4 ms·

Perhaps we could colonize the deserts on earth before Mars.

by mikehines 10y ago

Hondor 10y ago
When the next comet strikes, solar powered desert farms will be wrecked just as much as everywhere else on Earth.
- onion2k 10y ago
  Unless a Mars colony is completely self-sustaining it'll be just as wrecked as anything on this planet without the support of Earth. Considering the lack of raw materials available there, that'd be effectively impossible.
  - BHSPitMonkey 10y ago
    Elon Musk disagrees with you, for what it's worth: http://www.spacex.com/mars http://www.spacex.com/mars
    - vkou 10y ago
      Elon Musk doesn't even have a proof-of-concept for how we can set up a sustainable, closed biosphere-in-a-bubble on Earth - let alone Mars. If he wants to put people on Mars in 8 years, this should have been a top priority a decade ago.
- carterehsmith 10y ago
  Sure, but comet can strike Mars just as easily as it can strike Earth. Maybe even more easily - gravity, lack of atmosphere, etc.
  - DougWebb 10y ago
    That's an interesting idea... I think the thin atmosphere and lack of ocean might actually make comet strikes on Mars less devastating than on Earth. Less frictional heating during the impact, no global tsunamis caused by an ocean strike, much less wind and shockwave around the impact site, faster settling of post-impact dust and debris. You wouldn't want to be near the impact site on either planet, but if you're far away on Mars you might barely notice it, while on Earth you could be on the opposite side of the planet and still be killed by a tsunami or shrouded in darkness until all the plants around you are dead.
  - logfromblammo 10y ago
    The relevant issue is whether two comets could strike both Earth and Mars within the interval required for either one to recolonize the other.
cfreeman 10y ago
I think that's one of the reasons Mars Colonization would be a great thing for humanity overall. The technology we would have to perfect to survive on Mars would be very useful back on Earth.

Perhaps we could colonize the deserts on earth before Mars.

Hondor 10y ago

When the next comet strikes, solar powered desert farms will be wrecked just as much as everywhere else on Earth.

onion2k 10y ago
Unless a Mars colony is completely self-sustaining it'll be just as wrecked as anything on this planet without the support of Earth. Considering the lack of raw materials available there, that'd be effectively impossible.
- BHSPitMonkey 10y ago
  Elon Musk disagrees with you, for what it's worth: http://www.spacex.com/mars http://www.spacex.com/mars
  - vkou 10y ago
    Elon Musk doesn't even have a proof-of-concept for how we can set up a sustainable, closed biosphere-in-a-bubble on Earth - let alone Mars. If he wants to put people on Mars in 8 years, this should have been a top priority a decade ago.
carterehsmith 10y ago
Sure, but comet can strike Mars just as easily as it can strike Earth. Maybe even more easily - gravity, lack of atmosphere, etc.
- DougWebb 10y ago
  That's an interesting idea... I think the thin atmosphere and lack of ocean might actually make comet strikes on Mars less devastating than on Earth. Less frictional heating during the impact, no global tsunamis caused by an ocean strike, much less wind and shockwave around the impact site, faster settling of post-impact dust and debris. You wouldn't want to be near the impact site on either planet, but if you're far away on Mars you might barely notice it, while on Earth you could be on the opposite side of the planet and still be killed by a tsunami or shrouded in darkness until all the plants around you are dead.
- logfromblammo 10y ago
  The relevant issue is whether two comets could strike both Earth and Mars within the interval required for either one to recolonize the other.

cfreeman 10y ago

I think that's one of the reasons Mars Colonization would be a great thing for humanity overall. The technology we would have to perfect to survive on Mars would be very useful back on Earth.