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Ed Regis writes in the New York Times that today we an witnessing an outburst of enthusiasm over the literally outlandish notion that in the relatively near future, some of us are going to be living, working, thriving and dying on Mars. But unfortunately Mars mania reflects an excessively optimistic view of what it actually takes to travel to and live on Mars, papering over many of the harsh realities and bitter truths that underlie the dream. "First, there is the tedious business of getting there. Using current technology and conventional chemical rockets, a trip to Mars would be a grueling, eight- to nine-month-long nightmare for the crew," writes Regis. "Tears, sweat, urine and perhaps even solid waste will be recycled, your personal space is reduced to the size of an SUV., and you and your crewmates are floating around sideways, upside down and at other nauseating angles." According to Regis every source of interpersonal conflict, and emotional and psychological stress that we experience in ordinary, day-to-day life on Earth will be magnified exponentially by restriction to a tiny, hermetically sealed, pressure-cooker capsule hurtling through deep space and to top it off, despite these constraints, the crew must operate within an exceptionally slim margin of error with continuous threats of equipment failures, computer malfunctions, power interruptions and software glitches.
But getting there is the easy part says Regis. "Mars is a dead, cold, barren planet on which no living thing is known to have evolved, and which harbors no breathable air or oxygen, no liquid water and no sources of food, nor conditions favorable for producing any. For these and other reasons it would be accurate to call Mars a veritable hell for living things, were it not for the fact that the planet's average surface temperature is minus 81 degrees Fahrenheit." These are only a few of the many serious challenges that must be overcome before anyone can put human beings on Mars and expect them to live for more than five minutes says Regis. "The notion that we can start colonizing Mars within the next 10 years or so is an overoptimistic, delusory idea that falls just short of being a joke."
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 22 2015, @04:03PM
If humans do colonize Mars, it could become a huge issue for religion. People are made to believe the Earth is the only place alive, so it hurts their beliefs that humans have left Earth for other places. And that there really are other places.
Whose jurisdiction does that place the colonizers in now? Who will be the God on Mars and other planets?
So this is being made an issue because their "God" wants all humans to be born and die on Earth (and then afterlife) and it hurts their beliefs when other planets/solar systems are colonized. Religion may not be able to live with that and might collapse. So religious people are scared of this.
I say lets do it. Right now.
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Tuesday September 22 2015, @06:17PM
http://www.livescience.com/48208-religion-extraterrestrial-life.html/ [livescience.com]
The existence of Life that isn't on Earth, doesn't negate Christianity. Christians believe in Angels and Evil Angels. The Evil Angels wouldn't have a problem deceiving the entire world by posing as beings that didn't originate from God. In fact Satan plans to do that very thing.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 22 2015, @06:57PM
It wasn't about Christianity or anything like that. It was about the Jews. They consider themselves masters of the planet and wish to go to some heaven after they die because they are the chosen ones, etc. So anyone leaving Earth and making it on another planet is against their fundamental ideas and plans and they would fight till the end to stop it from happening. I believe that is the only reason humans are still not on another planet.
Sorry, could not say "jews" in the earlier post because it would be immediately modded as -1, Troll.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 22 2015, @10:16PM
Uh, wat? How does having extraterrestrial colonies go against their fundamental ideas and "plans", whatever your tinfoiled brain thinks those are?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 22 2015, @10:19PM
How about we leave all that supernatural bullshit in the trash, where it belongs?
(Score: 2) by kurenai.tsubasa on Tuesday September 22 2015, @11:50PM
Who will be the God on Mars and other planets?
C. S. Lewis to the rescue [wikipedia.org]!
In all seriousness, I'm sure that in 10,000 years, there will be extremists on Mars busy twisting 12,000 year old manuscripts and inventing interpretations that allow for a vengeful, sadistic, multi-planet god.
I'm sure that in 100,000 years, there will be extremists on Barnard's World [wikia.com] busy twisting 102,000 year old manuscripts and inventing interpretations that allow for a vengeful, sadistic, multi-solar god.
(Maybe in 1,000,000 years, extremists somewhere in M-31 screaming about a vengeful, sadistic, intergalactic God and the end times are here repent now!)