Making Humans a Multiplanetary Species [video]

Post by ViktorasM » Tue, Sep 27, 2016, 8:40 PM UTC

brey wrote: post #235

mikeash wrote: post #148

Some of the comments here make me think of crabs in a pot pulling down the ones who try to climb out. Nobody's making you participate in this venture. If you don't like it, then you're free to go do whatever it is you do like. You might think Musk could better direct his efforts and resources elsewhere, but most other billionaires don't do anything all that interesting, they just invest their money in mundane stuff,…

There's a phrase I'm fond of: The man who says it can't be done needs to get out of the way of the man who's doing it.

Post by Osiris » Tue, Sep 27, 2016, 8:40 PM UTC

benevol wrote: post #323

wmccullough wrote: post #184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're my hero! This attitude is why I quit regularly contributing to this site. Any time any single person does something positive, some armchair "expert" comes out the woodworks to tell you how it won't work or can't work.

I would never say "it won't work", but I do think we humans have a tendency to turn to technology to solve our most basic problems, while the real solutions lie within us (where most people never look). I believe we should first learn to clean up our act on planet Earth before we export anything of our existence and what we do. To me, the real revolution that needs to happen is a spiritual one - a statement that will…

Post by mikeash » Tue, Sep 27, 2016, 8:41 PM UTC

nappy-doo wrote: post #300

mikeash wrote: post #148

Some of the comments here make me think of crabs in a pot pulling down the ones who try to climb out. Nobody's making you participate in this venture. If you don't like it, then you're free to go do whatever it is you do like. You might think Musk could better direct his efforts and resources elsewhere, but most other billionaires don't do anything all that interesting, they just invest their money in mundane stuff,…

I don't know of any billionaire that's run for president. /s

Post by Osiris » Tue, Sep 27, 2016, 8:41 PM UTC

ythl wrote: post #334

brey wrote: post #235

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's a phrase I'm fond of: The man who says it can't be done needs to get out of the way of the man who's doing it.

At least in my case, I see trying to start a Mars colony as a death trap. It's the illusion of carrying on the human race, but it's really just dooming a bunch of pioneers to a grim fate in an extremely hostile environment. I think making a south pole colony would be hard enough, let alone a Mars one.

Post by mikeash » Tue, Sep 27, 2016, 8:42 PM UTC

goatlover wrote: post #312

mikeash wrote: post #295

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Terraforming isn't necessary. Growing food is probably a necessity, as even this cheap transport isn't that transport, but you can do that in greenhouses. Water is available. Energy is available in the form of either solar or nuclear. Getting the colony to be self-sustaining is hard, but it boils down to getting enough people and infrastructure there that they are able to build everything they need on site.

We have bases on Antarctica, and they're not self sustaining. Consider that Antarctica is far more liveable and closer than Mars.