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Why would anyone want to go to Mars? Are people now so hysterical that they honestly believe Earth after climate change would be less habitable than Mars, a des

by tsss 2y ago

Why would anyone want to go to Mars? Are people now so hysterical that they honestly believe Earth after climate change would be less habitable than Mars, a desert planet with no air?

mort96 2y ago
I don't know. Certain people have this idea that we have mars as a "back-up planet" if things get too bad on earth. Musk has been saying that for example. I think Musk says it to generate hype for his ventures, but I think others believe it because it's comforting to believe that no matter how bad things get here, we have an alternative. The reality is of course that, at least for the foreseeable future, certainly for the duration of the lives of everyone alive today, there is no back-up planet. And honestly, given how climate change is progressing, that's scary.
- s1artibartfast 2y ago
  I think you are making a strawman of the position. Nobody thinks we will be able to just move to Mars in our lifetime. Some people think it is important to spread the human race beyond earth. It isn't about climate change.
  - mort96 2y ago
    There is no singular "the position", there are multiple people with different positions. Some just want to see humanity become a multi-planetary species this millennium, which is a perfectly sensible goal. Others imagine going to mars as a solution to climate change.
    - signatoremo 2y ago
      > Others imagine going to mars as a solution to climate change. Can you link to some people on this camp?
      - fragmede 2y ago
        Unless you ship all the fuel you need to have on Mars while you are there and to get back (expensive), you'd need some technology to capture CO2 from the Martian atmosphere and combine it with hydrogen (from electrolysis) to make methane. But once you have that capture technology working there, it doesn't seem like there would be a problem with running that technology on Earth. If it were possible to capture CO2 directly from the air (DAC), you'd be cutting down the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere that is only there because we burn fossile fuels.
FollowingTheDao 2y ago
Yes. https://aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org/features/selling-mars-as-planet-b/ https://aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org/features/selling-mars-as-p...

by tsss 2y ago

Why would anyone want to go to Mars? Are people now so hysterical that they honestly believe Earth after climate change would be less habitable than Mars, a desert planet with no air?

mort96 2y ago

I don't know. Certain people have this idea that we have mars as a "back-up planet" if things get too bad on earth. Musk has been saying that for example. I think Musk says it to generate hype for his ventures, but I think others believe it because it's comforting to believe that no matter how bad things get here, we have an alternative. The reality is of course that, at least for the foreseeable future, certainly for the duration of the lives of everyone alive today, there is no back-up planet. And honestly, given how climate change is progressing, that's scary.

s1artibartfast 2y ago
I think you are making a strawman of the position. Nobody thinks we will be able to just move to Mars in our lifetime. Some people think it is important to spread the human race beyond earth. It isn't about climate change.
- mort96 2y ago
  There is no singular "the position", there are multiple people with different positions. Some just want to see humanity become a multi-planetary species this millennium, which is a perfectly sensible goal. Others imagine going to mars as a solution to climate change.
  - signatoremo 2y ago
    > Others imagine going to mars as a solution to climate change. Can you link to some people on this camp?
    - fragmede 2y ago
      Unless you ship all the fuel you need to have on Mars while you are there and to get back (expensive), you'd need some technology to capture CO2 from the Martian atmosphere and combine it with hydrogen (from electrolysis) to make methane. But once you have that capture technology working there, it doesn't seem like there would be a problem with running that technology on Earth. If it were possible to capture CO2 directly from the air (DAC), you'd be cutting down the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere that is only there because we burn fossile fuels.

FollowingTheDao 2y ago

Yes. https://aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org/features/selling-mars-as-planet-b/ https://aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org/features/selling-mars-as-p...