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Martian soil is a fine, toxic dust. The planet is far from the sun. It is also too light to generate the gravity we evolved in. We should be living in spinning
by FredPret 6y ago
Martian soil is a fine, toxic dust. The planet is far from the sun. It is also too light to generate the gravity we evolved in.
We should be living in spinning space stations in warm-and-toasty solar orbits
- kspacewalk2 6y agoWe can try living in both, see which one's better.
- FredPret 6y agoThat would be the best outcome. Also, the Moon, it’s right next door
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- valuearb 6y agoThe “toxic” part of the soil, perchlorates, are easy to process and remove. There is no evidence that 1/3 Gee won’t be fine for humans to live in. NASA has already figured out how to have humans life in zero fee for long periods (low rep, high force exercises). Mars had enough sunlight to power solar panels and grow plants. Spinning space stations have their use as well, but have to import 100% of resources. Mars is lousy with water, CO2, and easily accessible elements such as Iron.
- zabzonk 6y ago> The “toxic” part of the soil, perchlorates, are easy to process and remove. On a planetary scale? How?
- deviation 6y agoAssuming a para-terraforming model there might not be a need to cater for a planetary scale removal I suppose.
- valuearb 6y agoWhy would you need to do it on a planetary scale? Just the soil colonists will be using is all you need.
- FredPret 6y agoSo... only that part of the soil that gets picked up by the famous Martian dust storms then? Aka the entire surface?
- valuearb 6y agoNothing will be grown outside on Mars for hundreds of years. Even with an active terraforming operation, they will need some kind of dome enclosures to provide enough air pressure to grow plants for centuries. Until then, just rinse off your suit and boots when you enter the dome.
- hinkley 6y agoMars might end up being Archaea's time to shine, assuming they aren't there already. Apparently they and some bacteria can eat it as well. It's likely that you feed yourself with hydroponics, and use the waste materials and imported inoculate to start a composting operation, where, like earth gardeners, you feed a little bit of dirt into each batch. If you can tune that to break down perchlorates, then soon you'll have compost you can grow more food in, at which point you start getting compound interest. Assuming, that is, that you send actual soil scientists and not industrial ag people, who think soil is something you wear out and then buy at a store.
- cwkoss 6y agoStrongman competitions in 1/3 gee are going to be so ridiculous.
- cwkoss 6y agoPersonally I'm more excited to strap on wings and flap around high pressure low grav domes.
- lmm 6y agoMars has enough gravity to live life more-or-less as normal, and any kind of soil is a much easier way to protect yourself from cosmic radiation than having to build multi-meter-thick walls from nothing.