Poll: Would you colonize Mars?

[Blobpie]

You know, I'd jump right on board if i was asked to colonize mars.

And I'd like to think i'm good for the job since;

I have relatively few connections, save for close family (mom, dad,etc)

I'm willing to learn and do almost anything for an occupation

etc,etc

 

[SneeringCanuck]

It'd be the wild west all over again, except IN SPESS.

Of course.

 

[Aidinthel]

No I like it just fine here, where I don't have to worry about the habitat leaking all the precious oxygen into the harsh, inhospitable wasteland of the rest of the planet.

But if everyone else wants to leave I won't stop you.

 

[similar.squirrel]

No terraforming, no way. Bugger that nonsense.

 

[Callex]

Is some kind of simulated gravity really that unrealistic though? I have no idea, I dont keep up to date with science, space travel and the likes, so this is a legitimate non-ironic question.

Not entirely. Although we still know very little about gravity & the origins of mass, there has been work on creating a gravity-like effect using circular motion. It wouldn't work on mars, but if you had two space-shuttles attached via a cable spinning quickly around each other as they traveled through space, inertia would seem to 'push' the occupants to the sides, making it feel like there was gravity on board.

Creating real gravity however? I have no idea. Gravity is still a bit of a mystery force. I guess we'll see what the LHC and other experiments tell us over the next decade or so.

 

[Toaster Hunter]

Why not? I would love to be part of the next great leap for humanity. As long as there's an internet connection on the Red Planet, I'll be fine.

 

[someonehairy-ish]

If we figured out a way to terraform it so it wasn't just a massive red wasteland then yes. Otherwise it would be pretty damn boring to live there...

However as a non-lifetime thing I wouldn't mind going there for a few years. Orrr when I'm a lot older/have some fatal illness so it would only end up being a few years anyway.
Not that having senile people in space is a great idea. Just fun if you are the senile person and you're as much of a nerd as me.

 

[Philol]

No I wouldn't, I like it here too much.

 

[Wintermoot]

yes but I would rather live on a O'Neill cylinder.

 

[Nocturnal Gentleman]

If we ever managed to making living on mars possible I would imagine at first they'd send an exceptional few astronauts. Then once the colony has a moderate amount of space and stability they'll send a shit ton of criminals. There would be no need to keep the worst of the worst around anymore. Just ship them into spaaaace. Have the criminals and some machines build up the place. Have some more educated folks in charge to create new biodomes.

Oh an maybe a few insanely rich people but they'd have little island bubbles to themselves with small armies of robot servants. Maybe there'd be more research into producing better cyborgs so the environmental differences would ruin people's health as much. Get some modified talking companion animals to keep people sane...

Wait, what was the question again? Oh yeah, no I wouldn't want to go it's not worth it to me.

 

[NCP Commissar]

Sure, this place is crowded enough already, bring on the martian hab domes, unless it ends up like Water of Mars in Doctor Who... If so, commence nuclear scorched earth protocol, other then that sure, it would solve the population problem, and who wouldn't want to eat mars food? And also, it wouldn't really matter if it were the result of terraforming or hab domes, so long as we can solve the population problem, and its free for people who want to go. With that being said, we may have to force people to go in order to create more sustainable life on Earth, but I think the sacrifice may be worth it, anyhow, yes I would go.

 

[kasperbbs]

Hell no, why would i want to live in a an unhabitable wasteland? It wouldnt be very fun working my ass off each day just to survive and i doubt there would be any entertainment apart from spending time with the same few people that arrived there with you. What would the pony loving trolls do without internet?

 

[SonOfVoorhees]

Me personally? No. Have no interest in a big ball of rock, and if red sand/rock excites you then there are places on our planet that have that. I will stay here and enjoy my self and let someone else do the mars conversion. But in the end we would screw it up and would lead to Earth vs Mars in war and who wants that?

Id be dead long before its colonised so I don't care - which is how a lot of people feel. Would you take huge rises in taxes etc to pay for something they wont be ready in yours or your kids life time?

 

[spartandude]

problem with colonising mars atm is it takes us a very long time to get there as it is, and we dont really have the technology yet, because we not only have to think about lack of air/other resorces on mars but the fact it also has massively strong winds at times

however if i could i would totally fund research to get us there and i would colonise it if we had the tech to do so, or the moon either one is fine by me. i hate how politicians have decided not to fund this, it could potentially help but i guess it sounds to scifi for most people to consider an actual solution

 

[Whateveralot]

Just thinking of this: because of lower gravity on mars you can build higher. Right? Of course there's the wind, but structures can be weaker in comparison to the structures on earth.

Anyway, back to topic, I think yes. In my current situation, I would.

 

[Sun Flash]

Honestly, if some dude in a white coat asked me tomorrow if I wanted to jump on a ship to Mars/The Moon I'd be all for it, even if it was a one way trip. I'd love to have the sense of adventure, stepping into the unknown and creating new civilisation. Just like the old days but without all the disease and uncleanliness.

Plus it'd give me a sense of purpose, like I was doing something worthwhile. Sure working in a shop isn't the worst job in the world, but who really cares? It's not my shop, it's a corporation. If I quit, someone else would just take my place and no one would notice or care. I'm kind of worried that it's going to be a recurring theme throughout my life.


*starts humming Aladdin soundtrack*

 

[Jake0fTrades]

No, I like it here.

 

[DAPLAGUE]

I would go, but I wouldn't wanna be one of the first to go. Maybe like the third group to make sure all the kinks are out and something bad doesn't happen.

 

[Wereduck]

Hell yeah.

Staying on one rock is a bad survival strategy. What if something happens to Earth? Say a Gamma-Ray-Burst, an Asteroid, a comet or nearby supernova hits us?

If we only stay here we might as well sign our own execution-papers.

Above all, this.

Yes it would be a fantastic adventure and it would probably be good to live in a society where finite resources would demand a more sustainable approach to manpower & materials. However, now that we have the capability to render the Earth uninhabitable for human life it is essential that we stop carrying all of our metaphorical eggs in one basket. Colonizing Mars would be the first step.

They used to call World War I "The War to End All Wars" because the prospect of another was too terrible for a rational person to contemplate. As a result, irrational people exploited that fear of global war for their own purposes and eventually forced another. It might not happen again, but isn't it foolish to gamble the survival of humanity on our hope that a charismatic madman will never again rise to a position of political power?