5 ms·

Will We Live On Mars? (Predictions From 2000)

8 points by tsally 18y ago

geuis 18y ago
And to think the fears of the day were the Soviet Union was going to beat us to Mars.
ryanwaggoner 18y ago
Things like this make me sad, because I fear that the optimism of my own generation regarding things like space exploration, genetic engineering, nanotechnology, and other potential technological leaps forward are just as futile and fanciful as the last generation's were. Someone cheer me up :) And also, how the hell did we put men on the moon in the 1960s?
- bd 18y ago
  And also, how the hell did we put men on the moon in the 1960s? And it was for mere $135 billion (in 2005 dollars). [1] That's less than $20 for every person currently alive on Earth (6.8 billion). [2] Or about $170 for every citizen of US+EU combined (~800 million). Amazing what we can achieve when we focus. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Apollo#Program_costs_and_cancellation http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Apollo#Program_costs_an... [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_population http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_population
- jerf 18y ago
  Futile? Look around, they're happening. Now. Don't look on CNN, though. It gave up science coverage. There's been a lot of progress made in the fields of "things journalists don't really understand", which encompasses an ever-wider range of stuff, including robotics, materials science, biology in general, private space research, and several other things. Oh, your really fanciful stuff might be impossible, but the merely possible is happening. Just... slower than you'd like, but still, happening.
  - ryanwaggoner 18y ago
    Forgive my ignorance, but what are some good sources to read about stuff like this?
nazgulnarsil 18y ago
an aside about mars plans. what is the deal with all these inflatable habitat and self constructing memory metal ideas? why would you build on the surface when one of the main concerns is radiation? there are lots of cracks int he surface of mars. with much less material you can simply roof off one of these and carve rooms into the walls of the fissure. Build down dummies.

8 points by tsally 18y ago

geuis 18y ago

And to think the fears of the day were the Soviet Union was going to beat us to Mars.

Things like this make me sad, because I fear that the optimism of my own generation regarding things like space exploration, genetic engineering, nanotechnology, and other potential technological leaps forward are just as futile and fanciful as the last generation's were. Someone cheer me up :) And also, how the hell did we put men on the moon in the 1960s?

bd 18y ago
And also, how the hell did we put men on the moon in the 1960s? And it was for mere $135 billion (in 2005 dollars). [1] That's less than $20 for every person currently alive on Earth (6.8 billion). [2] Or about $170 for every citizen of US+EU combined (~800 million). Amazing what we can achieve when we focus. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Apollo#Program_costs_and_cancellation http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Apollo#Program_costs_an... [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_population http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_population
jerf 18y ago
Futile? Look around, they're happening. Now. Don't look on CNN, though. It gave up science coverage. There's been a lot of progress made in the fields of "things journalists don't really understand", which encompasses an ever-wider range of stuff, including robotics, materials science, biology in general, private space research, and several other things. Oh, your really fanciful stuff might be impossible, but the merely possible is happening. Just... slower than you'd like, but still, happening.
- ryanwaggoner 18y ago
  Forgive my ignorance, but what are some good sources to read about stuff like this?

nazgulnarsil 18y ago

an aside about mars plans. what is the deal with all these inflatable habitat and self constructing memory metal ideas? why would you build on the surface when one of the main concerns is radiation? there are lots of cracks int he surface of mars. with much less material you can simply roof off one of these and carve rooms into the walls of the fissure. Build down dummies.