SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
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: 1) by snufu on Wednesday September 23 2015, @03:16AM
Agreed. It's a simple question of limited research and resource capital.
Putting meat on Mars is a net drain on Earth resources, just like putting meat on the moon was a net drain on Earth resources. If the moon provided a net resource gain, it would have already been colonized by humans. And no, schemes for mining asteroids and terraforming are fantasies that have not come close to passing even the most optimistic scientific analysis of the fuel/water budget. Not to mention the 'what could possibly go wrong' factor.
Sending meat to these places are political stunts, like the moon mission. They are inspirational, worthwhile projections of the human ego--if we have the resources to spare. But do not pretend it is a stepping stone to 'humans colonizing spayce!' This is not meant as a buzzkill. I support a human Mars mission, but we should do so with our eyes open and realistic understanding of the end condition.