Great News for a Mars Colony!

[lotr10]

Scientists have discovered an underground block of ice on Mars that has a volume of water equal to lake Superior!

http://www.popularmechanics.com/spac...as-new-mexico/

This is big news for any future Mars colony. With this finding, it's almost certain that significant other deposits of water exist underground on Mars.

It's time for the USA to commit to a Mars landing in much the same way we did for the moon. It's time to think seriously about establishing a permanent settlement on the red planet.

[eastside_purple]

Trump will make it happen, don't worry.

[cabezadecaballo]

Go Musk! Sell some millennial morons and random dreamers!




Keep tax dollars out of it. We are burning enough of those already.

[lotr10]

Originally Posted by cabezadecaballo

Go Musk! Sell some millennial morons and random dreamers!

Keep tax dollars out of it. We are burning enough of those already.

For sure encourage private enterprise to take a leading role in space exploration. But consider what we spent for our Middle East wars. That pretty much builds us a mars colony and which of the two - Middle East adventurism or Mars Colony - would our grandchildren be thanking us for.

Bottom line is that we have plenty of money to kick start space exploration back up if we avoid the craziness of foreign "nation building". After 9/11 we should have destroyed the Taliban & El Quida in Afghanistan and hunted down Osama. And that's it. No invading Iraq. No rebuilding Afghanistan.

[Raider6309]

Originally Posted by lotr10

For sure encourage private enterprise to take a leading role in space exploration. But consider what we spent for our Middle East wars. That pretty much builds us a mars colony and which of the two - Middle East adventurism or Mars Colony - would our grandchildren be thanking us for.

Bottom line is that we have plenty of money to kick start space exploration back up if we avoid the craziness of foreign "nation building". After 9/11 we should have destroyed the Taliban & El Quida in Afghanistan and hunted down Osama. And that's it. No invading Iraq. No rebuilding Afghanistan.

We found a trillion dollars of lithium in the middle east. We aren't there for democracy

[cabezadecaballo]

Originally Posted by lotr10

For sure encourage private enterprise to take a leading role in space exploration. But consider what we spent for our Middle East wars. That pretty much builds us a mars colony and which of the two - Middle East adventurism or Mars Colony - would our grandchildren be thanking us for.

Bottom line is that we have plenty of money to kick start space exploration back up if we avoid the craziness of foreign "nation building". After 9/11 we should have destroyed the Taliban & El Quida in Afghanistan and hunted down Osama. And that's it. No invading Iraq. No rebuilding Afghanistan.

Eliminating the money spent in Middle East wars would have merely made our debt a little less. We are much too far in the red to burn cash on the Red Planet nonsense, either way. "We" have no money.

You have to eat your broccoli before you get any pie.

[lotr10]

Originally Posted by cabezadecaballo

You have to eat your broccoli before you get any pie.

The "pie" is our MASSIVE social welfare infrastructure.

Space exploration and building a colony on Mars would be more akin to a "vegetable medley". Tastes good, loaded with nutrients and beneficial to all that eat it.

My bet is that the nation that wins the space race in the 21st century, and that includes building a Mars colony, is the nation that wins the 22nd century.

[Uncle Ted]

Why would we even want to build a place on mars? If earth becomes inhabitable like mars, wouldn't it be more cost effective to just do the building here? Why go to Mars? You could build now exactly what you would build on mars.

[Michael Bluth]

Originally Posted by lotr10

For sure encourage private enterprise to take a leading role in space exploration. But consider what we spent for our Middle East wars. That pretty much builds us a mars colony and which of the two - Middle East adventurism or Mars Colony - would our grandchildren be thanking us for.

Bottom line is that we have plenty of money to kick start space exploration back up if we avoid the craziness of foreign "nation building". After 9/11 we should have destroyed the Taliban & El Quida in Afghanistan and hunted down Osama. And that's it. No invading Iraq. No rebuilding Afghanistan.

100% agreed

[eastside_purple]

I hope something better than Tang comes out of lotr's Mars boondoggle.

[cabezadecaballo]

Originally Posted by Uncle Ted

Why would we even want to build a place on mars? If earth becomes inhabitable like mars, wouldn't it be more cost effective to just do the building here? Why go to Mars? You could build now exactly what you would build on mars.

Making "fake" jobs to pay off student loans, maybe ?

I guess it's better than Bernie throwing money for votes.

[ronnie mund]

Originally Posted by Michael Bluth

100% agreed

Yup, I'm with lotr on this one. Space exploration is one of the few things I approve my tax dollars going to. We need to continue pushing the boundaries.

What interests me more than building a colony is just the idea of there being other life out there, even if they are just microbials. Would change everything.

[Possessed]

You talking monkies with all your vanity still perplex me as to why He favors you. You have starving children, homeless vets, massive debts... and all you can think to do is plant a handful of people on a rock that will never be inhabitable simply so you can pound your chest.

You can't build colonies on the moon, but somehow think you're going to do it on Mars lol. So wasteful. So self centered. Hey, there's water buried on Mars! Let's spend a couple trillion dollars and drill to it so we can find out its poisonous to humans!

[Crusaders]

Interestingly, fossil fuels may exist on Mars since it appears likely that it was once home to life. That would actually be a really good thing since the CO2 released into Mars' atmosphere would lead to warming. On Mars, the dirtier the fuel, the better.

Drill baby drill!

[lotr10]

Originally Posted by eastside_purple

I hope something better than Tang comes out of lotr's Mars boondoggle.

A new industrial age for starters.

The scientific breakthroughs constructing a viable Mars colony would provide us are likely to be priceless.

[lotr10]

Originally Posted by Possessed

You talking monkies with all your vanity still perplex me as to why He favors you. You have starving children, homeless vets, massive debts... and all you can think to do is plant a handful of people on a rock that will never be inhabitable simply so you can pound your chest.

You can't build colonies on the moon, but somehow think you're going to do it on Mars lol. So wasteful. So self centered. Hey, there's water buried on Mars! Let's spend a couple trillion dollars and drill to it so we can find out its poisonous to humans!

Mars someday will support a human population of millions. There is water & oxygen and enough of an atmosphere to protect against solar radiation. Mars would be the stepping stone for a push into the outer solar system - the asteroid belt and the gas giants. The nation that colonizes Mars will rule the Solar System and the nation that rules the solar system will rule humanity!

We talking monkeys have done pretty good for ourselves and it's our destiny to break the confines of the earth. Heck, I suspect it's an instinctual drive to spread out beyond earth in order to ensure our survival should the unthinkable happen to our great blue planet.

BTW, we've had "starving children" since the dawn of civilization and at no time in our history has it been an excuse NOT to make progress and drive forward. Finding water on Mars is a huge deal. From water comes life.

[Termite2]

Make Mars great again!

[Uncle Ted]

Originally Posted by lotr10

Mars someday will support a human population of millions. There is water & oxygen and enough of an atmosphere to protect against solar radiation. Mars would be the stepping stone for a push into the outer solar system - the asteroid belt and the gas giants. The nation that colonizes Mars will rule the Solar System and the nation that rules the solar system will rule humanity!

We talking monkeys have done pretty good for ourselves and it's our destiny to break the confines of the earth. Heck, I suspect it's an instinctual drive to spread out beyond earth in order to ensure our survival should the unthinkable happen to our great blue planet.

BTW, we've had "starving children" since the dawn of civilization and at no time in our history has it been an excuse NOT to make progress and drive forward. Finding water on Mars is a huge deal. From water comes life.

What is the unthinkable? If we are able to travel to mars and back and it's no big deal, then that would mean we have conquered space travel in a small step. We don't need to set up shop on mars to enhance space travel. So why build a colony?

[Uncle Ted]

Most planets with potential life on them are light years away. Mars is less than 500 million miles, 1 light year is 5,878,499,810,000 miles. Give me a break.

[lotr10]

Originally Posted by Uncle Ted

Most planets with potential life on them are light years away. Mars is less than 500 million miles, 1 light year is 5,878,499,810,000 miles. Give me a break.

It's a step wise process UT. The asteroid belt and the gas giants hold enormous natural resources. ANY trip beyond the solar system will be financed by the wealth of the outer solar system and the trans solar ships will be launched from the outer solar system.

First step is orbital manufacturing & a moon base.

Second step is a Mars colony & expeditions to the asteroid belt. The belt will be a true El Dorado for the human race.

Third step is to push to the gas giants and establish colonies on their moons and in their upper atmospheres. This is where we will launch our extra solar expeditions.

The human race WILL spread throughout the solar system. Whether it's in the next century or millennium IT WILL happen. We can either be the leaders in this effort and our grand children and great grand children will reap the benefits or we can sit back and watch the Chinese take the lead. Our choice.

[lotr10]

Originally Posted by Uncle Ted

Most planets with potential life on them are light years away. Mars is less than 500 million miles, 1 light year is 5,878,499,810,000 miles. Give me a break.

Mars is likely to have viable life, probably microscopic, and may have possessed more advanced life forms in the planets past. The gas giants and their moons are also potential locations for life as there are "zones" within both that contain ample water and temperate temperatures that could support life. Just as human beings adopted physiologically and intellectually (clothing, fire, shelter) to live in ever harsher climates on earth we will adopt genetically & technologically to live throughout the solar system.

[lotr10]

Originally Posted by Uncle Ted

What is the unthinkable? If we are able to travel to mars and back and it's no big deal, then that would mean we have conquered space travel in a small step. We don't need to set up shop on mars to enhance space travel. So why build a colony?

The most likely extinction level threat facing humanity is the earth being struck by a large asteroid. It has happened in the past and almost certainly will happen again in the future.

[Crusaders]

I'm still waiting for Musk to explain how he's going to deal with gravity.

[Possessed]

Originally Posted by lotr10

Mars someday will support a human population of millions. There is water & oxygen and enough of an atmosphere to protect against solar radiation. Mars would be the stepping stone for a push into the outer solar system - the asteroid belt and the gas giants. The nation that colonizes Mars will rule the Solar System and the nation that rules the solar system will rule humanity!

We talking monkeys have done pretty good for ourselves and it's our destiny to break the confines of the earth. Heck, I suspect it's an instinctual drive to spread out beyond earth in order to ensure our survival should the unthinkable happen to our great blue planet.

BTW, we've had "starving children" since the dawn of civilization and at no time in our history has it been an excuse NOT to make progress and drive forward. Finding water on Mars is a huge deal. From water comes life.

As I said... vanity. Pure vanity. The "unthinkable" is going to happen. Whether the sun expands, or an astroid... it's going to happen. There is nothing to be gained from colonizing a dead planet with grandiose ideas of manifest destiny. A colony of millions? Lol. That's laughable. Why you waste time and treasure for vanity while there's suffering right outside your door. Why haven't we gone back to the moon? Because it proved pointless other than vanity and bragging rights. The US could have "won" the space race and developed their technology without going to the moon. Mars will be the same. One way tickets for the first group, all for nothing. Every bit of your statement is conjuncture. Space geeks pushing an agenda to vanity driven fools so they can get grants to keep their job playing with space toys.

[lotr10]

Originally Posted by Possessed

As I said... vanity. Pure vanity. The "unthinkable" is going to happen. Whether the sun expands, or an astroid... it's going to happen. There is nothing to be gained from colonizing a dead planet with grandiose ideas of manifest destiny. A colony of millions? Lol. That's laughable. Why you waste time and treasure for vanity while there's suffering right outside your door. Why haven't we gone back to the moon? Because it proved pointless other than vanity and bragging rights. The US could have "won" the space race and developed their technology without going to the moon. Mars will be the same. One way tickets for the first group, all for nothing. Every bit of your statement is conjuncture. Space geeks pushing an agenda to vanity driven fools so they can get grants to keep their job playing with space toys.

Vanity has NOTHING to do with it. The human race is by nature a race of "explorers". We are hard wired to explore. We've learned to master the physical universe as we've pushed at and through its boundaries. It is inevitable that we will expand across the solar system. Look at what humanity has already accomplished, in comparison to all other animals, and try telling me there isn't a manifest destiny to first take the solar system and then take the stars.

Of course Mars will one day be populated by millions of humans. Heck, there may come a time when billions of people make their home on Mars. One day we'll crash comets into Mars and build a new atmosphere that enables us to live outdoors. And before you say I'm dreaming can you imagine what a member of the Plymouth colony in Massachusetts would say upon seeing how their little colony on the shores of an immense and wild land in 1620 had become a continent spanning colossus of 320,000,000 people today. It only took 300 years to reach this point. Imagine where we'll be in another 300 years.

And you know what, when we rule the solar system there will still be suffering because there will always be suffering. And I suspect that sometime in the future folks will argue about the wisdom of launching expeditions to the nearest stars because there is "suffering" in the solar system and such a journey will be expensive and high risk and we should just stay "home" and take care of those in need.

The question isn't whether we push out into the solar system, we will. The question is who will lead the effort and reap the greatest rewards.

[Crusaders]

Originally Posted by Possessed

As I said... vanity. Pure vanity. The "unthinkable" is going to happen. Whether the sun expands, or an astroid... it's going to happen. There is nothing to be gained from colonizing a dead planet with grandiose ideas of manifest destiny. A colony of millions? Lol. That's laughable. Why you waste time and treasure for vanity while there's suffering right outside your door. Why haven't we gone back to the moon? Because it proved pointless other than vanity and bragging rights. The US could have "won" the space race and developed their technology without going to the moon. Mars will be the same. One way tickets for the first group, all for nothing. Every bit of your statement is conjuncture. Space geeks pushing an agenda to vanity driven fools so they can get grants to keep their job playing with space toys.

What utter nonsense

1. If an asteroid hitting Earth is inevitable, wouldn't it make sense to have a backup planet? If sun expansion is inevitable, wouldn't it be prudent to develop spacefaring technologies?

2. Why is a colony of millions laughable? Terraforming will likely be possible in the future.

3. The suffering of others on Earth does not preclude our initiative and aspiration. It is our biological imperative to do what is necessary to keep our species going, and nothing will make that more likely than unlocking interplanetary and interstellar travel and colonization.

4. We haven't gone back to the Moon for a lot of reasons (fiscal, primarily), none of which was "it's pointless". The Moon is covered in Helium-3, while it's rare on Earth. It's packed with energy that would have likely been utilized as an energy source here if we'd continued research it. Lack of foresight and wisdom, like what you display here, can be blamed.

5. You cannot say that the technologies developed by NASA and derived from their research would have happened anyway. Who knows where we would be if we never started the space program.


Something tells me there's some fatalistic fundamentalism underscoring your perspective.

[cabezadecaballo]

Originally Posted by Uncle Ted

Most planets with potential life on them are light years away. Mars is less than 500 million miles, 1 light year is 5,878,499,810,000 miles. Give me a break.

wormholes, Ted.........folded-over time........String Theory......12 dimensions....... at all the brain-fapping geekery

Just pay off the debt first. Figure that out, you Einsteins. Yeah, I know it's not exciting. Get rid of the debt that has a chunk of my grandchildren's wages as an asset on some bank's balance sheet. F_ Mars

[Possessed]

Originally Posted by Crusaders

What utter nonsense

1. If an asteroid hitting Earth is inevitable, wouldn't it make sense to have a backup planet? If sun expansion is inevitable, wouldn't it be prudent to develop spacefaring technologies?

2. Why is a colony of millions laughable? Terraforming will likely be possible in the future.

3. The suffering of others on Earth does not preclude our initiative and aspiration. It is our biological imperative to do what is necessary to keep our species going, and nothing will make that more likely than unlocking interplanetary and interstellar travel and colonization.

4. We haven't gone back to the Moon for a lot of reasons (fiscal, primarily), none of which was "it's pointless". The Moon is covered in Helium-3, while it's rare on Earth. It's packed with energy that would have likely been utilized as an energy source here if we'd continued research it. Lack of foresight and wisdom, like what you display here, can be blamed.

5. You cannot say that the technologies developed by NASA and derived from their research would have happened anyway. Who knows where we would be if we never started the space program.


Something tells me there's some fatalistic fundamentalism underscoring your perspective.

Lol... garbage.

The moon is packed with a potential energy source, but we just didn't pursue it because of fiscal reasons.

Pretty shows how stupid the rest of your speel is lol.

[Possessed]

There's water buried under Mars! We can't breath there, or take the temps, but I'm sure we can drink the water!

Again, fantasy bs so nerds can get gubment money to keep their jobs. Can't come up with a viable returning space vehicle, but we gonna go colonize Mars!

Step away from the comic books.

[Raider6309]

Why are we far more intelligent than the other animals of earth? Why did we evolve so fast starting 6,000 years ago?

Yeah, life is likely to have come from Mars since it could support life far before earth