Elon's Video.

[birdguy 3,994]

1 hour ago, goates said:

How would it affect the meat produced?

Eating well cooked rare steak is one of life's pleasures.  If they don't have T-Bones and Porterhouse and Filet Mingon and Ribeyes and other things like creamery butter and poached eggs I ain't going.

Noel

[dmwalker 614]

5 minutes ago, birdguy said:

If they don't have T-Bones and Porterhouse and Filet Mingon and Ribeyes and other things like creamery butter and poached eggs I ain't going.

That's OK. There are hundreds of millions of vegetarians on this planet, more than enough to populate Mars, assuming they qualify.

[dmwalker 614]

5 hours ago, martin-w said:

We know that all manner of vegetables can be grown on Mars.

Aren't high protein crops, like soybeans, questionable, at least in the natural Martian sunlight?

[kangoat 583]

21 minutes ago, dmwalker said:

Aren't high protein crops, like soybeans, questionable, at least in the natural Martian sunlight?

Which is where large hydroponics operations using artificial light are almost certainly going to be required.

[kangoat 583]

35 minutes ago, dmwalker said:

That's OK. There are hundreds of millions of vegetarians on this planet, more than enough to populate Mars, assuming they qualify.

And there are many others for who a nice steak is tasty, but not essential for their happiness or enjoyment of life.

Edited February 18, 2022 by goates

[birdguy 3,994]

I just finished reading this Wiki article on Mars colonization.  Quite interesting.  As most of you know I am not a fan of either colonizing Mars or of Elon Musk.  But this should be a must read for those supporting Mars colonies.  It is neither pro or con but a good treatise on what's involved.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonization_of_Mars

Noel

[Fielder 3,904]

On 2/17/2022 at 1:58 PM, F737NG said:

Because one day, this will happen (yet again!):

Biggest Asteroid Impacts on Earth

Crater	Location	Radius (in km)	Estimated Impact Date
Vredefort	Free State, South Africa	190	2 billion years ago
Sudbury Basin	Ontario, Canada	130	1.8 billion years ago
Acraman	South Australia, Australia	90	580 million years ago
Woodleigh	Western Australia, Australia	40-120	360 million years ago
Manicouagan	Quebec, Canada	100	215 million years ago
Morokweng	North West, South Africa	70	145 million years ago
Kara Crater	Nenetsia, Russia	65	70.3 million years ago
Chicxulub	Yucatan, Mexico	170-300	65 million years ago
Popigai	Siberia, Russia	100	35.7 million years ago
Chesapeake Bay	Virginia, United States	85	35 million years ago

 

Meanwhile in our living rooms, Atari is training our next generation to fight this threat.

 

[birdguy 3,994]

Musk himself answered one of my questions here.

Musk told Time – the “goal overall has been to make life multi-planetary and enable humanity to become a spacefaring civilisation”, starting by building a “self-sustaining city on Mars and bring[ing] the animals and creature of Earth there”.

I hope he leaves mosquitos out of the Ark.  I hate mosquitos.

Noel

[dmwalker 614]

37 minutes ago, birdguy said:

I hope he leaves mosquitos out of the Ark.  I hate mosquitos.

Not just mosquitos:

Edited February 19, 2022 by dmwalker

[dmwalker 614]

1 hour ago, birdguy said:

Musk himself answered one of my questions here.

Musk told Time – the “goal overall has been to make life multi-planetary and enable humanity to become a spacefaring civilisation”, starting by building a “self-sustaining city on Mars and bring[ing] the animals and creature of Earth there”.

He also said he'd want to bring more than two of each. Where will he put them all? It would have to be in the confines of a zoo, I suppose.

[birdguy 3,994]

I don't know Dugald. People here seem to think the Mars colony will be another Eden. Just hope he doesn't send an apple tree up there.

I think a Mars Colony replica in the desert of Arizona with all of the deprivations would be appropriate to see how long term living off earth would work out.  Start from scratch and over a period of time add more and more people.

If that works out then a test colony on the Moon as a base for eventual launching to Mars.

Noel

[martin-w 3,315]

12 hours ago, DD_Arthur said:

Fast turnaround on a return trip to Mars seems rather meaningless. 

 

It isn't fast turnaround for the return trip. The video depicts a full scale Mars Dome with a long term presence. Fast turnaround is in terms of launching materials there to build and populate. Many ships, a lot of cargo.

Rather than your... "spend a decade building a huge factory in orbit which requires a multitude of rocket launces taking a huge amount of materials into orbit, yet more launches taking workers who need to be able to withstand micro gravity for probably years building your mega sized Mars ship, they can't of course so you'd need even more rocket launches for worker replacement every few months, yet more launches taking food and cargo. Then eventually, ten, fifteen years later your mega Mars ship is complete. But wait, simultaneously your plan involves doing the same thing, somehow, in Mars orbit. Then, finally, you can launch your mega Mars ship. By this time a couple of decades have past but we arent finished yet. Now it's time for more multiple, smaller ships to ferry everything down to the surface.

A bit complex and time consuming. Let's stick to numerous rapidly built SpaceX Spaceships. Reusability and rapidity is just what we need for the several refueling sessions that will be required for each ship.

[kangoat 583]

13 hours ago, birdguy said:

 People here seem to think the Mars colony will be another Eden.

Where did anyone say it would be easy or another Eden? It will be challenging and definitely not a pleasure trip for the first few, and probably even couple hundred, people to go.

We do have some ideas about how living in more extreme environments work between the research stations in Antarctica, space stations such as Mir and the ISS, and yes, even a dome in the middle of the desert, Biosphere 2. SpaceX will be using data from all of this in designing their colony.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosphere_2

Edited February 19, 2022 by goates
Missed a word

[martin-w 3,315]

13 hours ago, birdguy said:

. People here seem to think the Mars colony will be another Eden. 

 

Absolutely nobody here has said that or implied it. Initially it will be tough. In time, it could be a very comfortable existance. 

Essentially you made it up.

[dmwalker 614]

On 2/18/2022 at 1:23 PM, goates said:

I'm sure in the long run larger spacecraft built in orbit would be better and more efficient

I wonder how would they assemble a spacecraft in orbit since traditional methods like welding, riveting, chemical bonding, etc., probably don't work in space.