Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst
1
2
3
LastLast
  1. #21
    Quote Originally Posted by Reeve View Post
    I can imagine lots of countries will claim stuff, but never act on those claims. Like a bunch of countries claim contradictory parts of Antarctica, but no one acts on it.
    difference here is there is the potential for actual value. there would be the colony itself, vast amounts of unexploited territory free from access to most countries, whatever minerals and other stuff, and the tech necessary to make it all possible, which would be in the hands of the company that achieved it. we already try to limit tech in the form of game systems, etc, that could be used for weapons and such. this would be so much beyond that kind of thing

  2. #22
    Pit Lord Wiyld's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Secret Underground Lair
    Posts
    2,347
    Im voting Rand Paul for Mars pres 2020
    Quote Originally Posted by Gillern View Post
    "IM LOOKING AT A THING I DONT LIKE, I HAVE THE OPTION TO GO AWAY FROM IT BUT I WILL LOOK MORE AND COMPLAIN ABOUT THE THING I DONT LIKE BECAUSE I DONT LIKE IT, NO ONE IS FORCING ME TO SEARCH FOR THIS THING OR LOOK AT THIS THING OR REMAIN LOOKING AT THIS THING BUT I AM ANYWAY, ITS OFFENDS ME! ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME!!!"
    Troof

  3. #23
    Merely a Setback Reeve's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    Houston, TX USA
    Posts
    28,800
    Quote Originally Posted by Gamdwelf View Post
    I think chile is about the only one, because it is right south of their country, like on all images of chile in their country includes their part of antartica.
    It's officially claimed by 7 countries, with three of the claims overlapping:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Territo..._in_Antarctica
    'Twas a cutlass swipe or an ounce of lead
    Or a yawing hole in a battered head
    And the scuppers clogged with rotting red
    And there they lay I damn me eyes
    All lookouts clapped on Paradise
    All souls bound just contrarywise, yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!

  4. #24
    Immortal SirRobin's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Counciltucky
    Posts
    7,145
    Quote Originally Posted by Gamdwelf View Post
    Mars one is sending people starting in about 10 years, next year they are taking applications for volunteers.
    I won't believe it until they actually launch. I just don't see them pulling it off.

    Quote Originally Posted by Reeve View Post
    The cost of shipping the gold back to Earth would probably be greater than the value of the gold. I do hope they work out how to make this happen. A colony of 80,000 people strikes me as something that could eventually become self-sufficient.
    If I recall correctly, don't you only need a few thousand to be genetically stable? As long as the soil can be kept fertile enough, and enough water can be found, then self-sufficiency is definitely doable. I would be most concerned with the long term effects of the lighter gravity on things like bone density. Wouldn't do to have a colony full of people with fragile bones.
    Sir Robin, the Not-Quite-So-Brave-As-Sir-Lancelot.
    Who had nearly fought the Dragon of Angnor.
    Who had almost stood up to the vicious Chicken of Bristol.
    And who had personally wet himself, at the Battle of Badon Hill.

  5. #25
    Merely a Setback Reeve's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    Houston, TX USA
    Posts
    28,800
    Quote Originally Posted by SirRobin View Post
    I won't believe it until they actually launch. I just don't see them pulling it off.



    If I recall correctly, don't you only need a few thousand to be genetically stable? As long as the soil can be kept fertile enough, and enough water can be found, then self-sufficiency is definitely doable. I would be most concerned with the long term effects of the lighter gravity on things like bone density. Wouldn't do to have a colony full of people with fragile bones.
    My concern would be replacing materials when things begin to wear out, as things always do. You'd have to build new domes or be able to repair existing domes, which means you'd need both the production facilities on site and the means to mine, synthesize, or scavenge the necessary materials.
    'Twas a cutlass swipe or an ounce of lead
    Or a yawing hole in a battered head
    And the scuppers clogged with rotting red
    And there they lay I damn me eyes
    All lookouts clapped on Paradise
    All souls bound just contrarywise, yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!

  6. #26
    Quote Originally Posted by Reeve View Post
    My concern would be replacing materials when things begin to wear out, as things always do. You'd have to build new domes or be able to repair existing domes, which means you'd need both the production facilities on site and the means to mine, synthesize, or scavenge the necessary materials.
    yeah, getting the stuff in place to support people is far harder than the actual people, logistics-wise

  7. #27
    Immortal SirRobin's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Counciltucky
    Posts
    7,145
    Quote Originally Posted by Reeve View Post
    My concern would be replacing materials when things begin to wear out, as things always do. You'd have to build new domes or be able to repair existing domes, which means you'd need both the production facilities on site and the means to mine, synthesize, or scavenge the necessary materials.
    Well, as far as we know, Mars has never had mass exploitation of its resources so I doubt metals would be too hard to find. Though, of course, fossil fuels are likely limited or nonexistent. Of course with a limited atmosphere, solar would probably be more than abundant. Probably wouldn't need more than a small smelter.
    Sir Robin, the Not-Quite-So-Brave-As-Sir-Lancelot.
    Who had nearly fought the Dragon of Angnor.
    Who had almost stood up to the vicious Chicken of Bristol.
    And who had personally wet himself, at the Battle of Badon Hill.

  8. #28
    Quote Originally Posted by SirRobin View Post
    Well, as far as we know, Mars has never had mass exploitation of its resources so I doubt metals would be too hard to find. Though, of course, fossil fuels are likely limited or nonexistent. Of course with a limited atmosphere, solar would probably be more than abundant. Probably wouldn't need more than a small smelter.
    even unplundered, extraction still requires significant equipment. smelters should be relatively easy, one of the best materials is brick, which can be made on site. water supply would be a very major hurdle, unless they find groundwater that can be tapped

  9. #29
    Immortal SirRobin's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Counciltucky
    Posts
    7,145
    Significant, but something we've been doing for thousands of years. So its a well understood process and something that can be done more "manually." Even with polar ice caps, I think maintaining an adequate water supply will be the biggest challenge.
    Last edited by SirRobin; 2012-11-27 at 06:13 PM.
    Sir Robin, the Not-Quite-So-Brave-As-Sir-Lancelot.
    Who had nearly fought the Dragon of Angnor.
    Who had almost stood up to the vicious Chicken of Bristol.
    And who had personally wet himself, at the Battle of Badon Hill.

  10. #30
    Quote Originally Posted by SirRobin View Post
    Even with polar ice caps, I think maintaining an adequate water supply will be the biggest challenge.
    that's my thought. all of the necessary equipment falls under "definitely possible, if prohibitively expensive", but water could prove a real problem. but i guess it depends on what is available, i doubt we have anything close to a full picture yet

  11. #31
    The water issue is part of why Planetary Resources (that asteroid mining company) is so important. Apart from mining platinum, they would also be collecting mass amounts of pure ice water. Most asteroids contain some significant amount of ice in them. This would be where a Mars colony gets most of their water from.

  12. #32
    Pandaren Monk Slummish's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    1,787
    I find it interesting, but Mars is so inhospitable to human life, I don't really see the appeal. I wish he would use his money to build ships that would send suicide squads into the galaxy to erect telescopes and communication arrays. Our best chance for finding extraterrestrial life is by expanding our presence beyond that of our solar system.

    I would readily volunteer to be launched blindly into space on a mission that uses up the remaining years of my life if I thought my sacrifice would advance technological evolution.

  13. #33
    Pandaren Monk Slummish's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    1,787
    Quote Originally Posted by Sighz View Post
    Thing is, that could probably done robotically, without need for a "suicide squad".
    I think you're giving our "robots" too much credit. Maybe in a hundred and fifty years.

  14. #34
    Science fiction stuff aside I found the way he thought about energy fascinating. I guess when you spend your time trying to build a rocket then energy consumption is definitely going to be on your mind, but to see somebody thinking about trying to influence climate change by simply looking at how much non-arable land we have and how efficiently we can generate energy on that land was quite refreshing.

    Seems like an awesome guy, gl to him.

  15. #35
    Bloodsail Admiral bekilrwale's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    Sarasota Fl.
    Posts
    1,148
    Sounds fantastic! My main question is what form of government would be present in the colony? Would it be an extension of an Earth government such as the U.S.? Doubt there should would be too much crime with 500k a ticket though.
    "Death is not kind. It's dark, black as far as you can see, and you're all alone."

  16. #36
    Quote Originally Posted by bekilrwale View Post
    Sounds fantastic! My main question is what form of government would be present in the colony? Would it be an extension of an Earth government such as the U.S.? Doubt there should would be too much crime with 500k a ticket though.
    hopefully the martians would be able to set up their own govnerment that doesn't answer to Terran politics.
    Gamdwelf the Mage

    Quote Originally Posted by Theodarzna View Post
    I'm calling it, Republicans will hold congress in 2018 and Trump will win again in 2020.

  17. #37
    Bloodsail Admiral
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Location
    hAntwearpen
    Posts
    1,132
    Quote Originally Posted by SirRobin View Post
    Well, as far as we know, Mars has never had mass exploitation of its resources so I doubt metals would be too hard to find. Though, of course, fossil fuels are likely limited or nonexistent. Of course with a limited atmosphere, solar would probably be more than abundant. Probably wouldn't need more than a small smelter.
    Would fossile fuel even be able to burn in Mars' atmospehere? Don't you need oxigen for that?
    ∞=0
    0/2 = 0 , ∞/2 = ∞
    2/0 = error , 2/∞ = error
    0*2 = 0 , ∞*2 = ∞

  18. #38
    Quote Originally Posted by RüneRS View Post
    Would fossile fuel even be able to burn in Mars' atmospehere? Don't you need oxigen for that?
    there is some oxygen on mars.
    Gamdwelf the Mage

    Quote Originally Posted by Theodarzna View Post
    I'm calling it, Republicans will hold congress in 2018 and Trump will win again in 2020.

  19. #39
    Merely a Setback Reeve's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    Houston, TX USA
    Posts
    28,800
    Quote Originally Posted by Gamdwelf View Post
    there is some oxygen on mars.
    0.13%. Probably not enough for significant fossil fuel combustion.
    'Twas a cutlass swipe or an ounce of lead
    Or a yawing hole in a battered head
    And the scuppers clogged with rotting red
    And there they lay I damn me eyes
    All lookouts clapped on Paradise
    All souls bound just contrarywise, yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!

  20. #40
    Deleted
    for now, a Mars colony is still in the realm of creative science fiction writers
    Creative? A colony on Mars?
    That's not really creative anymore. Perhaps it was 100 years ago but not today.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •