Terraform Mars ?

[SpontaneousOrder]

the other benefit of terraforming Mars is that we then are not reliant on the Earth as our only home.

That 'hammer of god' asteroid is out there and the only way for the human race to survive it is to have a permanent self sustained base off Earth.

That's a much more convincing argument for it (unless I just totally misread the sentiment in the journalist/mathematician/singer/gladiator/economist/smurf's article.

Interesting to me is 'do I care about the "hammer of god"'? Given that we'll all be long dead before any terraforming on mars in complete.

Plus... would mars be suitable for human life at less than a third of the gravity?

[VectraMan]

Plus... would mars be suitable for human life at less than a third of the gravity?

We just need to send lots of morbidly obese people. On Mars they'll weigh a third as much, and everything will even out.

[original PM]

That's a much more convincing argument for it (unless I just totally misread the sentiment in the journalist/mathematician/singer/gladiator/economist/smurf's article.

Interesting to me is 'do I care about the "hammer of god"'? Given that we'll all be long dead before any terraforming on mars in complete.

Plus... would mars be suitable for human life at less than a third of the gravity?

Interesting this - we are probably the first generation to really recognise and understand that human life could be wiped out by a natural event.

And yet that argument of yours as in do I care i hear a lot.

And so when our great great great (etc) grandchildren are watching the impending doom unfold and the end of human life is near they could quite rightly point the finger at us and call us a bunch of short sighted narrow minded tw@s for being so incredibly selfish and short termist to have doomed the human race to extinction.

[scooterscot]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IM1-DQ2Wo_w

[NotAllThere]

the other benefit of terraforming Mars is that we then are not reliant on the Earth as our only home.

That 'hammer of god' asteroid is out there and the only way for the human race to survive it is to have a permanent self sustained base off Earth.

Given the general hostility of the universe to human life, I'd suggest that even that is insufficient. We need to colonise far away solar systems.

[original PM]

Given the general hostility of the universe to human life, I'd suggest that even that is insufficient. We need to colonise far away solar systems.

Indeed the vast increase in our knowledge of the universe bought about by Hubble telescope (and others) over the last 10 or so years really makes the squabble for earth based oil reserves and religous disharmony quite embarrasing.

We really should be working as a species to further ourselves and ensure the continued survival of the species.

[stek]

Why has no one done a Uranus comment yet? General isn't what it used to be.....

[VectraMan]

Massive Storms Erupting on Uranus

[SpontaneousOrder]

Interesting this - we are probably the first generation to really recognise and understand that human life could be wiped out by a natural event.

And yet that argument of yours as in do I care i hear a lot.

And so when our great great great (etc) grandchildren are watching the impending doom unfold and the end of human life is near they could quite rightly point the finger at us and call us a bunch of short sighted narrow minded tw@s for being so incredibly selfish and short termist to have doomed the human race to extinction.

But what you're talking about is hedging our bets when it comes to survival as a species - rather than survival for our children (unless you suppose that it'd be feasibile to evacuate an entire planet - to a much smaller one - and that we'd have enough notice to do that too).

Plus I could equally argue that it'd be selfish for those decendants to suppose that I should have sacrificed my own wellbeing for the sake of people who may or may not be born one day. All life is temporary, and 3 trillion bucks would save alot of people who are dying right here, right now. Do you suppose that those people currently living in poverty give two tulips about some hypothetical future catastrophe?

And as far as the species is concerned - while I might value human progress, the species will always come second to myself.

[SpontaneousOrder]

and ensure the continued survival of the species.

Why?

You might like the idea, but that says nothing about what other people should think on th ematter.