm not one of those people who get a thrill out of watching a rocket shoot flame out the back.  I could care less if the countdown stops and they lose a launch window.

But whoever is paying for it, and remember the money still comes from the people who buy their products, I think it would be better spend solving earth's problems first.  Perhaps if we did that on a global basis there wouldn't be a need for bases on the moon or on Mars.

On December 7th 1941 I was just 18 days away from my 8th birthday.  I'm now 88 almost touching 89; and we have been almost continuously at war in one place or another for over 80 years.

But hey, I'm just a cranky old man so have fun thinking about going to Mars and putting bases on the moon.  I'll have already said bye-bye to all of it.

Noel  

 

 

[dmwalker 603]

2 hours ago, birdguy said:

the video isn't available so I can't look at it.

How about this?

 

[Fielder 3,663]

8 hours ago, martin-w said:

 

 

 

 

Nobody is taking your money. If they ever do, you wont notice its gone it will be so little. 

We actually get a refund from the U.S. Government every April 15, so maybe we're good.

[birdguy 3,943]

Yep!  That's it.  I'm not normally interested in this stuff but it grabbed my attention right off.  Although I don't know how much of it is pie-in-the-sky stuff it held my attention of if the experts here would agree with it, but I would recommend watching it.

Noel

 

 

[birdguy 3,943]

7 minutes ago, Fielder said:

We actually get a refund from the U.S. Government every April 15, so maybe we're good.

You refund is actually money you lent them through the year.  I do not have anything taken out of my annuity.  My tax liability is less than 1000 dollars each year so I just pay what I owe in a lump sum and my 'refund' is available to me all year.  But if you're working it's a nice way to save money through the year.

Noel

Edited September 28, 2022 by birdguy

[Fielder 3,663]

At least our world's tax dollars are well spent as everyone in universe seems to know.

Astronomer in the observatory on Betelgeuse's second moon: "Yes there's the Earthlings standing knee deep in plastic garbage while shooting rockets at Mars again! What next, spending their resources trying to change their climate, LOL"

[birdguy 3,943]

Maybe the next big project will be producing soylent green to feed the homeless and indigent.

Noel

[charliearon 3,023]

57 minutes ago, birdguy said:

Maybe the next big project will be producing soylent green to feed the homeless and indigent.

Noel

And who are we going to grind up?

[birdguy 3,943]

4 hours ago, charliearon said:

And who are we going to grind up?

Martians!

Noel