Johan
Ex got M3 in the divorce, waiting for EU Model Y!
But what about washing machines. And a dryer? Can they take that? I heard there's water on Mars, but is there detergent? I think the Rover is looking for it.
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But what about washing machines. And a dryer? Can they take that? I heard there's water on Mars, but is there detergent? I think the Rover is looking for it.
Krugerrand
Meow
I imagine they'll be doing laundry the old way......beat it against rocks (plenty of those on Mars!), wring it by hand, and then hang it out to dry. Or if they take the bearings, they can then 3-D print the washer and dryer.
It seems to me that if we're going to expand into space, we should start with orbiting colonies "O'Neil Cylinders" with lunar, or possibly asteroid, mines supplying most of the materials, launched using something like magnetic quench guns.
In addition to removing most of the environmental issues, including gravity, they are close to the Earth so travel would be much cheaper and faster. There also might be some conceivable trade articles such as power, very high vacuum/microgravity manufacturing, tourism, etc. I can't imagine anything that Mars could produce that would be profitable to trade with Earth, and if someone got into trouble on Mars requiring specialized care, it would be between 6 and 12 months to get home.
Johan
Ex got M3 in the divorce, waiting for EU Model Y!
Thought I'd throw out that we can live on the surface of mars without the negative effects of radiation. Water is very good at absorbing radiation so all we need to do is either have a dome that is lined in water or a square or rectangle 'roof' that is lined with water. The latter option uses less water but we don't need to take the water there since Mars has been shown to have extensive subsurface ice.
Yes, it's interesting how some forget that Elon's primary reason for going to Mars and establishing a permanent human colony is based on the high probability that at some point in the future humans on earth will be threatened with extinction.
If you project far enough into the future it is a near certainty that will be an issue. So we need to get off earth. Mars is the most earth-like body in the solar system. It is the best candidate for long term human habitation.
I think the possible mechanisms have been stated multiple times in this thread and elsewhere. Would you care to elaborate?
Or - think like an Alaskan: a Martian style igloo.
Ice is a far more tractable substance with which to construct than is water
YoungStranger
Member
Colour me sceptical. I have three children and if anything catastrophic to earth was going to happen tomorrow, then I would hope they could survive by taking to space. But if the earth was in a slow decline or faced an inevitable extinction over a lifetime away, then allow existing humanity to engineer its own obselescene... All things must pass...and concentrate on seeding the galaxy with probes and knowledge using achievable science and technology.
Skotty
2014 S P85 | 2023 F-150L
It's the duty of intelligent life to do everything in it's power to ensure it's own survival indefinitely. Intelligent life is the only thing that gives the universe any meaning.
In that the OP's question was not "Why should mankind....?", which is the question most of the answers so far have addressed, but "Why do SOME PEOPLE....?", then I will answer that.
A: As for me, it's because when I was of that age, I read all the Mike Mars books. <===That should tell the more prescient of you just how old I am!<===
And so, not many years after that, my life's desire became to visit four locations: Antarctica; the ocean floor; the nethermost spot in the USA: Attu Island; and Mars.
One no longer is of the highest desire; one I have achieved; one I came this close to reaching - but because I speak Japanese, when it came time for my grad school prof to allocate locations, I had to spend a summer in northern Japan while my officemate got to dive in the Alvin. And that goodfornothing rat subsequently quit the program to go to veterinarian school!
And Mars has passed me by: I won't make it. The shame of the world. But I have held a piece of Mars (one of the so-called Mars meteorites) in hand.
A: As for me, it's because when I was of that age
, I read all the Mike Mars books. <===That should tell the more prescient of you just how old I am!<===And so, not many years after that, my life's desire became to visit four locations: Antarctica; the ocean floor; the nethermost spot in the USA: Attu Island; and Mars.
One no longer is of the highest desire; one I have achieved; one I came this close to reaching - but because I speak Japanese, when it came time for my grad school prof to allocate locations, I had to spend a summer in northern Japan while my officemate got to dive in the Alvin. And that goodfornothing rat subsequently quit the program to go to veterinarian school!
And Mars has passed me by: I won't make it. The shame of the world. But I have held a piece of Mars (one of the so-called Mars meteorites) in hand.
Apollo astronauts did that decades ago. No biggie... the solution is to not stay there very long.
timk225
Active Member
I suppose that with SpaceX making reusable rockets, the cost is greatly lowered to airlift a LOT of fuel, food, and supplies into earth orbit, then the ships that make the long ride to Mars can pick it all up there instead of only taking what they can carry in one launch from earth gravity. Like a rocket towing a camping trailer full of supplies. And solar panels. I suppose if they get enough solar power out to Mars, that helps a lot of other problems.
Johan
Ex got M3 in the divorce, waiting for EU Model Y!
glhs272
Unnamed plug faced villian
I recall seeing an interesting article on using water to 3D print your structures on mars. The water will obviously be frozen (printed while still liquid). I believe there is an additive that prevents significant sublimation of the water. Anyway you would be left with a transparent structure that allows sunlight in while absorbing radiation and ultraviolet light. All while being made of locally sourced materials (water). Ice castles on Mars
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palmer_md
Member
What caught my attention in this video is that 2/3 of our attempts to send something to Mars have resulted in failure. I'd like some more detail on this comment. Did they miss the planet entirely and just fly on past (as the graphic suggests), or just that they failed to land and have a functioning rover of some sort?
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