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The whole idea of colonizing other parts of the solar system just seems like a fool’s errand to me. Colonizing Antarctica or even the bottom of the oceans seems

The whole idea of colonizing other parts of the solar system just seems like a fool’s errand to me. Colonizing Antarctica or even the bottom of the oceans seems like a more practical endeavor to me. As uninhabitable as Antarctica is, just think about the advantages it has over a place like Mars or Titan: a breathable Earth pressure atmosphere, 1G gravity, abundant water, not outrageously extreme temperatures, low radiation levels, close to civilization, etc. Probably most importantly, you don’t have to escape Earth’s gravitational pull to get there. In fact, you can use one of humankind’s earliest inventions—a boat. If we were really afraid of an extinction level event such as a nuclear war or extreme climate change, humanity could survive by doing the same sorts of things here that we would have to do on Mars—building large underground habitats. Except, we could survive in much larger numbers since it would be so so so much cheaper to build those habitats here.

njarboe 7y ago
People don't dream of traveling to other planets to create a backup civilization for Earth. That is what those people tell the ones who don't understand their dream and why they should support it. People want to explore because a certain segment of the population would love the adventure, danger, excitement, thrill, and exotic experience. One also has the chance of creating new places outside of existing governance structures. A group of people who start building a city on Antarctica would likely be kicked off by force in a short period of time. On Mars, who knows?
- abdullahkhalids 7y ago
  "We began as wanderers, and we are wanderers still. We have lingered long enough on the shores of the cosmic ocean. We are ready at last to set sail for the stars." Carl Sagan
LargoLasskhyfv 7y ago
But... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antarctic_Treaty_System https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antarctic_Treaty_System Need to cancel that first. Probably with war. What do think is more likely? That happening here without war, or starting "elsewhere" from scratch, leaving the planet of the apes behind?

njarboe 7y ago

People don't dream of traveling to other planets to create a backup civilization for Earth. That is what those people tell the ones who don't understand their dream and why they should support it. People want to explore because a certain segment of the population would love the adventure, danger, excitement, thrill, and exotic experience. One also has the chance of creating new places outside of existing governance structures. A group of people who start building a city on Antarctica would likely be kicked off by force in a short period of time. On Mars, who knows?

abdullahkhalids 7y ago
"We began as wanderers, and we are wanderers still. We have lingered long enough on the shores of the cosmic ocean. We are ready at last to set sail for the stars." Carl Sagan

LargoLasskhyfv 7y ago

But... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antarctic_Treaty_System https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antarctic_Treaty_System Need to cancel that first. Probably with war. What do think is more likely? That happening here without war, or starting "elsewhere" from scratch, leaving the planet of the apes behind?