3 ms·
Well to be fair, I grant you that certain people would find those awful conditions worth it for the sake of the mission. I just think the novelty will wear off
by greendestiny 11y ago
Well to be fair, I grant you that certain people would find those awful conditions worth it for the sake of the mission. I just think the novelty will wear off and there won't be a stream of people heading off to colonise Mars.
It doesn't make a lot of sense to jump out of this deep gravity well just to be stuck on another one at our current technology levels. Instead asteroids will be much more inviting and the technology to harvest them will combat the large existential risk from rogue asteroids that is one of main arguments for the colonisation of other planets in the first place.
- fit2rule 11y agoI'd much rather visit an asteroid than Mars, so I agree with you there - but I think there are other ways that Mars may become attractive to settlers - especially those who want to escape tyranny on Earth. If a settlement starts and survives, then whoever gets there and participates is literally building a new civilization from scratch. I think you might be a little naive in thinking there aren't a large number of willing people who want to do that, no matter the personal cost. There's a lot of potential.
- greendestiny 11y agoThe problem isn't the individual, its the society that has to pay for it. We can find the exploration of Mars a worthwhile thing in the abstract. But as a society that interest will wane in the face of the reality. Then we aren't going to be paying billions to ship misanthropes off to Mars to thumb their noses at us.
- fit2rule 11y agoFortunately for us, there are enough rich misanthropes to not have to worry about the problem. ;)