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I rather have Civilization backup in Mars. If the Earth goes, the Moon wouldn't be in a very good shape. Just like I wouldn't go hide in the kitchen, while th
by woranl 9y ago
I rather have Civilization backup in Mars. If the Earth goes, the Moon wouldn't be in a very good shape. Just like I wouldn't go hide in the kitchen, while the living room is burning down.
- hnlmorg 9y agoThis is one of the biggest points people miss when talking about civilization back ups. I tend to think of it in IT terms: the moon is like an offline but onsite backup. It will protect you from most internal cockups where as Mars is more like an offsite backup which will protect you should your building (Earth) get taken out
- andyfal12 9y agoMeteor impacts and supervolcanoes seem to be the near-term worst case scenarios, neither which change the state of living on the moon. I don't know that the metaphor of them being under the same roof works.
- hnlmorg 9y agoI know the risks are astronomical (literally), but anything significant enough to alter Earth's mass would also alter the moons orbit. I just think if we are talking about an extraterrestrial base for the sake of "backing up" the human race then it is prudent to pick a location that isn't in any way dependant on the master copy. However I appreciate other concerns also take priority as well (cost, practicality, etc) but if the topic were strictly just about backing up humanity then my ideal candidates would be Mars plus some location outside of our solar system. But I'm venturing well into the realm of sci-fi now.
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]
- pcmaffey 9y agoWhat's the point of a backup though if you can't restore?
- hnlmorg 9y agoI'm not sure I understand your point. Are you implying we shouldn't be backing up the human race because "what's the point if Earth is destroyed?"
- elsonrodriguez 9y agoIf there's humans, the possibility to restore exists. If there's no humans, the possibility to restore is gone.
- keenerd 9y agoI'm having trouble thinking of catastrophes that could take out both. Well, I can think of a few (bio-weapon, nearby supernova) but they would take out a Mars colony just as easily.
- s_kilk 9y agoI think they meant that if we have civilisation collapse on Earth then the Lunar folk are screwed too, because their supplies would be cut off permanently.
- keenerd 9y agoWhy would the Moon be any less independent than Mars? It is only 20% less delta-V to ship something there. It is just as much in their interests to become self-sufficient.
- cwkoss 9y agoDepends how much supply they have. A mature lunar colony should have a stockpile and equipment sufficient for reconstructing any equipment needed. At that point, asteroid mining may be cheaper than launching resources from earth.
- ajmurmann 9y agoIt's not necessarily a either or situation. I can certainly see this work out in a way where you can iterate quickly on the moon resulting in technologies maturing quickly that you will eventually need on Mars and ultimately get you there faster than trying to go straight to Mars.