Thread: Mars Colonization

Due to recent technological advancements such as: the Ion drive, Robotics, and Solar power, why arent we as a planet, trying to get to Mars? I understand that the ion drive hasn't been fully tested in space, but if we really worked hard couldn't reach interplanetary colonization by 2030?

Could, but who's going to pay for the Trillion dollar price tag? Plus what benefit would it serve? I do think we do have a responsibility as an advanced species to colonize other planets or moons, but.... outside the solar system. Preferrable a much younger more stable system. We may be the only chance for spreading life in this part of the galaxy.

I've asked myself this a lot. I think that most of the world is preoccupied with what's happening here on the ground and believes that it's more important than whatever happens in space, so they haven't really given much thought to more long-term goals, such as interplanetary or even interstellar colonization. So, agencies such as NASA and the ESA aren't taken seriously because most people don't think that space travel is important, and they get less money to actually try anything to prove that interplanetary travel is worth the trillion-dollar price tag. I believe that colonization on Mars by 2030 is possible, but not many people see why.

All this would be extremely expensive and with the failing economy of many countries in the world, this is the last place money is likely to be spent.

But Mars isn't exactly habitable, the temperature isn't too bad (coldest recorded is around -200F, highest is around 60F) but there is nothing blocking the Sun's radiation, that may be the largest hurdle along with having to create a constant supply of oxygen on a planet that is 95% Carbon Dioxide.

Even then, what would be the purpose? It would take thousands, maybe millions of years to successfully teraform the planet into something hospitable.

Originally Posted by stereobot

Then, what would be the purpose? It would take thousands, maybe millions of years to successfully teraform the planet into something hospitable.

Well, maybe we don't need to terraform Mars right when we get there?

The main reason that everyone is so exited about Mars colonization is not to transform the planet into a second Earth; it's because we will learn an enormous amount about how to survive in space, how to travel through space, how to protect humans from radiation, and many other things that may help us to extend our reach to other (more habitable) planets. For example, Skylab, Mir and the International Space Station haven't generated much scientific data from onboard experiments; rather, they taught astronauts, engineers, and scientists how to deal with weightlessness, radiation, system failures, accidents, and other things that enrich our knowledge of how to survive in space.