The Economic Viability of Mars Colonization (1995) [pdf]
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The Economic Viability of Mars Colonization (1995) [pdf]
1–10 of 23 posts
Re: The Economic Viability of Mars Colonization (1995) [pdf]
#2"It is shown, that of all bodies in the solar system other than Earth, Mars is unique in that it has the resources required to support a population of sufficient size to create locally a new branch of human civilization."
Re: The Economic Viability of Mars Colonization (1995) [pdf]
#3There is also the book length "The Case for Mars" by the same author:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Case_for_Mars
[I've had a romantic obsession with the colonization of Mars ever since I read the KSR Mars Trilogy]
Re: The Economic Viability of Mars Colonization (1995) [pdf]
#4There is also the book length "The Case for Mars" by the same author: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Case_for_Mars [I've had a romantic obsession with the colonization of Mars ever since I read the KSR Mars Trilogy]
Also worth mentioning is the Mars Underground documentary, detailing Zubrin's work and mission over the years:
Re: The Economic Viability of Mars Colonization (1995) [pdf]
#5If economic exploitation of Antarctica, which is only a few hours away from "civilization", has water literally everywhere, and where the air is perfectly breathable is currently not viable, I can't imagine what it would take to make Mars, or mining asteroids, viable.
Re: The Economic Viability of Mars Colonization (1995) [pdf]
#6If economic exploitation of Antarctica, which is only a few hours away from "civilization", has water literally everywhere, and where the air is perfectly breathable is currently not viable, I can't imagine what it would take to make Mars, or mining asteroids, viable.
Afaik, it's viable but there is a global ban on Antarctica exploitation till 2048.
Re: The Economic Viability of Mars Colonization (1995) [pdf]
#7If economic exploitation of Antarctica, which is only a few hours away from "civilization", has water literally everywhere, and where the air is perfectly breathable is currently not viable, I can't imagine what it would take to make Mars, or mining asteroids, viable.
Afaik, it's viable but there is a global ban on Antarctica exploitation till 2048.
A quick search lead me to this:
>it was quite clear before it became law that there was no real commercial interest in mining or oil exploration in Antarctica for the foreseeable future. [1]
Of course, a vein of pure gold would be worth mining, but I think the main reason is the massive overlay of ice makes most of the minerals inaccessible, except at the fringes of the continent.
[1]http://www.coolantarctica.com/Antarctica%20fact%20file/scien...
Re: The Economic Viability of Mars Colonization (1995) [pdf]
#8If economic exploitation of Antarctica, which is only a few hours away from "civilization", has water literally everywhere, and where the air is perfectly breathable is currently not viable, I can't imagine what it would take to make Mars, or mining asteroids, viable.
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Re: The Economic Viability of Mars Colonization (1995) [pdf]
#9[deleted]
Re: The Economic Viability of Mars Colonization (1995) [pdf]
#10Regarding food growing, I sort of expect that on either Mars or the Moon you would end up using solar panels to feed grow lights. You lose power via solar cell inefficiency but you make some of that back by shifting the spectrum of the light you emit into the wavelengths plants can absorb most easily. It's a hassle, but potentially less so than all the dangers your plants could be running into above ground.
And I figure the only viable colonization sites on the moon are the north and south poles, where you can get solar power continuously.