3 ms·

We don't know the real number. Might be 100,000, might be 100 million. Honestly, both estimates are valid, IMO. I think 1 million could be doable, especially wi

We don't know the real number. Might be 100,000, might be 100 million. Honestly, both estimates are valid, IMO. I think 1 million could be doable, especially with some technology development. A country like the US is not even self-sufficient, although we could be. The consequence would be a reduction in productivity and quality of life. Now, Mars also has much higher living costs, although the costs are definitely prone to economies of scale. So a smaller population would have to work more and have a lower quality of life to allow life on Mars. At some point, you just can't keep up with the life support and maintenance required to live on Mars, so the population below some point cannot be self-sustaining (even if you have all the tools). You want as many people as possible to allow economies of scale and productivity improvements from specialization to take hold.

gnode 9y ago
> A country like the US is not even self-sufficient, although we could be. The consequence would be a reduction in productivity and quality of life. For this reason, I think Mars isn't going to prioritise self-dependence. A civilisation which could thrive if the Earth stopped existing is a romantic ideal, but like most places, the people will prioritise their prosperity. Producing CPUs on Mars will likely be very low down the list; they're light enough to cheaply bring from Earth, and have a huge supply chain. Elon Musk likes to joke about pizzerias on Mars, but I think they'd be much higher up the list, if people want to eat anything other than canned food.
- Robotbeat 9y ago
  CPUs certainly will be produced on Earth for a while due to the very low mass (which makes transport costs negligible even over interplanetary distances). But Mars certainly will want to produce the vast majority of their own stuff due to very high transport costs. And as far as Mars being cut off, certainly Mars will want to trade with Earth for as long as possible. Self-sustaining will hopefully remain theoretical. That doesn't mean they won't have the capability to do so if necessary.

gnode 9y ago

> A country like the US is not even self-sufficient, although we could be. The consequence would be a reduction in productivity and quality of life. For this reason, I think Mars isn't going to prioritise self-dependence. A civilisation which could thrive if the Earth stopped existing is a romantic ideal, but like most places, the people will prioritise their prosperity. Producing CPUs on Mars will likely be very low down the list; they're light enough to cheaply bring from Earth, and have a huge supply chain. Elon Musk likes to joke about pizzerias on Mars, but I think they'd be much higher up the list, if people want to eat anything other than canned food.

Robotbeat 9y ago
CPUs certainly will be produced on Earth for a while due to the very low mass (which makes transport costs negligible even over interplanetary distances). But Mars certainly will want to produce the vast majority of their own stuff due to very high transport costs. And as far as Mars being cut off, certainly Mars will want to trade with Earth for as long as possible. Self-sustaining will hopefully remain theoretical. That doesn't mean they won't have the capability to do so if necessary.