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The importance of Mars cannot be overstated for one simple reason: it is the only place in the solar system where we have the chance of a completely self-suffic
by hesdeadjim 7y ago
The importance of Mars cannot be overstated for one simple reason: it is the only place in the solar system where we have the chance of a completely self-sufficient existence with no support from Earth.
Mars has natural resources we can mine and plenty of water. For what it lacks the asteroid belt “nearby” could provide in endless quantity.
- ncmncm 7y agoIn other words, Mars has no importance, because self-sufficient existence there is much harder than in Antarctica, or in the middle of Cheyenne Mountain, and no one sees any value in establishing a self-sufficient colony there. The cloud tops of Venus are far from devoid of resources. Unlimited amounts of carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, and sulfur would be at their fingertips, and ores of other elements are a short dip to the surface. An unshielded nuclear reactor could be operated suspended by a tether, with no worries about leakage.
- hesdeadjim 7y ago"Short dip to the surface" on a planet with a horrendously corrosive and thick atmosphere and the gravity of Earth. Mars is a veritable paradise by comparison.