Text 34684, 70 rader
Skriven 2009-08-01 09:04:00 av WAYNE CHIRNSIDE (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av MICHIEL VAN DER VLIST
Ärende: Re: Question to Ponder
==============================
-=> MICHIEL VAN DER VLIST wrote to WAYNE CHIRNSIDE <=-

 MVV> Hello WAYNE,

 MVV> On Friday July 31 2009 22:23, you wrote to me:

 MVV>> There is no oxygen on Mars. No way that humans can adapt to live
 MVV>> on Mars as it is. But maybe an artificial environment can be
 MVV>> created on Mars that will support human life.

 WC> There's plenty of oxygen on Mars bound up in iron oxides and CO2.

 MVV> You can not breathe iron oxide or CO2. No way to adapt to that.

Sure there is, liberate the oxygen from those abundant compounds.
Plenty of solar energy on Mars, more than on Earth.

The current NASA Mars manned mission planning does in fact 
intend to do just that, also create fuel for the return flight
there.

 MVV>> Frankly I don't see much future in a colony on Mars. It will be
 MVV>> a drop in the ocean regarding the overpopulation problem.

 WC> That drop in the bucket may just save a portion of the human race.

 WC> We haven't exactly been taking too good of care of the planet
 WC> we're currently living on.

 MVV> So what makes you think we will take better care of the next one?

Lessons learned from hardship.
I never said living on Mars would be easy.
I advise sending several automated mission with fuel and air
manufacturing equipment supplies and foodstuff before sending 
the first manned mission. 

This too is the current NASA plan.

 WC> Who knows what technology the future will bring?

 MVV> Nobody knows of course. But it may be more efficient to seacrh for
 MVV> planets where man can ,ive without having to terraform them first.

Sure but that requires generation ships due to the distances involved.
Warp drive is still a science fiction concept.

 WC> Terraforming Mars however is hindered by the fact it has no
 WC> significant magnetic nor atmosphere to field to protect it from harsh
 WC> U.V. radiation.

 MVV> That is just one of the problems.

Yup.
Well, two actually.

 WC> I say it's worth going there as an international effort but
 WC> only when the worlds economies rebound.

 MVV> I concur that an expedition to Mars is worth the effort. As an exercise
 MVV> and opportunity to learn. Not for seeding a self sustaining colony.

OK, we're for all practical purposes in agreement.

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