Imagine there was another Earthlike planet in our system
I don't see that at all. Bullgrit seems to me to merely be eliciting conversation. He's asking our opinions on, "what if?" and is doing darned little to guide our speculations. He starts such threads fairly frequently, and they're usually a lot of fun.
RangerWickett
Legend
Now I'm intrigued. What is the most cost-effective way, starting with our current technology, to annihilate a civilization on Mars.
Something to reduce the cost of getting payloads into space is a must. I think I read that we have the technology today to conceivably build a space elevator from the surface of the moon. So maybe you spend a high investment to get a base on the moon, then build lunar solar panels that can generate enough energy for us to produce antimatter. This requires, of course, figuring out how to contain antimatter for a long period of time (and I think if we can do that, we can just as easily pull off fusion).
Something to reduce the cost of getting payloads into space is a must. I think I read that we have the technology today to conceivably build a space elevator from the surface of the moon. So maybe you spend a high investment to get a base on the moon, then build lunar solar panels that can generate enough energy for us to produce antimatter. This requires, of course, figuring out how to contain antimatter for a long period of time (and I think if we can do that, we can just as easily pull off fusion).
In that case, I read hastily and drew a really bad misconclusion.
My sincere apologies.
As for how to devastate Mars...I suspect just hurling nukes would be most cost-effective, since we already have a lot, and they're all already on top of giant rockets.
Failing that, maybe send rockets to asteroids and nudge them onto collision courses? Hard to beat that level of destruction, but it might not really be cost-effective.
My sincere apologies.
As for how to devastate Mars...I suspect just hurling nukes would be most cost-effective, since we already have a lot, and they're all already on top of giant rockets.
Failing that, maybe send rockets to asteroids and nudge them onto collision courses? Hard to beat that level of destruction, but it might not really be cost-effective.
RangerWickett
Legend
I'm thinking "Real Time Strategy" game, StarCraft style. Sure, you could just build dozens of small units and send them, but is it more effective for the overall battle to invest in more production and technological development so you can field super-weapons.
Or, in this case, figure out how to make a launch loop.
(I really want a launch loop. And a pony.)
Or, in this case, figure out how to make a launch loop.
(I really want a launch loop. And a pony.)
All you care about is cost, and the end of Martian civilization? You don't care if you can use the planet, you don't care if it takes a while to accomplish, and you don't care how many Martians are left alive, just so long as the civilization crumbles?
Okay, here's my suggestion, using only stuff that we've at least experimented with already:
Take a standard chemical rocket to launch a probe. Said probe is equipped with an ion drive. The probe heads out to the asteroid belt (or, for a little more oomph, go for one of the Jupiter Trojan points), and latches on to a big rock. It then uses a solar sail to de-orbit the rock such that it crashes into Mars with a high relative velocity. The only speculative thing here is the solar sail, really. Cost is probably on the order of a couple/few billion dollars. It takes forever, though, as solar sails don't provide much thrust. If you're careful, though, the Martians never see it coming, because you make sure your sail never reflects light in the direction of Mars. Extra bonus points, you have the probe spray-paint the rock a stealthy black.
See post #22.
Dropping rocks is cost effective on a per-rock basis, but you need a lot of them to do the job.
A bioweapon requires expensive R&D, but the payload is comparatively tiny, and depending on virulence, vectors, and science/culture of the target, could be effectively delivered with as few as a single payload.
Plus, you probably don't have any rebuilding costs, post-conquest.
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I don't think that would be an issue as we likely couldn't use their buildings anyway and their biosphere would be as hostile to use as the real mars.
But it is realistic that this would be one of the first questions we ask us.
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