Making Humans a Multiplanetary Species [video] • Hacker News Board

Re: Making Humans a Multiplanetary Species [video]

#111

Post by unprepare » Tue, Sep 27, 2016, 7:14 PM UTC

AndrewKemendo wrote: post #73

tcoppi wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Throughout human history, there has always been a new/unexplored land to emigrate to for new opportunities or to escape political persecution. Nowdays there is nowhere left for someone in the West to emigrate to that is not substantially the same or worse. Mars and the stars could potentially offer that opportunity, which might be why some people are excited.

Why not the oceans? Much easier to populate than Mars.

Does that protect people from the event of a major nuclear war?

Would it be immune to accelerated climate change on Earth?

availability of land isnt the only factor here.

(i dont actually know the answer to these questions, and obviously it would likely depend on the details of this water habitat)

Re: Making Humans a Multiplanetary Species [video]

#112

Post by dev1n » Tue, Sep 27, 2016, 7:14 PM UTC

maerF0x0 wrote: post #104

anexprogrammer wrote: post #93

I'd really like to see us taking space seriously. While I'm still here. One of my earliest strong memories was the last moon landing. This was followed by years of "Tomorrow's World" and "Horizon" telling us about the Moon bases, Mars bases and orbital platforms that would soon follow. We got Skylab and some very interesting probes. I'm a tiny bit disappointed in that. We were meant to be en route to Starfleet Comman…

This brings up a good point. Why mars first? Why not a moon colony first?

Some possible reasons; Mars has a c02 atmosphere, water ice, it has a ~24 hour day as opposed to the moons 28 day-day, Earth and Mars have similar sizes.

Re: Making Humans a Multiplanetary Species [video]

#113

Post by slg » Tue, Sep 27, 2016, 7:14 PM UTC

tcoppi wrote: post #60

AndrewKemendo wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What about going to a different planet makes you think we won't just be taking those same problems with us? The earth isn't the problem - The problem is the human brain. We aren't genetically capable of processing the world we have built. Expect there to be Trump IV vs Clinton IV 2117 hosted live on Mars if we haven't made significant improvements in human engineering.

Throughout human history, there has always been a new/unexplored land to emigrate to for new opportunities or to escape political persecution. Nowdays there is nowhere left for someone in the West to emigrate to that is not substantially the same or worse. Mars and the stars could potentially offer that opportunity, which might be why some people are excited.

I think that is taking an overly optimistic view of the past. No other time in history has it been easier or cheaper to pick up your life and move and the truth is that almost anywhere in the "west" provides better living conditions and less persecution than anyone from even a few generations back could hope to receive.

Re: Making Humans a Multiplanetary Species [video]

#114

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Sep 27, 2016, 7:14 PM UTC

Gravityloss wrote: post #83

Rezo wrote: post #2

SpaceX Interplanetary Transport System: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qo78R_yYFA

Unconventional design. The rocket looks very large and they mention 120 million newtons takeoff thrust so the weight is about 10 million kg, 3 times Saturn V size. The first stage lands back on launch stool, the tanker stage is put on top of it and it launches again. This implies a relatively fast turnaround. Both the second stage and the tanker seem to have complete heat shields and stub wings and ability to re-ente…

[deleted]

Re: Making Humans a Multiplanetary Species [video]

#115

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Sep 27, 2016, 7:14 PM UTC

Gravityloss wrote: post #83

Rezo wrote: post #2

SpaceX Interplanetary Transport System: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qo78R_yYFA

Unconventional design. The rocket looks very large and they mention 120 million newtons takeoff thrust so the weight is about 10 million kg, 3 times Saturn V size. The first stage lands back on launch stool, the tanker stage is put on top of it and it launches again. This implies a relatively fast turnaround. Both the second stage and the tanker seem to have complete heat shields and stub wings and ability to re-ente…

[deleted]

Re: Making Humans a Multiplanetary Species [video]

#116

Post by BurningFrog » Tue, Sep 27, 2016, 7:14 PM UTC

ravenstine wrote: post #107

I have a better idea: Let's focus all the money and effort we would spend on getting to Mars and living on its wasteland, and use it to understand the human mind and digitize it into a realm not individually constrained by physics? I actually think that may be a more realistic and practical goal, and our quality of lives could be much better. I mean, what do we really get from living somewhere like Mars? A storage co…

Humanity can work on more than one project. We're 7 billion people.

Re: Making Humans a Multiplanetary Species [video]

#117

Post by BurningFrog » Tue, Sep 27, 2016, 7:16 PM UTC

mattmanser wrote: post #14

lucb1e wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> CST sigh Central standard time I'm guessing, so mid-US I guess "central" and "standard" mean here, so I'm guesstimating GMT-7. That would put it around 8:30 GMT.

Google "1:30pm CST". It shows it in your local time.

Has anyone written a Chrome plugin that does this yet?

Re: Making Humans a Multiplanetary Species [video]

#118

Post by maerF0x0 » Tue, Sep 27, 2016, 7:16 PM UTC

cbau wrote: post #110

maerF0x0 wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This brings up a good point. Why mars first? Why not a moon colony first?

Musk just addressed this. Mars has an atmosphere of CO2 and Nitrogen, so we can grow plants, a day length similar to Earth's (24.5 hours), and is larger.

oh ok, i'm 30 mins behind live.

Re: Making Humans a Multiplanetary Species [video]

#119

Post by M_Grey » Tue, Sep 27, 2016, 7:17 PM UTC

aerovistae wrote: post #34

AndrewKemendo wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What about going to a different planet makes you think we won't just be taking those same problems with us? The earth isn't the problem - The problem is the human brain. We aren't genetically capable of processing the world we have built. Expect there to be Trump IV vs Clinton IV 2117 hosted live on Mars if we haven't made significant improvements in human engineering.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding but you seem to be saying "Let's not be excited about colonizing another planet-- life will be just as depressing there."

I think anytime someone plays to the deeply held hopes and dreams of a given community, especially ones that are related to long-term survival, "destiny" and the like... be very very careful and very very skeptical. That's not to say you should be depressive and cynical, but you should ask questions and seek motives.

We're really not close to being a "multiplanetary species", and the major bottlenecks have nothing to do with the rockets to get us out there. A lot of smart people are aware of just how much trouble our species is in over the next century or so, and there's an element of understandable misery and panic. That really is no excuse however for cheering and weeping with joy when the guy selling the rockets points to the stars and says, "Humanity's future!"

Re: Making Humans a Multiplanetary Species [video]

#120

Post by astazangasta » Tue, Sep 27, 2016, 7:17 PM UTC

greglindahl wrote: post #96

astazangasta wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wrote a long essay about this that I have yet to publish, but my basic point is this: 1. Mars is a fucking desert. There is no air, water or life. 2. Venus is covered in CO2 clouds and sulfuric acid rain. Metal melts on its surface. We are not going to live in space. To even WANT to live in space is an absurd fantasy that is in violent conflict with the reality of space as an airless, inhospitable, largely resource…

You might want to go read up on Mars before you publish that essay... Mars has an atmosphere and lots of water ice. You can grow plants on Mars by compressing the atmosphere. You can use the atmosphere plus water to make methane rocket fuel, and water to make LOX. For Venus, the way to build a colony is to place it way up in the atmosphere, at Earth pressure.

I know plenty about Mars. The atmospheric pressure at the surface is 600 pascals; the water is almost entirely polar. This is not a habitable planet, as evidenced by the fact that it is totally devoid of life.

Venus is even worse; it has a day longer than its orbital period.

If your idea of a good life is floating above a pool of noxious gases, there are plenty of places on Earth you could accomplish the same for much less money and effort.