[ot] Mars colonization

[Zappo]

Here's a question: If mars were colonized would you go? I definitely would..... to big an opportunity to pass up...

Mah. Probably. Perhaps. Maybe. If the safety conditions are tolerable. It'd be much like a new frontier, except that you need high-tech skills and as many degrees as possible, instead of strong arms and l33t ph4rm1ng skillz.

 

[s/LaSH]

Don't underestimate the l33t ph4rm1ng sk1llz... even if you're doing everything by hydroponics, you still need someone to say 'The crop is ripe' or 'That don't smell right'. And anyway, the average farmer (in New Zealand, at least) is a one-man expert in finance, vetinary medicine, multispecies nutrition, birth assistance, ecological planning, heavy machinery operation, cooking, labour force management, etc etc etc.

Damn it, with people like that around, I'll never get to Mars!

ahem

I really don't know if I'd want to go to Mars. It depends on the time frame. Am I a pioneer, likely to spend the rest of my life in a small dome poking at rocks? Probably not; I wouldn't be too useful to such an expedition. Am I am immigrant, going there to enjoy the culture and stuff? Probably yes; I think it would be cool.

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

i've said all i have to say about consciousness at this time.

BACK TO MARS!!!

Here's a question: If mars were colonized would you go? I definitely would..... to big an opportunity to pass up...

Hell, yes. Not as a colonist, mind you - I still like Earth a lot.

But as a tourist? Certainly, if I have the money, time, and opportunity...

 

[Airwolf]

BACK TO MARS!!!

Here's a question: If mars were colonized would you go? I definitely would..... to big an opportunity to pass up...

Yes I would go. I would go as a colonist or as an immigrant or even as a tourist.

I realize that going, as a colonist would be extremely hard and tedious work. I might even get stuck doing something I don’t like as a job. I would endure the tedious work because I would want to make a Mars colony work for the immigrants that would follow. I also understand that there is great risk involved but I would be willing to take that risk to help move man of this rock.

Besides, I’m trained and work as an engineer so I am sure they could find something useful for me to do that wouldn’t be too boring. Maybe I could open the first LGS on Mars. I suspect that there wouldn’t be much of an entertainment industry when the colonies got started.

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

Besides, I’m trained and work as an engineer so I am sure they could find something useful for me to do that wouldn’t be too boring.

I'm a physicist, so I could probably find something as well...

Maybe I could open the first LGS on Mars. I suspect that there wouldn’t be much of an entertainment industry when the colonies got started.

A good idea in theory, but in practice I'd guess that RPGs will only be brought to Mars in digital format. Getting entire books there is expensive!

And RPGs in digital format can be bought and sold over the Internet (hey, they've already figured out how to plug in other planets into the internet...).

 

[Storminator]

And RPGs in digital format can be bought and sold over the Internet (hey, they've already figured out how to plug in other planets into the internet...).

Imagine the download times... and the corrupted files ... bring a CD or two.

Internet connection speed to Mars is going to be nasty. In fact, communication infrastructure in general is going to be some very expensive bandwidth from here to Mars.

I wouldn't go. I would have 10 years ago, but Mars ain't the kind of place to raise your kids.

PS

 

[Celebrim]

I don't think I could stop my wife if we had the oppurtunity. We'd be going. Of course you are right, medicine hasn't reached the state were raising or worse yet birthing kids on mars is a good idea. But, I told myself that if I ever had the chance to go to Mars and they had at least a 50% chance that I'd live, I'd go. Besides, I think my wife would leave me for Mars if I didn't go.

 

[Zappo]

Imagine the download times... and the corrupted files ... bring a CD or two.

Gah. I don't even want to imagine it. With an 8 minutes latency, all the protocols which are commonly used for networking will be utterly useless.

 

[Tharkun]

I still think it won't happen until at least 30 years go by. The way I see it is that 4 things need to happen beforehand.

1) Something like the X-33 needs to be made. (Why'd they stop making it anyway they were close to finishing it!).

2) The ISS needs to be finished

3) We need another space race type of thing to help get our "manhood" back as a nation.

4) it needs to be an effort that won't putter out after an election but can go for 4+ years building the thing to go there.

Only when those things happen will we as a nation be ready to go there (yes we can get there by ourselfs but we'd need to cut defence spending...oh wait we'd never cut THAT!).

 

[NoOneofConsequence]

OT

You want to get your "manhood back as a nation" by cutting defence spending? Boy, you really are a visionary. I think that "more macho" and "less guns" is like talking a foreign language to Republicans. A foreign language like, sanscrit, frex.