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The journey to Mars is similar in relative technical requirements and time-on-ship to the early European colonization of the Americas. Probably the biggest dif

The journey to Mars is similar in relative technical requirements and time-on-ship to the early European colonization of the Americas. Probably the biggest difference is the economic opportunity on Mars. The Americas hold abundant resources and hospitable climates, while Mars is shown to be inhospitable. I'm not aware of the proven reserves of economically viable Martian resources.

floxy 3y ago
> I'm not aware of the proven reserves of economically viable Martian resources. Land? I suppose if you are the first on Mars, you can claim a pretty big chunk as your own.
- pixl97 3y ago
  Not land, water. Being able to do anything useful with that land like turning it into water/fuel/something else is going to be the biggest constraint, probably for centuries unless automation goes far faster than I expect.
vik0 3y ago
>The journey to Mars is similar in relative technical requirements and time-on-ship to the early European colonization of the Americas. I dunno, this seems a bit doubtful. Water vs no air type of deal. I think going to Mars is a tiiiiiny bit more technical than crossing an ocean, even if a bit over 500 years ago that kind of an ordeal was much more difficult than it is today
erulabs 3y ago
Mars is somewhat interesting because it has no valuable resources (at least, not valuable enough to launch back to Earth), but it does create something of political value. "Mars is a harsh Mistress" and all that.
- marcusverus 3y ago
  I’m convinced that we’ll end up colonizing Mars simply because, once the project is underway, the pitch will be too awesome for 20-year-old engineers to resist. Why spend your life turning out widgets when you could be building a new world?
pixl97 3y ago
I personally don't think Mars is a great first step but I could be wrong. Semi automated asteroid capture and mining along with space based fabrication seem like a much more fruitful endeavor at least in the shorter term.
- panick21_ 3y ago
  Mars gives you a useful atmosphere, both for resources, cooling and breaking. Easily available water is a big one. Temperatur is far closer to something we can handle. And of course useful gratify. Operating in all space environment is incredibly hard.
Zigurd 3y ago
That's an excellent set of analogies. As harsh as a sea voyage is on one's health, you don't risk breaking a hip when you step on a different continent. And you didn't have to bring your food, air, water, and airtight shelter with you. The case for manned exploration is hard enough to sell. Mankind will learn a lot about space travel and space habitats, and pay a lot for that knowledge. But the outcome may be that we are not able to prosper off Earth. We have been seduced by science fiction, but living it might not be what anyone can do for long.

floxy 3y ago

> I'm not aware of the proven reserves of economically viable Martian resources. Land? I suppose if you are the first on Mars, you can claim a pretty big chunk as your own.

pixl97 3y ago
Not land, water. Being able to do anything useful with that land like turning it into water/fuel/something else is going to be the biggest constraint, probably for centuries unless automation goes far faster than I expect.

vik0 3y ago

>The journey to Mars is similar in relative technical requirements and time-on-ship to the early European colonization of the Americas. I dunno, this seems a bit doubtful. Water vs no air type of deal. I think going to Mars is a tiiiiiny bit more technical than crossing an ocean, even if a bit over 500 years ago that kind of an ordeal was much more difficult than it is today

erulabs 3y ago

Mars is somewhat interesting because it has no valuable resources (at least, not valuable enough to launch back to Earth), but it does create something of political value. "Mars is a harsh Mistress" and all that.

marcusverus 3y ago
I’m convinced that we’ll end up colonizing Mars simply because, once the project is underway, the pitch will be too awesome for 20-year-old engineers to resist. Why spend your life turning out widgets when you could be building a new world?

pixl97 3y ago

I personally don't think Mars is a great first step but I could be wrong. Semi automated asteroid capture and mining along with space based fabrication seem like a much more fruitful endeavor at least in the shorter term.

panick21_ 3y ago
Mars gives you a useful atmosphere, both for resources, cooling and breaking. Easily available water is a big one. Temperatur is far closer to something we can handle. And of course useful gratify. Operating in all space environment is incredibly hard.

Zigurd 3y ago

That's an excellent set of analogies. As harsh as a sea voyage is on one's health, you don't risk breaking a hip when you step on a different continent. And you didn't have to bring your food, air, water, and airtight shelter with you. The case for manned exploration is hard enough to sell. Mankind will learn a lot about space travel and space habitats, and pay a lot for that knowledge. But the outcome may be that we are not able to prosper off Earth. We have been seduced by science fiction, but living it might not be what anyone can do for long.